INVISIBLE FATE BOOK THREE: ALEX NOZIAK (INVISIBLE RECRUITS) Read online

  Nicki paused, a furrow lining her brow. “There have been humans bitten who’ve become shifters.”

  Kelly’s smile started to increase.

  “But the numbers are so rare they’re the stuff of legends,” Nicki said, her voice low but solid. “Weres can be created by a bite, but not shifters.” Then she paused, rubbing her palms along her jeans before looking up and asking, “Didn’t you all say this Alex was a witch?”

  “And a shaman,” Kelly offered, aware she’d been holding her breath, waiting for good news instead of only bad news layered on more bad news.

  Nicki shook her head. “Then I think that’d decrease her chances of surviving.” She lowered her voice, as if aware of the lethal nature of her words, before looking up and spearing Kelly with a direct look. “Sorry, wish I had better news.”

  “But you could be wrong?” Kelly pushed. Alex was her friend and she wasn’t going to give up. Not without a fight.

  “Yeah.” Nicki splayed her hands before her. “There’s always an unknown factor when shifter blood mingles with another being’s blood. Make that being someone who is both a magic carrier and who can walk among spirits and who knows what can happen.”

  That weighted, strained silence returned to the room.

  Mandy broke it when she raised her head. “I haven’t found Alex in the spirit realm,” she said.

  “You’ve looked?” Jaylene asked what Kelly couldn’t. Not without choking on the words. Mandy was the last person Kelly expected to raise a finger to find Alex. The very, very last.

  As if Kelly had spoken her thoughts out loud, Mandy dared the group, “What? Alex was a teammate. Without a body, I wanted to make sure she’d passed over.”

  “And she hasn’t?” Stone asked, his voice quieter now, more thoughtful.

  “Not that I’ve found.” Mandy paused, then continued, “But there’s one person who’d know for sure.”

  All heads turned to Mandy, which was fine by Kelly.

  “Who?” Vaughn asked what was on the tip of all their tongues.

  Mandy gave a shrug. “Bran.”

  “Who’s Bran?” Herc asked, followed closely by, “Not THE Bran? Clothing designer?”

  “You don’t look like someone who follows sartorial news,” Stone mumbled.

  “He was on the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine last month.” Herc glanced at Stone, his gaze saying little-do-you-know. “And Forbes three months ago.”

  Vaughn placed a restraining hand on Stone’s arm before the instructor clipped the young man. Kelly was impressed that Herc didn’t start humming, “Nah nah na nah nah.”

  Instead, the new weapons guy looked around. “I’m not sure what Bran has to do with finding this missing witch shaman?”

  “Bran’s a mage, a powerful warlock,” Jaylene explained, looking mostly at her shoes as if not sure Mandy’s idea was going to lead anywhere.

  “He’s also combined magic with Alex before. On more than one occasion,” Mandy said, her voice more insistent.

  “Which means what?” Nicki asked.

  Mandy released a huff of breath before saying, “It means they are connected in a way few individuals are. If anyone can find out if she’s alive, he can.”

  Stone glanced at Ling Mai, his tone as hard as his name as he said, “We talk to him then. Act.”

  Kelly caught the slightest moment of hesitation before Ling Mai nodded. “By all means.”

  Kelly wanted to jump up right then and there, high-five everybody, and twirl around. But Ling Mai’s expression put a damper on that. Then Stone dashed more cold water on the group. “I’ll speak to Bran.” Before Kelly could offer to come along, he added, “Alone.”

  It wasn’t like Stone and Bran were enemies but neither were they best buddies. Kelly shot a quick glance at Jaylene before nudging her when the black woman remained quiet.

  “You have something you want to add, Miss McAllister?” Ling Mai asked. “We are looking into your concerns.”

  Kelly understood a rap on the knuckles more than the average person. So why didn’t she feel like Stone’s approach was enough?

  “Concerns that should have been brought to our attention immediately,” Stone growled in the role of badass instructor to idiot recruit. “You don’t wait nearly forty-eight hours to help a fallen comrade.”

