Nikolas (16 page)

As soon as he knew Julian would be up, Nik called him to check in.

“Nikolas, how are you?” Julian yawned into the phone when he answered.

“Going crazy. I have a feeling I’m going to be here a while. I called a realtor and am going to lease a villa for the duration. I’ve already been found by the bastards who have Sophia.”

“They have her? Are you sure?” Jules sounded wide awake now.

“I don’t have proof other than a note they slipped me with my meal. I changed hotel rooms after that, but they probably still have eyes on me. At least with the villa, it’s gated and no one can get in without tripping the alarm. I had a vision that someone was after Sophia, but before I could see the outcome, it dissipated. It’s been a crazy few days. How are things at home?”

“Interesting, to say the least. Tessa came out of her coma yesterday while Xavier and Elizabeth were at Gregor’s.”

“Why were they there?”

“It turns out Xavier is Tessa’s real father. We also found out that Alistair is probably behind the threats to the Clan. He not only hates Rafael, but he’s also the one who had Jonas ostracized.”

“So, what is the elusive Elizabeth Flanagan like?” Nik would love to have met the woman.

“She’s the spitting image of Tessa, or should I say, Tessa is the spitting image of Elizabeth. We believe that’s how Gordon found Tessa. The only difference is their attitudes. Tessa a spitfire, whereas Elizabeth is calm and gracious.”

“I’m sorry I missed that. I thought Rafael and Xavier were at war, so to speak.”

Julian laughed. “They were before yesterday, but once Xavier found out what was going on, he pledged his Clan’s loyalty to ours. I think Tessa being Gregor’s mate had something to do with it. That and Xavier and Aunt Athena know Alistair better than most.”

Nik whistled. “I’m glad they’re on our side. We need all the inside information we can get. Do you think Alistair is behind this shit with Sophia?”

“At this point, anything is possible. Guard your back, Brother. If he is behind this, he will have his Gargoyles out and about. Speaking of Goyles, I have located a small clan in South Africa, but I’ve yet to find out who they are loyal to, if anyone. I’ll keep working on that. Is there anything else I can do from here?”

“Yes. I want you to monitor all activity in and out of Cairo for either Clara Fort or Beatrice Nightingale. Beatrice is a longshot since Sophia left her disguise behind, but Clara is still an option.”

“Your girl’s using an alias? Smart.”

“Yes, and she has disguises to go along with them. I’d love to have one right about now. It would be easier to get around without being identified.”

“I’m on it. What else?”

“That’s it. Give Gregor and Tessa my best.”

“Will do. As soon as things settle down here, I’m coming to help you. Be well, Nik.”

“Honestly, I look forward to it. I miss you, Brother. Later.” Nik hung up before he couldn’t speak. It took a lot for him to get emotional, but Jules was a good reason. He began packing the items he’d only unpacked the day before and prepared to meet the realtor at the villa. Instead of taking a taxi, Nik called for a car service. He instructed them to park in the underground garage of the hotel so he would have better clarity of his surroundings. Thirty minutes later, he was securely in the limo with nobody following him.

Kallisto sat unmoving as the breaking news report on the television made her want to throw-up. An anonymous patron had donated several ancient artifacts to the Cairo Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. Among them was the Cleopatra Disk, an item so rare it was thought to be one of a kind. The news anchor stated the items were dropped off at the museum minutes after opening that morning. “Sources say the patron, a woman in her mid to late forties, walked in, demanded to see the curator, and handed over the box. She didn’t wait around to give her name. The cameras weren’t able to get a good picture of her face. The curator told us this was the single largest donation to the museum in its history.”

When the telephone rang, she picked up the remote and turned the TV off. She took a deep breath before answering. “Hello?”

“Hello, Princess. I have another job for you.”

“But this one isn’t complete. We have no idea where the girl is.”

