Dalakis Passion 3 - Stefan's Salvation (22 page)

He faltered only once. The power struck him from out of nowhere. From both sides,
he felt the ripple of energy as it surged to life. It fed his own freely, making him even
stronger.
As he passed an intersection, he heard the long, measured tread of boot heels
hitting the pavement. He knew it was a deliberate way of announcing himself. The man
coming up on his left could move as soundless as a soft summer breeze or descend as
violently as a thunderstorm, depending on his mood.
Stefan turned his head and nodded, acknowledging his oldest brother. "Cristofor. I
did not expect you."
Cristofor fell into step beside him. "Where else would I be when you needed me?"
Stefan closed his eyes and swallowed back the emotion that threatened to erupt
from deep within him. Where else, indeed? "Thank you." He took a deep, calming
breath and continued down the road.
Cristofor shrugged his massive shoulders. "We are Dalakis. When one is
threatened, we are all threatened. When one is in need, we are all in need. Together, we
are strong." The long silk cape he wore fell off one shoulder, exposing the red satin
lining. Cristofor had always favored old-fashioned, dramatic clothing in keeping with
his heritage as a vampire. Stefan smiled slightly at his brother's predictability. Some
things never changed and the love and unity of his family was one of them.
"They have her." Stefan's anger and fear began to rise up within him, but he
pushed it back down. He would not give in to it.
"We will get your woman back." Cristofor's calm acceptance strengthened Stefan's
resolve.
He felt the slightest shimmer of energy on his right side, and without looking Stefan
knew his other brother was beside him. "Lucian," he nodded as he turned. His brother
was dressed impeccably in black silk pants and a silk shirt. A long black coat, made of
the finest wool, fell down around his legs. The coat was open and the long tails were
blowing in the wind behind him.
Lucian's smile gleamed through the dark as he fell into step beside them. "You
didn't think I would miss this, did you?" He sobered as he reached out and touched
Stefan on the shoulder. "We will get her back. I am looking forward to meeting my new
sister-in-law."
"Where are the women?" It was unthinkable that his brothers had brought their
wives with them into this dangerous situation.
"Johanna is in New York completing the details on our new partnership with a
hotel company." There was masculine pride in every word Cristofor spoke. "RW Hotels
is no longer a problem."
"Delight is with her?" Stefan looked to Lucian for confirmation.
"Of course. We suggested they stay and shop for a few days." Lucian smiled. "They
wanted to come, but we convinced them it was not safe."
"In other words, you didn't tell them you were coming here." Stefan knew his
strong-willed sisters-in-law would not be left behind if they knew their husbands were
traveling here.
Cristofor snorted. "We had Sam Cassidy drive us here after the women took the jet
to New York."
Stefan had to smile in spite of the seriousness of the situation. Sam Cassidy was a
New Orleans police detective who had come into their lives a few months ago and
become an unlikely family friend. "So Cassidy is here too."
"He's checking out the local situation for us," Lucian confirmed.
Side by side they strode down the road--three massive, imposing men joined by
blood and brotherhood. The dust whipped up from the sidewalk and leaves scurried
out of their way as they passed. Stefan shook his head. If the situation weren't so
serious and deadly, he'd have laughed. They must look like three desperados from an
old western movie, stalking into town to confront the bad sheriff--or in this case, the
corrupt mayor. The showdown was at hand.
His entire focus was on the large group that was still gathered outside city hall. As
they got closer, some people noticed them. One by one people stopped talking until
silence filled the street. Stefan kept walking and the crowd parted before him, no one
wanting to stand between him and his objective.
Mayor Cyril Jenkins took a step backward, almost tripping on the stairs behind
him. He righted himself and glanced around. Seeming to draw confidence from the
crowd, he confronted Stefan. "Can I help you with something?"
Stefan kept walking until the toes of his boots practically touched the mayor's
polished dress shoes. "Yes, you can."
The mayor took a step back and this time managed to gain the step behind him. The
added height still didn't bring him close to being able to look Stefan in the eye. "Well,
then," he blustered. "What can I do for you, Mr. Dalakis?"
Stefan wanted to squash the man like an insect, but he restrained himself, barely.
