Dante (Stone Society Book 3) (21 page)

While
Dante finished calling all the local Gargoyles, Gregor and Tessa went in search
of Jorge Kastinopolous’ home. Julian had continued his search into the man and
found out he was employed by Sarantos, Inc. Gregor wanted to find where he
lived and follow him, hoping he would lead them to Alexi. Once they were out
the door, Dante made his way to the patio. He was going to try to reach Connor
again.

Dante
allowed the constant breeze to soothe him while he worked to block out the
everyday noises. He had never been more grateful to Geoffrey for teaching them
all the art of meditation. Where Frey learned it, he wouldn’t say. All Dante
knew is it had saved Frey’s mental health on more than one occasion. All the
Gargoyles were badasses in their own right, but Frey was on a level all his
own.

Dante
was eager to get his woman and son and get back home. He had been complacent
over the last hundred years or so, resigned to a life of being single. Now that
the possibility of a family was within his grasp, he would stop at nothing to
get Isabelle and Connor back to the States safely. He had to. Once they were home,
he would be starting a new chapter of his life, just like Gregor was with
Tessa. He and Isabelle may only be friends, but at least he would have her in
his life. If that’s what she wanted, he would settle for it. Temporarily. He
would give her all the time she needed to fall for him.

Concentrating,
Dante slowed his breathing, cleared his mind of everything except Connor. He
pushed the prior vision out of his mind, wanting the connection to be fresh and
true. As before, he reached out, calling for the child. This time, the
connection was almost immediate. Maybe the boy was in tune with Dante and could
feel when his mind was opening up to him. As with the previous connection,
Dante was looking at a drawing. This time, however, it was more detailed.
Connor must have found a pencil. The people in the picture had changed as well.
The drawing was of two little girls instead of one. Even though the picture
wasn’t in color, Dante recognized one of them as the child he saw Alexi talking
to earlier.

Before
Dante could study the picture further, another drawing appeared. This one
contained a woman and a man. The details weren’t as distinct, but they were
detailed enough Dante would recognize them if he saw them. He couldn’t see
Connor, but he could see a pencil moving over the paper. The words
they have
momma
were faintly written. As quickly as the words appeared, they were
erased. This picture, instead of being balled up and thrown away, was torn into
shreds. Dante hoped beyond measure it was Connor who was doing the shredding.
The child was risking a lot getting messages to Dante this way.

The
connection was broken, and Dante felt a sense of loss. He knew, even without
having met the boy, Connor was extraordinary, and he couldn’t wait to be around
him. Talk to him. Watch him grow. Dante’s heart swelled with pride as if the
boy were his own flesh and blood. Dante wished he was talented enough to
recreate the drawing so he could pass it along to Jules. The arts, however,
were not his forte. He left that up to Rafael. Knowing it was a long shot, he
called his brother.

Instead
of greeting with
Hello
, Rafe asked, “Dante, Julian has kept me in the
loop with what you have so far. Do you have anything new?”

“Maybe.
I am able to connect with Connor during meditation as you suggested. Instead of
speaking, he is showing me drawings. So far, there are two girls in the house
with him; one of which is the child I watched Alexi take. Rafe, please tell me
I wasn’t wrong in allowing the girl to be abducted.”

“Brother,
I have faith in you. You will get Connor back, and in doing so, will save both
girls. I would have done the same thing.”

“There
was another drawing, this one of a woman and a man. Right before the connection
was lost, Connor wrote
they have momma
across the bottom of the page
.
The words were erased before the paper was shredded. Rafe, Connor knows who
took Isabelle. If only I had the ability to draw, I could recreate what I saw,
and Julian could do a facial recognition search. Do you think it’s possible you
could reach Connor?”

“I
will try, but honestly, I doubt it will work. There is no connection between
the boy and me, but I promise I will see if I can reach him. Now, I have some
news for you. I spoke to Jonas, and let’s just say the Goyle is beside himself.
You should expect more help than you originally anticipated. Not only did he
call Xavier, but he also reached out to our mother. I was skeptical she would
help, but when Jonas explained about Isabelle and Connor, she was ready to go
after Alistair herself. Dante, get ready. It seems our mother has her second
wind now she is going to be a grandmother.” Dante could hear something strained
in Rafe’s voice.