  “She gets it.” Vaughn nudged him hard enough he almost toppled from the chair arm. “Continuing to beat her isn’t helping.”

  “It’s helping me,” he said, his jaw tight as he spoke to the room at large. “From now on, if you have something to say, the time to say it is in our after action debriefing. If in doubt, speak up.”

  Easy for him, but Kelly bit off her retort, remembering how wild-eyed he’d been waiting for word on Vaughn and chewing out the rest of them for going on an unsanctioned mission to help Alex.

  He still was het up, which made it easier for Kelly to make her next choice.

  Carrie would have been disappointed in her, though when Kelly cleared her throat. “Nothing to add. I’m sure Bran will be glad to help.”

  If he could.

  Her last quick glimpse of him the other day wasn’t a pleasant one. He’d been even bloodier than Alex, and that was saying a lot. Plus, Bran had been limping away with an older man who might have been Alex’s father. Since Alex’s father was a member of the Council of Seven, and Bran was in trouble with them, it was hard to say if Bran could help or not.

  Once the conversation resumed with other agency business, with Stone giving orders to the team as to what they should be doing while he contacted Bran, Jaylene leaned closer to Kelly and whispered, “You should be looking happier.”

  “I am happy,” Kelly answered, whipping out a wobbly smile.

  “But?”

  Kelly lowered her voice and admitted what was bothering her. “You sure Stone will really find Bran?”

  Jaylene’s eyes widened. Kelly knew why. Questioning their team instructor’s honesty was like pointing a finger at the Dali Lama and asking if he was one of the good guys.

  “I know, I know. I’m a worry wart,” Kelly admitted, shrugging her shoulders. When Jaylene nodded and turned her attention back to the room, Kelly let the smile slide off her face.

  She just wished she’d spoken the whole truth. That she wasn’t really sure she trusted either their instructor or the director, after action report or not.

  Which didn’t bode well with remaining a team player.

  Chapter Eleven

  After their hotel room meeting broke up and Kelly was heading out the door, Stone caught up with her and murmured, “Meet me around the corner. Coffee shop next to the main entrance of the Louvre. Ten minutes. Alone”

  Then he disappeared, leaving Kelly rubbing goose bumps along her arms. It wasn’t that she was cold, more like wary. If she lost her position on the team, then … no, she wouldn’t go there because the other alternative was just as bad. Someone had kidnapped Alex’s brother. Now they might have kidnapped Alex, only she was terribly wounded. The team, or someone with more clout than Kelly alone, had to make sure Alex was okay. If she were still alive.

  She told Jaylene she’d meet her back at their own hotel, the Campanile, which was nowhere near as nice as Ling Mai’s place, but that was okay because Kelly felt more comfortable there. The team was moving from there into the safe house that was a fallback in case anyone was separated from the group. They should have had someone stationed there on the chance Alex hadn’t been killed, but Ling Mai had been so sure there had been no question about stationing someone from their overtaxed team there. Now? If Alex was alive, she’d find her way to the safe house. If she could. A whole lot of ifs going on.

  Maybe Stone had been right. What if Alex had made it to the safe house already and found no one there? Kelly’s stomach in knots at the thought she’d already sacrificed her friend. If she had, then Stone didn’t have to kick her off the team; it might be for the best if she left on her own. But then the truth would come out and it’d kill her
parents, a lethal blow they’d never recover from.

  Jaylene gave Kelly one of her knowing gazes, which helped the downward spiral of her thoughts, and said, “The cards speak of unexpected dangers.”

  “Not unexpected given what we do.” Kelly tried to keep the duh tone out of her voice, but didn’t think she was too successful. Jaylene used tarot cards to help see the future, a practice Kelly’s parents would disapprove of in the extreme. The devil’s work in idle hands, they’d have said.

  “The dangers are to you,” Jaylene shot back. “You’re the one who needs to be careful.”

  Wonderful, as if Kelly’s stomach wasn’t roiling enough. She knew Jaylene meant well. Too bad most of her future visions were so vague they were less than helpful.

