Kaleb (Samuel's Pride Series) (7 page)

“This afternoon. I’m going to tell Butler that we’re having guests for dinner.
Something simple if you don’t mind.” He told her steaks on the grill was fine with him. Nodding, she left him to his work, and he moved to his desk. Samuel did have a lot to catch up on, and the sooner he got it finished, the more time he would have. He really didn’t want to have to work when they were finished with the doctor.

Samuel was buried in a file when his phone rang. He nearly didn’t answer it but picked it up with a bark of his name. The person at the other end was quiet for a few seconds before he finally spoke.
Samuel didn’t have time for this shit.

“I was wondering if you know of a
Tania Thornton.” Samuel stopped breathing for a second and nearly told the man to fuck off when he continued. “She’s been missing for several weeks now and we’re looking for her in connection with the deaths of three other officers.”

“You don’t say.”
Samuel reached for Kaleb and hit a wall. Either the man was sleeping or blocking him. Either way, he needed him. Picking up his cell phone, he dialed him while speaking to the man on the other end of his house phone. “Who is she? Or you for that matter?”

“Oh, I’m her boss.
Captain Lyod Sweeney. Someone mentioned that she was staying at your clinic, and I wanted to confirm that.” Samuel finally hung up his phone and reached for Stephan when Kaleb didn’t answer. He nearly missed what Sweeney said. “Her fingerprints, you see, are coming up all over the crime scene.”

“You do know it’s in the middle of the afternoon, don’t you? Whatever you want had better be—”

“I’m on the phone with Sweeney, and he knows that Thor was at the clinic. He’s saying her prints are all over the crime scene. Not possible, I know, but I need you to see if they’re all right. I can’t contact Kaleb.”
To the man on the phone he answered as quickly as he could. “I don’t know who you’re talking about, but if you need information about the patients at the clinic, I’m afraid that the law states that I don’t have to give you that. Even if I had it.”

Stephan told him he’d go right now as Sweeney spoke.
“It’s not nice to lie to the police. I’m a very powerful man, and I can rain trouble down on your head so quickly and so hard you’ll never see the light of day again. If you could have her call me, or better yet, come to the station house, I’d be very grateful.”

“
Threatening me will get you nothing but your own shit ton of trouble, buddy. And even if I knew where she was, there is no fucking way that I’d tell her shit about you. You fucking call here again and I will—” Samuel looked up when Butler came into the room and sliced his fingers across his throat. Samuel knew he wanted him to hang up and simply put the receiver in the cradle. “What is it?”

“The alarm
, sir. It’s beeping. It’s saying that you’re being traced. Though why they’d trace a call that they made is beyond me, but I wanted you to know.” Samuel nodded and thanked his man. “I have heard from the missus that we’re to have guests this evening. Might I assume that this will be more than a social call?”

“You can.
Though for the record I’d very much like for it not to be at the table.” Butler nodded and smiled. “Do you think maybe we can have a meal that will have us all moaning and groaning about how good it is and not think about all this shit?”

“I think that can be arranged.
And my missus has had it in her head that we’re to have an apple pie, sir. And we’ve unearthed the ice cream maker as well. Would that suit you?” Samuel told him it would. “Very good, sir. I’ll see what I can put together for you tonight.”

After Butler left
, Samuel waited to hear from Stephan. No more than a few seconds later, Stephan, Kaleb, and Thor were standing in his office. Thor was not at all happy with any of them.

“I said we would drive over.
This rolling through the air like a sonic jet is not…Christ, I’m going to be sick.” When she took off running to the hallway, Kaleb followed her. Stephan sat in the chair across from his desk.

“She’s pissed at me.”
Samuel laughed. “I think it’s funny because she thinks she can yell at me and I’ll be sorry. All I can think about is how her face looked when I showed up in the bathroom with her and Kaleb.”

“You went into their bathroom?
Are you nuts?” Stephan shrugged and smiled. “She is going to kill you. You know that right?”

“She might try
, and I might let her hit me. But she won’t kill me. She has my blood. Can’t do it.” Stephan leaned back in the chair. “I was feeding when you called me. I don’t normally do that during the day, but she was there, and I was in the mood for—”

“Enough please.”
Stephan laughed again. “Sometimes too much information like that could get you into trouble. You know that right?”

They both stood up when the couple came back into the room.
Butler was right behind them with a large tray with what smelled like pumpkin and tea. The scones on the plate still had steam coming off them, and Samuel felt his mouth water.

