Passion's Prey: The Shadow Shifters (7 page)

He parked his car across the street and walked toward the high-rise condominium building that had only been built about three years ago. It was twenty-five stories of glass and steel and futuristic in its crisp and angular design. Reportedly it had cost more than ten million to build and was touted as the new direction of the city. Dorian thought it was a waste of space and money. Why couldn’t they have built another school or a recreation center? In his mind there were at least ten million other more sensible things to do with this space and that type of money than to build more homes for the rich.

That fact, to Dorian, solidified Markland’s unlawful involvement with Reynolds. He lived here, on the top floor.
How did an FBI agent afford such sweet digs?
he thought, slipping one hand into his pocket, using the other to open the double glass doors at the entrance.

His shoes made a clicking sound as he crossed the glossy marble floor. He liked dress shoes, liked dressing up for work, period. That was something that had been instilled in him when he was younger. Yolanda and Stuart Wilson made sure he and his two sisters dressed impeccably for church and wore only the cleanest starched uniforms at the strict Catholic schools they’d attended. Besides, Dorian knew he received more respect than a lot of the other agents because he was always professional about his work and his appearance. This morning, visiting one of his own on suspicion of murder, was no different.

Flashing his badge at the young attendant, he said simply, “Xavier Markland.”

The attendant was shaking his head negatively before Dorian could finish saying his name. “No guests after midnight or before eight
AM
.”

Dorian almost chuckled, but he wasn’t really in the best of moods right now. “What’s this, a frat house?”

First response was a shrug, then he said, “Rules. Besides, you’ve got to be on Mr. Markland’s approved list of guests or we’re not to let you upstairs anyway.”

Dorian nodded, pulling a wad of money out of his pocket. He wasn’t rich, but he tended to carry some extra cash just for situations like these—when, as a sign of the times, the badge wasn’t working as well as it should.

He lay three twenties down on the counter with his badge, then pushed his jacket lapel back to expose the nine-millimeter sitting quietly in its holster.

“Let’s try this again. Xavier Markland,” he said, his voice low and hard as steel.

With a lick of his lips a slow smile began to spread across the attendant’s face. He reached for the money but Dorian slapped his palm over it.

“Mr. Markland?”

“Take the second elevator up to the nineteenth floor. There are two elevators all the way to the back of that hallway. Take one of those to the penthouse. He’s the only one on that floor. And if he asks, tell him I wasn’t at the desk when you came in.”

Moving his hand away from the cash, Dorian retrieved his badge, pushing it into his pocket. “Won’t you get in trouble for not being on your post?”

“Probably get written up,” the attendant told him. Then he looked straight at Dorian, a serious expression marring his face. “But Mr. Markland will kill me if he finds out I took money to let you in.”

Dorian nodded, letting the words
Mr. Markland will kill me
play over and over in his mind as he headed toward the elevator.

*   *   *

“Where the hell is she?” Nick Delgado asked Eli and Ezra Preston the moment he saw them in the dining hall.

They were the twin guards assigned to Nick and Rome. Last night, however, they’d been called away from Havenway to assist at some nightclub in the city named Athena’s. Nick hadn’t grumbled too much because it was two in the morning when he’d received the knock at his bedroom door and the announcement that there’d been a Rogue sighting. On any other night Nick would have happily climbed out of his bed and headed out with the two Lead Guards, but Ary was just entering the sixth week of her pregnancy and since neither of them had ever experienced this miracle before, Nick was inclined to stick as close by her as he could.

It wasn’t until this morning when he’d spoken to Rome that he’d learned the full extent of the story. Rogues had indeed been sighted at Athena’s, where Caprise had apparently been working as a stripper.

That last fact was still hard for Nick to swallow, and his temples throbbed incessantly with the effort. Rome was sitting at the desk in his home office. Both of them lived at Havenway now, their refuge from the city and all the attention that had come to Rome’s estate just about a month ago. The facility was still undergoing construction, but to date was coming along nicely. Nick, however, did not plan to stay here indefinitely. He wanted his own house for Ary and their family. And he definitely did not want to remain in hiding from the world they deserved to live in just as much as the humans. Still, he understood that, for now, the safety of his wife and child came first.

