Читать книгу The Texas Shifter's Mate - Karen Whiddon - Страница 13

Chapter 4

“I like your confidence,” he said, palming the money and handing it over so that no one else could see. Shayla took similar care, closing her hand over it and lowering it into her purse. He was glad she hadn’t decided to make a production out of counting it on top of the table. The bar might be full of other Shifter, Vamps and Merfolk, but that much cash might prove too big a temptation for some.

Underscoring everything, he felt the buzz of his attraction to Shayla, making him hyperaware of her.

Their drinks arrived and Shayla asked them all to do a toast. He felt a little uncomfortable clinking glasses with a female Vampire holding a glass full of blood, but he managed to keep his revulsion hidden, he thought.

Once they’d all taken sips from their assorted drinks, he leaned in. “Now tell me your plan. I want to know what steps you’re going to take to find my stepsister.”

Shayla nodded. She reached into her purse and pulled out several sheets of paper and a pen. “I need you to fill out this questionnaire. Once I know more about Nantha—where she lived, went to school, worked and who her friends are, I can go back under and start asking questions.”

“Why all the focus underwater when Nantha disappeared on land?” Maddie wanted to know.

“Good point,” he agreed. “I’m thinking that’s what her father is doing also.”

“Maybe, but how many young people are going to reveal any secrets Nantha might have had to her father?” Shayla smiled gently. “You know how that is. I feel much more confident they’d be willing to talk to me. And the more we can learn about her life undersea, the more we can look for clues as to who might gave grabbed her and why.”

She had a point. Sort of. “Unless her abductor is human.”

“And that’s where I come in,” Maddie interjected smoothly. “Carmen is assisting me. We’re exploring the human possibilities, among others.”

He nodded and began writing down the answer to the questions. Luckily, Nantha had confided in him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had a clue.

As he wrote, Shayla leaned over, trying to decipher his handwriting upside down. “Good,” she commented. “I’m glad to see she’s from Coral. That’s my hometown, and I know it like the back of my hand.”

Carmen watched silently, continuing to sip on her drink. Maddie checked her phone. “My brother just texted me. He’s a Pack Protector. I filled him in on all this. He says there’s already an investigation open.”

Relieved, he nodded. “I contacted them, and they said they’d look into it. They didn’t seem really concerned.”

“Yeah.” Maddie looked down, clearly not sure if she should finish speaking. When she raised her head and met his gaze, he saw determination in the set of her chin. “He says since you didn’t get a ransom note and there’s no indication whatsoever that Nantha is in danger, we have to consider the possibility that she might simply have run off on her own.”

“No.” Zach focused his attention back on the questions. “The human police said something similar when I reported her missing. But Nantha’s not like that. She’d never do anything to worry her family. If she wanted some time away, she would have at the very least left us a note.”

Maddie nodded. Shayla simply watched him, the compassion in her lovely eyes making his throat close up.

“Are you sure?” Carmen asked. “Because just about everyone has secrets they don’t want their family to know.”

His instinctive response—to snarl at her—he pushed back down. Instead, he mentally counted to five, taking slow and steady breaths before answering. “I’m sure. Nantha is one of my best friends.”

“I’m sorry, I have to ask this.” Color high, Shayla cleared her throat, though she didn’t look away. “Were you and Nantha romantically involved?”

“What?” He couldn’t believe her question. The supposition made him feel nauseous. “Of course not. She’s my sister, for hound’s sake.”

“Stepsister,” Carmen drawled. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s no blood relation there at all. And from what I can tell, this Nantha is one hot babe.”

“She’s pretty.” Brotherly pride mixed with revulsion made him swallow hard. “And, yes, I do have to beat back human suitors when she’s visiting on land. But all Merfolk are blessed with good looks.” He jerked his head toward Shayla. “You all know that.”

“I’m sorry.” Shayla sounded genuinely regretful. And, he thought, a tiny bit relieved. “But it’s something we had to ask.”