 “Congratulations,
by the way. Have you told any of the others? I assume this was what you were
going to tell us all at breakfast on Sunday.”

Rafael
let out a short laugh. “Actually, I was referring to Connor. How did you know
about Kaya? Never mind. You would think after all this time I would be
accustomed to your abilities. Either you’ve been holding out, or they’re
getting stronger. Anyway, thank you. Sin is the only one I’ve told so far. I
have been talking to him quite a bit more lately. With all the new revelations
and threats, I want him to be as prepared for what is coming our way as
possible. He and Finley are going to begin sword training on the west coast. I
have postponed my trips to meet with the Clan leaders until we get Isabelle and
Connor home.”

“Back
to Mother. Do you really think she is going to help us against her brother?”
Dante hoped it was true. If anyone had firsthand knowledge of Alistair, it was
Athena. “As far as her being in our lives again, I will believe it when I see
it, grandmother or not. Honestly, Rafe, I look to Priscilla to fill the role
vacated by Athena. She has been more of a mother to us than our own ever
thought about. I wonder if it’s because she never had children of her own. And
speaking of Priscilla, I am worried about Jonathan. Last time I spoke to him,
something felt off. I want Isabelle to be his physician when we return, but I
also think he needs to be checked out immediately. Please have Jonas run a full
blood panel on him. Isabelle can take over once we return.”

“What
do you suspect, Brother?” Rafael asked, the fear evident in his voice. Not only
was Priscilla a mother to all the Gargoyles, Jonathan had become a surrogate
father figure to the men as well.

“I
really don’t want to speculate…”

Rafael
cut him off, “Speculate, dammit. What do you think it is?”

Dante
ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Cancer. I think he has cancer. What
kind, I have no idea. And I pray to all that’s holy I’m wrong.”

“How
often have your instincts let you down?” Rafael knew the answer, as did Dante.

“Rarely.
That is why I want you to have him checked immediately. Now, I am going to
concentrate on getting my woman and child home.”

There
was silence on the line for a few seconds before Rafael responded. “Dante, you
do realize you are referring to Connor as yours?”

“Yes.
You aren’t the first to point that out. Rafe, I can’t explain it, but I already
feel a connection to him. If Isabelle decides she only wants to be friends, if
she doesn’t want to complete the mate bond, I will still ask to be part of the child’s
life. I have never met him, yet he has attached himself to my soul in a way even
I can’t comprehend. The love I feel for him already will only get stronger when
we are together. He is going to need me, especially now Rico is gone.”

“Truth,
and there is no one better than you for the job. Now, go get your family and
bring them home. Be well, my brother.”

“And
you, my King.” Dante disconnected. He swiped at a wayward tear that was rolling
down his cheek, vowing once again to rescue his family.

Isabelle
continued to call her guard Bruce, at least in her mind. Before they reached
her room, he stopped in the middle of a hallway. He put out his arm to stop
Isabelle from proceeding farther. He cocked his head to the side as if
listening for something. Turning his body towards hers, Bruce gently grabbed
her biceps and leaned in close, his lips against her ears. “There are cameras
and microphones scattered throughout the villa. This just happens to be a dead
spot. I will draw you a map when I retire to my room, that way you can point to
where you want to go. I like you, Isabelle. You have guts. I would hate to see
something happen to you because you don’t play well with the King.”

Isabelle
was stunned to say the least. She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but
sincerity there. “Thank you…”

“Carter.
My name’s Carter, but I really don’t mind the Hulk. He’s a badass,” he quietly
informed her with a smirk on his lips. His head jerked around and the smirk was
replaced with the blank look she was accustomed to. He continued on down the
hall, so she followed. Using her shifter senses, she reached out and heard the
footsteps coming behind them. Not wanting to give herself away, she kept her
face forward until they reached her room. Carter opened her door without
looking at her. Once she was tucked safely inside, he closed it behind her.
There was no lock being turned. With someone the size of Carter standing guard
who needed a deadbolt?

