Dante (Stone Society Book 3) (12 page)

Relief
flooded Trevor. “Pizza, definitely. These don’t look like delivery. Did you make
’em yourself?” He sat on the sofa, eyeing the delicious looking pies.

Jasper
handed Trevor a beer before sitting down next to him. “I did. It takes too long
to get delivery out here. Besides, this way I know they’re gonna be just the
way I like them. Help yourself.” Jasper handed Trevor a plate and napkin, then
grabbed several slices of pizza and put them on his own plate. He turned the
television on, muting the volume.

Jasper
turned toward Trevor on the sofa. “So, tell me all about yourself.”

The
two men ate pizza, drank beer, and told each other small bits of info. Nothing
really personal, not at first, since this was just two friends having a chat. Trevor
talked about working in the morgue. Jasper told some stories of living on the
west coast and being a fireman. When the pizza was demolished and the plates
cleared, Jasper asked, “Have you played Gods of Chaos Four?”

Trevor’s
heart skipped a beat. “You have Four? It’s not even out yet. How the hell did
you get your hands on it?”

Jasper
grinned, his straight, white teeth shining. “I know someone who knows someone.
Now, do you wanna play or what?”

Trevor
really wanted to
or what
, but he wouldn’t dare go there. Not with this
man.

“Put
it in.” Trevor realized too late what he’d said. He felt his face blushing.
Jasper winked at him and fired up the game. When he returned to the sofa, he
sat next to Trevor. There was barely any space between their thighs as Jasper handed
him a controller. The brief contact of their hands caused a stirring sensation
in Trevor’s body. He was going to lose before they began playing, because he
couldn’t keep his mind off the man sitting next to him.

Isabelle
paid the cab driver and got out of the car. The last text she received gave
explicit instructions as to where she was to be dropped off and where she was
to go to afterward. She was walking while chastising herself the whole time.
Maybe now she understood why her father didn’t trust her all those years ago; for
someone so smart, she was stupid. Even Tessa didn’t pull this kind of stunt.
Well, she probably did, but this was the kind of thing Tessa lived for. She was
prepared for this, whereas Isabelle was not.

The
click of her shoes on the pavement tattooed a beat in sync with the double time
thumping of her heart. Step, beat, beat. Step, beat, beat. Now reality was
setting in, and she realized, too late, she should have let Dante and the Clan
find Connor. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust them. Just a few weeks ago,
Isabelle watched the Clan rally around Tessa when she was being hunted by a
serial killer. They would do the same for Isabelle, but she just didn’t feel
right putting all of them in danger when this was her problem. Dante’s last
text message made the panic a little more real. He was coming after her anyway.

 Three
small planes were lined up outside private hangars. The last one was her
intended ride for the next however many hours it took to arrive wherever she
was being taken. As she neared the jet, a woman about Isabelle’s age appeared
in the door and descended the stairs.

“Welcome,
Isabelle. My name is Kallisto, and I will be escorting you.” Kallisto could
have been a fashion model with her long legs and flawless skin. Her blonde hair
was pulled into a tight bun. Her blue pantsuit and mirrored sunglasses reminded
Isabelle of an FBI agent. All she needed was the badge. Her accent hinted at
Greek.

“Where
are we going?” Isabelle asked as she ascended the stairs into the plane’s
cavity. She didn’t expect an answer and was surprised when Kallisto responded.

“To
see your son, of course. Please, make yourself comfortable. We have a long
flight ahead of us.” Kallisto motioned for Isabelle to have a seat in one of
the plush leather captain’s chairs along the left side of the plane. She had flown
in the Sarantos jet, but it hadn’t been near as opulent as this one. If circumstances
were different, she might enjoy the flight. Considering she was headed off to an
unknown destination, she doubted she would be comfortable, even in all this
luxury.

Kallisto
disappeared into the cockpit momentarily. When she returned, she pushed a
button, retracting the stairs before closing and locking the door to the plane.
She took a chair opposite Isabelle, her sunglasses now absent from her face.
She buckled her seatbelt and told Isabelle to do the same. Isabelle tried not
to stare at the woman sitting across the aisle from her, but it was difficult. She
was drop dead gorgeous with eyes such a pale blue, they were almost absent any
pigment. She also had a certain air about her, one that said, “Don’t fuck with
me”.

