Rayven's Keep (17 page)

Callen searched the room until he spotted Maddox laughing with one the guests. He waited patiently for him to excuse himself, make his way to where Reid stood and then for the two of them to head his way. Of one accord, they approached Malvin Sonne.

“Hello, Malvin. You remember my son, Reid, don’t you? And this is Callen Bluestone. He’s an associate who works for Rayven Security,” Maddox’s said.

Malvin’s face blanched when Rayven Security was mentioned. He looked everywhere but at Callen, his fingers beating a rhythmic tattoo against his thigh.

“We’d like to talk to you privately about a small matter. It shouldn’t take long.” Reid’s voice was like steel as he clasped Malvin’s upper arm. “Why don’t you join us in the quiet conference room over there?”

They left Malvin no choice.

“W–what do you want to discuss? Can’t this wait?” Sweat beaded his upper lip and, wild-eyed, he looked frantically around as if hoping someone would rescue him. No one paid attention and he wilted.

Callen closed the door behind them and leaned against it his arms crossed over his chest. Reid shoved Malvin into the nearest chair and then propped a hip on the table in front of him, letting his foot swing back and forth. Maddox frowned, his façade of false cheer dropping away once the door closed and he took the chair next to Malvin.

“It seems we have discovered a problem at Lodestone,” Maddox said. “It has been brought to my attention there’re mineral shipments going astray.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t know anything about this.” Malvin wiped a hand across his mouth.

“How can that be? Aren’t you the head of Lodestone?” Maddox leaned forward, pinning Malvin with an uncompromising stare.

“Yes, but I’m not in charge of shipments! I swear I don’t know anything about this.”

“Really? What about the sizable credits deposited to your hidden account? There is also the interesting fact of non-existent subsidiary companies being funded with a steady stream of credits.” Callen’s voice was soft, his tone even.

Malvin jerked. “How did you find out?”

“You made an effort to cover your tracks. It took a little digging to find what I needed. It’s quite interesting what you can discover if you are patient enough.”

“I hear the prison moon of Purgatory is pleasant this time of year. Of course, you will need a bio-suit to survive on the surface, but that shouldn’t be much of a problem.” Reid added.

Callen almost felt sorry for him.

Malvin’s face was slick with sweat and his hands trembled as he ran them through his hair. “Look, I want to cut a deal. I’ll tell you what I know and, in exchange, you protect me.”

“Protect you from what exactly?” Callen pushed away from the door and strolled over to the table. He didn’t bother finding a seat, just widened his stance and rocked back on his heels. He crossed his arms over his chest, stretching his jacket across his shoulders. There was nothing outwardly threatening about him, but Malvin shook so hard his chair rattled.

“From Anto. He’ll come after me if he thinks I snitched on him.” Words tumbled out in jerky bursts. “He got us involved in this. It’s his fault. Now, there is no way out. I swear to you, I never thought it would go this far. It was only supposed to be a few shipments going astray. Anto found a buyer–he takes the shipments and sells them. We were supposed to split the profits equally. Only now, the buyer is demanding more and he’s taking most of the split. Anto will do anything to keep the buyer happy and if he thinks I told you anything he’ll kill me.”

“Who’s the buyer, Sonne?” Callen’s voice cracked like a whip and Malvin huddled deeper in his chair.

“I–I don’t know. Anto never told me.” He was almost crying.

“What about Tru? Why are you interested in her?” Reid demanded. He stood and paced the small confines of the conference room. “What has my daughter have to do with any of this?”

“Anto knows she figured out what was going on. He wanted to stop her before you found out what we were doing. Too late...too late. He’s going to kill me.” Malvin sobbed into his hands.

“When is the next shipment supposed to be sold off?” Maddox interjected.

Malvin raised a tear-streaked face, stared at the furious visage of one of the most respected men in the solar system and hunched his shoulders. Callen could see no mercy in Maddox’s face, just contempt.

“I don’t know,” he whispered. “Anto never tells me. I’m just supposed to alter the mineral reports to account for the difference between what is mined and what is shipped for processing.”

Callen exchanged a look with Maddox and Reid over Malvin’s bowed head. They would get nothing more out of Malvin until he was calmer. He felt sympathy for Reid, knowing his daughter was in trouble and being unable to get the information he desperately wanted.

“Shape up man, you’re shaming yourself.” Maddox jerked Malvin to his feet. “Callen is going to escort you to your rooms and post a guard until we can get you to the proper authorities. If you are smart, you will stay put.”

Malvin nodded his understanding and glanced at Callen. He could tell the thought of going anywhere with him petrified Malvin. Callen raised an eyebrow and watched the other man’s face blanch. He was almost disappointed he wouldn’t get an argument out of him.

“When we pass through the outer rooms you will keep your head down and not speak to anyone. Am I clear?” Callen said. “If anyone asks why you are leaving, I will tell them you have taken ill and must return to your rooms. If you say anything to the contrary, I will make sure you are incapacitated immediately.” He gripped Malvin’s arm.

“One thing before you go.” Reid said, stepping in front of Malvin. He threw a right hook, which snapped Malvin’s head back and bloodied his nose. “That’s for Tru. No one frightens my daughter and gets away with it.”

Maddox slapped his son on the back. “I wish I’d thought of doing that.”

Callen grinned and escorted Malvin out the door. No one stopped them as they crossed the room. Perhaps Malvin’s white face and bloody nose telegraphed better than words he needed to leave the party.