"You can tell me why you sent two men to try and kill me. You can tell me why you've
been causing trouble for Laurel Rose so she'd sell her land. And," Stefan glared at the
man in front of him as the crowd rumbled restlessly around them. "You can tell me
who has Laurel Rose."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Cyril looked shocked as he turned to
the townspeople in appeal. "How dare you, a stranger, come into our town and accuse
me," he thumped his chest with his fist, "of harming Laurel Rose in some way. Why,
I'm one of the few folks in this town who even talks to her."
"Did I mention that I had a long chat with Aaron Higgins? He told me all about
your scheme to try and scare Laurel Rose into selling her property."
"Aaron Higgins, I'm sorry to say, is little more than a small-town crook." The
mayor shook his head. "Unfortunately, every town has them, but you can't believe
anything he says." As if sensing the crowd's support shifting to his side, he added, "But
you wouldn't know that, being an outsider and all. I'm a respected member of this
community and I will not stand here and be slandered by you."
"That's not all." Cristofor stepped up next to Stefan. "I heard you all but promised
to deliver the McCaffey land to RW Hotels if they'd make you the new manager of their
resort."
That announcement sent ripples of unease through crowd. "Where did you hear
that?" The mayor was starting to look pale as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "And
just who are you, sir?"
Cristofor gave a slight bow. "I am Cristofor Dalakis and I am now a major
shareholder of RW Hotels." He paused and faced the crowd. "And if one hair is harmed
on Laurel Rose's head, the resort development will be cancelled." His green-eyed glare
swept the crowd. "And then, I will make sure that every single industry in this town
fails until Salvation is nothing but a memory."
"You can't do this," the mayor blustered. "Sure, I helped them obtain some of the
land they need. All I'm trying to do is bring industry to the area." He held out his
hands, appealing to the crowd for their understanding. "That's my job as mayor of this
town." The crowd murmured and some people nodded in agreement with him while
others turned back toward Cristofor.
Cristofor swept back toward him. "It is already done. And if you do not trust me,
then call Richard Webster." Cristofor rattled off a phone number.
Stefan watched the change sweep over Cyril Jenkins as the other man witnessed all
his ambition for money and power slipping from his grasp. Gone was the mild-
mannered mayor, and in his place was a man gone mad. "You can't do this to me. I
worked for two years to lure that development here. I managed to convince and cajole
most of the folks to sell their land. So what if I got a finder's fee each time I got someone
to sign on the dotted line? That's only fair. I'm the one who did all the work." He was
practically foaming at the mouth now, his face beet red as he continued to scream.
"Laurel Rose was the last holdout. If I could get her to sell, I'd be sitting pretty for the
rest of my life and so would this town. That stupid bitch was keeping me from it."
As if suddenly realizing that he was screaming, Cyril swiped the back of his hand
across his mouth and took a calming breath. "Don't you all see?" He scanned the crowd
searching for support. "Laurel Rose was holding all of us back. The whole town of
Salvation needs this development." He straightened his jacket and drew himself up.
"You all know I'm right."
"He sent Aaron and Clem out to kill her chickens and frighten her a little." The
crowd all turned as one and stared at the blonde woman who stepped forward.
Everyone recognized her immediately. As a waitress at the town's only diner, Karen
was well known by all the locals.
Cyril was staring at her in disbelief, but Karen wasn't finished. "When you're a
waitress, people seem to think you're invisible." She pointedly glared at the mayor
before turning back to the crowd that was now shuffling with unease. They were good,
honest folks and while many of them thought Laurel Rose should sell her land, none of
them would condone hurting either her or her property.
"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" someone from the crowd yelled.
Karen nodded as the crowd murmured. "That's a fair question. I didn't say
anything because I really didn't know this woman and I depended on that diner for my
living. The mayor could have gotten me fired. His cousin owns the diner. But I'm
leaving town and I really don't care any longer. And Laurel Rose seems like a nice
woman and she doesn't deserve to have them harassing her." Karen drew her coat
tighter around her and tilted her chin up as if daring anyone to disagree. "I know a lot
of secrets about this town." Her gaze panned the crowd, silencing it. "And I know that
Aaron and Clem were heading out to the McCaffey place tonight to hurt someone.