Isabelle
had no problem admitting when a woman was beautiful. If they had been in a
different time and situation, a time before Dante, Isabelle might have given in
to the attraction. Instead, she closed her eyes and tapped into her shifter
senses. She was still learning how to control her breathing, calming herself.
Tessa had told her what to expect with her body, how her strength and stamina
would increase, and her senses would heighten.

The
plane began moving, and within a few minutes, it was taxiing down the runway.
Isabelle looked out the window as the plane rose into the Georgia sky. The sun
had gone down, and the bright lights of the airport shone like beacons below. Isabelle
felt a strange vibe, a sense of familiarity. Could Kallisto be a shifter too?
Not wanting to be conspicuous, Isabelle kept her eyes closed, concentrating on
slowing her heart rate. If Kallisto sensed her nervousness, it would give the
woman an even greater advantage. When Isabelle heard movement, she cracked her
eyes as her hostess unbuckled her seatbelt and strode to the back of the plane.
Isabelle listened closely when she heard voices.

“He
wishes to speak with you,” a man’s voice said.

Kallisto
spoke softly, “Yes, sir. We have just taken off. Other than the drone going
offline, we had no trouble. She has been compliant the entire time. I
understand.” After that, the voices were muffled, and Isabelle couldn’t
understand, even with her shifter hearing.

“Isabelle,
are you hungry? Would you care for something to drink?” Kallisto asked from the
rear of the plane.

“No,
thank you.” She didn’t trust them not to drug her. They had been fairly
hospitable so far, for kidnappers. Technically, they hadn’t abducted her; she’d
come of her own free will.

“Where
is my son?” Isabelle asked when the blonde sat back down.

“Somewhere
safe,” Kallisto didn’t look at Isabelle when she answered.

“Who
hired you?” Isabelle twisted in the plush leather seat.

“You’ll
find out soon enough. Now, no more questions. This is going to be a long
flight. We have magazines, books, and movies available. If you change your mind
about food or drink, do not hesitate to let me know. And, no, we are not going
to drug you. Our intentions are not to hurt you, Isabelle, only to reunite you
with your child.” Kallisto settled into her own chair, opening a folder and
scanning the documents contained therein.

Isabelle
didn’t want reading material, nor did she want to watch a movie. What she
wanted was Connor, and if the woman sitting across from her was being truthful,
Isabelle would see him soon.

Julian
called ahead so the Stone Society jet was on standby, fueled up and ready to
go. Dante, Gregor, and Tessa arrived at the airport minutes after the private
jet had taken off for Greece. Julian confirmed he was able to track Isabelle,
amazed at the technology Jonas had created. He knew the man was a genius,
having knowledge of his past accomplishments. This new technology was even more
impressive. He wanted to spend time with the doctor, pick his brain. Julian
himself had an I.Q. that was off the charts, but he had a feeling he could
learn so much from Isabelle’s father.

Julian
was feeling restless. He knew his job within the Clan was important, but at
that moment, it didn’t seem enough. Nikolas was somewhere in Egypt, searching
for Sophia. Dante was off to Greece, going to rescue Isabelle. Rafael was headed
to Tennessee with Kaya and Dane to check on Maria. He was sitting at a bank of
computers, watching. He thought of his own mate, Katherine, wondering what she
was doing. Was she off on an adventure of her own, searching for the next big
story? Was she getting ready for a date? Dane was under the impression
Katherine was his mate. His impression was wrong.

The
door opened, and Frey walked in. “Hey, Little Brother, what the fuck is going
on? I went by the manor to talk to Kaya, and nobody was home. I called Rafe, and
he asked me to rearrange all the patrol schedules. Said you’d fill me in on
what’s going down.” He sat down in Nikolas’ chair, leaning back with his hands
clasped behind his head.

Julian
told his brother everything that had transpired that day.

“What
a cluster fuck. Why can’t one of us find a mate who doesn’t have a target on
their back? Speaking of women, what’s going on with yours?”