“I’ve taken the liberty of making a light repast.
I’ll have a luncheon ready in thirty minutes, as well as iced tea for those who would like it.” Butler looked at Stephan as he continued. “Sir, your package has been delivered and has been stored per your instructions. Will you require some refreshments as well?”

“No thanks. And thank you for suggesting that I have it here.”
When Butler nodded and left the room, Samuel raised a brow at Stephan. “Blood. In the freezer. When I left here a couple of weeks ago, I was hungry, and that’s when your good man suggested I have a storage here. I even put in a freezer in that massive pantry you have. You should have seen the look on his face when I asked him if I could store some of his blood there. I thought he’d have a kitten.”

“
Christ, I’ll be lucky if he stays now. And good idea on the other. I’d really hate for you to get stuck here and not be able to get out for what you need. But you know that I’d never let you go hungry.” Samuel had fed Stephan once when he’d been too hungry to leave the house. But there were more pressing things going on, and right now that was foremost in his mind. He turned to Kaleb. “Sweeney called here a few minutes ago. And when I couldn’t get in touch with you, I had Stephan make sure you were all right.”

“He came into the bathroom with us.” Samuel tried to hide his laughter at the look on Thor’s face
, but she knew. “You son of a bitch, you told him to come there?”

“Christ, no. I told him to find you and make sure you were all right. I never told him…he did that all on his own.”
Samuel had to take several deep breaths before he could continue. “But we do have a problem with Sweeney. He threatened me and mine. And that just doesn’t fly with me.”

“I’ll take care of him.”
Samuel glanced at Kaleb when Thor spoke. The man was as relaxed as he’d ever seen him. “I’m the one to do it, and you know it.”

“I’ll help
, but she is the better man for the job.” Kaleb stood up and kissed Thor on the mouth before turning to him. “I’ve something to tell you. I should have long ago but I never wanted…I wasn’t very happy with my life when I met you, and now that I have Thor…well, I think it’s time.”

“You’re scaring him, Kaleb
; just tell him.” At that moment, Samuel knew that somehow Stephan was aware of what Kaleb had to tell him. And that was scarier than simply not knowing.

“I’m
well over two thousand years old, and I’ve been touched by a witch’s magic.”

Chapter
7

Lyod watched the man in front of him. Who knew that someone as stupid as this man always appeared to be could fall into so much information in so little time? Lyod picked up the picture that he’d handed him when he came in three days ago. Lyod remembered the conversation he’d had with him that led to him calling Samuel Payne.

“You say you found her on this large estate this morning?”
Danny Swindle had nodded and smiled. “I’m assuming you didn’t let her or any of the others know what you were up to.”

“Nah. I just snapped those with my phone and took them home to print up. I heard you were looking for
her and so was the mayor.” He’d laughed like he had not a care in the world. “You’d have had to be stupid not to see him begging everyone to tell him where she is. He’s got a real hard on for her, don’t he?”

“He does indeed.”
Lyod had picked up the picture again and looked at the crisp picture of Thornton, trying to erase the memory of the other day. He wondered what miracle drug she’d taken, because there was no way she looked this good after everything they’d done to her. He wondered if by now she was glowing. The fucking cunt always landed on her feet. Lyod tossed the picture on the desk again and glared at the man. He didn’t want a picture of her. He wanted her dead.

“
I called this man, the one that owns this estate. Did you know that he’s a billionaire?” Danny shook his head. “He claims he doesn’t know where she is. And from all accounts, she doesn’t appear to be staying there now either. I don’t suppose you have any idea where she is now, do you?”

“I don’t know. That was the last time I went to look for you. You said to back off.”
Lyod wished now that he’d had the man stay on her. He’d been his only resource. “I can go back if you want me to. No hardship to me.”

Lyod had to admit he was excited. To have her so close was enough to give him a chubby.
But to Danny he only looked like he was thinking it over. Letting this guy find her and keep tabs on her would keep him under the radar, and the mayor out of the picture. Besides, Lyod had plans for the mayor, and in a few days the city would be looking for someone to replace him. Lyod wondered if he should apply for the job. Mayor Lyod Sweeney had a nice ring to it, he thought. But he looked at Danny, who was looking at him expectantly.

“You do that. Report only to me what you find and where she’s staying. I want all you can find out about the people she’s staying with
, too. Off the record.” Danny nodded and smiled. “You’ll be on leave with pay until she’s brought in. I don’t want her to know that we have tabs on her.”

“But the mayor? He’ll know that I found her
, right?” Lyod nodded. “Good. I sure could use that reward that he’s posting. I can make a real good back payment on my house.”

