Page 23

CHAPTER

TWENTY-THREE

QUIN

“We’re five minutes out.” Jack was driving one of the vans Reuben had rented back to Dasselaar’s estate, and while we were on well-maintained roads, my stomach turned over and over like we were bouncing over rough terrain.

On one hand, I hated that Dimitri had insisted on coming with us, but on the other, I understood his need to see his sister safe. Nero had made one last-ditch effort to convince Dimitri that it would be better if he and I stayed behind, but the protest had fallen on deaf ears, both my mate’s and mine. I wasn’t letting my brothers go into the estate without me, and Dimitri would never let me go without him.

So here we were, both dressed all in black, on our way to rescue my mate’s sister.

Jack took the turn that led onto the service road and swore. From here we could see the front drive where two black vans exactly like the one we were in were parked.

“I don’t like this.” Cal was leaning forward in his seat, his eyes fixed on the vans in the front drive. “Someone else is here.”

“I’m working on the feed. Give me a second.” Felix’s fingers flew over his laptop, then he too swore. “Fuck. It’s Malveau.”

“What is Malveau doing here?” Nero asked the question out loud, though we were all thinking it.

“I don’t know. I can’t get audio, but it looks like three of Dasselaar’s men are down in the entryway and foyer.” Felix clicked to another screen. “I’m looking for Dasselaar, but he’s not one of the bodies.”

Dimitri shuddered next to me but kept his jaw set.

“That might be good for us.” Cal pulled out a gun and checked the magazine. “Maybe Malveau has taken out some of the trash for us.”

Nero grunted, his uncertainty conveyed in the guttural noise.

Jack pulled the van to a stop in the alcove near the kitchen where Hadrian had hidden the car the night before. It was hard to believe it had been less than twenty-four hours since I’d led Dimitri out of the darkened estate.

Nero pulled open the door and we all climbed out of the van.

Cal held out his hand, and I passed him the gun he’d given me. He double-checked the magazine, nodded, and handed it back. “Shoot anything that moves, Quinny. No one inside is a friend.”

“Except my sister.” Dimitri’s tone was tight, and standing as close as I was, I could feel him shaking. He had declined a weapon when Cal had offered because he didn’t know how to shoot. Cal promised to fix that at the first opportunity once we were all back in Seattle.

“Yes, right. Except your sister. Nobody shoot the sister.”

Jack and Nero nodded.

“Comms check.” Felix’s voice came through loud and clear and we took turns answering back. “Comms are good.”

“Everybody know where they’re going?” Jack asked, and we all responded in the affirmative. “Then let’s move.”

We followed on nearly silent feet as Jack led us to the concealed door and popped the lock. The hinges whined as the door swung open, and we silently walked inside. The pantry was a tight fit for all of us, but Jack found the door leading into the kitchen quickly and we spilled out into the empty space. Only the light over the large stainless steel sink was on, and the sun was hidden behind thick clouds so no light from outside penetrated through the windows.

Jack led the way through the kitchen and out into the hallway. From there, we diverged. Nero had the basement and old servants’ quarters. Jack had the first floor, Cal the second, and Dimitri and I had the third.

Using the stairs we’d found the night we broke into Dasselaar’s study, Dimitri and I climbed to the third floor.

“I’ve got Malveau.” Jack’s voice whispered over the comms. He must have moved closer because a second later, a smoothly accented voice spoke.

“Dasselaar, you know how much I hate to go back on a business arrangement, and when I shell out two hundred fifty-seven million dollars, I expect the merchandise I paid for to arrive as it should. So tell me, why was there no painting on the plane where it was to be delivered last night?”

Dasselaar sputtered, and Jack explained that one of Malveau’s men had a gun on him. Dasselaar’s voice shook when he responded. “I-I don’t know. The painting left here as promised. It was delivered to the airstrip, to the plane you specified.”

Malveau’s voice rose in volume as he slammed his hand against something hard. “You lie! The case was empty except for the frame. Where is the painting?”

“I swear I don’t know. I don’t know. But I will find out. I’ll find it.”

Dimitri and I had tucked ourselves away in the alcove at the top of the third-floor stairs, listening as Dasselaar begged.

Malveau had had enough. “It is too late. Your little bait and switch has already cost me a lucrative client, and there is nothing I hate more than losing money. Kill him. Kill them all.”

Rapid gunfire echoed through the comms and through the house so it felt like we were experiencing the assault in stereo. Moments later, the house went eerily quiet.

Dimitri and I stayed where we were, holding our breaths until Felix gave us the all clear.

“Malveau and the vans are gone. Jack, can you confirm Dasselaar is down?”

“Confirmed. I have two bear shifters and Dasselaar down in the study.”

“Status update, everyone.” Nero’s voice was firm and commanding, and we all checked in.

“We’re on the third floor.” Dimitri and I left the alcove and started opening doors. “All clear so far.”

“I could use a hand covering the first floor. Too many rooms.” Jack sounded a little out of breath like he’d been running.

“I’m coming to you. Quin, can you cover the second floor?”

“Yes. We’re almost done up here.”

“Good.” Nero swore. “I’ve got a lot of hidden rooms down here too. Felix, can you tell me where I’m at?”

Felix gave Nero directions as the rest of us continued searching for Athina. The last room left on the third floor was Dimitri’s old room. He stood in front of it, staring.

“Are you okay?”

He nodded. “It couldn’t be that easy, right? They wouldn’t have put her in the same room where they put me, would they?”

