Dante (Stone Society Book 3) (28 page)

“Hi.”
Trevor didn’t know how to act. He’s the one who’d run like a scared kid instead
of a grown man. “I was thinking about joining the gym.”
Real smooth, Mr.
Obvious
.

“Jas,
I need to take care of something really quick. Can you show Trevor around until
I get back?” Geoffrey and Jasper were obviously more than friends. He called
him brother. The same way Dante had called Gregor brother. He was further
convinced there was indeed a club of badasses in New Atlanta. A club he would
never be a part of.

“If
it’s okay with Trevor, sure.” Jasper looked to Trevor for his consent.

“Yeah,
it’s fine.” Trevor felt his face heating with embarrassment.

“Trevor,
I’m sorry. You know, about yesterday,” Jasper said after the owner walked away.

Jasper
was dressed in his work clothes, and Trevor couldn’t help but take in his
appearance. It was a look he should be used to, but the way Jasper’s arms
filled the sleeves to almost bursting, it was just too sexy. Too much for
Trevor to handle, especially in public. When they worked crime scenes together,
Trevor had a dead body to concentrate on. Now, here in this testosterone laden
building, the bodies were anything except dead. As a matter of fact, his was
coming to life more and more the longer he stood next to Jasper.

“You
have nothing to be sorry for. I get it,” Trevor said even though he didn’t
really get it. He didn’t understand why Jasper would have touched his face
unless he felt sorry for him.

“You
do?” Jasper sounded surprised.

“Yep.
Just forget it. Do you want to show me around before the big guy gets back?”

Jasper
cocked his head to the side, studying Trevor. He looked like he wanted to say
something else, but what else was there to say? “Sure. I didn’t know you were
interested in working out. Let’s start over here.”

Jasper
showed him all the machines and explained what each one was for. Afterwards, he
pointed out other parts of the facility such as the boxing ring and the
showers. “So, are we okay?” Jasper asked him when they were alone in the
changing room.

He
wasn’t sure how to answer. Trevor really liked Jasper, but he didn’t want him
to be his friend out of pity. “I guess. I just…” He was interrupted when
Geoffrey and the teenager from earlier came in the room.

“There
you are. So, Trevor, what do you think?”

“I
would like to take advantage of the trial offer, see how it works into my
schedule and all that.”

“Sounds
good. Jasper, would you please take Matt here into the office. I’ll get Trevor
signed up, and then I’ll be right in.”

“Of
course. Trevor, maybe we could work out together?” The insecure tone of
Jasper’s voice surprised Trevor. Maybe he was reading the situation all wrong.

 “If
you promise not to make fun of my non-badass form,” Trevor said, seriously.

Jasper
laughed, and the sound did strange things to Trevor’s insides. Geoffrey’s laugh
had been beautiful, but Jasper’s hit Trevor deep within his soul. “I promise,” Jasper
said, a tentative smile on his face. “Matt, let’s go find some water. I need to
cool off.” He gave Trevor one more glance before leaving the room.

Geoffrey
was looking at him with an odd expression. Instead of saying what was on his
mind, the big man took him to the front of the building so he could get signed
up. After he filled out the paperwork, he told the owner he’d be back the next
day to get started.

He
left the building, excited to be starting on his new body, but terrified he’d
be working out with Jasper. He didn’t think his heart could stand it. He knew
his body couldn’t.  He would need to invest in really long, oversized t-shirts
to hide the hard-on he’d no doubt get around Jasper.

Trevor
walked down the sidewalk and turned the corner to the parking lot. A man was
peering in the side window of the gym, his hands cupping his eyes to shade the
sun. Using the key fob, Trevor beeped the locks on his car, letting the man
know he wasn’t alone. The stranger jumped when Trevor approached. He was a big
man, not as big as the badass society, but not far off either. With a scowl,
the man stalked off.
Creep.

Dante
returned to the condo after a quick trip to the pier. Thankfully, being a major
tourist location, the shops opened early to attract the visitors disembarking
the ships. Everyone was awake and at the breakfast table, but his eyes found
Isabelle first who was dressed in Tessa’s clothes. They looked good on her, but
they weren’t what she would normally wear.

 “Good
morning. I hope you saved some for me, I’m starving.” He quickly went into the
bedroom, deposited the packages filled with clothes on the bed, and returned to
the dining area. “I took the liberty of doing a little shopping for you this
morning,” he told Isabelle as he placed a kiss on her cheek. He sat in the open
chair next to her and picked up an English muffin, slathering it with butter and
raspberry jelly. The quiet was almost deafening as he noticed everyone staring
at him. “What?”

Isabelle
placed a hand on his thigh and said, “Thank you. Your note was a little on the
vague side.”

He
hadn’t wanted her to panic when he left so early. His note had simply stated he
would be back soon. Isabelle poured his coffee, leaving it black, the way he
liked it. While they finished eating, Gregor filled them in on his conversation
with Donovan. “Stavros still has most of the government in his pocket, but
there are a few of the higher officials we can trust. I have the names of the
detectives in their police department we can call once we know where the girls
are.”

