Fated Treasures

by D T Strange

  Fi sat up and looked at Cameron a moment, her eyes wide, before sliding off the stool and running from the kitchen. He called out, following as she ran into what looked like a home office. It was all dark wood with bookshelves lining the wall, a mahogany desk sitting in the middle of the office. Fi slid behind the desk and reached under it. Cam moved beside her, watching as she fished for something, but what he wasn’t sure. Then Cam heard a click and watched as a panel underneath lowered and Fi hefted an old laptop onto the desk.

  “That thing looks older than you are. What are you doing?” Cameron moved to stand behind her, to see her movements better she figured.

  Fi nodded as she opened the laptop and powered it on. “I think it is older than me. It's so big and clunky. I think I was eleven or twelve when I first saw it.”

  When the home screen came on, Fi’s fingers started to fly over the keyboard as she started to navigate the internet, her shoulders rigid and chewing her lip. Cameron was standing close enough, so she could feel the heat of his body, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when he rested a hand on her shoulder. He rubbed her shoulder, almost absently, as he watched her. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she forced herself to relax, leaning back against him slightly.

  “What we do can get dangerous. Others are hunting for these same objects. We’ve had break ins and confrontations.” I looked back over my shoulder at him. “So, I remember when I was younger, my grandfather had security cameras installed in the safehouses. Joseph took over not only the upkeep on the safehouses we have but has a company that monitors all the security feeds.”

  Cameron leaned over her shoulder and watched the screen closely. “Did you try monitoring the feeds yourself looking for any signs that your grandfather was at one of the safehouses?”

  Fi nodded, taking a deep breath. “I had gotten my own login information, but I got the impression that I wasn’t really supposed to watch the feeds. I did, of course, usually late at night scrolling through hours and hours recordings, looking for anything that would indicate he’d been there.”

  A login page appeared on the screen and Fi typed in her username and password. A moment later a series of videos appeared on the screen. Cameron leaned over Fi’s shoulder as she leaned closer to the screen. “Can you search one room at a time?” She nodded and started to type again until a black and white video of the kitchen came onto the screen.

  Pointing at the screen, Fi looked up at Cameron. “So, this is obviously the kitchen. There are the take-out containers on the island.”

  “Can you go back a few days? Maybe two or three?”

  Fi nodded and turned back to the screen, typing a few more commands until the video rewound. A soft gasp escaped her lips when her grandfather appeared on the screen, sitting at the island opening the takeout containers. Her hand went to her mouth as a sob welled up inside her. She hadn’t set eyes on him since she was thirteen years old. Why hadn’t she ever thought to look at the video feeds before? After all these years the thought had never occurred to her.

  Cameron squeezed her shoulder, giving her support. “Is that him?” She nodded taking a shaky breath.

  “I knew he was alive.” The words were spoken in a soft whisper as she watched him moving around the kitchen. He looked the same as he had that morning he’d kissed her goodbye just older with lines etched into his face. Trying to swallow there was a painful tightness in her throat and her lungs seemed to constrict, making it hard for her to breathe. When he looked straight at the camera, her heartbeat seemed to almost stop for a moment. She felt he was looking right her. Was she too late after all?

  There was a book sitting on the island next to him that Fi recognized as one of his journals. “I didn’t see the journal when we came in did you?” Fi shook her head at Cameron’s question as she continued to watch.

  Fi stiffened again as her grandfather looked up from his journal then look at the door behind him. Standing, he walked to it, opening it up and letting another man walk in. She leaned closer, but the visitor seemed to be keeping his face away from the camera. But, her grandfather seemed to know who it was as the two men stood there taking, the two of them moving to the island as her grandfather sat back down. “I can’t tell who it is.”

  They watched the two men for a few more minutes, watching as her grandfather seemed to get agitated then angry. He slammed down his fork and stood then Fi gasped, her hand going to her throat as the visitor pulled out a gun. Her grandfather raised his hands and shook his head, speaking to the visitor. The other man waved the gun, indicating that her grandfather move. He walked around the island, his hands still in the air and walked out of camera range.

