Heart of Stone (16 page)

“Don't be silly.” Faith shrugged off the observation. “I just met the man.”

“I only knew Rafe for a couple of days before we ended up in bed together. Those Montana men are hot, that's all I can say.”

“I just wanted to fit in, that's all. I don't need more snide comments from Tessa.”

Cara nodded. “I imagine it's tough being the odd man out. Take me, for instance. Except for John, I'm the only non-Atlantean here.”

“But they love you. It's obvious.”

“Now. I was involved in the whole Jain Criten nonsense. I helped Rafe defeat him. I guess that makes me one of the family.”

“You've proven yourself. I still have to earn the trust of this family.” Faith sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Maybe I shouldn't have come here.”

“Aw, honey.” Cara put her arm around Faith and led her to the kitchen table. “I only have sort of an idea what you're doing here, but from what I can guess, your powers are pretty rare, and you're the only one who can make sense of that stone they have.”

“Basically.” Faith sat on the long side of the table while Cara grabbed the seat at the end near her. “Touching it for the first time was … intense. No one has cleared it or balanced it properly in eons. I got a little lost in there. Darius had to pull me out.”

“He did? Huh.” Cara frowned.

“What?”

Cara shook her head. “It's just … well, I thought Seer powers stopped working when they handled the stone.”

“That can't be.” Now Faith frowned. “I saw him, clear as day, a blue beacon that led me out.”

“I must be wrong then.” Cara shrugged and smiled. “I'm still learning all the rules.”

“Maybe.” But Faith continued to ponder the matter.

“Nah, I must be wrong. I'm kind of rattled. Worried about Saturday, I guess.”

“What's happening Saturday?”

“They didn't tell you? Oh, dear. Maybe I'm not supposed to mention it.” Cara bit her lip. “The Montanas are still kind of weird about you.”

“I know.” And she did, though it still stung a little. But they didn't have to like her to pay her the money they'd promised. “It's okay.”

“It's just that Rafe has this big test coming up. He thinks he's ready, but I'm not so sure.”

“I'm sure everything will go fine.” She squeezed Cara's hand across the table.

“Thanks. I'm holding on to that.” Cara took a deep breath. “Now, your problems. First off, you know Maria's family was terrorized by the Mendukati for generations. These new murders have everyone rattled, especially Maria, but she's trying.”

“I know she is. I appreciate that it's going to take time, especially after what happened to her cousins.”

“Right. And John is protective of Maria. He runs a security company, and it's in his nature to be suspicious. Just a few weeks ago, a Mendukati sniper took a shot at Maria. If she hadn't gotten a flash of insight right at that moment, she would have been hit.”

“Oh, no! No wonder they're so worried.”

“Exactly. John's taking every precaution. Throw in Jain Criten's visit a few weeks back, and you just know every warning bell in the man's head is ringing twenty-four-seven.”

“I can imagine.”

Cara continued. “Now as for Rafe, he's been away from home for about five years, and he's been living in the real world. He's on the fence about you, waiting to see what's going to happen.”

“So as long as I do my job and keep my nose clean, I should be fine.”

Cara grinned. “Right. Now me, I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. As the most recent outsider taken into this family, I know how it feels. So you have my vote, unless you hurt the Montanas, and then I'm coming after you. I'm from Jersey, you know.”

Faith smiled back, though she heard the truth beneath the words. “Noted.”

“Now Tessa. She has what we call limited social skills. She's great with PR for the company, writing ad campaigns and all that, but put her face-to-face, and she's lost. I told you she's protective of Darius. When he was shot, Rafe took off and left her and the family to deal with all that.”

“So she's a shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later kind of gal.”

“In a nutshell.”

“Well, if looks could kill, I'd be dead already.” Faith lowered her voice. “And she can tan. For that alone, I should hate her.”

“With you on that one.” Cara pointed to herself. “Irish and German here, so all I get is the lobster tan, red from head to toe.”

Faith nodded. “Ditto. I'll try and steer clear of Tessa. But I'm warning you, if she starts with me I'm shooting back.”

“Fair enough.” Cara leaned back in her chair. “Which leaves Darius.”