Not we. She. Did she really think so low of him to even consider the possibility that he and his baby sister were having an illicit love affair?

“I can see from the look on your face that the idea repulses you.” Carmen again, detached and observant. “So we’ll put that possibility to rest. Please, go ahead and fill out the rest of the questionnaire. We’re especially interested in knowing about any boyfriends Nantha might have or have had. Past ones would be of special interest.”

Boyfriends. Question sixteen. He paused, taking a moment to think. Nantha always had a crush on someone, but it seemed to change every couple of weeks. He knew she dated, but she’d never mentioned anything serious.

All three women nodded when he passed this information on. “I’ll look into it when I go back to Coral,” Shayla said. The low thrum of her voice reached deep inside of him, sparking arousal. To hide this, he swallowed hard and focused on the questionnaire.

Once he’d answered all the questions to the best of his ability, he slid the paper across the table. Shayla took it and began reading. She asked for clarification on one of two things—he’d listed a few odd jobs where Nantha had worked, but only a couple of places where he thought she might hang out. As for hobbies, the only one that came to mind was reading.

“Surely there must be more,” Shayla pressed. “What about exercise, working out? Or fishing? Does she like any sports?”

“No. She’s actually pretty quiet.” He thought for a moment, then sat up straighter. “Music. She loves to sing and dance.”

Nodding, Shayla scribbled that down on the form. “Most Mermaids do,” she commented. Picking up her glass, she drained her wine. He realized both Carmen and Maddie had already finished their drinks, as well.

Eyeing his still mostly full beer, he took a sip. Briefly, he considered slugging it all down, but decided against it, especially since Shayla didn’t seem nearly as affected by him as he was by her.

He slid his own folder across the table. “I had some fliers printed up. I spent the day going around the island having them put up. They’re laminated, so they should do well under water. Feel free to take them with you if you think they might help.”

“Perfect!” Shayla beamed at him, which made his heart skip a beat. “I can definitely use them. I think they’ll really help.”

“I hope someone who knows where she is sees them,” he said, his chest suddenly tight.

Shayla slapped some money on the table. “Drinks are on me,” she said. “I don’t know about ya’ll, but I need to go. It’s been a long day for me.”

The other women stood, as well. Relieved he didn’t feel obligated to sit and make small talk with the others, he pushed back his chair and did the same.

Below, the band played a steady stream of eighties hits. He knew once they got downstairs, it would be damn near impossible to hear anything.

Apparently, Shayla realized this, too.

“We’ll get to work immediately,” she said, holding out her hand. He reached out, and again, the instant their fingers connected he felt a jolt straight to his core. From the way her eyes widened, he had to think she felt it, too.

“You’ve got my cell number.”

“Yes.” After she released him, he shook hands with the other two women, keeping his face expressionless when he touched the Vampire. He knew his feelings were irrational, and while he didn’t completely understand them—after all, he even had a couple of Vampire friends—he didn’t have time to indulge in self-analysis. Getting his sister back was all that mattered.

Leaving his unfinished beer on the table, he followed the women downstairs and out of the bar. Once they reached the end of the alley, the three women went in the opposite direction. At a slight loss, he stood and watched until they disappeared from sight.

Now what? He could get in his car and head home to his place in Texas City, but he knew his mother would still be awake and frantic. Keeping her company would be the best thing to do. Plus, he needed to fill her in on what he’d accomplished today with the fliers, as well as tell her about hiring the Shadow Agency. He also needed to know if his mom had heard anything from Ion.

When Zach arrived back at his mother’s house, she met him at the door. “Don’t you ever check your messages?” she asked, her voice shaking. “I sent texts, too.”

This was so unusual it worried him. Eyeing her, he realized she looked unusually pale. Her blue eyes were red and puffy, as if she’d been crying. And more than her voice shook. Tiny tremors rocked her slender frame.

“I’m sorry,” he said, pulling her close for a quick hug. “I didn’t hear my phone. It’s been a crazy kind of day.” He pulled his cell from his pocket and checked. Four missed calls, an equal number of messages and texts from his mother saying simply, “Call me immediately.”

