Sixx (The Stone Society, #7) (24 page)

“Actually, I had just picked up the phone to call you. I take it you haven’t seen the news?”

Julian shook his head but realized Dane couldn’t see him through the phone. “No, I don’t watch the news anymore,” Julian said, his eyes on his brother’s back. Nikolas moved out of the way so Julian could see the special news report. Katherine Fox’s photo was in the top corner of the screen as a different reporter’s face filled the television. “Turn that up,” he instructed Nik.

“I think you should hear it from Dane and not second-hand from a reporter, Jules.” Nik didn’t turn the volume up. Instead he pointed to the phone Julian had forgotten about.

“Dane, why is Katherine on the news?”

“The Feds arrested her. They raided an old house early this morning and found some high-tech military equipment along with several crates of guns. They’re claiming she’s selling classified information.”

“She doesn’t have a house; she only has her apartment.” He should know. When he found out Katherine was his mate, he ran a full background check on her. “Something isn’t right. I ran an extensive search on her myself. I would know if she was leading a secret life.”

“Tell that to the Feds. Katherine lawyered up and isn’t talking. Instead of holding her here, I’m taking her to the Pen.”

“Why in the gods’ names would you do that? Fuck, Dane. Have a little heart.”

“I am having heart, Julian. At the Pen, you can have Gregor put her wherever you want her, and you’ll have access to her whenever you like. That’s why I was calling you, to give you a heads-up.”

“Sorry. It’s just a shock. When are you transferring her?”

“In about ten minutes. I’ve already called Gregor, so I’ll meet you there in half an hour?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there.” Julian slammed his phone down and stared at the television screen. “Turn it up,” he instructed Nik. After a few minutes of the reporter dragging his mate’s name through the mud, he changed his mind. “Turn that shit off. Fuck! I need to go to her, Nik.”

“I know, Brother. You go after your woman, and I’ll call Lorenzo to come monitor the security system since he’s closest. I’m headed to Rafe’s office now.”

“Thanks, Nik.” He didn’t bother waiting for Lorenzo to get there. Jules climbed into his Corvette and headed to the prison. He had no idea what he would say to Katherine to explain why he was there or why she was being held at the Pen. It was too soon to tell her the truth. The FBI had been trying to get its act together for the last thirty years. Ever since they failed to contain the Unholy, and Gordon Flanagan slipped through their fingers, the public had considered them a failure when it came to rounding up the bad guys. They were hell bent on proving they were more than capable, and they didn’t care how they did it. One petite redheaded reporter was just as good as an ugly drug lord.

If she was going to be monitored closely, Julian would need to keep his distance. They all would. That was going to prove difficult considering almost everyone at the Pen was a Goyle. The best thing for him to do would be to turn the Vette around and go back to the lab, but he couldn’t. He had to see for himself that she was all right. He wanted to make sure her lawyer was competent. If not, he wouldn’t hesitate to contact the Clan’s attorney.
Fuck it.
He hit the hands-free button on his steering wheel, and when it asked for a prompt, he instructed, “Call Victoria Holt.” He wasn’t going to waste any time making sure Katherine got the best representation available.

––––––––

N
ikolas arrived at the Walnut Street Towers at the same time Jasper was pulling into the underground parking garage that only the Clan had access to. They made their way to the elevators not bothering with small talk. Having spent the weekend together, there was no need. When they arrived on the top floor, everything was quiet. Nik tried the door, but it was locked. Using his personal access code, he unlocked the double glass doors, and he and Jasper entered quietly. Jasper pulled his service pistol from its holster.

They both used their shifter hearing before moving farther into the office. Sensing no one else, they eased down the hallway toward Rafe’s office and the conference rooms. “Let’s split up. I’ll start in here and meet you at the other end of the hall,” Jasper instructed. Nik nodded and ducked into Rafael’s office while Jasper strode down the hallway. Nothing looked out of place until Nik got closer to Rafael’s desk. The chair was not pushed underneath as Rafael would have left it. If Willow or Mason were to use the desk for some odd reason, they would know to leave the chair where they found it.

Rafael didn’t leave anything on top of his desk at the end of the day. Most things he carried home with him in his briefcase, including his laptop. Contracts he was working on were usually with him at all times unless he was going out of town. Since he was in California, it was possible he would have left some paperwork locked up in the lower desk drawers. Both were open, and the documents were missing. Nik swept the room, looking for anything else out of the ordinary. Seeing nothing, he moved to the next room.

“You need to see this,” Jasper said. Nik followed him to the apartment Mason had been using lately. Nik froze when he stepped through the door. The furniture was slashed and upended. “The back door was open. Whoever did this most likely came through the balcony.”

“We’ll need to get Mason here to tell us if anything else is missing,” Nik said.

“Anything else?” Jasper questioned.

“Yes. Rafe’s files are gone. He has them all scanned into the system, but whoever took them knows every deal the company is working on. Is this all you found?”

“Yes. I’ll call Mason if you want to reach out to Rafael and let him know what’s happening.”

“Why do I get to call Rafe?” Nik frowned. He was joking, sort of, but he seriously didn’t want to let the King know someone had invaded his personal space.

“Because you’re his cousin,” Jasper explained, as if that made it any better. He punched in Mason’s phone number leaving Nik to make the harder call.

It was early on the West Coast, but Nik felt like Rafael would rather be woken than to hear the news later.

