Dalakis Passion 4 - Eternal Brothers Read online

  family. What that meant, he wasn't sure, but he'd had to find out.

  Zane saw the man in question slinking out the side entrance of the garden,

  searching the darkness. So Cassidy sensed that someone was out here. It wouldn't do to

  underestimate this man. He was a good cop. Or at least he had been. Now Zane was no

  longer sure. Turning, he walked swiftly down the street, careful to keep to the shadows.

  He wouldn't learn much else tonight and wanted to return to his home to think.

  He'd tried to resist the temptation of returning to New Orleans, but it was no use.

  He had to know the truth, not only for his own sake, but also for the protection of the

  people of this city.

  And if the Dalakis brothers turned out to be what he feared they might be, then

  he'd be left with no choice.

  He'd have to kill them.

  Chapter One

  Sophia Daring had met informants at all hours of the day and night, and in some

  pretty unusual places, but this was bizarre even for her. She gazed around, trying to see

  through the gloom and the mist. Like in some low-budget B movie, the fog was

  hovering just above the ground. The dim glow from her flashlight barely cut through it.

  Normally she liked fog. Just not at three o'clock in the morning while standing just

  inside the gate at St. Louis No. 1 Cemetery.

  Okay, she could do this. After all, her last name wasn't Daring for nothing. She'd

  made her reputation by being tenacious and unafraid to go after the big story. Up until

  a couple years ago, she'd made her living by freelancing with the local paper and

  teaching writing classes at night. But Katrina had changed all that.

  As a journalist, she'd stayed behind with some police officers, following them

  through their days leading up to and following the devastating hurricane. Her work

  had been picked up by national and international news media. Ever since then, she'd

  been able to freelance fulltime. There was always a buyer for her work.

  Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to step away from the gate and walk

  deeper into the cemetery. Like nearly everyone else who lived in this city, she'd been

  here before, but always in the light of day. And boy did it ever look different. Tall,

  majestic statues rose like ghosts from the mists. The tombs loomed large--perfect places

  for someone to hide. The paths were uneven in spots and she had to watch her step. The

  last thing she wanted to do was to trip and sprain an ankle.

  A bead of sweat rolled down between her shoulder blades and she cursed herself

  for not insisting that the meeting take place somewhere else. Anywhere else! But the

  shrill ring of the phone had woken her and in her sleepy state, she'd barely had time to

  jot down the meeting place, let alone think to change it.

  The hoarse male voice on the other end of the line had assured her that what he had

  to show her was well worth her time. The story would be all over the news tomorrow

  and she'd have a jump on everyone else if she came now.

  Not for the first time, she cursed her competitive streak and her inner drive. The

  need to prove herself was always front and center and, more times than not, it got her

  into trouble.

  She shivered and pulled the lapels of her beige sweater closer around her. Tucking

  the flashlight beneath her arm, she reached into her large shoulder bag and pulled out a

  mini-recorder. She made sure it was on before slipping it back into the outside mesh

  pocket of her bag. It would tape any conversation so she could refer to it later, but it

  was also her preferred way of making notes. Talking out loud allowed her to capture

  her initial impressions of a scene or an event. She grasped the smooth end of the

  flashlight again, for all the good it did her, and kept watch for the first landmark.

  The enormous white stone angel seemed to appear from out of the mist, hovering

  over her, warning her to turn back. Now she was just getting fanciful. Like a kid who'd

  watched a horror movie while her parents were away, she was freaking herself out. The

  dead couldn't hurt her. It was the living she had to worry about.

  Her sneakers barely made any noise against the gravel path as she turned left and

  kept going. The night air was chilly, but her jeans and sweater were keeping her warm.

  Still, a shiver raced down her spine and she stopped and listened. Had she heard

  something?

  "Hello? Is anyone there?" Even as she said it, she held her breath, not sure she

  really wanted an answer. Whoever else was here at this time of night, she didn't think

  she really wanted to talk to them.

  Her informant had told her that he would be long gone by the time she got here.

  Still, she was hopeful that he might be hanging around. Whoever he was, he wasn't one

  of her regular snitches. She hadn't recognized his voice at all. When she'd asked him

  why he'd called her, he'd replied, "Because you won't be afraid to search for the truth."

  Sometimes she cursed her newfound reputation.

  She glanced down at her watch, using her flashlight to read the hands. She'd been

  here five minutes, even though it felt more like an hour. "The quicker done, the quicker

  you can go home and crawl back into your comfortable bed," she muttered. Not that

  she was sleeping much these days. The past two years, she'd become something of an

  insomniac, awake most of the night and napping during the day--an occupational

  hazard of her chosen profession. Then there were the dreams.