She
had already checked out everything in her bathroom and bedroom. Twice. Since
she had been denied the library, Isabelle had nothing to preoccupy her mind, so
she stepped out on her balcony. There were several balconies decorating the
outside of the villa. Isabelle found it odd none of them were close to each
other. The closest patio to hers was on a floor two stories up. The next one on
the same floor she was on was at the other end of the building. Looking around
the property, Isabelle noticed another woman walking along the sidewalk that
led to the swimming pool. It wasn’t Kallisto. This woman looked more like
Isabelle with her long brown hair and her modest clothing. Was this one of the
women she had heard talking earlier? And why were they allowed to speak when
Isabelle wasn’t?

The
woman and her guard walked in silence until they reached the covered gazebo.
Neither one spoke. The woman sat down on one of the wooden benches that skirted
the inside of the structure, pulling her feet under her. She opened a book and
ignored her guard who sat on a bench across from her. Isabelle couldn’t figure
out the place she was being held captive. Thinking back to what the women were
talking about, there was to be a choosing. Was it the women who were being
chosen? Did this have anything to do with what the King mentioned, selling her
to the highest bidder? It didn’t make sense. The women had sounded like they
were looking forward to it. Like Cinderella being sold off to the Prince. Which
would be the lesser of two evils? Staying here under lock and key, or going to
live with someone else as their personal slave. At least if she left this
building, it might give her the opportunity to yell for help. Here, she could
yell all she wanted, and the only thing it would do is make her hoarse. And
piss off the King.

Dante
was on his way to meet up with Gregor, Tessa, and the other Gargoyles. Gregor
and Tessa had found the home that belonged to Jorge Kastinopolous. When they
arrived, the house was empty. No sign of Alexi or the kids. Now they were on
their way back to the meeting house in Athens. Dante was leery about meeting in
a private residence, especially since they were gathering with other Gargoyles.
He preferred to err on the side of caution. Dante still didn’t trust Xavier one
hundred percent, even if he was Tessa’s father.

The
taxi he was in arrived just minutes before Gregor and Tessa in their rental
car. The three of them stood in the circular drive, looking at the house. Dante
said, “I would have preferred to meet somewhere more neutral, but our subject
matter is not such that we can discuss it in public.”

Just
then, the front door opened, and Dante could only stare. “Hello, my sons.”
Athena stood in the open door, looking no different than she had the last time
Dante had seen her, two hundred years prior.

“Athena,
what are you doing here?” Gregor asked as he wrapped an arm around Tessa’s
waist.

“Please,
come inside and we’ll get down to business.” She motioned behind her through
the open door. Dante knew they had a choice, but Rafael had warned him she was
going to insinuate herself into their lives once more. He glanced at Gregor,
giving him a small nod before walking up the steps. Dante didn’t kiss his
mother or offer any type of affection. As far as he was concerned, she lost
that right when she left them all those years ago.

Gregor
and Tessa followed him into the house. “Tessa, it’s so nice to finally meet you.”
Athena held out her hand to the redhead. Tessa shook it without speaking. “Your
father has told me so much about you over the years. I remember when you were…”

“Athena,
we didn’t come here to reminisce. Again, why are you here? Where are the
Gargoyles?” Gregor had ceased calling her Mother a long time ago. Even when she
was caring for them and their brothers, she hadn’t seemed all that enthusiastic
at playing the role of mom.

Dante
didn’t miss the hurt that flashed briefly in her eyes. “I am here because this
is my home. As for the others, they are in the study. Follow me.” Straightening
her shoulders, Athena led them down a hallway into a large room. The study was
more of a command center with a circular table in the middle of the room. In
front of each seat was a monitor. Larger screens hung on each of the four
walls. Eight Gargoyles were seated at the table. When Dante and the others
entered the room, all eight stood.

Athena
introduced Dante and Gregor to the other Gargoyles. When they had all shaken
hands, she introduced Tessa. “I know you have all heard your King speak of his
daughter. Gentlemen, please allow me to introduce your Princess, Andrea
Montagnon.” The men of Xavier’s Clan fisted their heart and bowed their heads
while declaring, “Our Princess.”