Dammit. When he raised his gaze to meet his mother’s, he saw tears now streamed down her cheeks.

Dread momentarily paralyzed him. “Nantha?” he asked, hardly able to force the words out past the lump in his throat. “Do you have news? Is she...” He swallowed hard, unable to finish the sentence.

“Oh, no. Not that.” His mom gave him a quick, fierce hug. “It’s okay, honey. She’s still alive,” June said. “Sorry, I should have realized you’d think the worst. Come with me.” And she turned and went toward the kitchen, knowing he’d follow.

Which he did, right on her heels. Oddly enough, his horrified assumption of the worst appeared to have calmed her. Hand steady, she reached for a folded piece of white paper on the counter, and handed it to him. “Take a look. This is crazy.”

“What is this?” he asked, accepting it. “Who’s it from?”

“Read it,” she managed, before turning away. Despite that, he could see that she covered her mouth with one hand in order to muffle her sobs.

Dread coiling low in his gut, he opened the single sheet of paper, noting the way it had been precisely folded into three exact, equal sections. He also noted the high-quality paper; not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill copier paper. Interesting. And then he began to read.

TO THE FAMILY OF THE MERMAID KNOWN AS NANTHA, it began. Typed, not handwritten. All in caps. Swallowing hard, he forced himself to continue reading.

SHE IS ALIVE, the missive continued. AND OF NO USE TO US. IF YOU WANT HER BACK, YOU WILL DO WHAT WE SAY. WE ARE WILLING TO EXCHANGE HER FOR TWO OTHER MERMAIDS. BUT THEY MUST BE VIRGINS. MORE INSTRUCTIONS WILL FOLLOW.

And that was all. No way to contact the letter writer, no instructions, other than asking for two virgin Mermaids.

“What the hell?” He read it again to be sure he’d gotten it right. “Is this someone’s idea of a joke?”

But now his mother was crying so hard she couldn’t answer. He hugged her, wondering what kind of son of a bitch would even think of writing such a thing. “Have you told Ion?” he asked gently.

“I’ve asked him to come immediately,” she managed. Communicating with those under the sea could be touch-and-go. Apparently, she’d actually managed to make contact.

A knock on the patio door made him freeze. Zach spun around, ready to do battle. When he realized who it was, relief flooded him. “It’s Ion,” he said, releasing his mother so he could unlock and open the door. “He must have gotten your message.”

“Zach.” Though he only had eyes for his weeping wife, Ion jerked his chin in a quick nod at Zach as he rushed to pull June into his arms. “What is this?” he asked, kissing her forehead. “Speak to me, darling. You said it was urgent. Tell me, what’s happened?”

His questions only made her cry harder. Ion glanced over her shoulder at Zach, one brow raised in question. “Do you know?” he mouthed.

“Yes. She—we got a letter,” Zach responded, unable to keep from reading it one more time. “About Nantha. It’s crazy. It doesn’t even make sense.”

Ion gently steered June to a chair. “Sit, love,” he ordered. “Let me take a look at this.”

Zach handed it over, watching as the Merman silently read it. And then reread it.

“What do you make of it?” Zach asked when Ion raised his gaze from the paper to meet his. “Do you think it’s genuine?”

“Unfortunately, yes. It doesn’t read like a prank. The letter writer is definitely serious.” He read it once more, exhaling sharply when he got to the end. “This isn’t good at all. But, on the plus side, this means my daughter is still alive.”

Zach nodded. “If they’re telling the truth, yes.”

At his words, his mother shot him a teary-eyed glare. “Think positive,” she admonished him. “Nantha is alive. She has to be.”

“Of course she is,” Zach replied, keeping his voice gentle. “I have no doubt about that.”

Reading the missive once more, Ion frowned. “The request for virgin Mermaids has me stymied, I must admit. It sounds like something from ancient legends.”