  When she did sleep, her dreams were filled with strange, erotic images that left her

  hot and bothered when she awoke. More than one night she'd woke in a pool of sweat

  and longing, reaching out to a phantom lover who wasn't really there. She had to get

  out more. It was probably her psyche reminding her that she hadn't even been on a date

  in almost three years. But relationships were way too much trouble and Sophia had

  gotten burned more than once. She'd stick with her dreams and her trusty vibrator,

  thank you very much.

  She heard a slight rustling in the distance as she crept forward. It was probably just

  a mouse or maybe a cat. What was it about cemeteries that made a person want to be

  quiet? It wasn't as if she could disturb anyone. Still, she wasn't taking any chances that

  someone else, of the living variety, was out there.

  A tingling began between her shoulder blades and the hair at her nape lifted. More

  shivers coasted down her arms and legs. She couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't

  alone.

  Stop it, she admonished herself. She was a grown woman, not some frightened

  child.

  According to her informant, she should be almost to the place he'd told her about.

  She just wished that he'd told her what it was she was looking for. He'd laughed when

  she'd asked, telling her that she wouldn't be able to miss it. That certainly wasn't

  encouraging. At this moment, her mind could conjure up all kinds of scenarios, none of

  them good.

  Panning the beam of her light around, she narrowed her gaze to search through the

  darkness. The weight of the flashlight gave her some comfort. If necessary, it could be

  used as a weapon.

  She was so intent on her search that she stumbled over something on the ground.

  Sophia pitched forward but managed to catch
herself before she ended up facedown in

  the dirt. She flicked the light over the ground, searching for whatever had tripped her.

  Whatever it was, it was better for her to move it so she didn't trip up again on her way

  out. The glow of the flashlight picked up a flash of color. The toe of her sneaker was no

  longer white. Red stained the leather. "Oh, shit."

  Sucking in a breath, she moved the trembling beam forward. The bottom of a pair

  of jeans came into view first. Biting her lower lip to keep from screaming, she shifted

  the light farther along the ground. Flesh came next. Definitely female, and she was

  naked from the waist up. Swallowing hard, Sophia kept going.

  The face came into view. The woman was young and quite pretty. Or she had been

  before someone had slit her throat. The gaping wound was obscene against the smooth

  paleness of her skin. Her eyes were wide open and her mouth was parted. Sophia could

  almost hear the young woman's screams as she pleaded for her life. Her arms had been

  splayed out by her side and both her wrists had been gashed wide open as well. She

  couldn't have been much more than twenty.

  A light breeze whipped up and the stench of death reached Sophia's nostrils. After

  covering Katrina, she was well aware of what death smelled like. The acrid scent was

  something you never truly forgot, something that never truly left you.

  Stumbling back, she was brought up solid against a headstone. Leaning over the

  side, she lost the contents of her stomach. For once, she was grateful she'd missed

  supper. Swiping her hand over her mouth, she leaned against the stone and

  concentrated on taking several deep breaths through her mouth and not her nose. The

  last thing she wanted was to breathe in more death through her nostrils.

  "Oh God. Oh God. Oh God." She didn't know if she was praying for the

  unfortunate soul on the ground or for herself because she knew as sure as she was

  standing here that she'd be seeing that young woman's face in her dreams for the rest of

  her life.

  Shoving her hand into her sweater pocket, she jerked out her cell phone and dialed.

  When the police dispatcher answered, Sophia quickly gave her name and location.

  Although the dispatcher wanted her to stay on the line, she hung up her phone and

  returned it to her pocket.

  The need to do something for this girl, anything at all, burned in her gut. She made

  a pledge then and there that she'd find out who murdered her in such a brutal fashion.

  Had the murderer been the one who called her? She'd have to turn over her answering

  machine tape to the police. After she'd made a copy for herself, of course.

  Forcing herself to move, she took a step closer to the body. She knew better than to

  compromise the crime scene, but she wanted to take notes before she forgot anything.

  Some people might find it morbid, but Sophia knew that the best way to help this

  woman was to bring her murderer to justice. Before the next day was gone, Sophia

  would know a lot more about this unknown woman. Their lives were now entwined

  and there was no changing that fact.

  Walking in a circle, she made note of how the victim was laid out, what she was

  and wasn't wearing, the wounds to the neck and wrists and the lack of blood on the

  ground. Even though her hands shook, she rummaged around in her bag until she

  found her digital camera and managed to take a few shots. Not that she'd ever forget

  this scene as long as she lived, but she didn't want to trust that her memory would

  retain all the little details. And one never knew when a tiny shred of evidence might

  make the difference in solving the crime. As she returned to the victim's feet, she saw a

  piece of paper sticking out from beneath her body. It fluttered in the breeze like a white

  banner, taunting her.

  Chewing on her bottom lip, she glanced at the path and then back at the body.

  Sirens were screaming in the distance and Sophia knew that within the next five

  minutes this cemetery would be teeming with cops and the forensic team and she'd be

  escorted away and interviewed. They'd never tell her what was on that note.