  Fi didn’t waste any time and immediately typed in a few other commands the living room came on the screen, then she rewound the footage. Her heart seemed to stop the minute the two men came back into view, then start racing so fast it took her breath away. Her grandfather took a few steps into the living room before turning to his visitor and talking to him. Whatever he was saying made the other man angry and he raised the gun that he had let drop to his side.

  Fi swallowed then jumped when her grandfather jerked back, his hand going to his side and dropped to the floor. Her whole body started to shake as they watched the other man go to her grandfather and bend down, her grandfather lifting his head. They spoke for a few moments as her grandfather’s blood started to spread around him. Then, unexpectedly, the visitor stuffed the gun into his pocket and disappeared.

  Try as she might, Fi couldn’t get a clear view of the intruder’s face. “It’s like he knows where all the cameras are.” That’s when the screen went blank, static taking over. “Someone cut the video feed. “Cameron’s voice was low, soothing she imagined, but it still managed to scrape over her raw nerves. He reached over her shoulder and turned the screen off then put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her up from the chair to stand.

  Turning her around, he lifted his hand to caress her cheek. “Anna he was still alive when the feed went out.” Fi closed her eyes and leaned into his touch as a tear slipped down her cheek, then felt his lips brush against hers. She opened her eyes to look at him, a sob escaping as she took a deep breath.

  “I need to find that journal he was writing in and a couple of his other journals I think might be here, then I want to leave. I can’t stay here.”

  Cameron nodded and pulled her to him. “I need to make a couple of calls, get us a place to stay and make some arrangements. You look for those journals while I arrange to take care of this place but be quick. We don’t know if that guy is going to come back. We aren’t prepared if that happens.”

  Fi pulled back, stepping out of his arms and took another breath, this one steadier. “It shouldn't take me long. I just need to look through the place. I’ll meet you back in the kitchen.”

  Twenty

  Picking Up the Pieces

  As Fi went in search of her grandfather's journals, Cam pulled out his cell phone. First, he called his pack leader, Zep. “Hey Zep, uh, no, I don’t exactly know what time it is there.” The pause on the other end allowed Cam to continue. “Look, I’m in Venice.” Cam cringed at the gruff question of ‘Venice, Italy?’ that Zep growled out.

  “Yes, as in Italy. Look, I’ve got a situation here. Merrick can fill you in completely, but I’m here tracking down a lead on the Talisman Stones. That’s not why I’m calling though, well not exactly. Zep, is Rico still in this area on vacation? He is? Good I’m calling in a cleanup team and going to have my secretary get ahold of him to head it up.”

  “What the hell are you involved in Cam?”

  The sigh slipped from Cam as he scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Truth be told, I’m not exactly sure Zep, but it’s not me the cleanup crew is for, it’s for a place Fi and I were checking out and before you ask, Fi is a gal I went on a double date with. Ask my mother, she can fill you in on that part. Look I just wanted to give you a heads up, so you didn’t get a call from someone else in regard to what�
��s going on. I need to go but I’ll be in touch once I’m a little more squared away.”

  Cam knew Zep didn’t like the situation and that made two of them. Still, he figures Zep would check in with his mother and Merrick for more info. Next person he called was Nancy. Now that he realized it was five in the morning back in the states he was prepared for her groggy hello.

  “Nancy, it’s Cam. I’m sorry to wake you, but I need you to make some calls for me. I need you to get ahold of Rico Dominguez. Yes, I know he’s vacationing in Venice and I’m thanking the gods for it as well. Give him this address I’m about to text you and tell him I need a cleanup crew. Also, let him know I’ll text him with an address where he can meet me. Tell him, I’ll explain everything when I see him.”

  He paused as she asked where he was. “Venice. You might say I got a second chance with my date. Wish I could say it was my idea to fly off to Venice as a romantic apology, but it wasn’t and now we’ve got some trouble on our hands. That’s why I need Rico in on this.”