  “I’ll be careful.” Kelly reassured her with a pat on the arm for extra emphasis. “I’ll meet you back at the hotel, have a few things to do first.”

  “I can come with you.” Her look was one Kelly was used to, sort of a cross between worry that Kelly couldn’t take care of herself or would screw up if left on her own.

  If she was going to be axed from the team, though, it was something she had to face alone. “Thanks, but not this time. I’ll see you in a bit.” She started walking away with a small backwards wave to take any sting out of her words.

  Just to make sure that Jaylene or anyone else didn’t know where she was headed, Kelly started out toward the opera house, which was in the opposite direction of the coffee house. Then she caught the Avenue de l’Opera that cut diagonally back toward the Louvre and jogged the last half block to reach the small bistro, which served coffee, too. Stone was already seated inside, away from prying eyes.

  She was out of breath by the time she reached him.

  “Someone chasing you?” he asked, looking behind her. As usual, he’d taken the seat with his back to a wall, facing the main exit and windows.

  “No. Dodging Parisian traffic,” she mumbled as she pulled up a chair and waved off the waiter. “Non, merci.”

  Stone eyed her as she bought a few spare seconds catching her breath, before he jumped in. “Tell me exactly what you saw the other day. In detail.”

  So he wasn’t going to cut her from the team. Yet. With Stone, it could mean only one thing. He’d wring every piece of intel from her before he released the guillotine.

  With more calmness than she felt, she repeated what she’d shared with Jaylene earlier. Stone let her talk until she was finished.

  “That’s all?” he asked. “You’re sure?”

  Kelly nodded. “Of course I’m sure.”

  “Bran left with Jeb Noziak and Van?”

  “Yes. Van, if that’s who it was, was unconscious, and Bran was bleeding, but they all left together.”

  Stone leaned back in his chair, all stillness and concentration.

  Kelly now wished she had ordered something to keep her hands, and mind, busy, instead of just pleating her napkin.

  When Stone remained silent she asked, “You think there’s something wrong?” What she wanted to ask was if she were still an IR agent or not, but that stuck in her throat.

  He glanced at her as if he’d been a long ways away, then gave a quick chuckle that held no mirth. “I know there’s something wrong. Can’t put my finger on it, but there’s certainly something wrong.”

  Kelly swallowed. If Stone thought there was a problem, that wasn’t good news. It’d be real easy to avoid the other question pushing at her but her parents hadn’t raised her to take the easy way out. She had to ask. “Does this mean we’re not going to look for Alex?”

  He eyed her as if she’d asked him if the team would be dancing in the streets. “We’ll do more than that, we’ll find her …”

  “I hear a but,” she countered, her napkin now wadded in her lap.

  “It’s not going to be easy.” Stone never did sugarcoat the truth. “You okay with that?”

  She chewed her bottom lip before giving a reply, making sure she could back up her words. Another thing her parents drilled into her. Don’t lie, don’t hide from the truth and if you commit to do something, then you’d better be prepared to do it.

  “I didn’t figure it’d be easy,” she admitted, looking Stone in the eye. “That’s not what I’m concerned about.”

  He arched a brow, which was the same as a shout from someone else.

  Taking the look as a go ahead, she added, “Am I going to still be on the team?”

  His forehead creased as if she’d thrown him with her question. “You want out?”

  “No. No.” She scooted forward, leaning her arms on the table. “I just assumed … you know, with the way I screwed up, that you wouldn’t want me around anymore.”

  He eased back in his chair, eyeing her. “You learn your lesson?”

  Kelly nodded, hoping he didn’t see that she’d crossed her fingers. That made the big lie into a more manageable gulp.

  “Then you’re on the team.” Kelly released a breath of air, even as Stone added, “Still in the same situation though. You ready for the hard stuff?”

  “I’m more worried about what we will find.”

  “Such as?”

  “Deceit. Betrayal. Evil.”

  Stone canted his lips before saying. “Yet each man kills the thing he loves. Some do it with a bitter look. Some with a flattering word. The coward does it with a kiss. The brave man with a sword.”

  “Sounds like poetry.”