“Nik, this better be important.”

“I’m sorry to bother you so early, but your office has been broken into. The files are missing from your drawers, and the apartment has been trashed. The balcony door was ajar, so whoever did this must have come in that way.”

“If that’s true, it’s either a Gargoyle or someone with mad climbing skills. I’m opting for the former. I’m also going to assume that Alistair is behind this. So much for a truce. Is Mason all right?”

“Yes, he was watching over Willow, so he wasn’t here. You know he’s going to blame himself.”

“He was doing as I instructed. If this is the work of a Goyle, I’m glad Mason wasn’t there. He’s strong, but he’s still learning. Have you had a chance to look at the security feed?”

“No, I wanted to call you first. As soon as I hang up, I’ll take a look.”

“Kaya and I will be on our way as soon as the jet is fueled up and ready to go. I’ll see you soon, Brother.”

“Safe travels, my King.” Nik hung up and headed to the server room. He pulled up the security feed from overnight. “Godsdamnit!” The feed had been erased. Whoever was behind the break-in, more than likely Alistair, had gone to a lot of trouble to take a few files. If Julian’s nemesis was as good as Julian said he was, why not just hack into the system and take the documents electronically? Something about this rubbed Nik the wrong way.

“Everything okay in here?” Jasper asked when he entered the room.

“No. The security feed has been wiped. Is Mason on his way?”

“Yes, but he had to wait for Willow to leave on her own. Otherwise, he’d have to explain to her why he was waiting outside her apartment.”

“How are we going to play this?” Nik asked. “Do we tell her the truth of why we are both here, or do I let her think I’m upgrading the security?”

“Nik? Jasper?” Mason called from down the hall.

“In here,” Nik answered. When Mason found them, Nik asked the younger Goyle, “Where’s Willow?”

“Coming up the elevator. I scanned the apartment just now. There doesn’t appear to be anything missing, just a fucked up mess. I need time to get that shit straightened out, so if one of you could hang out with her while I’m taking care of things, that would be stellar.”

Nik spoke up, “I’ll do it. I will tell her I’m upgrading security, and Jasper, you can go out the back way once you’ve helped Mason pick up the apartment.”

“Deal. Come on, Brother. Let’s get this shit sorted.” Jasper and Mason disappeared into the back while Nik headed toward the lobby. He didn’t want Willow to be alone for long.

D
esi had too much shit going through his brain all at once. If it wasn’t for the GPS system telling him which way to turn, he’d be well on his way to Mexico. Knowing he had a father somewhere in the world, but not knowing who the man was exactly had been a constant sore spot in his life. Now, he not only knew who his father was, but he actually liked the man. The Gargoyle. Michael Gentry was cool as fuck, and he wasn’t a lowlife douchebag. He was a self-made millionaire. Or was it billionaire? Desi hadn’t bothered to ask because it didn’t matter. Desi was making his own money, but now he didn’t have to concentrate on his mom so much. She had a male who would take care of her.

Desi had his own mate to think about. Simone was gorgeous, but she wasn’t Desi’s biggest fan. That could be a problem. The band was scheduled to head to the East Coast in a couple of months, and the tour would wind up in New York. Maybe by that time, the shit storm with the old Greek would have died down and Desi could pay Simone a visit. Just to test the waters and see if her feelings had changed. Maybe he could ask her out. If they could spend some quality time alone without her trying to convince him she knew much better than he did about fangs, it was possible he could charm her instead of pissing her off.

The woman’s voice on the GPS rerouted Desi due to a wreck on Ninety-Nine. The two-lane wasn’t optimal for being in a hurry, but he didn’t want to sit in a parking lot of cars on the freeway, either. After the apocalypse, it had taken much longer for the less traveled roads to be opened back up. This one wasn’t as bad as some he’d driven on. He glanced behind him and thought it odd he was the only one exiting. Maybe the other drivers weren’t in a hurry.
Yeah, right
. Who in California wasn’t in a hurry to get somewhere?

Desi forgot about the detour and settled back into driving, thinking about his father. The best part of the last day, besides meeting Michael, was the fact Desi now knew he wasn’t a monster. For the last year, Desi had struggled with not knowing what was wrong with him. All the information Michael threw his way was a lot to take in, but it was better than not knowing. His mom had taken the news fairly well. He hoped Simone would, too, if they ever got to a point where she wanted to be around him. Maybe the mate bond would do the trick, and she would be willing to be his female. He hadn’t been kidding when he told his mom he was ready for someone to take the journey with. Now that he’d had a while to think on it, he was appreciative that the fates chose his mate. It kept Desi from dating random women that weren’t right for him.

Music was Desi’s life, or it had been up until that point. Michael told him he needed to continue playing music and not let the thought of a possible war persuade him to leave the road. He couldn’t even if he wanted to. The band had too many obligations with touring and another album on their contract with the record label. He wouldn’t let his friends down anyway. They had all been through way too much for him to back out now. And what would Desi give as the reason why?
Oh, by the way, I’m a half-blood Gargoyle. I’m going to outlive you all by hundreds of years, and while you grow old and gray, I’ll never look older than I do now.
Wow. He would forever appear twenty-three, no matter how old he lived to be. And Simone... If he didn’t get to her and make her his mate, she would age. Not that he was shallow, but he would rather have her stay in her twenties with him than be in her forties when they sealed the deal.