Tessa
was surprised, as were Dante and Gregor. Technically they knew Tessa was a
King’s child, but since she had always lived in the States, she was in Rafael’s
Clan.

“Please,
I prefer Tessa, but thank you.” Tessa waved them off, and everyone took a seat.

Athena
made her way to an empty chair on the far side of the room. “First of all, let
me say thank you, Donovan, to you and each of your Clan. Xavier and I have been
friends for centuries, and I appreciate his assistance in finding Dante’s mate
and her child. When Rafael reached out to me and told me what has been
happening, I took the liberty of putting together a docket on my brother. If
you will take a look at your monitors, you will see before you everything I
know about Alistair, his properties, business ventures, and Clan. Since the
tracking device has Isabelle on Poros, we have to assume he is behind her
abduction.”

Everyone
was silent as they studied the information in front of them. Donovan was the
first to break the silence. “Poros is the most private of Alistair’s homes. It
is a relatively small island and is heavily guarded. From what we’ve gathered,
he normally goes there to conduct business a couple of times a year. However,
he has been there more frequently in the past few months.” Donovan stood and
went to one of the computers and began typing. Within a few seconds, an image
appeared on all four of the large computer screens. “This is Poros. There is
only one road leading to the island. From our current location, it is a three
hour drive. We could helo in, but that would be more conspicuous than driving.”
The computer screen changed. “This is the main house on the island. One way in,
one way out. It is basically a fortress. Impregnable unless you know the
layout. Fortunately for us, we do.”

“That
was one of our family homes when I was young.” Athena now had everyone’s
attention. She stood and pointed at the screen nearest her. “There are tunnels
running under the house. These were put in when the villa was built. It seems
our father was not a well-respected King. The tunnels lead from a lower level
room to various parts of the island. Think of the passageways as spokes on a
wheel. There are five of them, and I have the locations of them all.” She sat
back down and allowed Donovan to continue.

“If
you look in your packets, there is a map of the island. The five exit points
are clearly marked. We have scouts checking those areas daily to make sure the
entrances aren’t somehow covered.”

Gregor
spoke up, “If you don’t mind my asking, why all the surveillance on Alistair
and his holdings?”

Donovan
opened his mouth to speak, but Athena interrupted. “My brother, much like our
father, is not a good King. He is a hypocritical bigot who wants nothing more
than to eradicate all human life from Greece. He has not found a way to do so
without causing another Clan war, but the idea is front and center in his mind.
Always. The other Clan leaders have watched Alistair for a long, long time. We
all try to stay prepared in the event of an uprising.”

Dante
spoke up, “What do you mean hypocritical?”

Athena
grimaced, “Alistair’s mate died giving birth to their son. His only son.
Alistair has treated him with the same disdain he does humans. Blames him for
his mate’s death. He has since taken many human women as lovers. There was one
who did what none other has been able to do; she cracked his cold heart. For a
while, he was almost happy. At the least, he was less foul than usual. He even went
so far as to adopt her young daughter. The human eventually died, throwing
Alistair into a tailspin. He has never taken another human for a companion. The
daughter is still with him to this day. Even though she’s human, she is
referred to as the Princess.”

Dante
didn’t miss the look that crossed Donovan’s face at the mention of the
Princess. He turned to him and asked, “Are all the guards on Poros Gargoyles?
If so, how many are we looking to go up against?”

“There
are several Gargoyles on the island, but only two guards inside the villa. Believe
it or not, Alistair uses mostly human guards. He hires them, trains them to be
the type of employee he wants, and pays them well. When I say the type of
employee he wants, I mean quiet. Loyal. Rarely do the employees return to their
families. His turnover rate is pretty high, though.”

“If
he treats them well, why is there a high turnover?” Tessa asked.

“I
didn’t say he treats them well, Princess. I said he pays them well. Alistair
molds the humans into robots. Quiet and obedient. If they don’t comply, or when
they’re too old to be effective, the employees basically disappear. To where,
we don’t know. Look at your monitors. This is a list of all the employees on
the island, whether or not they are Goyle, and where they are stationed.”

Dante
read over the list then asked, “And you know all of this how?”

Donovan
grinned. “Because we have one of our own on the inside.”

