Rafael (6 page)

Nikolas closed
the last book. Not one journal noted anything on mating with humans. In fact,
there wasn’t much mentioned about bonding at all. That seemed odd to him. If he
hurried, there would be enough time to shower before the video call. He wanted
to visit the downtown library and search their archives, even though it was a
long shot. Sometimes reality got buried in fiction, starting as truth that
became too outlandish to believe and ended up a fairy tale.

Before he left
the library, he glanced at the files on the two shifters who were moving to New
Atlanta. Once they settled into their new jobs and homes, he would update the
information. All of the Clan leaders had access to these files; Nikolas was the
one who kept them current. Knowing where their experiences lie helped Rafe and
the others in assigning them duties within the Clans.

Nik reopened the
files on his computer as he was towel drying his hair. Sin was just as diligent
about keeping accurate records as he was. Reading more thoroughly, he noticed
there were some blanks in Jasper’s file.
What the hell?
There were a few
minutes before the video call started, so he dialed his cousin.

“Sinclair,” he
answered groggily. It was rather early on the west coast.

“Sin, Nik. Sorry
to wake you so early but there’s a problem with one of the archives. Jasper’s
employment history has gaps during three separate time periods. Was there a
problem?”

“Wait, what?
That’s not right. You know I update the records myself. Hang on a second, I’m
going to log in and have a look on this end.”

Nik waited while
Sin booted up. “Here it is. What in the fuck? Nik, I swear these were up to
date yesterday. I looked at them before I called Rafe.”

“Well, they
aren’t up to date now. Can you tell me what he did during those missing dates?
I’ll fill them in myself. We have a video call in about two minutes.”

“Yeah, let’s
see. The time in the nineties, he was a fireman. The time in the twenties, he
was a fireman. Fuck and his last job was as a fireman. That doesn’t make sense
though. First, there is no way someone could have hacked into the system.
Second,  if they did find a way in, why would they want to erase those
particular dates? Nik, you get to your call. I’m going to do some digging. I’ll
call you later.”    

Nik hung up then
dialed in for the video chat. Rafe was already addressing the group. “Frey will
go meet them at the airport and take them to the manor. Until we find their
permanent homes, they can stay with me. Nik, did you have a chance to look at
their docs?”

“Yeah, sorry I’m
late, but there was a problem with one of the files. Lorenzo’s is complete. He
has spent the last fifty years working in various stone quarries. If he wishes
to continue in that capacity, that will come in handy because Finley needs to
move out of the area. Jasper’s file was missing jobs for three time frames. I
called Sin and he let me know that during these three missing periods, Jasper
was a fireman. Julian, please check the archive retrieval system. You designed
the firewalls and will be able to detect if they have been hacked more readily
than I can.”

Rafe addressed
his brother, “Jules, that’s your first order of business today.”

“I assure you
the system is not hackable, but I’m on it.”

“Keep me posted.
Were you able to run analysis on the tread photos I sent over?”

Julian nodded,
“Yes, Mason was spot on. The tires belong to a late model, Ford panel van that
needs an alignment. That’s the good news. The bad news is those vans are a dime
a dozen. I have already been scanning traffic camera feed around the area of
the warehouse. Also, I was able to get into the hotel rooms and take a look
around. I pulled DNA from Flanagan’s room. I want Dante to come by the lab and
double check what I’m seeing. If what I have found is confirmed, either the
missing delegate is not Magnus Flanagan or the man has shifter blood.”

“Things just
keep getting more interesting. One more thing. I received an email today from
an anonymous account. I am going to forward it to you. If either you or Nik
could run a background check on the sender and his company, I would appreciate
it. Jules, please monitor our system and find out how an anonymous email got
through.”

“Yes, Sir.”
Julian’s tone let everyone know he was frustrated with both breaches of
security.

“Nik, did you
find anything in the family library after your update last night?” Rafe’s gaze
was steady, matching his voice. Nikolas had called during a break in reading to
let him know he hadn’t found anything so far.

“Nothing. There
was barely any mention of bonding at all and nothing with humans. I thought I’d
go to the public library and look through some of their older stuff.”

“I don’t think
it could hurt. Just give yourself time to get back and help Julian. Gregor,
Frey told me he found a man to go inside the Pen. Are you prepared for that?”

“Yes, Frey and I
are meeting Tamian this morning and briefing him on how he will get arrested
and what to expect once inside. Even though his “crime” will not warrant it, I
will have him in maximum security.”

“Very well. If
there’s no other business, I would like you all to be at the manor tonight
around seven. Sin reported that Jasper is showing signs of aggression. I think
a little game of football will allow us to see just how aggressive our cousin
can be. If he maintains his calm, then it’s possible his problem was with Sin.
Priscilla will have supper on the table at six, should any of you wish to
arrive early. Have a good day my brothers.”

“And you, our
King.” Sinclair was the one who started the sign off many years ago, and the
other men eventually joined in. Now it was an automatic chorus of deep voices.