  Nancy being the perfectly calm and collected soul she is, only stumbled once over what he had said, and he figured that was because she hadn’t had coffee yet. Saying goodbye to her, he made one last phone call, securing them a private apartment. He knew Rico could make sure it would be secure once he arrived. He was shooting a text with the address to Rico when Fianna walked back in.

  Taking note of the bag slung over Fi’s shoulder, Cam jerked his chin at it. “Found more than the one journal I see. Are you ready to go then Green Eyes?” Although Fi’s look was still a little shattered, there was some color back in her cheeks and a bit of determination in her stride.

  “Yes, and please, I need to get out of here.” Cam brushed his thumb along her cheek before easing a strand of hair behind her ear. The look that passed between them wasn’t heat filled; it was more like the slow burn that comes from a fire that’s been banked for a long, cold night. Sliding his hand to her lower back, he guided her out the way they’d come in. Once back down and in the boat, he eased them into the main channel.

  “I’ve secured us a private apartment. Once my buddy Rico has a team assigned to take care of your place, he’ll meet us over there. I’ll also have him arrange for a couple guards to stay with us while we’re here. I’m taking no chances with what you might have on your grandfather’s laptop, in his journals, or the stone itself. Not to mention keeping the both of us safe and alive so we can find your grandfather.”

  Fianna’s cell phone rang. She pulled it out her front jeans pocket, frowning down at the display. “It’s my guardian, Joseph. He normally doesn’t call me when he knows I’m on the hunt unless he has information.”

  Cam watched as Fianna answered, her frown turning to puzzlement, which bloomed into a smile. She didn’t discuss what they’d found, which surprised him, but maybe it was still too fresh in her mind and she didn’t want to worry her guardian. They were pulling into the private slip underneath the apartment as she ended the call.

  “Joseph found an article mentioning stones believed to have Irish origins. Their description matches those of the stone I received in the mail the other morning. He thought I’d want to know since the stone I got was from my grandfather. Cam, the stones are on display in a museum in Sicily.”

  Cam had tied off the boat and was out of it, his hand held out to Fianna. They stood there, looking at one another as realization hit them both square on, as if they had bullseye's painted on their foreheads.

  “Your grandfather must have known about the stones being on display. I'm betting when you go through his journals, you'll see that he's been trying to figure out how to obtain them.”

  Fianna gave a nod as she took his hand. He tugged her up and out of the boat, catching her as the bag pulled her off balance. Heat slammed into him as energy sizzled where their skin touched.

  Sliding his hand around her lower back, Cam tucked her up against him, his head dipping down. She was looking up at him, rising on tiptoes to meet him for the kiss he intended to claim.

  Their lips met, tongues slipping out to dance together. She opened for him and he could have drowned in her taste. Heartbeats quickened as time seemed to still from the intensity of the kiss. Then everything came rushing back at the sound of a throat clearing.

  “Damn man, you've got a room, take her to it, before the two of you fall into the drink there.”

  Cam pulled back from Anna just enough to glance over to a man standing about five feet away. The male’s five foot three, stocky build was accented by a deep tan and a shaggy shock of black, somewhat curly and very unruly hair. Rico Dominguez, a longtime friend that was on the packs payroll as security and a good friend of Cam’s, was smirking at them as he started to come closer.

  The grin that split Cam's lips was infectious enough that even Fianna gave a tentative smile. Rico chuckled, stepping over to shake Cam’s hand. “Rico, this is Fianna, Anna, this is Rico Dominguez. He's part of the security my pack employs. Rico wasn't technically pack, not being a wolf shifter. His flavor of beast was jaguar. He was fast, stealthy and deadly whether in man or cat form and Cam respected the hell out of him while considering him a brother from another.

  “Just knowing you're here puts me at ease man. It also gives me hope that we might actually find out what happened to Fianna’s grandfather.”

  Rico nodded, following them inside “I've got a team over at the address you gave me. They'll take care of everything. For now, though, let’s all sit down over some food and you two can tell me what the hell is going on.”

