Jasper (19 page)

Jasper
sent off a quick text letting Trevor know he was thinking of him. He needed to
keep his distance, but he wouldn’t let his mate go very long without hearing
from him. Jasper needed the connection even if it was a short message. Dante
kept him apprised of both Trevor’s and Travis’s well-being. He was ready for
Trevor to be back in New Atlanta where he knew he would be safe. It wasn’t that
Jasper didn’t trust the other Gargoyles, but he knew Frey. He knew that the big
Goyle would die before he let something happen to his family or that of any
other in the Clan.

Another
body had been found, this one with a note that read
him
.  
Can you
keep him
what? Safe? Alive? Neither one boded well considering there would
be another murder unless Jasper could stop him first. Julian had not been able
to find where Kallisto had gone once she got into the vehicle. Too many black
SUVs were roaming around New Atlanta. Dane had APBs out on the known license
plate numbers, but Theron and his sister had planned this well. Somehow they
were duplicating tag numbers from local citizens who owned black SUVs.

Dante
wasn’t happy that he couldn’t find trace evidence leading to Theron. Again, the
Goyle was being smart about his kills. The latest victim had been poisoned. The
forensic lab was having a hard time distinguishing the mixture used to stop the
body’s internal functions, but Dante didn’t have to peer under the microscope.
He had smelled hellebore root on the victim as soon as he got close to the
body. In a Gargoyle, enough of the plant could render a full-grown Goyle
paralyzed indefinitely. It’s why Julian concocted a coating for the swords
using the plant. Whatever Theron mixed the plant with caused the man’s heart to
stop.

Jasper
sat in the morgue with Dante, using the stool Trevor normally sat on. It helped
him feel closer to his mate somehow. Dante pulled his gloves off and tossed
them in the trash. “I have a feeling this is coming to a close. One more body,
one more note, and we could find out what Theron’s after.”

“I’d
rather find the bastard before another innocent loses their life. I’m going to
the lab and see if I can’t help Julian and Sixx.”

“Are
you going to the funeral?”

“No,
I’m going to find Theron.” The funeral had been set for that afternoon. It was
a closed casket ceremony since Rachel had been shot in the face. That was a
detail they did not share with Travis. Jasper left the hospital and drove to
the lab. Once inside, he took a spot behind both Sixx and Julian where he could
look at their screens. He had to find the Goyle and stop the madness.

After
several hours of finding nothing, Jasper was ready to take to the skies and
patrol. Theron had to be out there, scoping out his next victim. When his phone
rang, he cringed when he saw it was Dane.

“Jasper,
a call came in alerting us to another body. This one is strange because of the
location. It’s an abandoned house out past the old nature preserve. The others
have been west of the city. This one is east. It might not be related, but I’ve
got patrols headed that way now.”

“I’m
on it. Text me the address.” Jasper honestly hoped this victim was the last in
Theron’s plan and not some random body. If he couldn’t find the psycho before
he killed again, he wanted this to be the final victim so he knew where Theron
was going with the lunacy.

When
Jasper arrived, two patrol cars were already on the scene. The house was old.
Overgrown bushes decorated the exterior every few feet. The front porch roof
was swaying south, ready for a strong gust of wind to give it one last push to
the floor beneath. Jasper waited outside until one of the cops came out and
reported. “It’s a young man, probably mid to late twenties. Brown hair. He’s
hanging from the upstairs banister.”

Jasper
didn’t bother going inside. The less people who disturbed the area the better. CSU
was called in. The victim would have to remain where it was until Dante
returned from Athens. No one other than he or Trevor was allowed to transport a
body. Dante had made that rule a long time ago when evidence was destroyed on
the trip to the morgue by a careless tech.

The
lead CSU tech exited the house holding a plastic evidence bag. He showed it to
Jasper. Inside was a piece of paper like the first four. This one said
Alive
.
Jasper had the final clue to Theron’s wicked game.
Can you keep him alive?
The
need to see Trevor in that moment was stronger than his need to find the Goyle.
He knew Trevor was safe with Dante, but he needed to feel him in his arms.
Touch him. Kiss him. His beast was pushing at him to go to his mate. Once the
scene was released by the crime unit, yellow tape was placed around the old
house, declaring it off limits. Jasper doubted anyone had been to the house in
years, but it was standard procedure.

He
fought with himself on whether to patrol the city or get on his bike and head
to Athens. If Theron was following Jasper, he would know Trevor meant more to
him than just being a friend. Still, he needed to lay eyes on his mate.
Decision made, he drove home, changed into street clothes, straddled his
Harley, and hit the highway.

Trevor
sat next to Travis as the preacher spoke lovingly about a girl he’d never met.
It surprised Trevor when, after the service was over, the preacher spoke to
Travis as if he knew him. Their mother had dragged them to church every Sunday
when they were kids, but he’d never known Travis to go to church after he moved
away from home. Trevor wasn’t religious. He trusted science more than a being
in the cosmos somewhere. Now that he was aware of Gargoyles and their trust in
the old gods and the three fates, his own belief that there wasn’t an unseen
power or powers was being tested.

When
Rachel’s parents invited Trevor, Dante, and Isabelle to their home, Trevor
started to decline, but Travis grabbed his arm. His brother needed him, so they
went. The Montgomerys lived in a two-story brick house in a fairly upscale
neighborhood. There was no less food scattered about the dining room than
Priscilla had cooked for Christmas. Trevor remembered his mother cooking pies
and casseroles to take to the homes of bereaving church goers, but he never
understood it. If he lost someone, he wouldn’t feel like eating or being around
other people. He would want to crawl up in the middle of his bed and lie alone
in the darkness. The way he was certain Travis felt right then.

