Gregor (Stone Society Book 2) (21 page)

Gregor chimed in, “I did get some useful
information from Tessa about the bonding. Gargoyles have mated with humans and
successfully had eighteen children. Caroline had seventeen of those. Elizabeth
only had Tessa because whoever the father is wouldn’t take a chance on any more
births.”

Rafael frowned. “I thought she said the others
were born successfully.”

“She did. Her father is just so protective of her
mother, one child was enough for him. And there’s Tamian, so technically they
have two children. When I asked, Tessa refused to name her father. She is
definitely scared of whoever is behind the threats to the humans. She wouldn’t
speak of it, but it’s the reason she gives for us not being together. Nikolas,
you look like someone kicked your puppy. What’s wrong?”

Nikolas closed his eyes and sighed. “I have been
to the library several times to see Sophia and she hasn’t been there. Yesterday
when I went, someone gave me a note. All it said was she was sorry to leave now
that I had found her.”

“Did you say Sophia?” Gregor and Dante asked at
the same time.

Nikolas straightened up, staring at both his
cousins. “Yes.”

“Hang on a second.” Gregor pulled out his cell
phone and prayed Tessa would answer his call.

“Gregor, if you’re calling to...”

 He cut her off. “Listen, you mentioned a Sophia.
She wouldn’t happen to be a librarian, would she?”

“Yeah, why? What’s this about?” Tessa was in her
car. He could hear the engine idling.

“Just curious. Gotta go.” He thumbed the phone
off and told Nikolas, “I know where your woman is. Egypt.”

“Egypt? Why the fuck would she be in Egypt?”
Nikolas was nearly shouting.

“Her father is missing. From what I gather, Tessa
and two others in their family are called watchers. They look after the
half-bloods who haven’t transitioned yet. Sophia’s father is one of the
watchers and has allegedly been abducted. Tessa planned on going after them,
but her mother called and wanted me to intervene.”

“Hold up. The elusive Elizabeth Flanagan called
you?” Dane was the one asking the question.

“Apparently she knows I am her daughter’s mate,
and she asked that I stop Tessa from going after Sophia’s father. Tessa will
probably still go after them even though someone named Ezekiel has gone.”

“And how do you know that?” Dane again.

“Elizabeth called the Pen and left a message with
me,” Deacon confirmed.

Nikolas was bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Rafael looked at him, “Do what you have to do.” Nikolas didn’t need further
permission. He ran full speed to his car.

“Do we need to send someone with him?” Geoffrey
asked.

Gregor wanted to be the one to go after Nikolas. Something
tugged at his gut, something sinister regarding the trip. If Tessa was going anywhere
near the sand, he wanted to be there for her.

“If he needs help, he’ll ask. Now, back to
Isabelle and the inmates. Dante, what did you find that you needed to speak to
her about?” Rafael sat down. Tempers had leveled off for the time being.

“I got a call from Deacon when an inmate was
having a seizure. I looked into his file for past episodes or allergies and noted
that Henshaw had been dosing the patient with Unholy blood. There was a stack
of files on Isabelle’s desk. When I skimmed through them, I noticed he was
giving all of those particular inmates Unholy blood as well. I wanted to speak
to her about it. She had just started going through the files when she
transitioned. Since she hasn’t been back to work since, she only knew what
little bit she had read. We have agreed to work together to test all the
inmates who were being used as Henshaw’s guinea pigs.”

Frey whistled low, “I bet that’s what the good
doctor was doing in the Basement. He was extracting Unholy blood. But to what
end? Was he trying to build his own army? Could he have been working for
Flanagan?”

“We’ll never know. Speaking of Flanagan, I hear
St. Claire made good progress with the albino and he wants to speak to Isabelle
for some reason. Dante before you get your wings out of joint, just hear us
out.” Rafael pinned him with a look daring him to phase again. “Not only do we
have the murders at the warehouse, we now have the redhead killings. Dane, do
you have any leads in the case?”

“Yes, Sir. The DNA found under victim five’s
fingernails matched one Richard Merrick, ex-army, dishonorably discharged. Dante
asked Julian to search further into his whereabouts. The victim we found
yesterday was not only strangled like the others, but she was also mutilated.
He is getting desperate for whatever his endgame is. He sent us a message.”