“No, but we know where her parents are. Now, I need you to gather a team and fly to the States. I have received information on another of Montagnon’s mongrels. It appears his youngest daughter has a son she has kept hidden from the world. I need you to kidnap the boy, dispose of his adoptive parents, and convince his mother to come with you to Greece. All the information you need is being sent to your phone.”

“And what of the other man? We’ve been keeping tabs on him, but he doesn’t seem interested in Sophia. He spends most of his time in Alexandria. Nikolas Stone has rented a house here. He won’t give up until he finds the woman.”

“The other man is of no consequence. He’s just another of Jonas’ offspring. As for Mr. Stone, the longer he stays in Egypt, the better. One more thorn in my side out of the way. Now, forget about them and head to your next assignment.”

“We’ll leave immediately.” Kallisto was ready to hang up, thinking she’d dodged a bullet.

“I know about the disk, my darling. We’ll discuss that when you return home.”

“Yes, sir.” Kallisto thumbed off the phone and let out a breath. The fact he didn’t yell at her did not bode well. She would much rather take her berating from thousands of miles away than face to face. She turned to Sergei who had heard only her side of the conversation.

“We have another job. It involves kidnapping a child. Choose two of your best men and have them meet us at the plane. Instruct the others to continue looking for the Brooks woman.”

“Did he mention the disk? That donation had to make world news.”

“Yes, but he said we’d discuss it later.”

“Oh, shit.”

“Yeah, shit. Now, let’s get to our next mission and hope we don’t fuck it up.” Kallisto left her companion to make his phone calls. She began packing their things for the trip to America.

Ezekiel sipped his coffee while Xenia cooked breakfast. He had been in Egypt for almost two weeks and was no closer to finding his niece or his brother. Xenia hadn’t been able to get hold of Sophia either, and they were both worried about the girl. Zeke had followed her alias from Cairo to Luxor where the trail dead-ended. She had checked into a hotel there, but whenever he called, he got no answer. He spoke to the manager, telling him he was worried about his niece. The man took Zeke’s name and number and said he’d call if she showed up. He hadn’t.

“What made you turn in the disk anonymously? You could have given your father a great deal of credibility, even if it was posthumously.”

Xenia turned the bacon before answering. “If I gave the curator my father’s name, it would be easy for anyone to find out my name and address. My life has been disrupted enough in the past two weeks. I don’t need random people calling and stopping by for interviews. They would want to know where he discovered the disk. That is a question that needs to remain hidden.”

“True. Hopefully that will keep the people who are after Sophia from looking for Beatrice any further.”

“Yes, but their focus was split between Sophia and the old woman. Now, they can focus solely on Sophia. Maybe I should have waited.” Xenia bit her bottom lip. When she did, blood ran down her chin. “Oh, shit.”

“You need to keep your emotions in check, my dear.” Zeke stood and wet a paper towel. He dabbed the blood until it stopped leaking from her lip.

“I know, but I forget about the fangs. They tend to pop out at the most inopportune moments.”

“Is that why Keene walks around with his hands over his crotch?” Zeke joked.

“Very funny. And no, it’s because of the claws, not the fangs,” she said with a wink.

“Ouch.” Zeke had spoken with Keene more than once since Xenia told her mate the truth. He still hadn’t agreed to complete the bond, but he was spending time with her. Xenia had refused to tell Keene that there was one mate for Gargoyles, and if he walked away from her she would never find true happiness. While she was getting control of her new shifter half, she had taken a sabbatical from her teaching position stating medical reasons.

Xenia had opened her home to Zeke. Staying in a hotel indefinitely seemed crazy when she had plenty of room. He helped her with her phasing, and she schooled him in Egyptian history. The only time he made himself scarce was when Keene came to visit. They needed to be alone if they were to work out their future.

While he was sipping his coffee, Zeke’s phone rang. “Hello?”

“Mr. Seymour? This is the manager of the Luxor Embassy. I told you I would call if your niece showed up. I’m sorry to say she hasn’t. Since she only paid for one night, we cannot hold Miss Fort’s room any longer. We will need you to either retrieve her belongings or pay for the room until she shows up. Of course, I’ll need proof you and Miss Fort are related.”