“She’s not here. We checked her room and she didn’t come home at all last night,” Eli replied, slipping his aviator jacket onto broad shoulders covered by the fitted T-shirt he wore.

Eli was the more somber twin. While his green eyes, mocha skin tone, and cleft chin mirrored Ezra’s, he wasn’t as flamboyant and outgoing as his brother. That was most likely the reason he’d been assigned to Rome as soon as he’d been appointed Faction Leader. With Nick’s enigmatic personality and previous popularity with the females, Ezra was the best pick for his guard. Even though, right now, Ezra was keeping a tight lip, probably because he knew Nick was very close to going off totally.

“Where the hell is Seth?” he asked, keeping a tight rein on his temper. Once upon a time this would have been a task for Nick, but since finding Ary again, his temperament had taken a less volatile edge. Today remaining calm was proving difficult. And who could blame him? Caprise was his little sister. Before a month ago she’d been gone for five years and he hadn’t known where she was or what she was doing. Then she just showed up, with secrets in her eyes and a chip on her shoulder as big as a damn boulder. Now she was missing. They couldn’t blame him if he wanted to break something or someone in two to find out where she was.

“Seth checked in already this morning. He says she’s safe,” Ezra told him.

The guard stood across from Nick, about four feet away. He wore black slacks and a white silk shirt. His jacket was probably in the car. Since Ezra accompanied Nick everywhere, he tended to dress for the occasion. Today being a workday, he would be in a suit going to the office. The diamond studs in both his ears sparkled even as his gaze toward Nick was serious.

“Did he say where she was? Where they are?” Rome asked sitting back in his chair.

Rome had been the Faction Leader for almost ten years now. He’d been Nick’s best friend for even longer. Rome knew Nick’s moods just as Nick knew his. Right now the FL was concerned for Caprise and reserving judgment on this current situation.

For about two seconds Ezra looked uncomfortable. The guard exchanged a look with his twin, and they both finally shrugged.

“If you know something, you’re bound by your duty as Lead Guards to tell me now,” Rome said tightly. “Not to mention the fact that you’re as close to us as brothers. Nick deserves an explanation if you have one.”

Ezra nodded. “You’re right, boss. Look, Seth called last night or early this morning, and said that X had taken her to his place. When he checked in this morning he said they were still there, had been all night.”

The room was quiet and still except for the buzz of irritation that filled its space.

“Okay, she’s with X so she’s safe,” Nick said, even though something about that statement seemed a bit off to him. “So get X on the phone and find out when they’re heading to Havenway.”

Ezra nodded. “Right.”

When the two guards left the room Nick stood for a few moments at the slim window looking out to the Great Falls National Park. That was where Havenway was located, deep within the park, hidden by dense trees and a small creek that almost gave the impression of their home in the Gungi. Well, not almost, but probably as close as they were going to get. The Virginia location was about an hour and a half away from their law firm in DC.

“What are you thinking?” Rome asked.

“Something’s not right,” Nick replied immediately. “Why didn’t he bring her back here? Why keep her in the city? And what the hell is she doing stripping?” He figured he’d be the one to approach the subject since he knew Rome was probably thinking it.

When he turned to look at his friend he was rewarded with a look of relief on Rome’s face.

“I wondered that myself. Do you know where she’s been for the last five years?”

Nick rolled his neck, listened as muscles cracked with the effort, and tried to let his shoulders relax. “She didn’t say. I told X to look into it but he hasn’t gotten back to me with a report. I know she’s always loved to dance and was even enrolled in dance school before she left. This just doesn’t sound like Caprise.”

Rome nodded. “She seems different now. I’ve noticed it in the weeks she’s been here.”

“Ary’s been talking to her. She thinks Caprise is starting to adjust. But I don’t know,” Nick admitted.

“She’s still not happy about being a shifter, that we all know for sure.”

Nick shook his head. “She’s never been happy about that. I thought at least she’d come to terms with it by now. But she’s still in denial.”