“What was the message?” Gregor asked Dane but had
his eye on Dante who was looking at the ground.

“It said, ‘Andrea, where are you?’”

Gregor ran to the back of the house and threw up.
When his stomach was empty and he was no longer heaving, he returned to the
others.

Rafael waited until he was back with the group. “Julian
explained that Tessa is Andrea Flanagan. Dante, this just makes it that much
more important to get information from Vincent any way we can. You know we will
not allow him to harm your mate. We will restrain him, and we will have a full
team in the room at all times.”

Gregor placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder.
He knew exactly what Dante was feeling. There was no way he would want his mate
in the same room with a psychotic shifter. At the same time, he would do
everything he could to keep his brother’s mate safe as well. Dante looked at
Gregor and nodded. “Okay.”

“Is there any more business we need to discuss
before we head to the Pen?” Rafael asked each man, eyebrows raised. When he
received no responses, he said, “Don’t forget, tomorrow Jasper is moving to his
own home. Sixx had business to attend tonight, but he will be available
tomorrow.”

Rafael instructed them all to head to the prison.
He told Jasper to hold up. “I got a call from Sinclair earlier. Craig’s gone.”

“Gone? What do you mean gone?”

“It appears he decided he didn’t like the west
coast any longer. He turned in his notice, packed his house up, and nobody has
heard from him in weeks.”

Jasper nodded. “I seriously doubt I hear from
him, but if I do I’ll let you know.”

Rafael gave Jasper’s shoulder a squeeze, “Good
enough. Let’s go protect Dante’s mate.”

Isabelle was surprised to receive a phone call
from Dante so soon after he left until she heard why he was phoning. He offered
to pick her up, but she declined, saying she could get to the Pen faster if she
drove there herself. Within half an hour she was parking in her reserved spot.
Dante was waiting for her by the back door. “Thank you for agreeing to speak
with the inmate. I don’t want to alarm you, but I do believe he has information
on the whereabouts of Gordon Flanagan and possibly the Redhead Killer.”

Dante softly held her elbow and escorted her into
the building. The mate bond pulled at her. She was lightheaded and grasped onto
Dante’s arm for support. “Are you all right, Isabelle?” His beautiful face was a
mask of concern.

“May I speak honestly?” She had to tell him what
type of disruption his nearness caused.

“Of course. I prefer honesty at all costs. Please
remember that.”

“I will remember. It’s just when you are near me,
I can barely breathe. Thinking is almost impossible. I never knew the mate bond
would be so strong, but it is. I know you said I would be protected when I am
speaking with Vincent, but if you are in the same room as I am…”

Dante let go of her elbow. “Are you saying you
don’t want me near you?”

Isabelle steeled her nerves and took both of his
hands in hers. “Not at all. It isn’t a matter of want, Dante. It’s a matter of
being able to concentrate on the task at hand. Under normal circumstances, I
would be nervous. These are not normal circumstances. I am asking that you stay
close, just not so close as to disrupt my interview with the inmate.”

“Agreed. I will be outside the door, out of your
line of sight. That is the best I can give you. I apologize now if my nearness
causes hardship for you, but you are my mate, and it is my duty first and
foremost to protect you.”

While it might not be a declaration of love, the
truth of Dante’s words caused her heart to stutter. She squeezed his hands before
making her way to Gregor’s office. The sight when she arrived was enough to
make any woman nervous. There had to be at least eight large alpha badasses
hovering in the outer waiting area. Gregor was giving instructions when she
walked in. “Isabelle, there you are. How are you feeling?”

“Very well, thank you.” Taking in each one of the
men, she noticed that most of them resembled Dante and Gregor in some way. Gargoyles.

“Please, let me introduce everyone to you.
Isabelle Sarantos, this is our King, Rafael, our cousins Julian, Geoffrey,
Lorenzo, Jasper, Urijah, and Mason. You’ve already met Deacon.” All of the men
bowed their head and placed a fist over their heart. Odd.