His
brother put on a fake smile hiding both the pain he still felt in his body from
the gunshot wound as well as the pain in his heart. Trevor saw plenty of death
in his job, but never this side of it. He studied the victims in a clinical
way, never knowing anything more than a name. He never thought about the
grieving family standing by the six foot hole, listening to a preacher recount
the life before the death. Now that he had witnessed the other side, he doubted
his clinical examinations would ever be the same.

When
the last of the guests finally left, Travis and Rachel’s parents fell into a
group hug, offering comfort where there really was none. The woman they all
loved was gone, and there was nothing left to say. The three of them would
never be able to celebrate Christmas again without remembering what they lost.

Travis
had agreed to come back to New Atlanta for a few days. He hated leaving Molly
behind, but he wasn’t ready to be alone in his home, and there was no way she
would be able to live in a Gargoyle home without going crazy. The CSU tech
happily agreed to keep the animal until Travis came back home. Trevor was
staring out the window watching the world go by when he noticed a black Harley
going the opposite direction. He immediately wished that was Jasper and he was
riding with him. Trevor wanted a little normalcy, even if for only a few hours.
He hadn’t felt normal for the last three weeks. Not since he found out about
Gargoyles, and especially not since he killed a man. He closed his eyes,
letting the sounds of classical music lull him to sleep.

“Trevor,
we’re here,” Isabelle said as she softly shook his arm. He blinked the sleep
out of his eyes and realized they were at Frey’s. Somehow his car was in the
driveway. Travis was already standing outside, waiting as Dante got his bags
from the back of the Range Rover. Dante had bought the larger vehicle when his
family expanded. He couldn’t very well drive his beautiful woman around in the
medical van, and the Aston Martin only accommodated two people.

Matthew
was there, waiting for Trevor to get out. As soon as he did, the teen wrapped
him in a tight hug. “I’m glad you’re back.” Trevor hugged him back before
introducing his brother. “Travis, I’d like you to meet Matthew.”

“Damn,
when you said you favored, I didn’t know you meant you were identical.” Matthew
held his hand out to Travis. He kept shaking while he studied Travis closely.
“No, there it is. His eyes are a different shade of green.”

The
adults waited until the teen was finished with his thorough inspection of
Trevor’s brother. “Travis, come on in, and I’ll show you where your room is,”
Abbi said from the front porch. As always, she was tucked in close to her mate.

Travis
stopped on the porch and held his hand out to Frey. “I want to thank you for
taking me in. I’m sorry if it’s an imposition.”

Frey
gripped Travis’s shoulder. “No thanks needed. It’s what families do.” Travis
blinked up at the huge Gargoyle. Frey was one of the biggest, baddest Gargoyles
around. He was also one of the kindest, most gentle men Trevor had ever met.
When Frey was in the ring pounding gloves with Jasper, he was fierce. When he
was at home, all ferocity was left at the door. Trevor knew exactly what his
brother was thinking. This man, no, this Gargoyle he’d never met before had
called him family. He had welcomed Trevor into his home as if he, too, were
family. Trevor still wasn’t used to being included, and he was a mate to one of
them. Travis had no real connection other than he was Trevor’s brother. When Frey
let go of Travis, he stopped Trevor. “You hanging in there?”

Trevor
nodded. “One day at a time,” he said.

“Speaking
of hanging, we have what I hope is the final victim. Trevor, you help Travis
get settled. I’m going to retrieve the body,” Dante said from the bottom of the
steps where he had been talking on the phone.

“What
did the note say?” He had to know.

“
Alive
.”
Dante stared at Trevor for a moment. Instead of turning toward his car, he held
Isabelle’s hand and led her up the steps, stopping next to Trevor and Frey. He
dropped Isabelle’s hand so he could put both hands on Trevor’s shoulders.
“Trevor, promise me you’ll stay put.”

“Why?
Dante, where’s Jasper? Has something happened to him?”

“I
haven’t spoken with him, but I’m sure he’s fine. I have a feeling things are
going to get amped up now that Theron’s message has been revealed. Stay here
with Frey.”

“I
will. But if something happens to Jasper, promise me you’ll call me.”

“I
will. Now, I must go.” Dante looked at Frey and something unspoken passed
between the two of them. Frey nodded at Dante before directing Trevor inside.
Dante kissed Isabelle softly and pressed their foreheads together. Isabelle
waited until his car disappeared down the driveway before going inside the
house.

Trevor
took his bag to the room he always slept in whenever he stayed over with
Matthew. He didn’t bother unpacking; he’d do that later. Instead, he sat on the
edge of the bed and put all the notes together.
Can you keep him alive?
Obviously the note was for Jasper about Trevor, and Trevor shivered thinking of
the big Gargoyle with dark eyes coming after him. Matthew poked his head in the
door. “You okay?”

“Yeah,
I was just thinking about Jasper. I’m going to give him a quick call and then
I’ll be downstairs.”

“Okay.
I’m going to show Travis around, maybe take him to the lake.”

“Dude,
it’s dark outside.”

“Dude,
we have flashlights,” Matthew countered with a grin.

He
amazed Trevor. The teen had been through so much. He’d had a shitty life for
the first seventeen years. His former brother-in-law beat him within inches of
his life then tried killing him on that bridge. He had to have nightmares, but
he seemed to be handling everything pretty well. He almost always had a smile
on his face. Then again, maybe his smile was a mask like Trevor’s. He took his
phone out of his pocket and dialed Jasper’s number. It went to voicemail so he
left him a message. “Hey, it’s me. I just wanted to let you know we’re safe at the
big guy’s. Call me when you get this. I miss you.”