Zach nodded, aware of what the older man meant, and didn’t dare say out loud within his mother’s hearing. Sacrificial virgins, meant to appease either some mythical god or monster.

Insanity, right? But clearly, the letter writer believed what he or she had written.

“Well?” June demanded, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. She stood, looking from her husband to her son and back again. “What are you going to do about this?”

Again, the two men exchanged silent looks. Zach knew they’d talk later, in private.

“I’ve hired a paranormal private investigation firm to help search,” Zach said. He went on to tell them about the three women, one Mermaid, one Shifter and a Vampire.

His mother recoiled at the last, but didn’t comment.

“I want to meet with them,” Ion declared. “Especially the Mermaid. It would help me tremendously to have someone else helping me under the sea.”

“I want to meet them, too,” June put in, her voice fierce and determined. “Since one of them is a Shifter, she may be able to find a way for me to help.”

“Fine.” Zach didn’t see the harm in setting up a gathering. In fact, it might actually help to have the others see who else was involved. “I’ll see if they’re available to meet tomorrow night at Broken Chains.”

Both Ion and June nodded. Like everyone else in the paranormal community, they’d visited the bar more than once. While there were several others up north in Houston, Broken Chains was the oldest and most well-known.

“I’ve also involved the Pack Protectors,” Zach continued. “They’ve promised to keep an eye out.”

Though June nodded, Ion scowled. “I don’t see how they could help. They can’t search under the sea.”

“We don’t know that’s where she is,” Zach said.

“You’d better hope she’s under the ocean,” Ion shot back. “She’s got to have seawater or she’ll die.”

June’s eyes welled up again at his words, making Ion curse. He gathered his wife close, murmuring soothing words to her. Zach took that opportunity to leave the room.

Stepping out onto the patio, he stared into the darkness. Nantha was somewhere out there, scared and worried, held captive by some fools with insane ideas about sacrificial virgins. He wondered if she knew that one thing had apparently been what saved her—that she wasn’t a virgin.

Shaking his head, he dug his phone out again and punched in Shayla’s number. She answered on the second ring and listened intently while he told her about the letter. “It’s true, what your stepfather said,” she told him. “Centuries ago, virgin sacrifices were a thing. Or so the legends go. The humans claimed it was to appease a dragon or, even earlier, various gods and goddesses. Under the sea, the dragon usually was a giant squid. Once in a while, in really ancient times, I’ve read about an angry sea god, Poseidon or one of his demigods.”

“But those were all ancient tales. Some of them might have even been myths,” she continued. “I’m not sure why someone would be trying to resurrect those stories in today’s world. Poseidon has a temper, but even he’s moved beyond asking for virgin sacrifices.”

Poseidon? He decided not to ask.

“Maybe someone is trying to start a new religion, or a cult?” he asked. “Have you heard anything about something like that?”

“No. But not only will I let the Pods know, I’ll definitely ask around when I go visit again. Which will be soon. I plan to put up those missing person posters you gave me and visit the neighborhoods where she went to school and worked.”

“Good.” He told her about Ion’s request for a meeting with the Shadow Agency.

“That’s fine,” she immediately said. “As long as you’re okay with it. You are the client, after all, so what you say goes.”

“Tomorrow night?” he asked. “Say around eight, at Broken Chains?”

“Let me get with the others, but I’m sure that’ll be fine. I’m going to call and see if I can reserve a private room for a few hours. It’ll be easier to talk that way.”

Once he agreed, she ended the call, promising to let him know if anything changed.

He wandered back inside, noting his mother and Ion had disappeared to their bedroom. He knew he should head back home to Texas City, but it had been a long day, and his mother kept the guest bedroom bed made up for situations like this. He grabbed a bottle of water and went to bed early.

* * *

When he woke the next morning and wandered out into the kitchen to grab some coffee, his mother had started frying up some bacon. The smell made his mouth water.

“Good morning,” she said, smiling, her posture relaxed. “I’m glad you decided to spend the night. I know it’s a lot farther for you to go into work, so I figured a good breakfast would help.”