Their
plan was to find the kids and turn Stavros and Alexi over to the authorities.
While they didn’t know Stavros and Alexi were trafficking the abducted girls,
they assumed that was the reason behind taking four girls who were so similar
in characteristics. “Look,” Tessa said, pointing to the television. She rose
and grabbed the remote, turning the volume up on the local news channel.

The
news anchor was saying, “Another child has gone missing from Piraeus Port. The
fifth child, seven year old Lauren Chapman, has blonde hair and blue eyes.” A
picture of the girl popped up on the screen. Tessa turned the volume back down
as her phone rang. When she saw who it was, she announced to the room, “It’s
Xavier.” She ran her thumb across the phone and answered. “Dad, I’m putting you
on speaker.”

“Good
morning, Sweetheart. Donovan filled me in on the rescue. Isabelle, it’s good to
have you back where you belong. Tessa, I promised I would call as soon as I
knew something more on Stavros. It’s not good. I want to take out the bastard
myself. It took a lot of digging and calling in some favors, but I found out he
has been abducting women for years. He takes them into his home, trains them to
be the perfect mistress, and then releases them to the person who placed the
order. It’s like a mail order bride service, only the women aren’t brides. He
kidnaps destitute women. He takes them in, giving them every amenity available:
nice clothes, three meals a day, an extravagant villa to live in. By the time
they figure out they are being given to someone else, they are so sucked into
his game they don’t object to being traded off.”

“Gods,
Dad, that’s horrible. How did you find this out?”

“From
one of the women he did this to. Once the woman is older and no longer
attractive to whomever purchased her, she is traded for a younger model, shall
we say. The older women are passed along to someone wanting a servant who has
learned how to be a good and loyal employee. This particular woman wasn’t
wanted by anyone, so she was cast out into the street again. Since she had no
employer, she didn’t feel the confidentiality agreement she signed twenty years
ago was still valid. One of my businesses in Italy is an employment agency.
When this woman came in seeking a job, she listed her former employers and
Stavros was one of them. Long story short, we pulled her aside and after a
little coaxing, she told us her story. She is now a housekeeper for one of my
Clan.”

Dante
pulled Isabelle into his lap. Her face had gone pale as she listened to Xavier talk
about her father-in-law. Julian assured them he could get Isabelle’s marriage
to Alexi annulled. Dante wanted it done now. He didn’t want Isabelle to feel
connected to those monsters any longer than she had to be.

Tessa
told her father, “That is disgusting, but if they can do that to women, it
makes sense they would branch out to children. Gods that makes me want to puke.
We’ve got to get those girls back.”

Gregor
grabbed Tessa’s hand, “We will, Red. We won’t stop until all five of those
girls are safe from the clutches of the Sarantos.”

Dante
felt Isabelle stiffen, so he tightened his arms around her, pouring every ounce
of love he had into her through his touch.

“Good
luck, and be careful. Donovan is on standby in case you need his assistance.
Gregor, I don’t have to tell you to take care of my girl. Tessa, I love you,
Sweetheart.”

“I
love you too, Dad. Thanks.” Tessa thumbed off the phone. “Those are some sick
motherfuckers,” she said, shaking her head in disgust.

The
emotions swirling inside Isabelle were becoming stronger with each passing
second. Her pain was reaching out and taking hold inside Dante’s body. His
heart was breaking as he felt the torment within her.

“How
could I have been so stupid? I saw these women. I saw them but didn’t know. I
thought they were just random mistresses Stavros had at each of his villas.
They never spoke, but they seemed happy enough. Oh god, I should have changed
my name. Why didn’t I change my name when I came back?”

Dante
reached for the cloth napkin he hadn’t used and gently wiped her tears. “You
didn’t know, Beautiful. How could you? This is obviously something Stavros has
been doing a long time and is very good at. If the women had let on they were
anything but happy, he wouldn’t have been doing his job very well. Besides,
from what you told me, you weren’t in a good relationship at the time. You had
your own life to worry about, am I correct?”

Isabelle
nodded. “I don’t want to be a Sarantos. I don’t want anything to do with the
name or the monsters who carry that name.”

“We
will take care of that as soon as the girls are safe and we get our son back.
Speaking of which, I’m ready. Why don’t you go take a shower and get changed?
Gregor and I will finalize plans, and when you’re ready, we’ll all move out.”
Dante pulled her face around and softly kissed her lips. The only thing he
wanted more than to deepen the kiss and carry her to the shower was to get
Connor back. She stood and walked to the bedroom, closing the door.

“Godsdamn
bastards. She won’t be a Sarantos after today.” His fangs were cutting into his
lip. His beast was ready to rid the world of two vile men so they couldn’t hurt
anyone else ever again, especially his family. He was going to have to be
stronger today than he’d ever been in his life. The right thing to do was to
find and detain Alexi and Stavros and let the police handle them. Dante didn’t
know if he could do the right thing.