“Of course, I understand. Let me pay now, and I will be there soon to pick up her things. Thank you for calling.” Zeke gave the manager his credit card number before hanging up. He sighed. “That was the hotel in Luxor. I have to go get Sophia’s things.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” Xenia asked.

“I would like that. First, I have to have proof that she and I are related. I’m not sure how I’m going to do that since she’s using an alias.”

“Do you know how Sophia gets her fake IDs?”

“She probably makes them. It’s not that hard.”

“Can you do it? I’m thinking if I go in as Clara, I can tell them I was mugged and lost my key. They’ll give me a new one.”

“Xenia, I don’t mean to be rude, but the manager knows I’m looking for my niece. You don’t exactly look young enough.”

Xenia huffed, “Well, I never.” She threw a dishtowel at him, laughing. “You won’t be with me, silly. I’ll get into the room, then I’ll call you and you can come up.”

“I guess it could work, if only I had the necessary supplies. I wish I knew someone who was into forgery.”

“Hmm. I might know someone. He owes me a favor, too. Let me make a phone call.” Xenia handed Zeke the spatula and disappeared down the hall. A few minutes later, she returned, smiling. “We’re good to go. After breakfast, we’ll go see a colleague of mine. We should have what we need by this afternoon.”

“I don’t want you to get in trouble,” Zeke offered.

“I won’t, and neither will he. Besides, this beats sitting at home painting my claws.”

After they finished eating, Zeke went ahead and made plane reservations. Xenia assured him they would have what they needed and be able to make a later flight. She hadn’t been wrong. Her colleague was an art curator who authenticated paintings. While that had nothing to do with forging passports, he was an expert in handwriting. He also had the equipment to produce an alternative I.D. Xenia gave him the note Sophia had written, and the man was able to recreate Clara’s signature based off the lettering on the note. He made a copy of Zeke’s driver’s license, replacing the information with Clara’s and the picture with one of Xenia. Within an hour, Xenia had a license claiming she was Clara Fort.

While they were making their way to the airport, Zeke said, “I was thinking about visiting the Valley of the Kings while I’m there. Would you like to be my tour guide?” Zeke wasn’t leaving Egypt until he knew Sophia and her parents were safe, but he could enjoy the sights while he waited.

“I would love that,” she beamed.

Zeke and Xenia arrived in Luxor that evening. Zeke went ahead and checked into a room at the hotel across the street so they had somewhere to put their things. With Xenia claiming to be someone who’d been mugged, she couldn’t stroll in the Luxor Embassy pulling a suitcase behind her. Zeke impatiently paced the floor, looking at his phone periodically. When she had been gone thirty minutes, he debated whether or not to go check on her. He was headed to the door when his phone rang.

“Xenia?”

“No, Clara. And I’m in the room. Fourteen twenty-nine.”

“I’ll be right there.” Zeke grabbed the room key and made his way across the street. He avoided looking at the desk clerk and continued to the elevators. Once he reached the fourteenth floor, he turned left and strode down the hall with purpose. He wasn’t one for telling lies, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He knocked once, and Xenia opened the door.

Together, they went through Sophia’s things to see if there was any clue as to where she could be. All of her things were put away neatly with the exception of her laptop. It sat unused on the desk in the corner of the room. After trying to access her computer, Zeke said “I’ve tried to get in there and take a look, but she’s a whiz when it comes to that kind of thing. I doubt too many people in the world could hack her system.”

Xenia voiced what Zeke already knew in his heart: something had happened to Sophia. She packed their niece’s clothing and toiletries while he stored her computer in its case then double-checked to be sure they hadn’t overlooked anything. Xenia left the key card on the desk, and they took Sophia’s things, exiting through the back entrance. They made their way to the hotel across the street. Zeke would call the manager in the morning with the good news his niece had safely returned to him.