Good to know the man had debt. Lyod could always use that against one of his men when he got a little too out of hand.
After Danny left, he picked up the picture and called Ansell. There was going to be hell to pay, he knew that, but for now, he had something to give him.

“So you decided to call
, did you? Well, it was nearly too late.” Lyod didn’t care for the sound of that but hurriedly told him what he knew.

“We have a lead.
I tried calling the guy out who has her, but he’s not budging. I have someone watching the place now, so I should have something very soon.” Ansell snorted, but Lyod continued before he could comment. “She was last seen with a man named Payne, Samuel Payne. He’s reported to be worth billions and has a house that is nearly impossible to get into. I plan to pay him a little visit today.”

“And this is helpful to me how
? You promised me that she’d be dead by now. Swore to me that with the damage that was done to her not only would she not be able to tell anyone what happened to her, but her body was more than likely rotting in a place where no one would find her. And now not only is she alive and kicking, but she’s living with a man who I know personally is more savvy at keeping others safe than anyone I fucking know.” His voice had gotten progressively louder as he spoke, and by the time Ansell drew a breath, no doubt to continue, he was practically screaming at him. “Get this fucking bitch now, and if I hear one more excuse for why she’s not dead, I’m going to show you how I deal with sons of bitches that fuck me.”

“I’m working
on it.” Ansell started to speak again, but Lyod cut him off. “I’ll have her to you by the end of the week. If not, I’ll do whatever it is you think I deserve. I swear to you.”

“You’d better fucking have her here by Friday or so help me, you’ll never live to see Saturday.” The phone slammed down
, and Lyod felt the sweat pour down the back of his shirt, which frightened him because he was suddenly cold. Picking up the picture of Thornton and the other men, he wanted to tear it into shreds, hoping that she’d feel it. Knowing it was stupid, he got up to call for his car. It was time to pay her a visit.

The drive over to the house was long. Traffic was backed up because of idiots going to work and the added problem of road work. It seemed that no matter where you wanted to go in Ohio, there was no way to get there. Road construction seemed to be the number one way to spend money in this state. By the time he pulled up in front of the address
, he had to check twice to make sure he had the right one. Mother fuck, this place was huge. But then he should have expected that. The man was worth more than even Ansell was.

“I’d like to speak to Mr. Samuel Payne, please,” Lyod told the disembodied voice at the front gate. “I don’t have an appointment
, but it’s important that I see him.”

“May I ask who this is please?” The woman sounded like she had an accent but from where
, Lyod couldn’t tell. “And if you have no appointment, you may not be able to see him today.”

“I’ll take my chances.”
Lyod smiled smugly. Being a cop did have some perks. “Tell him it’s Captain Lyod Sweeney of the Columbus Vice Squad.”

The woman asked him to wait
, and so he did. Taking out his phone, he called his office to tell them he’d be a little late and for his secretary to cancel all his morning meetings. By the time he’d answered three emails and taken another call from the mayor, he realized he’d been sitting there for nearly twenty minutes. As he reached for the intercom again, he saw a man standing near the closed gate. Getting out, Lyod started forward.

“Stay back.”
The venom in the man’s voice startled him, and Lyod found himself stopping despite his desire to talk to the man. “What the fuck are you doing here? I thought I made it clear that I didn’t want to speak to you.”

“Mr. Payne?”
The man moved even closer and Lyod, even with the gate between them, had a moment of terror. “I wanted to come and speak to you about Thornton. We might have gotten off on the wrong foot.”

“Damned right we did.
What the fuck do you want? And so you know, that fucking idiot you sent here to watch the house is no longer with us. I’ve had him killed and buried in a shallow grave in the back of your yard.” Lyod took a step back and put his hand on his weapon. “Touch it and you’ll die where you stand.”

“I would listen to him if I were you.
He’s not at his best in the morning, and when you shit in his oatmeal, as you’ve apparently done, things are ten times over fucked up.” Lyod turned to see the large man behind him. “I’m Jimmy, and if he gives me the okay, I’m going to rip your throat out and feast on you for a snack.”

“I just wanted to talk to him about Thornton. I think—” The man
now in front of him took one step closer, and that’s all it took for Lyod’s bladder to let go. Lyod would swear for the rest of his life that the man looked like a giant wolf for a few seconds. “I’d like to go now.”

Jimmy nodded and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Are you going to allow me to leave here?”

“Depends.” Lyod asked him on what. “Whether or not you can be gone before I count to ten. One...Two....”