“Which isn’t good for us if there are Rogues roaming the streets, out for shifter or human blood,” Rome stated.

“X was investigating Athena’s because Sabar’s savior drug was reportedly circulating there.”

“You think she may be taking the drug?” Rome sounded skeptical but the question still stung.

“No,” Nick replied adamantly. “She’s not on any drugs. I would know.” Or at least he thought he would.

For the last few weeks he’d seen Caprise every day. Some days she looked almost happy and others she was sullen and agitated. Yesterday he remembered she’d made some remark about their parents and everyone having secrets. He’d been running late for work and so hadn’t stopped to ask her what the hell that meant. Now he wished he had.

“It’s just a thought, man. I know she’s your sister but we’ve got to keep an open mind about this. I don’t believe in coincidences,” Rome said.

“So the fact that Caprise was stripping at the same club X was investigating for the savior drug and they run into Rogues there is all connected?”

“What do you think?” Rome asked.

Nick sighed. “You’re right. It’s connected. I just hope—”

His next words were cut off as his cell phone rang loudly. Reaching down to the case at his waist, Nick pulled the phone free and answered, “Delgado.”

“Nick, it’s me, Caprise.”

She was talking fast and she was whispering. Nick was instantly on alert.

“Where are you? What’s wrong?”

“I’m locked in the bathroom at X’s place. Some cop just came in talking about arresting him for murder.”

“What?”

“Just get over here as soon as you can!” she said. Then the line went dead.

Rome had already stood and was glaring at Nick when he clicked off his phone.

“What’s up?”

“X is being arrested for murder,” he replied quizzically. Then he turned and quickly left Rome’s office.

*   *   *

The pounding at his door was incessant and irritating as hell. X rolled out of the bed cursing fluently as he moved through the condo, heading toward the door. He wasn’t wearing anything but the scowl he knew was on his face, and whoever was at his door at this ungodly hour deserved to get a damn eyeful.

After disengaging the locks he pulled the door open and was shocked to see Agent Dorian Wilson standing on the other side.

Agent Wilson was likewise shocked to see X in the state he was in, as witnessed by the widening of his eyes then the setting of his features.

“Mornin’, Agent Markland. I need a word with you,” he said. “But I can wait until you’re a little more decent.”

X stepped to the side, letting the agent into his home. No apologies, no words. He just let him in and stalked back to his room to throw something on. Caprise was still asleep, thankfully. The last thing he needed was her questions on top of asking himself why Agent Wilson was here in the first place—which, by the way, was a good goddamn question.

He remembered this guy as the one Kalina had been working for to look into Rome’s financial dealings. His entire profile had come up in the database search he’d done on Kalina. He was a thirty-three-year-old native of the DC metropolitan area; single, two siblings and parents still living. Eight years with the DEA, army four years, three years MPD, and elevated to DEA after one major drug bust. Those were the immediate details coming to X’s mind. The question of the hour still remained: Why was he here in X’s apartment, right now?

Upon his return to the living room he saw the agent studying one of the black-and-white pictures on his wall.

“It’s South America,” he offered, crossing the room to take a seat on his couch.

Agent Wilson nodded. “Been there recently?”

“I’ve got family there” was X’s reply. “What can I do for you, Agent?” he asked because this small talk wasn’t going to work well for him.

Wilson turned around, keeping his eye on X as he crossed the room to sit on one of the remaining chairs.

“I have some questions for you, Markland.”

Not
Agent
Markland, X noted. Suspicion wasn’t a scent X smelled often. But he knew it when it was circling around him like vultures over a carcass. With practiced ease X kept his face and emotions blank. He stared back at the agent and said, “Ask your questions.”

“Do you know a woman named Diamond Turner?”

X remained perfectly still while inside his cat paced, watched, and waited. “I met her about a month and a half ago. She was standing outside of Athena’s.”

“Did you see her again after that?”

“No.”

“Did you have any contact with her after that night?”

“No.”

Wilson didn’t believe him. X could see it in his eyes, never mind the ever-growing stench in the room—like rotting vegetables.