The Mercenary and the Shifters (The Turning Stone Chronicles) (22 page)

“But who are
they
?” Kyle asked.

Rhys and his team appeared around the corner of the house, with three of the six escaped attackers in tow.

Mary Kate threw one of the men to the ground and held him there with her foot. Rhys produced a pair of handcuffs and cuffed the other one. Then he pitched him to the ground as well. Eli held the third on tiptoes, while the man yelped in pain.

“Do you recognize these men?” Mike asked Fiona.

“No,” she said, but she wasn’t watching the attackers. She stared, instead, in horror at Rhys, Alexi, Eli, and Mary Kate.

“What about you, Morrison?” Mike asked.

“Never seen them before.” Kyle followed Fiona’s gaze. “Who are these people?”

Rhys stepped forward. “I’m Fiona’s brother, Rhys Temple. This is my wife, Alexi, and Eli and Mary Kate McCraigen.”

“You didn’t tell me your family was in town, Fi.”

“I didn’t know.” She cast a black scowl at Rhys.

“Don’t blame her,” Rhys said, giving Kyle a charming smile. “She had no idea we were here. We’ve been out of the country and just returned.”

Kyle returned the smile, his nearly as big as Rhys’. The fear melted from his countenance. “Well, you certainly arrived in the nick of time.” He glanced at the man lying at Rhys’ feet. “Do you always carry handcuffs?”

“Former cop. P.I. It’s a habit.” Another giant smile came Kyle’s way.

Rising, Kyle released Fiona and shook Rhys’ hand. “Any brother of Fi’s is a brother of mine. Thanks.”

Mike stared at Kyle as he went from terrified to buddy-buddy in seconds. Moving to where Mary Kate stood, Mike whispered to her, “What just happened? Where did the scared fiancé go?”

“Promised One charm,” she whispered back. “If you think he’s good, ye should see what happens when the wife gets in on it.”

Sirens sounded at the front of the house. “Someone notified the police,” Mike said.

As a police officer rounded the side of the house, Rhys, Alexi, and Eli bolted to where Mike and Mary Kate stood. “We have to go,” Rhys whispered. The cop is a shifter.”

Mike wheeled around. Fiona, now back in the arms of Kyle, didn’t seem to notice the shifter cop coming toward her, but continued to stare at Rhys.

“Now,” Rhys ordered. “Before he gets close enough to sense us.”

“Step on him, Butch.” Mary Kate pointed to her captive.

Mike placed his foot on the attacker. Panic filled Mike. If Rhys’ group was in danger, surely Fiona was. “What about Fiona?”

“The rogues won’t hurt her if she’s part of them. The cop’s aura is black and blinking. He’s a rogue mimic and probably under Falhman’s employ. Don’t leave Fiona’s side.” Rhys sprinted off, trailed by the others.

“Where are they going?” Fiona asked.

“To check the perimeter,” Mike replied.

Suddenly, she spun around, staring at the cops. “No. No. No. Not more of them.”

As the police approached, buzzing raced over every inch of Fiona’s flesh. It wasn’t bad enough she’d just been terrorized by a mob of shooters. Now she had to face shifter cops. Did they have the ability to sense her? Were they good shifters or rogues? The way Rhys and his entourage had taken off, she guessed the latter. She prayed Falhman controlled these shifters.

The police surveyed the men lying on the ground handcuffed and under Mike’s foot and the one held now by Mike’s security guard.

One of the cops trotted out to the lawn where the other six lay. “Dead, Captain,” he shouted across the space.

From behind the cluster of police who’d answered the 911 call, a tall, lean officer elbowed his way to the front. The buzzing intensified as he made his way toward Fiona. She shook uncontrollably as the shifter sensations overwhelmed her.

The cop crouched in front of her, his silver eyes probing hers. “Are you all right, my dear?”

She closed her eyes to block his stare, but could not stop the shaking.
Falhman. He did control the cops. He would get her out of this.
“Yes.” Her teeth chattered on the last letter, sounding like a hissing snake. “Now you’re here, I’ll be fine.” She hoped Falhman caught her spoken confidence and her unspoken plea to fix things. She didn’t want Mike or his men to go to jail for protecting her.