Nik signed off
the call and put his clothes on. Opting for comfort, he dressed in his usual
jeans and Henley, throwing on a hoodie, in case he needed to be a little
incognito. As one of the “faces” of the family business, he was often
recognized. Having been up for over twenty-four hours, Nik was tired and
preferred not to be hounded by someone wanting to have their picture made with
one of the illustrious Stone family.  He picked out clothes appropriate for
football and stuffed them in a gym bag for later.

The downtown
library was busy for a Thursday morning. Nikolas found an open spot and
parallel parked his two-seater perfectly. Thinking he would begin in the
archives, he found the directory then made his way to the third floor. As soon
as he stepped off the elevator, a wave of nausea flowed through him. Nik
paused, making sure he wasn’t going to throw up. When the feeling passed, he
continued to the help desk.

Nik expected to
find an older woman with her hair in a bun and skinny glasses perched atop the
bridge of her long nose. Instead, sitting behind the desk was a younger woman
with her brown hair in a messy knot and funky glasses perched atop the bridge
of her very cute, button nose. “May I help you find something?” The smile she
bestowed on him caused another surge of unease inside his belly. He leaned both
hands on her desk and dropped his head down, taking deep breaths.

“Sir, are you
okay?” she asked placing her hand on one of his. Nik felt like he was flying
too close to a power line. The electricity sizzled where their skin met. “Holy
shit.” He glanced up to find her expression was one of worry. “Sir, can I get
you something? Some water maybe?”

“Uh, no. No
thank you. I have to go.” Retreating the way he came in, he all but ran out of
the public building.                                                         

Nikolas arrived
at the lab early. Three hours early to be exact. He planned on spending that long
doing research, but after the librarian-induced panic attack, he found himself
at the lab with his younger brother whose fingers were flying over a keyboard.

“This is
bullshit, Nik.” Julian rarely raised his voice being the calmest one of the
Clan.

“Hey, there was
an issue at the library. At least I’m early, not late.”

Julian looked
up. “What? No, not you. This.” He waved his hands at the monitor as if Nik knew
what
this
was.

“I take it you
found the problem then?” If Julian couldn’t find why their computers were being
hacked, no one could.

“Yes but first,
what happened to you? You look like you’re going to hurl. If you are, you
better not do it in here. I’m not cleaning up after you.” He was typing as he
talked.

“Yeah, well I’m
not so sure I’m
not
gonna throw up. Jules, it was the weirdest thing. I
got off the elevator at the library and immediately felt sick. I leaned over
the desk to catch my breath, and this woman put her hand on mine. I thought for
certain I was going to pass out right there.”

“Nik, you’re
five hundred and twenty years old for fuck sake. You can’t handle being around
a woman?” Julian’s blondish brows were dipping between his green eyes.

“Hold up. First
off, I’m five hundred and twenty three. Second, you were interested when Rafe
was affected by a female. Don’t be giving me shit about it. If the King can’t
help it, why should I be able to?” At this point, Nik really wanted to leave
all the security research to Julian, but he had already failed one assignment
today. He wouldn’t fuck up another.

“Sorry bro, I’m
just pissed. Come look at this.” Julian was pointing to the computer screen. It
took a few seconds, but he saw the discrepancies Jules was pointing to. “What
the hell?”

“My sentiments
exactly. Nik, this had to have been done from the inside.”

“Fuck. Did you
tell Rafe?”

“No, I just
found it. Hang on, let’s look at the email server.” A few clicks of the keys
and they both saw it at the same time. “Son of a fucking bitch.” Julian ran his
hands through his hair and then his fingers began flying again. Nik watched in
silent awe as his brother rewrote the security program. Once he felt it was
secure he stood and stretched.

“I’m hungry. Did
you have lunch?”

Nik shook his
head, “No, I was afraid it would come back up, but I could eat now. Do you want
to start the search on Rafe’s mysterious e-mailer or do you want to go get
lunch?”

Julian twisted
his torso to both sides. “I need to get out of here for a few minutes. I’ll go.
Giovani’s?”

“Yep, the
usual.” Nik sat down at his desk and began searching for information on
Bartholomew Cromwell.

Sitting at the
corner table with his back to the wall, Dane glanced at the door every time it
opened. His waitress, Marley, refilled his coffee more than was necessary, but
since she was a pretty distraction, he didn’t mind.  One cute little red-headed
reporter had told him she had a lead on Gordon Flanagan. Whether or not she was
baiting him was yet to be seen, but he was supposed to be meeting her for a
quick cup of coffee before heading to the doctor’s office.

Thirty minutes
later than scheduled, the petite spitfire came through the door, waltzing
across the room in those damned stiletto heels. How any woman could walk in
those needles, much less glide in them, was a mystery.

He rose from his
seat, waited until she sat across from him, then sat back down. “Miss Fox,
thank you for meeting with me. Can I get you something to drink?”