She seemed so pleased with herself and so much happier than she’d been the previous night, that he didn’t have the heart to tell her he’d taken two weeks’ vacation. Plus, if he told her that, she’d want him to hang around the house most of the day. He needed to get back to the heart of the island as well as make a few phone calls. He hadn’t yet informed the Pack Protectors about the note, and he knew they’d definitely want to know.

Dutifully, he took a seat at the table, happy to eat his mother’s cooking. It revived his spirits to see her looking so much better.

“Where’s Ion?” he asked, once he’d cleaned his plate and pushed it away.

She smiled. “He headed out at first light to talk to his contacts in his underwater city. He’ll be back by afternoon. He also wanted me to tell you he’s sorry, but considering what’s happened, he’s going to have to postpone your meeting with Teredia.”

Teredia. He blanked for a second before remembering she was the Mermaid Ion had wanted Zach to marry. Though Zach hadn’t met her yet, Ion had claimed the alliance would help Nantha tremendously, by virtue of family connections. In the photo he’d shown Zach, Teredia was stunning.

When Zach had asked why someone who looked like that would need an arranged marriage, Ion had laughed. “It’s complicated,” he’d said. “I’ll let her tell you, if you’ll agree to do this for your sister.”

Zach had given his tentative agreement, with the caveat that he could back out if Teredia and he weren’t a match. He didn’t have much of a social life—engineers weren’t known for their scintillating conversational skills—so he’d told himself it wouldn’t hurt to try and be open to new experiences. Then he’d promptly put it to the back of his mind. Clearly Ion hadn’t.

“That’s fine.” He waved his hand dismissively. “I can’t even think about that right now. But I’m glad Ion’s going to be back tonight.” He told her about the meeting at Broken Chains that night at eight. “Can you make sure and let him know?”

“Of course.” She carried his plate and hers to the sink. “I’m looking forward to meeting your friends. I just wish it was under better circumstances.”

He started to point out that they weren’t exactly friends, but decided against it. Whatever she needed to believe to make herself feel better was okay with him.

“Thanks for breakfast, Mom.” He kissed her cheek. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you at Broken Chains, tonight.”

The sadness in her gaze echoed how he felt in his heart. He sighed and left. He knew the drive back to Texas City would feel twice as long as usual, but he wanted to go home and change before making those phone calls.

On the way there, his cell phone rang. Caller ID showed Unknown Caller. His heart skipped a beat. While it was possible someone was calling who’d seen his poster and had information about his sister, he had a gut feeling this was something else.

“Did you get the note?” a low voice growled. Masculine, he thought, though the voice-garbling software made it difficult to tell.

“I did.” He kept his tone even, stifling the rage that filled him. Somehow, he managed to keep it contained. “How did you get this number?”

“Never mind that,” the anonymous person said. “Have you considered my offer?”

Though there were many ways Zach could have responded to that, he knew he didn’t have time to waste. “Consider it? I have no idea where I’d find virgins, never mind virgin Mermaids.”

“Really?” The caller sounded unconcerned. “If you don’t, then my little captive’s father should know. Ask him. Otherwise, tell him his daughter is going to die. You have one week. No longer.” And then, with a click, the person ended the call.

Stunned, Zach stared at his phone. He punched Redial, but only got a recording stating that the call could not be completed as dialed.

Clearly, this meant the letter writer had been serious. While he could infer from this that Nantha was still alive and they might be able to save her, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he couldn’t be part of some sort of sacrifice. Two innocent lives for his sister’s? No.

But would Ion feel the same way? For the first time ever, Zach wasn’t certain his stepfather would do the right thing.

While this was something else he’d discuss with the Shadow Agency, he decided he wouldn’t tell June just yet. Due to the letter’s implications, he could only imagine her reaction. No, when and if he decided to fill Ion in, he’d need to catch the Merman alone before he went back to the ocean.

For the first time, he wondered why the captors had chosen to reach out to him rather than Nantha’s father, especially since they wanted virgin Mermaids.