Lyod ran to his car door and dropped his keys three times before he was able to get them in the door. By then the man was on number six and still counting. When his car was in reverse
, he heard the man say ten and suddenly he was gone, and in his place was the biggest fucking wolf he’d ever seen. And he was pissed. Looking at the gate showed him not one but two lions who looked like they’d been fed super growth formula their entire life. Slamming his foot on the gas pedal, he raced down the street before he was killed. Mother fuck.

Lyod had to pull over about fifteen minutes later. He was shaking so hard he hurt
, and he realized he was sobbing. He’d never been so terrified in his life. And there was no way he was going back to that house, even if Ansell held a gun to his head. Enough was enough. Picking up the phone with shaking hands, he had to put it down again, unable to press any buttons. Ten minutes after pulling over, he was back on the road again, having come to some major decisions.

“I’m done.”
He felt better hearing his own voice in the sedan. “I’m going to clean out my safe, take my money and anything else I can get my hands on before tonight, and I’m fucking out of here.”

He had a great deal of ready money where he could get to it without hitting the bank. It would have been stupid of him to have put it all in
any place where it could have been traced back to him. Lyod had taken precautions in the event of an emergency. He was pretty sure this was a first-class emergency. First things first, he had to get things squared away at home and take care that his ex-wife got nothing from the house. And if he was to return, he wanted to make sure that there wouldn’t be a firing squad there waiting for him. His personal checking account was always nearly empty, just the way he thought it should be. He had all his cash in places all over the house and yard. He was set.

“Then when I have everything ready, I’m going to drop off this planet like I was never here
, and never hear of Ansell or Thornton ever again.” He wasn’t sure it would be that easy, but he was willing to try. This place had gotten way too nuts.

When he pulled into his drive
, he felt a good deal better. He’d thought of leaving and what he’d be leaving behind, and tried to think of another way to get Thornton to Ansell. While he was still scared shitless, he knew on some level that what he’d seen wasn’t real. “Who changes into a wolf and a lion? No one. They might have drugged me or did one of those hypnosis things with my mind.”

Not that he really believed that
, but he was willing to believe anything over a man changing into a wolf. Moving to his bedroom, he stripped off his clothing and stepped into his shower. The sooner he got the stench off him the better he’d feel. An hour later, he was standing in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee when his cell phone rang.

“There are three meetings for after lunch that I’ve tried to change. The one with the mayor is set
, and he said if you’re not there that he’ll find someone who will be. What would you like to do about it?” Lyod told her he’d make it. “The meeting with your ex-wife’s lawyer is mandatory. He said if you missed this one, he would drag this out for years by taking you to court every few weeks until she gets what she wants. And there is a meeting with a man by the name of Kaleb Jonas. I’ve looked him up. There is not a lot about him, but I was able to find that he’s affluent and has been noted as something of a humanitarian. My sources say that he donated the money to have the library redone.”

“Cancel the one with the lawyer. I’ve won this one
, and she’ll just have to get over it. As for Jonas, did he say what he wanted?”

“Just that he wanted to
speak to you.” What harm could it do really? Lyod told her to keep that one as well. “What time will you be in?”

“Soon. I have a couple of
things to see to about a case. Then I’ll be in. Should be there….” He looked at the clock on the wall, surprised to see it was only just after nine. “I’ll be there by eleven. Hold down the fort until then.”

After hanging up
, he poured himself some fresh coffee and sat down at the computer in the kitchen. He was just pulling up information on Jonas when his cell phone rang. When he saw who it was, he ignored it. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to his ex-wife right now.

By the time he’d started his journey to the office
, he knew nothing more about Jonas. But he did have some information about the library project. The man had footed the entire bill of just over six million dollars. And no matter how many times he tried to find a picture of the man, he ran into blurred photos or ones with Jonas’s hand in front of the camera. The man was a ghost.

Well, in a few hours he’d have his picture as well as a fingerprint.
Lyod was going to find out about the man if he had to shoot him for DNA. Smiling, he entered the building and went straight to his office. Lyod was glad that he’d nearly forgotten about the wolf and lion.

~~~

“What do you mean you’re going to go see Sweeney? Are you fucking nuts?” Kaleb sat down on the bed and watched Thor pace. She was in a fine snit, and he was having entirely too much fun watching her.

“I want to see what the man is worth. You yourself said you’re not one hundred
percent sure that he’s in on this. I can find out for you.” She snorted. “Why don’t you come here and let me relax you again?”