  “Oscar Wilde. The Ballad of Reading Gaol.” He nodded to the waiter to bring the check before he speared Kelly with a hard glance. “You ready to be the brave man?”

  The one with the sword? She straightened her shoulders. She’d been given a second chance and she wasn’t going to blow it. She might be keeping her doubts to herself, for now. “If being brave is what it’s going to take, I’ll do it.”

  “Count on it.” His look matched his tone. “The only thing I can guarantee.”

  Kelly didn’t say anything. What could she say? Oh, good? Or maybe, bring it on, as Alex would have said? That wasn’t Kelly’s way. Slow, sure, and avoiding risk. That was more Kelly’s style even as she knew that was all about to change.

  “You heading up to meet with the team?” Stone asked a few moments later as they stood shoulder to shoulder on the busy sidewalk. An island of stillness among the swarms of tourists brushing past them.

  Kelly nodded.

  “Then watch your back,” he murmured, moving off before Kelly could ask him what he meant.

  Chapter Twelve

  Bran woke with a start, not realizing he’d dozed off. He pulled himself forward on the sofa, aware of the tug of muscles irritating his shoulder, but that was better than it had been. With a tentative finger, he pressed the area surrounding the gunshot wound, glad to see the healing spell he’d cast late last night was working.

  As a mage he knew magic but normally didn’t use spell casting, not like a certain witch/shaman he knew. No, he preferred the human way of hard work and sweat. If he earned something, he wanted to make sure it was because of his efforts and not enchantment.

  The wound wasn’t completely healed but better, good enough he could gently raise and stretch his arm. Yes, a definite improvement.

  A quick glance around reassured him he was the only one in the warehouse. Willie must still be at Versailles. Francois was gone.

  What now?

  First step, something to eat. It’d been a full day yesterday without food and his body wasn’t happy about it. Next step, plan what to do to find Alex. Her father and brother were best kept in the tunnels for now. If Jeb Noziak needed to leave the safe house, his shifter abilities could follow his own scent, backtracking until they came topside.

  Bran would have to deal with both Jeb and Van soon but his first priority was to find the other Noziak. The one who drove him crazy.

  So, best way to locate Alex?

  As if conjured his cell phone buzzed, the number not familiar. He answered anyway, having been away from bu
siness long enough to expect a flood of calls needing his attention.

  What he didn’t expect was the man called Stone on the other end, Alex’s instructor from the IR Agency.

  “This Bran?” came the abrupt voice.

  “Oui.”

  “M.T. Stone here. We need to meet.”

  “Because?”

  “Because I want your help locating Alex Noziak.” Before Bran could tell him where to take his suggestion and shove it, her team had royally messed with her once, why should he trust them now, until Stone added, “And you just might need our help in avoiding the Council.”

  There was something to be said for blunt, straight-forwardness. The Americans took it to a new level but Bran could work with it. First, he wanted to make sure he wasn’t walking into a trap. “What makes you think I know something about Alex’s whereabouts?”

  “We have an eye witness who said she might not be dead.”

  “You sure?” The words escaped before he could pull them back. That and the increase of his heart rate. Alive? But why hadn’t she notified anyone? Or maybe she had, only it wasn’t him, in spite of what he’d done to safeguard her brother and father.

  Why wasn’t he surprised? He and Alex had a few trust issues. More than a few, but now wasn’t the time to linger on them.

  The pause on the other end of the line told him Stone caught the mixed emotions simmering beneath Bran’s words. Still, Stone was all business as he answered, “I trust my source.”

  “So where is Miss Noziak?” Bran demanded. Stone wasn’t the only one who could be abrupt.

  “Let’s talk.” Then before Bran could point out they were talking, the other man lowered his voice. “I don’t trust the phones.”

  Valid point. Bran wondered if the issues were on Stone’s end or Bran’s. Focus on what mattered now. “Tulieres, near the Café de Pomone. One hour.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  So would Bran, in spite of the fact he’d seen the IR Agency break faith with Alex by revealing her father’s role in her imprisonment a year ago. Now they wanted to find her? Why? And why hadn’t she sought them out?