  The next few hours were spent discussing everything from the disappearance of Fi’s grandfather all those years ago, up to the last epiphany Cam and Fi had just before Rico arrived. Together, they'd started laying out a plan. Cam realized how quiet Fianna had become. Glancing over, he saw her head propped up by her hand, eyes closed and starting to list to the side. Rico chuckled low and nodded as Cam stood and gently scooped Fianna up into his arms. She stirred just enough to nuzzle closer into him, her face buried in his shirt.

  Carrying Fianna to the master suite, Cam gently laid her onto the bed. With a care that went deeper than he was used to, Cam started to strip Anna of her clothing. Her shoes, socks and jeans came off first, being the easiest to slip off her sleep relaxed body. He was easing her shirt up when her he felt her tense, then start to struggle.

  At first Cam thought Fianna had woken and wasn't aware that it was him undressing her. Then he realized her eyes were still closed. Her heart was pounding, and he caught the faint scent of fear as a light sheen of sweat covered her body.

  “Shhh baby, it's just a nightmare. Easy Green Eyes, I've got you. You're safe.”

  Fianna seemed to relax at the sound of his voice. When her eyes fluttered open, they were heavy with sleep, confusion and desire. Wordlessly, she reached up, cupped his neck and pulled him down onto the bed beside her. They kissed and with a tenderness they hadn't experienced together yet.

  Cam was sure to take his time with her now, sensing this was what was needed. Breaking away, he slid her shirt up and over her head, slipped her bra off and took his time exploring her body. She was writhing beneath him, her hands jerking on his shirt as she panted the words “OFF NOW.” out at him. They spent the next few hours pleasuring one another, forgetting about the horrors of the day.

  When morning did finally come, Cam woke to Fianna draped over him, his cock hard and painfully pressing against her hip. Taking hold of her hips, he shifted and as she opened her eyes, a sleepy smile greeting him as he slid into her.

  Cam guided her up and down, her body responding to his urges, their gazes locked onto one another. She reached her peak quickly, going over with a cry of his name spilling from her lips. He slammed into her, burying himself balls deep as his own eruption of hot, slick seed spilled into her. They lay there, bodies slick with sweat, trying to catch their breath. Cam gave Fianna a smile and kissed her deeply.

  When he pulled back and started to ease out of her, she wr
apped a leg around him, her heel digging into his ass to hold him in place. Then, she flipped them, and he knew another round was in store. It was fast, hard and exactly what the doctor ordered. They both were well sated when they were through

  “Come on woman, we have shit to do and as much as I'd like to keep pleasuring you through scream after scream all damn day, it's not possible, just now anyway. We need to find your grandfather and I need to see about reclaiming the other stones. I have proof that they belong to my pack, but that won't make it an easy matter by any means.”

  They showered, washing each other with soapy hands, which lead to another round of body shaking sex. They were like two horny teenagers with the house to themselves while their parents were out of town. That thought hit Cam as he was drying off and suddenly he thought of his mother.

  He should have been uncomfortable thinking of her just then, but he wasn't. Surprisingly, Cam found himself hoping his mother was enjoying time with Zeke much as he and Fianna were enjoying one another. The implications of his thoughts damn near floored him and he felt his wolf playfully nipping at him from within.

  Fianna had already stepped out of the bathroom to dress. When Cam emerged into the bedroom suite, he saw her sitting there, dressed, with the stone in her hands. She glanced up to him as he stood, rooted in spot, looking at the stone. His wolf seemed to sit within him, patiently waiting, but waiting for what Cam wasn’t sure.

  “Cameron, I think my grandfather would have wanted you to have this stone back, so I want you to take it. But please, help me find him. After all, if it weren't for him, you wouldn't be this close to reclaiming what was taken from your pack.”

  Cam met her eyes, the plea he'd heard in her voice plainly seen in the depths of her now pale green eyes. He knew she felt she was taking a chance giving him the stone. What she didn't seem to know, was that he would have helped her even if there were no chance of recovering any of the stones for his pack. Cam was finally able to admit what his mother and his wolf were telling him. Fianna was his mate and he'd taken the plunge head first into love with her.