Faith tensed. “What about him?”

“Well, he's the big brother. It goes Darius, Rafe, Tessa. When I met him, he was a big cranky puss.”

“Darius, really?” Faith glanced over her shoulder at the laughing man on the other side of the glass door. “I know he can be gruff once in a while—”

“Gruff? Honey, he could peel paint with his glare. The very first time I met him, he punched Rafe in the mouth within a minute of answering the door.”

“No! Seriously?”

“To be fair, there was some bad blood there. It was Rafe's fault Darius got shot, and rather than face the music, he ran off. Some nonsense about being too dangerous to be around his family.” Cara shook her head. “Long story. Requires margaritas. At any rate, there was brother anger going on there that they worked out, so Darius has gotten nicer. Less angry. Though he has his moments. He was in a wheelchair for almost five years. They told him he would never walk again. That would make anyone grumpy.”

“Wow.” Faith glanced again at Darius. “Guess he proved them wrong.”

“Yeah, no one keeps Darius down. He's sort of the family diplomat.”

“He mentioned that.”

“He's the one they send in to negotiate things. He's the talker, Rafe's the fighter.”

“Darius can fight. He took on two Mendukati and won.” Faith warmed as she remembered it. “Adrian helped at the end.”

“Wish I could have seen it.” Cara glanced out the door herself. “The only thing that sets him off these days is pity. Can't stand it. He reverts to the pissed-off man I first met.”

“Aha.” Faith pointed at Cara. “The night we arrived, he was all angry and sped off to be alone.”

“Probably thought you pitied him. He really hates that.”

“I was thinking how weird it looked, such a powerful man in a wheelchair. It must have shown on my face.”

“Guess so.” Cara stood up. “Better now? I think you look great, and Darius is going to swallow his tongue.”

Faith stood as well. “Cara, I told you—”

Cara propped a hand on her hip. “You going to deny you're attracted?”

“Well, no, but I work for the guy. I can't imagine he'd hit on the help.”

Cara laughed. “I doubt that will stop him. If Darius is interested, he'll let you know. It's been awhile for him, though, so cut him some slack.”

Faith followed as Cara led the way to the sliding doors. “What does that mean?”

Cara slid open the door. “Before he was shot, Darius was engaged. She left after he was injured.”

“Oh, no!”

“Oh, yes.” Cara paused in the doorway. “Another reason for Tessa to be rude to any woman around Darius. She's a softie and doesn't want to see him hurt again. In more ways than one.”

“Thanks, Cara, for telling me all this.”

“I think it's great.” Cara winked. “Maybe Darius has finally found his destined mate, just like Rafe and me.” With a waggle of her fingers, she left Faith standing in the doorway as she went to join her fiancé.

Faith stood frozen. Destined mate? What the heck did that mean? She stepped outside and closed the sliding door, then glanced at Darius.

This time he gazed back. The quivering started low in her belly at the way he looked at her, and she knew.

She was in trouble.

 

CHAPTER SEVEN

Faith stepped outside, and Darius stood up, coming across to meet her. She stood still, caught between the instincts of fight and flight.

If she stayed, anything could happen. Maybe things she wasn't ready for.

If she fled, she might lose any small respect the Montanas had for her.

She stayed.

Darius reached her. “Don't you look nice.”

“I might have gotten a little carried away. I didn't realize it was casual.”

“I like it.” He flicked one of her dangling earrings. The warmth of his finger so close to her neck, yet not touching it, sent an unexpected ripple through her. How did he do this, cut through her defenses until she forgot she had any?

“Hot date?” Tessa's voice reached them just as she did. She sipped at the drink in her hand and eyed Faith over the rim.

Faith opened her mouth to reply, but Darius slipped Faith's hand beneath the crook of his arm and met his sister's gaze. “As a matter of fact, she's with me.”

Tessa only missed a beat. “Oh, come on, Dar. You can't be serious.”

“Sure I am. Faith is with me tonight. Right, Faith?”

Faith nodded. “He even met me at the door.”

Tessa narrowed her eyes. “Watch it, brother dear. This one may be more than you bargained for.”