* * * *

The next day Malvin Sonne was found dead in his room. There was no sign of forced entry, no visible signs on the body to point to cause of death. The guard posted at the door claimed to have seen nothing.

Tight-lipped, Callen surveyed the room for clues. Nothing was out of place. There were no signs of a struggle. Nothing. The only indication someone might have been in the room was the almost imperceptible trace of perfume lingering in the air. The familiar scent, the sensual notes, teased the edges of his memory. Provocative.

Aislinn Thorpe
.

The image of the beauty from the previous evening burned, maddening him. What had she been doing in this room? What was the connection with Malvin Sonne? Clenching a fist, Callen vowed to find out. He strode from the room in search of her.

Gone. Sometime in the early hours, she’d disappeared. No one knew when or had witnessed her departure. He ground his teeth with frustration.

“What do you mean he’s dead?” Maddox slapped his palms against his desk and surged to his feet when Callen finished telling the Creighton men what he’d discovered. “How is that possible?”

“I don’t know. I assume you have security scans.”

Maddox nodded and quickly punched them up showing the hallway in front of the guest quarters. “What the hell.” he growled when a guard appeared asleep at his post while Aislinn slipped into Malvin’s room. Mere minutes passed before she could be viewed hastily exiting, horror clearly showing on her face. She’d hurried away, one small hand covering her mouth as if she feared being sick.

Grimly, Callen watched the screen with single-minded intensity. Every recorded move she made burned into his retinas, fueling the mix of attraction and revulsion. He would find her. There wasn’t a place she could hide he wouldn’t be able to ferret her out. He would discover what had happened and soon.

“I’ll have his head for this,” Maddox snarled. “He’ll never work another security detail if I have anything to say about it. Now we have to deal with damage control.”

“I don’t think his death is going to cause much of a problem.” Reid leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs and propped an elbow on the chair arm. He rested his chin on a fisted hand.

“Eh? What do you mean?” Maddox demanded.

“Simple. We let it be known Malvin was ill yesterday. Everyone saw him being escorted out of the room, leaning heavily on Callen.” Reid continued as if feeling his way as he spoke, “It will be easy enough to drop a hint here or there suggesting his death was a result of a sudden turn for the worse. No one is going to think to question what we say. We’ll have him examined by our physicians to determine what actually happened. We can contain the flow of information for a while to buy some time while we figure out what we need to do next.”

“Excellent suggestion. In the meantime, I’ll find Aislinn Thorpe and try to discover what her involvement is in all of this,” Callen said. The hunt was on and anticipation flowed through his blood, hot and heady.

Maddox nodded his approval before turning his attention to his son. “I have believed myself too old to be surprised by much, particularly when it comes to our differences in business. My mistake. Your idea is superb.” A tiny smile played about his lips as he added feigned innocence. “It looks like I will need to call a shareholders’ meeting about Lodestone Mining. I think it would be very wise if I were to step in to fill the gap so tragically left open by Malvin Sonne’s death.”

Reid choked out a laugh. “As if that wasn’t your plan all along.”

In perfect accord, if only for the moment, the two men exchanged amused glances.

Callen chose then to make his excuses. There was nothing more he needed to do on Bretonne. Maddox and Reid could take care of the cleanup, and he was eager to get back to Rayven Security. Nick and Seth would need updated on what had happened. He was itching to start a trace on Aislinn Thorpe. The few clothes he had arrived with were packed quickly and he boarded his ship for the trip home. He’d just broken through Bretonne’s atmosphere, when Maddox’s urgent voice crackled over the com system.

“We’ve got more problems, Bluestone. I’ve just been informed Anto Geir left Lodestone two days ago. It looks like he’s going after Tru.”

“Shit.”

Chapter 15

Zeegret Station was a well-funded scientific research and observation lab. Poised midway between two large suns it was just off the main interplanetary travel grid.

Immense, and designed with the latest available technology, the station was occupied by some of the greatest scientific minds around. Tru was impressed and more than a little awed.

Engineering Chief Ardghal awaited them when they stepped through the final air lock to the main corridor. He was a barrel-chested man with a booming voice and an open heartiness she liked right away. She watched with interest as Nick and Ardghal sized each other up, apparently approved of what they saw and then launched into conversation about fuel cells. She lost track of the technical conversation between the two men and mentally checked out in favor of observing all the fascinating areas they passed.

From time-to-time, a door panel would slide open and she would catch a glimpse of its occupants busy with their appointed tasks. Voices drifted her way, tantalizing her with bits and pieces of conversation. Interspersed between connecting hallways were viewscreens overlooking the star-studded expanse of space surrounding them. Slowing her steps, Tru turned to watch a supply ship disengage from its docking arm and when she turned back found herself alone. Panicked, she hurried to the bisecting hallways hoping to see which way they had gone. Relief surged through her when Nick came striding toward her, a familiar frown drawing his dark brows together.

“Am I going to have to shackle you to my side to prevent you from getting lost?” He’d greeted her with mild irritation and something else she couldn’t define in his voice.

“Of course not. I doubt there is any place I can go on this station you wouldn’t be able to find me,” she answered, falling into step beside him as he turned and led her down the correct hallway.

“Remember that for future reference. I will always find you, no matter where you are.” His voice was a low, compelling rumble and she didn’t doubt for a single minute what he said. Sparks of pleasure skittered up her spine as she considered his words and the subtle promise they held.

They caught up to Chief Ardghal and he guided them to the power lift, which took them down to the engineering section of the station. He caught the eye of one of the men standing to their right and motioned him over.