Gregor
placed his hand on Dante’s neck, effectively calming him. “Truth, Brother.
Let’s get packed and go get your boy.”

Stavros
should have taken Connor to another villa. After his first run-in with Alexi,
he planned to do just that, but he found Connor had a calming effect on the
girls. After watching Alexi drug the first child into submission, he felt
something he thought was lost a long time ago: compassion. When Stavros found
Connor in the girls’ room, talking to them comfortingly, he decided to stay
where they were. As soon as Alexi had all five girls, the transactions would be
completed, and they could get on with their new lives with having Connor
around. Of course, they would have to keep Connor hidden away from almost
everyone. He didn’t need his grandson telling the wrong person about the girls.

Alexi
strode into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee. Stavros stared at his son.
Alexi’s easy, infectious personality had disappeared into the sea six years
ago. He hadn’t wanted to marry Isabelle but did it anyway out of duty for the
family. Stavros knew all about the whores Alexi had scattered across Greece.
Alexi didn’t make a move his father wasn’t aware of. He had been overjoyed when
Alexi miraculously reappeared after a month of thinking his only son was dead.
That joy was short lived when Stavros began to see the changes taking place.
Alexi was cold and distant. Cruel and calculating. That was the look he
currently had on his face. His son was up to something, and that worried him.

Stavros
hadn’t bothered to wake Connor. The boy was obviously scared of Alexi, so
whenever they were at the villa at the same time, Stavros allowed Connor to
stay quietly tucked in his room, drawing. Five little girls were all sound
asleep in the other rooms, no doubt having been drugged the night before. Alexi
walked over to the table and grabbed a piece of bacon. “The girls are all
yours. I’m taking my kid and going fishing,” he announced as if he were talking
about the weather.

“I
beg your pardon.” Stavros had seen the way Alexi acted around Connor. Stavros
wasn’t scared of his son, but something in his gut nagged at the thought of
Alexi being alone with Connor. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Besides, we
need to get the girls to the meeting. The buyers will be there this afternoon.”

“That’s
not my problem, old man. My job was to get the girls. Your job is to conclude the
transactions. That’s the way it’s always been. No need to change now. Besides,
I’m ready for some down time, and that includes taking the boat out for a few
days. You don’t need the kid getting in your way while you are conducting
business. It’s time I get to know my son.” If the tone of Alexi’s voice wasn’t
warning enough, the darkened look in his eyes was. Stavros knew better than to
argue, though. This Alexi wasn’t one to be ordered around or bargained with.
Somewhere along the lines their roles had reversed.

He
couldn’t sit still and allow Alexi to take Connor without him speaking to the
boy first. He followed his son to Connor’s room. Alexi threw open the door.
“Let’s go kid. Get up.”

“I’m
up.” And he was. As usual, Connor had the pad of paper in his lap, the colored
pencils lined up neatly in front of him. There was no disorder, no chaos where
the child was concerned. Stavros had no idea how Isabelle raised him, but he
was almost appreciative. Stavros stepped around Alexi who was leaned against
the door frame, arms folded across his massive chest.

“Connor,
I have some business to attend today. Your father is going to take you out on
the boat for a while. Let’s get your things together so you can get going.”

“He’s
not my father,” Connor muttered as he did as he was told. If the boy insisted
on being difficult with Alexi, the outcome would not be good.

“I
know it’s all a little new for you, but you and Alexi need this time to get to
know one another. I will take care of business and check on you later today. If
you don’t like the boat, you can come back home.”

“Why
the fuck are you coddling him? What’s happening to you, old man? You’re turning
into a sap, all because of the kid.” Alexi didn’t wait for an answer. He turned
and headed back toward the kitchen.

“He
is not my father,” Connor said again, this time louder.

“If
you continue to insist, I will have a paternity test done. Do you know what
that is?” Connor shook his head no. “It’s a test where it shows you and Alexi
have the same DNA in your bodies. He is your father, so you might as well get
used to the fact.”

“My
father’s coming to save me,” Connor stated with such finality that Stavros took
a step back. He stood speechless as the boy gathered the few clothes they had
purchased and neatly placed them in his backpack. He tore the top sheet out of
his sketchpad, crumpling it up and tossing it in the garbage. He placed the pad
and pencils inside the bag with his clothing. He was already dressed save his
shoes. Once he placed those on his feet and tied the strings, he placed the
backpack over his shoulders. “I’m ready.”

Stavros
didn’t know what to make of the boy. He was only six, but carried himself with
the maturity of a teen. He motioned for Connor to precede him out the door. As
they were walking down the hall, Connor stopped for a few seconds, cocking his
head to the side as if listening for something. As quickly as he stopped, he
started again. Stavros felt a shift in the air. Something about that moment scared
the shit out of him.