“Nothing
is going on with mine. I am too busy trying to keep everyone else’s alive.”
Julian wasn’t bitter, just honest.

“Truth,
Brother. Truth. So Isabelle has a kid. How did Dante take the news?”

“The
same way we all did. He was shocked at first, but we all realized we don’t know
her. Why would we have known she has a kid? I know nothing about Katherine I
haven’t read in a file online. I’m sure she has secrets like the rest of us.
Dante has already accepted Isabelle, and he’s ready for a family. He will do
the honorable thing and accept Connor without hesitation. Wouldn’t you?”

“Of
course I would. We all have pasts, good and bad. We cannot judge others without
judging ourselves. I for one would hate to have stones cast my way for the shit
I’ve done. Besides, I’m ready for a rugrat or ten myself.”

Even
though they were brothers, Julian only knew snippets of Frey’s life. He was the
most guarded of the Gargoyles and definitely had secrets of his own he refused
to share with the Clan. They didn’t push. He had seen combat more than once in
his long life, having joined the military several times. Geoffrey was a born
soldier. It was only recently he’d hung up the dog tags and settled on opening
the dojo. It sounded as if he was ready for another type of settling as well.

“I
had set a training schedule, but now that Gregor and Dante are heading out of
the country, I will need to revise it. Rafe doesn’t want me to postpone working
with the rest of the Clan. I am meeting Uri in the morning at the armory, and
we will proceed as planned. Dante has already spoken to Oksana and given her an
extended vacation. Even though she is in the know about us being Goyles, I
don’t want her around when we’re all half naked and swinging swords. I’d hate
to give the old girl a heart attack.” Frey wiggled his eyebrows.

Julian
barked out a laugh. “Hell, you’re enough to give someone a heart attack just by
walking into a room. Have you seen yourself?” Frey was the largest Gargoyle in
the Clan. He had a dangerous air about him, and his presence alone commanded a
room. Even though he was devastatingly handsome, most women took one look at
the huge Goyle and shied away. Men refused to look him in the eye. It was
interesting to watch him train fighters at his gym. The first thing he taught
them was to stare him down, or at least not look away. It was hard to stare
someone down when they stood almost a foot taller than you.

“Heard
anything from Nik?” Frey had wanted to go with his brother to help look for
Sophia. Truth be told, they all had. Not that they didn’t trust his abilities,
they were just used to looking out for one another.

“I
talked to him this morning to put him in touch with Ezekiel. Since they’re both
searching for Sophia, we figure it’s better if they work together. Now that Gregor
has gone to help Dante, his plan to help Nik has been delayed. Hopefully both
outcomes will be positive and we can get Nik home soon.” Julian missed his
brother.

“It’s
crazy how a few weeks ago we didn’t know half-bloods exist, and now we’re
mating with them and working closely with them. Is Nikolas going to be adding
them to our archives? Who keeps their information?”

“According
to Tessa, Sophia is their archivist. Makes sense she and Nik would be mates.
Rafe wants all the half-bloods rounded up so we can bring them into the fold,
so to speak. The biggest headache is going to be Jonas. He’s been doing his own
thing for so long now. Rafe’s going to have a hard time convincing him he needs
to join our Clan officially.” Julian thought back to what Frey said when he
arrived. “If you don’t mind me asking, what did you want to speak to Kaya
about?”

“One
of her cops. Apparently he’s a douchebag who likes to beat on his wife and her
brother. I want more intel before I go to bat for the kid.”

If
there was a champion for someone being bullied, it was Frey. As big and scary
as he looked, underneath he had a soft spot for the underdog.

“Why
don’t you just kick his ass and scare the shit out of him?”

“I
wish it were that simple. This is something I’ve got to tread carefully with.
Now, I will leave you to your monitors. I’ve got to hit the skies. Maybe I’ll
get to kick some Unholy ass instead.” Frey pulled a cigar out of his pocket and
bit the end off. Pointing the unlit stick at his brother he said, “Call me if
you need me. I’ll be here.”

Julian
nodded and turned back to the screens. If this was where he was needed, he
would sit here and make sure he kept his family as safe as he possibly could.