  Maybe it was nothing more than a piece of garbage. "Yeah, like you believe that,"

  she muttered as she gingerly stepped forward. Leaning down, she gripped the paper

  between the tips of two fingers and tugged. Sighing with relief when it came away

  easily, she took a step back and shone her flashlight on it.

  The paper was heavy vellum and the writing was stylized scrip. Certainly not

  garbage. It contained only two words. She read it twice, but it still made no sense.

  "Dalakis. Revenge." She said the words out loud. What did they mean? Which Dalakis

  did the note refer to and what did he want revenge for?

  Footsteps pounded on the path, jolting her back to the situation at hand. She knew

  she had to hand the piece of paper over to the police. It was the right thing, the only

  thing, to do. She was already in enough trouble as it was for moving it, probably

  ruining any fingerprints that might be on it. If nothing else, she'd contaminated the

  crime scene. Even as she reasoned it out, she knew she wouldn't do it. All her instincts

  were screaming at her to keep quiet about the note, at least for now. Her instincts had

  kept her alive in more than one dangerous situation and she trusted them now.

  Knowing it was wrong, even criminal, she shoved the paper into her pocket as she

  shone her light toward the shouts. "Here. I'm down here."

  The first officer to come into view glanced at her and then at the body spread across

  the ground. Luckily for her it was Robert Cuthbert, an officer she knew, or she might

  have found herself quickly arrested. "Daring." He propped his hands on his waist and

  glared at her. "I might have known it was you when dispatch said a woman had

  reported a dead body."

  Sophia shrugged. "What can I say? Some girls have all the fun." Her words were

  filled with bravado even as her stomach roiled.

  His gaze softened as he shook his head at her. The clearing filled up with

  professionals here to do their job, and now that she was no longer alone, her legs began

  to tremble and her head began to spin.

  Officer Cuthbert reached out and took her by the arm. "Why don't you come with

  me back to the station? We'll get you a cup of coffee and you can tell us how you came

  to be here."

  She tipped her head up to the night mist, letting it wash over her face. Her skin felt

  flushed and her stomach slightly ill. She definitely didn't want any coffee, but she'd

  have it all the same. They'd expect it of her. If she had any hope in hell of getting even

  the minutest of details from the cops, she'd have to act like the professional she

  professed to be.

  As they made their way back to the cemetery gate, Sophia took a deep breath. "It all

  started with a phone call."

  Zane stood several hundred feet away in the shadow of a large tomb and watched

  as the uniformed officer led the woman away. His fingers curled into the stone as pure,

  jealous rage washed over him. He wanted to rush over to the officer and rip his hand

  off the woman's arm.

  She belonged to him.

  He shook his head and forced himself to breathe. What the hell was the matter with

  him? She was
just an ordinary woman and one he'd never seen before. Why was she

  able to bring out these feelings of possessiveness in him?

  His eyes narrowed as he heard her speak. The sound of her voice washed over him,

  caressing his skin as it seeped into the very marrow of his bones. Every cell in his body

  went on alert, his muscles tightening painfully. His cock stirred and thickened, pressing

  against the zipper of his jeans. His instincts urged him to grab the woman and whisk

  her from this place of death, locking her away from the rest of the world. Lust pounded

  through his veins, a primal rhythm that threatened to overwhelm him. She was so

  much smaller than he was, her bones more slender and fragile.

  He needed to protect her.

  Releasing his death grip on the tombstone, he took a step back and scrubbed his

  hands over his face. Mist clung to his skin, making it feel clammy. He had to get control

  over himself. Whoever the woman was, she was obviously a danger to him. That meant

  he had to find out everything there was to know about her.

  That wouldn't be a problem. He wasn't without certain skills, plus he still had a lot

  of contacts on the police force. By dusk tomorrow night, he'd know everything there

  was to know about her. He'd figure out why she was here and how she was involved in

  this gruesome murder. Once that was done, he could dismiss her from his mind.

  Simple.

  He ignored the twinge in his gut that told him that it would be easier said than

  done. He watched as she vanished from view and had to force himself not to chase her.

  An emptiness grew deep inside him, making him ache in ways he never had before.

  Every instinct that he had was screaming at him not to let her disappear in the company

  of another man.

  Is this what his father had felt like when his mother had lost her mind? Zane

  wondered. Was it this overwhelming void that had driven his father mad, eventually

  turning him into a monster that had to be destroyed?

  Zane had seen what love and relationships could do to a man and he wanted no

  part of it. Whoever this woman was, he'd find out what he needed to know about her

  and then stay as far away from her as possible.

  Even as he finished that thought, his ears were still tuned to the woman in the

  distance. He listened hard, but he heard nothing but the sound of a car pulling away.