“We have moved Vincent into the largest
interrogation room there is and have secured him. All of us will be in the room
with you, so you need not fear for your safety. So far, he has refused to speak
in our presence. The few words he has said were mostly the ramblings of a mad
man. He has had a couple of nightmares, possibly remembering someone from his
past or feeling guilty over someone he murdered. We have no way of knowing if
that has any bearing on his time spent with Flanagan. It is imperative we find
out what he knows about Gordon. Do you have any questions?”

“No. I’ve never been involved in any type of
interrogation, at least not where I’m the one asking the questions.” It was
hard not to remember the police drilling her relentlessly when Alexi died.
Dante was at her back, giving a quick squeeze to her bicep.

“You can do this,” he whispered in her ear.

“I’m ready.” She straightened her spine. It was
time for her to buck up and be more like her cousin. If she were here, she
would barge into the interrogation room and take over. If Isabelle could
channel her inner Tessa, all would go well.

The large room was located on one of the upper
levels. All of the men stepped into the room, making a semi-circle. Dante
paused just outside the door and touched her cheek. “You will be fine, and I’ll
be right here.”

Isabelle nodded at her mate then entered the
room. She had expected the same lost looking, broken man who had placed his
hand on the window when she passed by. Instead, standing before her was a fully
phased Gargoyle.
Tessa, think like Tessa.
“Hello, Vincent. Are those
really necessary?” She pointed at his wings. Instead of answering, he bared his
fangs at her. She allowed her own fangs to drop and her claws to spring forth
from her hands. Baring her own fangs at the albino seemed to momentarily stun
him. His wings vanished behind his back and his fangs and claws disappeared.

Isabelle retracted her own fangs but pointed at
him with an extended claw. “Now, you behave.” She retracted her claws and closed
the distance to stand in front of Vincent. Not close enough where he could
reach her, but she would not show fear by hiding behind the men. “You indicated
by a note that you wished to see me. What would you like to talk about?”

Instead of focusing on Isabelle, Vincent was
taking in all the shifters in the room. “Vincent, we know you can speak. The
charade is up. If you wish for me to remain in the room with you, you will have
to talk to me. Otherwise this little party is over, and you can return to
solitary without a cigarette.” Isabelle knew it was cruel, but she had stopped
and bought a pack of smokes on her way to the Pen. She would reward him for
good behavior, and she could think of no better reward than that which he craved
most.

“Vincent, would you like a cigarette?” She pulled
a pack out of her pocket, tapping it against her finger to loosen a few from
the others. She pulled one smoke out and sniffed it, dropping the rest of the
pack back into her pocket.

“Yes.” His voice croaked from lack of use.

“Then I need you to answer a few questions for
me. Can you do that?”

“Yes.”

“Where is Gordon Flanagan?” Isabelle figured she
might as well go for broke.

Instead of answering, Vincent jerked on his
chains and grunted. The men behind her stepped up, but she held up her hand
stopping them. Isabelle held up the cigarette and snapped it in two. Vincent
immediately calmed.

“Let me make myself clear. I had a full pack of
these when I walked into this room. Now I have nineteen. For every outburst,
you lose another one. If you tell me what I want to know, I will give you every
single cigarette I have left. Now, I will ask you again, where is Gordon
Flanagan?”

“Merrick.”

“No, Gordon Flanagan.” Isabelle pulled out
another cigarette and started to snap it.

“Merrick knows.” Vincent eyeballed the cigarette
like it was his only link to this world.

One of the men spoke up behind Isabelle. “Richard
Merrick’s DNA came back as the Redhead Killer. We need to find him, too.”

“Vincent, where can we find this Merrick?”
Isabelle sniffed the cigarette, taunting him.

“He always called me. I never saw him. Can I have
the cigarette now, Izzy?”

“What did you call me?” In that moment, Isabelle
had a flashback. She was a little girl bouncing on someone’s knee.

Vincent retreated into himself, mumbling about
sunshine and cigarettes. “Vincent, look at me.”  Isabelle took a step toward
the inmate, and he lunged at her.

“He took her! He took her away from me!”

Dante ran into the room and grabbed Isabelle as
the men converged on Vincent. Someone stuck a needle in his neck, depressing a
plunger full of something into his body. Almost immediately he calmed. Dante
pulled her away from the room. “Are you all right?” He ran his hands over her
arms as if Vincent actually touched her.

