For the Good of All (Law of the Lycans Book 7) (41 page)

“Mmm.” She mumbled a response, too spent to form words.

“I didn’t hurt your leg?”

“Uh-uh.”

“Do you really know or are you just saying that to make me shut up?”

She snorted and tilted her head back so she could see his face. “I thought it was the woman who was supposed to want pillow talk afterwards.”

He looked directly into her eyes. “I care for you, Christina.” He brushed his knuckles over her cheekbone. “I never want to hurt you or cause you pain.”

“Thank you.” She whispered the words to him, absorbing the fact that this man thought she was precious and special. The look on his face made her melt and she snuggled against his chest more content than she’d ever been before.

Sometime later the phone rang. Stone gave an irritated grunt and disentangled himself from Christina. Rolling over, he reached for the phone. “Stone, here.”

It was Dante. “I’ve made arrangements with Saul. We’re to meet him tomorrow at noon near the docks.”

“Are you picking me up or do I need to meet you somewhere?”

“Meet me where I dropped you off today. I’m known at the orphanage.”

“Ten hundred hours. Will that give us enough time?”

“It should.”

“And what about Dee? Will she be there?”

“No. She only works the U.S. end. I’m in charge of any local deals, she just gets her percentage.”

“Good. If she sees me with you, your cover will be blown. She’d tip-off Saul before we locate the next person in the chain.”

“Exactly.”

“Once we’re done with this, I’ll deal with her.”

“Your sister is a formidable foe. Are you sure you won’t need help?”

“I made the mistake of letting her go once. It cost others their lives. I need to do this on my own.”

Dante was silent for a moment. “You still have a conscience. Me, I screw up and I move on. There’s no time for regret in my world.”

“And that’s where we differ.”

“It is.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow at ten.”

Dante hung up without replying.

He set the phone down and then stared at the floor, gathering his thoughts about what might happen tomorrow, what he might have to do.

We must envision every possible scenario and have a plan of action for each
. His wolf nodded approvingly.

Stone agreed. Thinking on your feet was great and only took a split second but sometimes you didn’t have a split second to spare.

“Stone,” Christina sat up beside him and pressed her cheek to his back. “Who was that?”

“Just some guy I have to meet tomorrow.”

Her arms crept around him, her hands playing over his chest. “Some random guy or a friend?”

“Not a friend.” Dante would never be a friend. Even if he was working for Lycan Link, the man’s past was so shady, he felt dirty just by association. They’d work together this one time and that would be it. “We have a job to do.”

Christina leaned away from his back and removed her arms. The loss of contact had him frowning, turning, missing her already. She had her arms wrapped around her knees, her head cocked to the side. “Why do I feel you aren’t telling me everything?”

“Because you’re astute, and I’m not telling you everything.”

She raised a brow.

“It doesn’t concern you.”

“Oh.”

He sighed. “It’s not that I’m trying to push you away. It’s a job. Something I need to do as a Guardian.”

“And I can’t help.”

“No. I need you to stay here with Sister Bernita. Concentrate on getting well, building up your stamina.”

“I think after tonight, I’ve demonstrated that I’m basically healthy again.”

He grinned. “True but that was only once. What if I need you multiple times in the night?”

“Multiple times? A shifter can do that?”

“You’d be amazed at what I can do.”

“Show me.” There was a dare in her expression.

“I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge.” He pressed her backwards.

“That’s what I was hoping.”

The next morning, Tina stood near the gate, her hands resting on Stone’s arm as he spoke.

“I won’t be gone long. Maybe a day or two. Three tops.”

She tried to keep a smile on her face but knew she was failing miserably. “I’ll be fine here. I like kids so maybe I can help out with something.”

“Watch out if Pedro asks for help with the cow.”

“I will.”

He sighed, staring off at some distant point, his jaw firmed. “I feel like I’m leaving you behind...again.”

“I know you don’t want to; that you have a job to do.”

“It doesn’t make it any easier.” He shifted his gaze back to her face. “I’ll miss you.”

“Me, too.”

“I left my backpack under the bed. It’ll be safer here. If…”

“Yes?”

“If you need something, if I’m not around, have Sister Bernita contact Esteban. While I don’t like the man, I know he’ll help you.”

Sister Bernita approached. “I hear you are leaving again, Mr. Stone. Should I consider installing a revolving door?”

The corner of his mouth curved upward. “That won’t be necessary. The next time I return, it will be to collect Christina and head home.”

The nun nodded. “You have family and friends waiting for you; a life to return to.”

“Well, at least Christina does.” He glanced down at her.

“You do, as well. I’m not letting you go.” She squeezed his arm and he placed his hand on top of hers.

“I have to go.” Stone pressed a kiss to her forehead and whispered in her ear. “Be good while I’m gone. No crazy hexes.”

Tina nodded, feeling her chin tremble as she fought to keep her tears at bay. There was a tugging in the region of her heart, a nervous flutter in her stomach. “Being good isn’t that much fun.” She blinked and tried to grin.

He smiled as she’d intended him to. “Try your best, though.” And with that he turned and left.

She wrapped her arms around herself as she watched him walk through the gates. Where was he going? What was he planning on doing? Would it always feel like this when he left on a job? She sighed heavily. Being a Guardian was part of him. It wasn’t a job he could just leave behind. She’d have to endure this for the rest of their lives if they stayed together. Would it ever get any easier?

Sister Bernita moved to stand beside her. “Mr. Stone is a very interesting man.”

She nodded distractedly. “Yes, he is.”