“Get this woman a blanket,” Falhman ordered. “She’s in shock.” One of the cops scurried away and returned with a coverlet. Falhman gently wrapped it around her. “You’ll have to come to the precinct and give a statement, Miss. Do you think you can do that?”

His words were so tender in that moment, Fiona put her full faith in him. He
would
fix things.

“I’m coming,” Kyle said.

“And me, Mike added.

“Who are you?” Falhman asked, his gaze cutting between the two men.

“Her fiancé,” Kyle said.

“I’m her bodyguard,” Mike added.

“Are you responsible for the death of those men?” Falhman swept his arm toward the lawn where the paramedics were checking the bodies.

“My company is.”

“They attacked us,” Kyle said. “We don’t know why.”

Grateful Kyle hadn’t mentioned the other attacks, Fiona added, “We don’t know who they are, either.”

Falhman toed the handcuffed man, forcing him to roll over. “Benny,” he said. “Now what are you doing in such an upscale part of town? Did it get too hot under your rock?”

Benny spat on Falhman’s shoe. He wiped it on Benny’s side.

“You know him?” Fiona asked.

“He’s Mafia. The right-hand man of the biggest boss in the area.”

Mafia? Why did the Mafia want to kill her?

Falhman nodded at one of his officers, who hauled Benny to his feet and marched him off. “Don’t worry, my dear. I’ll see this scum gets what they deserve.” He held out his hand and she took it. When he’d pulled her to a standing position, he leaned in and whispered, “They won’t bother you again, my dear. You have my word.”

Another chill ran over her, this one born of a greater fear than getting killed. If Falhman was strong enough to take out the Mafia, she could not win against him or OmniWorld. She was so screwed.

Chapter 32

As Mike, George, Kyle, and Fiona readied to follow the police to the station, LJ appeared and motioned Mike aside.

“Rhys sent me,” she said. “Have the police started taking statements yet?”

“No, and it makes no sense to me. Normally they’d interview everyone.”

“Rhys said this might happen, especially if Fiona is dealing with the rogues. They’ll want to cover this up. Rhys is going to help them. As soon as the coast is clear, Rhys and Alexi are coming to persuade the staff nothing has happened. He wants to know if you want him to persuade your security team as well.”

“Persuade? What does that mean?”

“Apparently, he and Alexi can make them forget. Bend shifters, and people, to their wills.”

How? Another shifter power? Could Mary Kate persuade, too? Was he in danger of her bending him to her seductive will? Was that why he lost control? A cold chill ran over him. These shifters had too many unusual abilities. He didn’t like that. But if Rhys could spare his team, then he was all for it.

“Tell him yes. I’ll take the fall if necessary. Do whatever he needs to keep my men out of this. I don’t want proof of their involvement for the cops to find.”

No one said a word on the drive to the police station. Mike was too busy mulling over Rhys and Alexi’s powers and the fact the cops hadn’t arrested him and his team for killing the six Mafia hoodlums. That Fiona didn’t go into shock until she spotted the police captain who, he realized in retrospect, hadn’t even given his name was even odder. Funny way to operate law enforcement, if you asked him. But then, since he’d become involved with shifters, and Fiona, nothing made sense.

As he parked the car, Fiona spoke. “You’ll be exonerated, Mike. You and your whole crew. I’m certain of it.”

He wasn’t. He’d never been involved in a civilian mass killing before, except the one in Scotland with the rogue shifters. He’d managed to stay under the radar in all of his security details. But he couldn’t count Scotland on the same level. Hugh told him those kinds of skirmishes got resolved without backtracking to those involved.

Unless the Mafia members were shifters. Something neither Mary Kate of the rest of her group had confirmed. He figured he was out of luck on this fight.

“Yeah, well. We’ll see.”

She touched him on the shoulder. “Trust me on this, Mike.”

He glanced at her in the rearview mirror. Kyle had his arm tucked around her shoulder. Her fingertips lingered for a second. Mike wished he could grab her hand, but embracing her wouldn’t be appropriate with her fiancé eyeing him. He brushed off her hold.

“You don’t just walk away when you kill someone and the cops know it.” He twisted in the seat until he could gaze directly into her eyes. “But it’s okay. It’s one of the risks of being a mercenary.”

Kyle pulled Fiona closer. “Don’t worry, Mike. If they charge you and your team, I’ll get you the best attorney money can buy. You saved the love of my life, and I won’t forget.”