“I’m fine, Dante. He didn’t hurt me.” No, he just
shook her to the core calling her Izzy, taking her back to when she was a
toddler. It must have been a coincidence. “I promise, I’m fine. What did they
give him?”

“Hellebore root. It’s one of the few things that
has any effect on Gargoyles. Too much of it can cause total paralysis.”

“How do you know how much to administer?”
Isabelle asked over her shoulder as the other Gargoyles took Vincent back to
his cell.

“Trial and error. It’s been used for years to
sedate the Unholy.”

Isabelle would make note of it once she was back
at work. As far as she was concerned, the sooner the better. She had made a
connection with Vincent, even if only briefly. Had the men not been in the
room, he might have opened up more.

“Can we not at least give him one cigarette? He
did give us a name.” Isabelle had promised one to him, and he didn’t get it.
She didn’t like breaking a promise.

“He will be passed out for a while. You can up
the dosage on his patch.”

“Should I hang around and try talking to him
again later?” She knew she could get through to him if she had more time.

“No, that is all.”  Isabelle turned to the voice
speaking behind her. Rafael, the King. “We appreciate what you did in there.
You handled the situation very well. We need to focus our efforts on Richard
Merrick. Isabelle, it was a pleasure meeting you, and I look forward to
spending more time in your presence.” Rafael inclined his head to her then
turned on his heel and left. All of the men spoke to her, congratulating her on
a job well done. She honestly didn’t feel like she had accomplished anything.

Gregor was the last one to return from wherever
they had taken Vincent. “Isabelle, thank you. If you feel well enough, I hope
you will return to work tomorrow. I think there has been enough excitement for
today.” He looked so sad. She hadn’t noticed it earlier with her nerves firing
inside her body. Now that the excitement was over, she was able to take in his
features more clearly.

She reached out to touch him, but Dante stopped
her. “Let him go. There’s only one person who can ease his pain now. May I
escort you to your car?”

Isabelle had the feeling she was being dismissed
which was fine with her. It was Halloween after all, and she had candy to hand
out later. “No, that’s not necessary, but thank you for the offer.” She walked
away from her mate, knowing he was watching after her. Once she was in her car,
she lost it. She shook uncontrollably and let the tears flow. Luckily none of
the guards or Dante came out before she could calm herself. When the tears
subsided, Isabelle started her car and headed home.

Vincent’s brain was foggy. The woman in front of
him was Isabelle. The little girl sitting on his lap was his Izzy. They
couldn’t be the same person. Could they?
No, that’s not right, her name is
Rebekah. Beautiful, sunshiny Rebekah. I have the ring in my pocket and I’m
going to ask her to marry me tonight.
Gabriel relished the sunshine on his
face. It was a welcome reminder of the woman who brightened his very existence.
Gabriel continued on his way home when his stomach clenched into a knot. He
stepped between two buildings in case he was going to throw up. Leaning one
hand against the brick wall of the factory, he took deep breaths, attempting to
settle whatever bug had crawled into his system.

The heat crept up his neck, his hands began
throbbing. His gums felt as if they were on fire. The pain searing through his
back was unlike anything he had ever known. “Hey, buddy, you all right?” A
voice asked from behind. He couldn’t answer. Gabriel dropped to the ground, and
his world went straight to hell.

“Holy Mother of God! Do you see this shit?
Flanagan’s going to give us a raise!” Voices infiltrated his ears. When he woke
up, Gabriel was strapped to a table. Bright lights were shining in his eyes,
causing the pain in his head to multiply tenfold. “What’s your name?” His
bottom eyelid was pulled down, and a flashlight was shining brighter than he
could withstand. When he attempted to move his head, nothing happened.

“Good thing you clamped this freak down. He’s a
strong one.” One of the men in white lab coats pulled his lip up, looking at
his teeth. No, not teeth. His fangs.
Oh, gods, I’ve transitioned.

“Hey, freak, what’s your name? Is anyone going to
miss you, or are they going to be glad to be rid of the circus act?” White coat
number two measured his claws. “I asked you a question. What’s your name?”

When the man held a needle close enough to touch
Gabriel’s eye, he whimpered, “Vincent.”