They
studied and planned. Each had relevant ideas and valid concerns. When there was
a lull in the conversation, Dante spoke to Athena. “We need to make sure
Alistair is nowhere near the island. Xavier has already agreed to calling a
Council meeting. Is that going to look suspicious?”

She
thought on it before answering. “The last few times we have met were to
convince your brother to take his rightful place on the Council. If Rafael were
to finally entertain the idea, it would be a legitimate reason.”

Gregor
stood. “I will call Rafe and tell him what we are planning. Athena, you and Xavier
please coordinate the Council meeting. Since we are planning on hitting Poros
in the next couple of days, we will need to move quickly.

Tessa
grinned at Gregor. “This is going to be exciting.”

Athena
frowned. If Dante wasn’t a frowner himself, he would have found her expression
humorous. She didn’t know Tessa well enough not to ask, “How can going into a
heavily guarded building, risking your life be exciting?”

Tessa
smiled at her mate’s mother. “Because that’s my cousin in there, and I haven’t
been in a good fight in a while.”

Jasper had ignored the knowing look on Kaya’s face and
exited the precinct. Trevor’s text was short and to the point, giving Jasper no
indication of what he wanted. It left him a little nervous. Thinking back to
the previous night, had he done anything out of line? Did he somehow offend
Trevor? Nothing came to mind other than the way they had easily fallen into a
friendly camaraderie, eating pizza, drinking beer, and playing video games.
Jasper couldn’t remember ever having more fun just hanging out. Trevor was such
a geek, but he was also smart. His wit had kept Jasper laughing all night. If
the fates had deemed Trevor his mate, at least he would enjoy his company even
if they weren’t sexually compatible.

Jasper
pulled his phone out of his pocket and stared at the text.
Call me.
He
really hated text messages. They were so impersonal, and you couldn’t tell what
the sender’s mood was unless they used one of those stupid smiley faces. Why
couldn’t Trevor have added one?
Because he’s not a twelve year old girl?
Biting the bullet, he dialed the number, holding his breath.

“Dude!
You’re not going to believe this. We got the results back on the burn victim.
Can you come over here? This is too incredible to share over the phone.”

Jasper
exhaled and did his best not to laugh at how excited Trevor was. “Yeah, I’m
leaving now. I’ll see you in a few.” He hung up and shut his eyes, thanking the
gods their friendship was still intact. The drive from the precinct to the
hospital took longer than it should which only gave Jasper more time to be
nervous about seeing Trevor again. He parked his cruiser and slowly walked to
the back door that led to the morgue. He could already hear the heavy metal
music blasting from the speakers. If Dante had been there, it would have been
classical.

Jasper
stepped into the room and stopped dead in his tracks. The man standing before him
was not the same man he spent most of last night with. Trevor’s hair was now
styled shorter and there was no purple streak. He didn’t know how he felt about
it. He loved that purple stripe that fell into Trevor’s eyes when he was being
bashful. So many times Jasper’s hand had itched to push it off of his face so
he could see his beautiful green eyes. And to touch his skin. Trevor reached up
subconsciously to push the wayward hair back from his face, but it was no
longer there.

Trevor
finally noticed he had company and smiled his big goofy grin upon seeing
Jasper. “Hey, man!” He turned the music down so they didn’t have to yell at
each other. “What’s wrong?” Trevor asked him.

“Your
hair. It’s not purple,” Jasper told him.

Trevor’s
face immediately fell. He ran a hand through the shorter locks and looked down.
“Oh, yeah. Uh, you don’t like it?” He wouldn’t meet Jasper’s eyes.

Jasper
knew from talking with Trevor the previous evening how self-conscious the
younger man was. After a few beers, Trevor had confided in him he was a clone
and why he came into existence. Trevor never felt loved or wanted. His hands
were itching to touch the beautiful man whose heart he could crush with one
word. He closed the distance between them and, taking a big chance, he used his
finger to lift Trevor’s chin. “I love it.” He let his finger drop and stepped
back, giving Trevor space in case he wanted to take a swing at Jasper. Not that
he thought Trevor actually would. He was more of a lover than a fighter type
person. Still, touching a straight man in such a way was often cause for
action.