Mike’s stomach churned at Kyle’s words. She was his love, too. “Just doing my job, Morrison,” he said with a calmness that did not touch even a fraction of his heart or soul. “Just doing my job.”

The minute Fiona entered the police station she cringed as if something hit her. Her eyes darted around from cop to cop, fear growing each time her gaze landed on another officer.

Mike watched her. She’d had the same wince when the shifter cops descended on Kyle’s house. Was she sensing them? Were they all shifters?

Gladys approached balancing four mugs on a tray. Fiona’s gaze cut to the plump woman and Fiona relaxed. Gladys wasn’t a shifter, and Fiona wasn’t afraid of her.

His suspicions confirmed, Mike moved next to Fiona. No way would he leave her side if the entire Cleveland police force was a bunch of rogue shifters.

“The captain told me to bring you some coffee.” Gladys handed a mug to Mike.

Another man, dressed in civilian clothes and wearing a badge on a lanyard, approached. Fiona tensed, her shoulders hunching. When he came within earshot of them, her shoulders dropped.

“I’m Lieutenant Martin. The captain asked me to take your statements.”

Fiona reached for his outstretched hand and shook it.

Another non-shifter, Mike guessed by Fiona’s demeanor. Maybe the whole police force wasn’t rotten.

“We’ll go in here, Miss Kayler.” Martin pointed to a room with a large window in it. Mike moved forward in step with Fiona. “Sorry, one at a time.”

“I’m her bodyguard. I go where she goes.”

“I’ll leave the blinds open, but you can’t go in.” Martin’s voice was firm.

“I’ll be fine, Mike,” Fiona said.

He pulled her toward him as Martin led the way. “Don’t volunteer information,” Mike whispered. “Only the facts about tonight. We were attacked. We didn’t know who, until the captain identified them. We don’t know why they attacked, and you don’t know who shot whom.”

“I’m not stupid.”

“No, but you are shaken, and shaken people say stupid things.”

“Miss Kayler? Martin asked.

“Coming.” She glanced at Mike as she left. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

“She will be okay, won’t she?” Kyle asked.

“She hasn’t done anything wrong. As long as she sticks to what happened tonight, she should be okay.” He stared pointedly at Kyle and George. “The same goes for the rest of us. We were attacked by the Mafia. As long as they can’t connect us to them, we should be fine. You’re not involved with them, are you?” he asked Kyle.

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“Me either,” said George.

Then he remembered. Fiona said OmniWorld put a shipment of illegal cigarettes on her ship. Were they theirs, or had they filched them from the Mafia?

The pieces started falling in place. OmniWorld was responsible for everything happening. Because of what they’d forced Fiona to do to keep her business afloat, she’d been party to a felony crime. Shot at, possibly three times, by the same group. OmniWorld bugged her computer. Under the guise of helping her they were tearing her down bit by bit. What else had they done to her?

Mike studied Kyle. What part did he hold in this dangerous game Fiona played? Mary Kate assured him Kyle wasn’t a shifter. But what was he? Was he really in love with Fiona? Was he lying about the Mafia?

Man, what he wouldn’t give to have aura-reading skills. For now though, he’d have to go with his gut, which told him something was off about Kyle’s relationship with Fiona.

The thought gave him hope for himself, but more fear for the woman he loved.

Their interviews over, Mike, Fiona, Kyle, and George headed to the Morrison estate. As they opened the door to the house, a buzzing sensation crawled over Fiona.

Shifters! But who? Better to leave than find out.

She hung back, hesitant to go farther. “I should be getting home,” she said to Kyle.

“Oh, no. You’re staying here with me tonight. After what happened, I’m not letting you out of my sight.” He reached for her, but she scuttled out of range. “Mike,” Kyle said. “Tell her I’m right.”

“I think your fiancé is right,” Mike said, “You should find comfort in his arms tonight.”

Fiona’s head jerked toward Mike. Now he was throwing her at Kyle?

“All my men are here. We’ll set up a perimeter. It’s unlikely the Mafia will send another group of hit men to the same place. The cops are probably watching the house anyway.”

It would be like Falhman to send his rogues to watch her. Was that who she sensed? She relaxed. Then she heard a familiar voice.

“Hello again, Fiona.”