“Only one way to find out.”

Dimitri reached out and tried to turn the handle. “It’s locked.”

My heart rate picked up, wondering if that was a good sign. Since I’d picked the lock before, I made quick work of it this time, grabbing my gun from the waistband of my pants where I’d tucked it so I could have my hands free the second the lock clicked.

“Go ahead.” I nodded toward the door, and Dimitri pushed it open while I covered him.

The room was empty, and I saw Dimitri’s shoulders slump in defeat as I called the all clear for the third floor.

“Do you want to take anything with you?”

My mate shook his head. “You already rescued my sketchbook, which was the only thing that mattered to me and was mine. The clothes were Dasselaar’s. Little more than costumes to dress me up in when he needed me to be presentable.”

“Okay.”

Dimitri backed out of the room, leaving the door open, and we moved to the far end of the hall, to the back staircase to go down to the second floor.

“Ballrooms and this side of the house are clear. Quin, I’m coming to you.”

“We’re on the back stairs to the second floor now.”

“Roger.”

When we made it to the second-floor landing, I stopped. I heard someone down the hall on the front stairs. “Cal moves fast.”

But it wasn’t Cal I saw when we moved into the corridor, and I drew my gun, leveling it at the figure at the end of the hall.

“Dimitri!” Athina screamed and fought in Dasselaar’s hold when she saw her brother, but Dasselaar, who was bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound in his shoulder, held her tighter and pressed the barrel of his gun harder against her head.

“I want my property back,” Dasselaar snarled. He was looking at me, so I thought for a minute he was talking about Dimitri. “Where the fuck is the painting, Hunter?”

“Let her go, Dasselaar.”

“Put your gun down and tell me where the fucking painting is.”

“I don’t have it.”

Dasselaar scoffed. “Like hell. You think I let you into my house because I wanted you here? I’m not that stupid. When one of Juno Hunter’s grandsons appears on my doorstep at the exact same time the painting she spent her life looking for reappears, it was my only option for keeping an eye on you.”

“Let Athina go and I’ll tell you what I know.”

With the way Dasselaar was holding Dimitri’s sister, I couldn’t get a clean shot without risking her, but I didn’t lower my gun.

“No, I won’t be doing that.” His finger tightened on the trigger, and Dimitri gasped. Movement behind Dasselaar caught my eye, and I watched as Cal approached on silent feet, gun drawn and pointed at the back of Dasselaar’s head. I stepped in front of Dimitri, trying to shield him from what I knew was about to happen.

“Don’t you fucking move!” Dasselaar screamed, jerking Athina in his hold and making her cry out.

“The painting was a fake.” I was trying to buy time for Cal to get set to take the shot.

“No, it wasn’t. You saw. He proved it.” He gestured with the gun at where Dimitri stood behind me.

“It was a fake. Dimitri is my fated mate. His animal form won’t let him betray me, so he was able to make the painting seem like the real thing.”

Dasselaar put the gun back to Athina’s temple as tears ran down her face. “You’re lying.”

Cal was in position, and as he took aim, I turned and pulled Dimitri into me, hiding his face in my chest as the gunshot echoed around us.

“Dasselaar is down for good. Target is secure and unharmed.” Cal helped Athina to her feet, and the second she was steady, Dimitri ran to her and wrapped her in a crushing embrace, both of them sobbing as they hugged.

Tucking the gun back into my waistband, I approached my twin and wrapped him in a hug of my own. “Thank you.”

Cal shook his head against my cheek. “You’re my other half, Quinny. I’ll always have your back. Always.”

His words healed something that had felt broken between us for a long time, and I held on to him a little tighter, feeling his love through our twin bond in a way I hadn’t in a while. “I love you, Cal.”

“Love you too.”

We ended the hug with a back slap and stepped apart, Cal moving to corral Dimitri and Athina around Dasselaar’s body while I discreetly wiped at my stinging eyes.

“Let’s get the hell out of here.” We hustled down the stairs and met up with Nero and Jack.

Jack pulled Cal into a headlock. “You always get to have all the fun, sweetheart.”

Cal broke the hold and smacked a kiss on Jack’s lips. “It’s not my fault I’m the better shot.”

“I wasn’t even there to take a shot.”

“But you could have been had it not taken you so damn long to clear your side of the house.”

They dissolved into a steady stream of ridiculous banter as they walked ahead, leading us back to the kitchen.

Dimitri had his arm around Athina, but she turned to look at me. She was shorter than her brother by several inches, but she had the same glossy dark hair, wide brilliant green eyes, and flawless olive skin as her brother. Her features were a little finer, but like her brother, she was beautiful, even with bloodshot eyes now narrowed at me and tears still racing down her cheeks.

“Are you really Dima’s fated mate?” Her question caught me off guard.

“Yes.”

“Are you good enough for him?” She was little, but she was fierce, and I liked her immediately.

“Athina!” Dimitri hissed. “He just saved your life.”

She shrugged like that information was inconsequential, her attention never leaving my face. “I asked you a question. Are you good enough for my brother?”

“I don’t know, but I will try my best to be.”

Her face split into a wide smile. “That is good enough for me.” She held out her hand. “I am Athina Crysanthos. Thank you for saving my life.”

I took her offered hand. “Quin Hunter, and my pleasure.”

“Introductions later. We need to get out of here so Felix can wipe the security footage.” Nero shoved us through the pantry door, and for the second time in as many days, Dimitri and I emerged through the hidden entrance and climbed into the waiting van.