Those two can't keep their mouths shut." She turned to Stefan and his brothers. "I'm
sorry I didn't say anything sooner."
Stefan nodded at Karen, now more thankful than ever that he'd met her that first
night in Salvation. Leaning down, he brushed her cheek with a kiss. "Thank you."
Turning away from her, Stefan growled as he advanced toward Cyril, but the man
was beyond all common sense and fear. "So what if I sent Aaron and Clem out to kill
her chickens and frighten her a little? The woman has no right to stay on that land. Her
stepfather promised to sell it to me as soon as he wed her mama. I always knew that
land would be worth a small fortune someday. But the son of a bitch died before he
could make good on his promise. That land should have been mine years ago. Mine!"
he screamed. "Laurel Rose is nothing but a witch."
Stefan grabbed the crazed man by the scruff of his neck and lifted him off his feet.
Leaning down so only Cyril could hear him, he said, "If she dies, you won't live the
night."
Stefan sensed the exact moment the mayor realized what he'd done. He reeked of
fear and desperation as he struggled in Stefan's grasp. "Put me down," Cyril gasped,
trying to sound tough and unconcerned. But his façade of bravado slowly slipped away
under Stefan's dark glare.
"Who has Laurel Rose?" Stefan's eyes promised retribution as he glared at the man
in his grasp. "Who?"
"He won't hurt her unless he has to." The mayor's words sounded false to Stefan's
ears. Cyril wasn't so sure about his cohort. "At least, he won't do anything until she
signs the papers."
Stefan growled low in his throat as he plucked the name from Cyril's mind. It took
all his self-control not to just break the man's neck and be done with him. The mayor
didn't care what happened to Laurel Rose so long as he got her land. Stefan's fingers
tightened convulsively. It would be so easy.
His head snapped up suddenly and he listened intently, easily subduing the
mayor's struggles. It had been the faintest of sounds, but he'd heard it. He sensed his
brothers both searching and scanning the night as if they'd heard it too. A whisper of
his name caressed his mind and he locked down hard on the source. Sending his own
senses out searching, he followed the slight psychic trail. Now he knew where to find
her.
Opening his hand, he dropped the mayor, ignoring him as he fell to the ground.
Cyril groaned and rolled to a sitting position, yelling as he saw two state police officers
approaching. "Arrest him! He assaulted me."
One of the officers helped Cyril up before slapping a pair of cuffs on his wrists.
"You have the right to remain silent." The rest of what the officer said was lost as the
mayor began to scream and struggle against the restraints.
Sam Cassidy, who'd been standing at the back of the crowd watching the scene
unfold, stepped forward and nodded to Stefan. "I'll help clean up the mess here and
follow you. Where are you going?"
Stefan inclined his head toward Cassidy in acknowledgement. "I'm going to
church." Turning, he stalked back through the crowd, which was still muttering and
talking.
Most were appalled by the mayor's actions, but some said they always knew that
Cyril Jenkins came from a bad family and blood would tell. Many were suddenly
sympathetic toward Laurel Rose, recalling the numerous times her grandpa, and even
Laurel Rose herself, had helped different members of the community.
There was a small crowd gathered around Karen, talking all at once. Some were
sympathetic toward her and were desperately trying to find out more of the gossip.
Others were more interested in finding out why she was leaving town and where she
was going.
Stefan had no time or patience for their small-town gossip.
The town would talk for years about this night, he knew. The story would grow to
legendary proportions over time, but for now, the townspeople all quickly got out of
the way of the three dark strangers as they strode back out of Salvation.
The moment they were beyond the sight of the people, Stefan raced toward the
white church on the outskirts of town. Laurel Rose was there and she was dying.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Laurel Rose groaned. Her bed felt hard tonight and she was so very cold. Shivering,
she tried to roll over and grab the covers, but she couldn't move. Frowning, she forced
her eyes to open, but it was difficult to get them to stay that way. Her head throbbed
and she squinted as the light hurt her eyes.
"Good. You're awake. I was beginning to wonder if you would wake up. Not that it
really matters, but it is more fulfilling this way." Jeremiah Stoner's cool voice brushed