“Rhys. What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to check on my baby sister. Did you have trouble at the police station?”

Kyle rushed forward and extended his hand, which Rhys shook. “I’m glad you came back. I didn’t have a chance to thank you.”

“My pleasure,” Rhys said. “Can we talk, Fiona? Privately?”

Kyle motioned to a room on the right of the entrance. “Take my office.”

Fiona linked her arm in Kyle’s. “Whatever you have to say to me, you can say to my fiancé.” Rhys would not talk shifter when a human was in the room.

“Nonsense, darling. If Rhys wants a private conversation, I’m happy to oblige.”

“Actually, since you want someone with you, how about Mike?” Rhys smiled broadly at Kyle. “You don’t mind if Mike joins us, do you?”

Kyle returned the grin. “Not at all.” Then he opened the glass-paneled office doors and ushered them in.

“Kyle,” Fiona protested as he shoved her into the room.

“You can tell me all about it, or not, darling. Whatever you and Rhys decide.”

Kyle closed the door, and she was left staring at her long-lost brother and her bodyguard.

Mike grinned at Rhys. “Pretty slick trick. Making them do what you want. I haven’t been able to pry the man off Fiona’s side since I first met him. Think you can teach me?”

“You don’t have the skill set,” Rhys said, holding out the hand with his Turning Stone ring. Then he leveled a harsh stare at Fiona. “Want to tell me what you’re up to, sis?”

Fiona crossed her arms and glared at her brother. “You think you can disappear after promising me help then reappear and demand to know what’s going on?”

“There were extenuating circumstances. My life and Alexi’s life was in danger.”

“And now mine is, and it’s your fault.”

Rhys gave her the once-over then gripped her arm. The buzzing she’d sensed from the moment she entered the house intensified, surging through her like electricity. Rhys was strong, like Falhman.

“You’re in trouble because you did what I warned you not to do.” He twisted her arm until her left palm faced the floor, exposing the Turning Stone ring she now wore on her middle finger.

“Nice rock,” Rhys said, as he admired her engagement ring. Then he touched the bloodstone. “Who’s mentoring you?”

Fiona’s gaze shot to Mike. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“He knows,” Rhys said. “He’s working with me.”

She jerked from Rhys’ grip and stepped away. “You’re lying.”

“Do your thing on her,” Mike said. “I’ve got some questions I want answered.”

Rhys smiled at her, his lips drawn tight across his teeth.

The expression reminded Fiona of an angry animal getting ready to bare his canines.

“I’d rather you talk willingly. However, I can get the information by force, if necessary.”

She turned her back on the men. Rhys spun her around and captured her gaze with his. A strange sensation surged through her as her brother stared deep into her eyes. She struggled to resist him, the urge to bare her soul climbing up her chest, into her throat, reaching her lips. Suddenly, Rhys released her and looked away.

“I can do it. You know that now, don’t you?”

She nodded, unable to speak.

“Tell me what’s going on.” His voice dropped to a pleading whisper. “I don’t want to force my own flesh and blood to obey me.”

Fiona drew in a shaky breath. Getting it off her chest—all of it—would be good. She cast a sideways glance at Mike. But what would he say? How would he take the news she wasn’t merely human anymore?

“We can’t help you, Fiona, if you don’t level with us,” Mike said gently. “I want to help you. Want to keep you safe.”

“That’s your job,” she said flatly. “It’s what I pay you for.”

Mike moved in front of her and captured her gaze with his. “You don’t owe me a cent. Kyle doesn’t owe me a cent. I’m helping you because I care about you. I’m helping you because you are beautiful in the moonlight.”

At his reference to their night of lovemaking, Fiona’s heart melted. She lowered her gaze to the floor. “You won’t find me beautiful in the glare of harsh daylight, Mike.”

He tipped her chin until they looked in each other’s eyes. “I see you now. I don’t know what you’re involved in, but I still see beauty.”

His words broke her, and she threw herself into his arms. “I’m in deep trouble,” she sobbed, “and I don’t know how to get out of it.”

Mike led her to the office sofa and sat beside her.

Rhys followed and knelt in front of them. “Start at the beginning, Fiona. Don’t leave anything out. I’ll help you.”

“
We’ll
help you,” Mike said, as he put his arm around her shoulder.