“Or more than you think she is.” He stroked Faith's fingers where they rested on his arm. “Maybe you're jealous because a certain Warrior took off without kissing you good-bye.”

Tessa's mouth opened and closed before she snapped, “Don't be an ass.”

“I won't if you won't. Come on, Faith, let's go put in our burger orders.” He led Faith away from a clearly simmering Tessa.

As they headed over to the grill, Faith murmured, “I'm sorry to be so much trouble.”

Darius stopped. “You're no trouble. Tess gets on her high horse sometimes and needs to be knocked down a bit.”

“Thank you for riding to my defense, but why did you lie to her and tell her I was your date?”

“Who said I lied? Now, how do you like your burger?”

*   *   *

“Thanks for dinner,” Ben said as he and Adrian left the restaurant outside Santa Fe. He jingled his truck keys in his hand. “But I can't let you pay for every meal. These are business expenses. Tax deductions, my friend.”

“You can get the next one.” Adrian kept his senses alert. Ben may have been doing a show at a big exhibition hall in a major city, but he still stayed in a cheap motel at the edge of town and ate at a roadhouse diner. The farther away from the center of town they were, the better the chance the Mendukati could come at them on an isolated stretch of road somewhere. And the way the back of his neck itched made him think that's exactly the sort of attack that was coming.

“Faith called earlier to let me know she was okay.” Ben unlocked the pickup and climbed into the driver's seat. “Seems to be settling in up there. She asked me to get her some materials.”

“Materials?” Adrian opened the passenger side door and gave a long, level glance around before climbing in. “What kind of materials?”

“Different crystals, gemstones. Good harmonics.” Ben laughed. “I don't know about harmonics; I just see what a piece of rock wants me to carve it into. But this is her area, and she knows what she needs. Guess she wants it to help her with that stone they have her looking at. Anyway, I picked up what she needed and sent it overnight mail after we got off the phone. She said she needed it quickly.”

“Makes sense.” As Ben fastened his seat belt, a shadow moved on the edge of the half-empty parking lot. Adrian narrowed his eyes, searching for any other anomalies. But the night stayed still. No more shadows stirred.

“Appreciate you coming all the way out here,” Ben said, putting the keys in the ignition. “Hope it ends up not being necessary.” He flashed a smile. “Either way, it's nice to have company. You can help me haul boxes and set up.”

“Happy to.”

“I don't pay,” Ben said, “but I'll buy you a beer.”

“Done.”

The strike hit hard and fast, just as he'd expected.

The doors on either side of the pickup were yanked open. Between one breath and the next, Adrian was ripped from his seat belt and thrown to the ground. Ben slammed his door closed again and flipped the lock. He reached behind the seat and pulled out a tire iron.

It would buy a couple of minutes, but that was it.

Adrian flipped to his feet with a half leap and grabbed the nearest attacker, taking him down with a chop to the windpipe that left him gasping for air. The second Warrior had his back to Adrian as people came out of the roadhouse. Number Two made a gesture at the people and murmured something. They continued to their car as if they saw nothing.

Which they didn't, not when a Whisperer told them they didn't.

At least one Whisperer, four Warriors in total, one down already. Adrian charged at the Whisperer, grabbing him and slamming his head against the bed of a nearby pickup. The Whisperer slumped to the ground.

Two down, two to go.

Glass broke. Adrian whirled around to see Warriors Three and Four reaching through Ben's broken car window, fumbling for the lock, for the seat belt. Ben swung the tire iron at the face of Number Three, who'd shoved his head in the car. The Warrior fell back.

Adrian leaped over the hood of the truck, grabbed the third Warrior by the back of his jacket. Number Three slipped his arms from the sleeves and came around, fist thudding into Adrian's ribs. Adrian dropped the jacket and jumped back, sucking in air, then charged again. Number Three met his strike with his own; both blocked, both stepped back.

Adrian and his opponent faced off, circling, looking for an opening. Number Three jabbed, Adrian dodged. Adrian came back swinging, landing an elbow to Three's back. Number Three stumbled, then rounded again, grabbing Adrian's waist and taking them both down into the dirt parking lot.