“No, thank you.
I don’t have much time. I really don’t have a lot to go on. What I do have is
an address where someone who matched the description of Gordon Flanagan was
seen.” She slid a folded sheet of paper across to Dane.

“Why are you
giving this to me? Why not check this out yourself? If you could find Flanagan
that would be a huge boost to such a young career, would it not?”

Katherine
scowled at him. “Don’t patronize me, Mr. Abbott. I’m not stupid enough to go
after someone as irrational as Flanagan. That’s
your
job. You chase the
crazies. If you happen to find him, I will consider that boost enough.” She
stood but leaned over and whispered. “I don’t want to be associated with
anything that has the Flanagan name on it. Are we clear?”

“As freshly
cleaned glass.” Dane watched with a smile as she strolled out the door. He
opened the paper, glanced at the address, and shoved it in his pocket. He
downed the rest of his coffee then dropped an extra few dollars on the table
for Marley. He headed across town for an appointment that, hopefully, wouldn’t
have to be rescheduled.

Even though he
arrived late, the doctor didn’t turn him away. The paper barrier on the
examination table crinkled as Dane stood. Having sat there for the last half
hour was causing his back to ache more than it had been when he came in the
exam room. He retrieved his cell phone out of the pocket of his jeans. Shit. Several
missed messages from Kaya. “She’s gonna kill me.”

“What’s that?”

Dane jumped at
the doctor’s voice. He was so intent on his messages that he didn’t hear her
come in. “Just my boss. It’s nothing.” He returned to the table, holding the
cotton gown closed behind him. When he was situated, he noticed the doctor was
staring at him. “That bad?”

Dr. Isabelle
Sarantos’ blue eyes were hidden behind square black glasses. “Not bad, Mr.
Abbott, just inconclusive. I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but we are
going to have to run more tests. The blood panels so far have either been
compromised somehow, or there are anomalies in your white blood cells that we
have never seen before. I’m going to have the tech pull more samples and then I
will let you go. We will send these samples off to an independent lab for
verification. I’ll call you when I know something, one way or another.”

She was right;
that wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Dane wanted to know what the fuck was wrong
with him. Between his skin itching and his joints aching, he wasn’t getting any
sleep. He was unable to focus on his job, and it was beginning to show. He
could only avoid Kaya for so long. Dane never called in sick, but he had to get
some rest.

The young lab
technician knocked then came in the room, setting a plastic container on the
stainless steel table. She pulled several vials of blood earlier, so she didn’t
bother reintroducing herself. She just got busy with the tourniquet and needle.
After she was finished, she removed her gloves and disposed of them before she
slipped out of the room.

Dr. Sarantos was
scribbling notes on Dane’s chart. Without looking up, she asked, “Do you want
me to write you a prescription for a sleep aid or pain pill?”

“No, I’m good.”

She continued
writing a few more lines. “Okay, I will let you get dressed then.” She held out
a business card. “Here’s my number in case you change your mind.”

Without another
look back, she left him to put his clothes back on. He really should go check
out the address Katherine had given him earlier, but Dane was feeling worse by
the minute.  He just wanted to go home and go to bed.

Isabelle stopped
the lab technician in the hallway just before she stepped into the elevator.
“Paige, I am going to run these samples myself. I have another case I’m working
on, and I believe they are similar.  You go ahead home and tell Dustin hello
for me.” The tech handed the tray of samples to her and smiled.

“Thanks, Doc!”

Isabelle laughed
at her young friend. “Have a good night.”

“Will do. And
don’t you work too late.” The elevator doors closed on her last words.

“Right, me work
late?” Isabelle laughed at herself. There was already a cot in her office so
she could get a little sleep. This latest case was bothersome to say the least.
Her background in infectious disease should be coming in handy, but this was
like nothing she had ever seen before. Actually there was something like it a
long time ago in her father’s lab, but she was certain this could not be
related.

The notes and
findings her father wrote about were obscure at least and unbelievable at most.
She was going to have to call in someone to help her with the research, and she
knew just the person. If this was anything close to what her father worked on,
her cousin Tessa would know more about it than anyone.

Now, if she
could just find her world-traveling cousin. Tessa was a couple of years older
than Isabelle. Where Isabelle was settled and responsible, Tessa was a wild
child; moving from one location to the next when the fever struck, using the
title of Archaeologist as a reason for such nomadism. As far as she knew, her cousin
had never discovered anything.

Once back in her
office, she placed the blood samples in the private refrigerator and found her
cell phone. She skimmed the list of contacts until she found the last phone
number she had for her cousin and pressed “call”. After several rings,
voicemail picked up. “You know the drill.”

Isabelle would
never get used to her cousin’s disregard for those she felt she didn’t have
time for.  “Tessa, it’s Isabelle. Listen, I have a project I’m working on, and
I could really use your help. I don’t want to go into detail over the telephone,
but let’s just say it is similar to the findings in  my father’s journals you
and I spoke of long ago. Please call me when you get this message.”

Now all she
could do was wait.