“There is something about him that reminds me of the warriors of old. I can see him carrying a shield and sword, heading into battle.”

“Me, too.”

The nun placed a hand on her arm. “Come, I’ll show you how to collect eggs from the chickens.”

“Are they anywhere near the cow?”

Sister Bernita laughed. “He warned you!”

Chapter 20

Stone sat in the jeep, scanning the spot Dante had chosen for their meeting with Saul. Not a resort this time but an alley in a typical slum neighbourhood. Houses, though they were barely worthy of the term, were scattered about as if the owners had built them wherever they’d found a pile of building materials, which was quite likely the case. Wood, cardboard, old tin, bits of broken cement; anything that could be connected together to form a shelter had been used. Garbage, stray dogs, half-naked children playing in the dirt with sticks. Yeah, this was the kind of neighbourhood where someone would sell a kidney for a few hundred dollars and feel they were rich. Too bad the agreed amount was seldom paid and the donor rarely received proper medical care afterwards. More often than not they died from complications and their families were left worse off than ever before. Meanwhile, the wealthy recipient went on their way not knowing or caring the true price that had been paid for their second chance at life.

“How is this going to go down?” Stone turned to Dante. The man had his hands resting lightly on the steering wheel, his eyes half closed as he stared straight ahead. Was he mentally preparing himself? Getting into character?

“Hmm?” He gave Stone a sideways glance before replying. “I’ll tell Saul you’re the bastard who messed up the sale the other day. I’ve tracked you down, trussed you up and now you’re going to help me recoup the money I lost.”

“Always stick as close to the truth as possible.” Stone nodded in approval.

“Once he has you, I’ll follow behind as far as the marina. We’ve no idea where he goes once he leaves port. His clinic can’t be too far away as he’s never gone for long.”

“Or he has an accomplice he passes the donors on to.”

“That’s where you come in. With any luck, you’ll make it as far as the clinic, get a visual of some of the others involved and then relay any information you’ve gathered on to Reno.”

“Okay.” Stone nodded, piecing the assignment together in his head, trying to visualize how it might play out.

“There was some trouble this morning.” Dante made his announcement casually, his eyes still fixed on some distant spot.

“What was the problem?”

“Mendoza called wanting to see me. Apparently Francisco and the new guy, Stone, didn’t report back last night.”

“Really? And what did you say?”

“That we checked the next shipment and returned. I let them out about a mile from his place.”

“And?”

Dante shrugged. “I suggested the new man wasn’t reliable or perhaps Reyes had another sniper in the area. He mumbled something about those tarot cards he’s always playing with. The moon, trump eighteen, deception.”

“Sounds like he bought it.”

“To some extent. He was quite insistent on seeing me. I managed to fob him off on Dee. She wasn’t pleased to have to go see him today.”

“I can imagine.”

“If she hadn’t been in danger of dirtying her hands, she’d have ripped my balls off. Your sister is such a lady.” He glanced at Stone. “Anyway, I grovelled sufficiently, said Saul was being especially difficult after the last sale fell through and I needed to keep him happy.”

“Did she question what happened at that last sale?”

“I blamed it on the local cops. Not everyone is on the take; Cantala has its own version of The Untouchables.” He checked his watch. “We’d better get started. Climb in the back. I‘m going to tie you up, gag you and throw a tarp over you.”

“You sound a bit too happy when you say that.” Stone made the observation as he moved to the rear of the vehicle.

“What can I say? You’ve been the proverbial thorn in my side for quite a while now.”

Stone narrowed his eyes. Reno had vouched for the man, but by his own admission Dante said he’d do almost anything to break the trafficking ring.

Is this Lycan really trustworthy?
His wolf queried
. There are layers of deceit surrounding him
.

Dante’s so dirty, he’ll probably never seem clean, Stone observed. Unfortunately, we have to take a leap of faith here.

Warily, he held out his wrists to be bound.

“If looks could kill,” Dante murmured. “Don’t worry, I won’t make them too tight.” With obvious experience, Dante soon had him tied up and in the back of the jeep. “The rag’s not clean. Sorry.” The look on Dante’s face said anything but ‘sorry’.

Stone grimaced as the material was shoved in his mouth and another was knotted behind his head to keep the first in place. Dante pushed him backward and threw the tarp over him.

“Stay quiet and don’t move. You’re supposed to be unconscious.”

The air under the tarp was musty and, as the sun beat down, it became warm and stuffy. Stone pulled in air through his nostrils, finding it harder to breathe with a gag in his mouth. He forced himself to relax, to push back the panicky feeling that being bound induced in both him and his wolf. They hated being confined like this. It brought back memories of his last mission, of being tied up before punishment was delivered. His muscles tensed in anticipation of the lash of a whip.

“Don’t let them break you, Elijah Stone.” Adisa’s words played through his mind and he drew on her memory to keep himself calm. She’d been a font of wisdom and he respected her more than any other person he’d ever met.

What would she have thought of Christina? For a while he amused himself imaging a meeting between the two. It kept him from thinking about the increasing temperature and the sweat dripping into his eyes.

He’d drifted into a semi-somnolent state when a bang near his head jerked him into alertness.

“A van’s approaching.” Dante hissed the words. “It’s on.”

Stone listened intently, hearing a vehicle approach and then stop. The door creaked open, pebbles crunched as a person walked towards their location.

“Could you have picked a more disreputable place, Dante?” It was Saul. Stone recalled his voice from the restaurant.

“We had security problems, last time, as you well know. I thought a complete change of venue was in order.” Dante sounded bored, even irritated with the question. Stone had thought he’d be sucking up to Saul.