Embraced by Darkness(55)

And all with a hint of terror and fear lingering in their glassy eyes, as if their souls still abided nearby, waiting for help that never came.
My stomach roiled, and it was all I could do not to throw up. I’d seen some pretty damn gruesome things in my time, but somehow, this seemed far worse than anything else. These two had been taking their revenge for their father’s death for years and years. And in the process, had killed well over fifty women.
I turned and looked at Yohan. I don’t know what he saw in my eyes, but his face twisted in fear and he pushed backward with his legs, as if trying to get away from me. He slid on the flooring, but not very far.
“I’m human. I demand my time in court,” he screamed, spittle spraying from his lips. “You can’t shoot me.”
“That would work if I actually cared. But I don’t.”
I raised the gun and shot him, splattering his brains out the back of his head and across the floor.
It was easy. So easy.
Seemed I was more of a guardian—more like my brother—than I’d ever wanted to believe.
And right now, looking at their trophies on the wall, I didn’t damn well care.
I shifted shape to start healing my wounds, then threw the gun on Yohan’s remains and walked out of the room to find Rhoan before Jorn could.
Chapter 14
Rhoan took care of Jorn while I rang Jack from one of the phones in the house. He’d actually had a team out looking for us, having realized something was wrong when both of us failed to report in. It might be normal for me not to, but Rhoan always did. He was the good twin when it came to that sort of stuff. 
It took a good six hours for Jack’s cleanup team to get to the island, because, as I’d suspected, we’d been shipped up to the twin’s privately owned island off the Brisbane coast. The blackmailing business was obviously a well-paying one.
While Rhoan waited down near the dock for the boat, I went searching for our IDs and wallets. I not only found them, but Adrienne’s soul as well. She was waiting in the back of the house, close to a huge walk-in freezer where her body undoubtedly was. I didn’t go check. I had no need to see her flesh when her spirit was standing right in front of me.
You seem familiar, she said, her words running through my mind, as ethereal as her body, which merely hinted at red hair and gray eyes, and little else.
And yet there was a strength in her, a surety in her words, that I’d not found with other spirits. Especially other spirits who’d been dead for a while. Generally when I saw the older spirits, they were little more than wisps who had no shape and who could form no words. I wondered if it had anything to do with the psychic gifts she had in life, or perhaps even the fact that she’d known her death was coming, and had been prepared for it.
We share the same pack. I’m Riley.
My reply was somewhat reluctant. There was nothing to be gained by talking to her now, because there was nothing that I could do to help her. We’d stopped her killers and found her remains, so that she’d be scattered on home soil and her soul could rest in peace.
So why was she still here? What was keeping her bound to this earth?
Ah. I remember. My grandfather disliked you.
To put it mildly. Yes.
He sent you to rescue me?
He did. I didn’t make it in time, though. I’m sorry.
She smiled, though it was a warmth that washed across the air more than any real facial movement in the mist that was her body. Sometimes fate will not be derailed.
Very true. I hesitated. Is there something you would like me to do for you?
Tell Jodie I’m sorry. Tell her that I loved her, no matter how often it seemed that work was more important. She hesitated. And tell her not to join me too soon. She has a long, good life yet to lead.
If Jodie had her way, she’d be joining Adrienne in the afterlife as soon as possible. But perhaps Adrienne’s words would give her the courage to go on in this life. Can do.
And make sure my father obeys my will. Jodie is to have what is mine. Promise me you’ll make him give her what she’s due.
The grin that split my lips was decidedly nasty. I wondered if she would understand why. Wondered if she could even see it. I promise they won’t cheat Jodie out of a cent.
She sighed, and it was a sound filled with relief. Thank you.
Her words hung on the air as her image began to fade. Obviously, that had been the reason she’d been clinging to this existence. She’d wanted to take care of her lover.
Nice to know that love lingered even in the afterlife.
“Be happy, wherever you’re going, Adrienne,” I said, oddly wishing that I’d known her better. I had a feeling that she and I would have gotten along just fine.
Which was odd really, considering my overall hatred for her whole damn family. But then, I guess she’d been an outsider, just like me. Only her fault was her sexuality, not her parentage.
I left the room and the fading warmth of her presence, and went down to the dock to wait for the team with my brother.
It was another six hours before we finally stepped out of the terminal at Tullamarine. As Rhoan waved down a cab, I sucked in the cool evening air and felt an odd sense of peace run through me. Cold or not, this was home, and it felt good to be here.
It would feel even better once I had Kellen’s arms around me. But before I could go to him, I had a promise to fulfill. To do that, I needed to go back to the Directorate and start investigating. Threats wouldn’t bring Blake to heel. He’d lived with violence all his life, and it held no fear for him. Blackmail was a different story. And the pup who had listened unnoticed at too many doors knew more than a few pack secrets. Now that my grandfather was dead, I had no reason not to use them.The long shadows of night were creeping in as I walked up Miller Street, heading toward Brighton Beach. Houses worth more than I could ever imagine loomed around me, but my gaze barely left the main prize—a modern brick-and-glass house at the far end of the street.
Blake was inside. So were Patrin and Kye. The pack didn’t actually own the house. According to the records we’d found, it belonged to a judge who just happened to be one of Blake’s buddies. He was currently overseas on holidays, and had given Blake the run of his “beach hut.” I was betting he was also the reason Blake had gotten his hands on all the police files he’d sent to me.
“Okay, we’re set,” Rhoan said into my ear. “Liander’s wired into the security systems, and he’ll switch off all alarms and sensors at seven forty-five.”
I glanced at my watch. Five minutes to go. Perfect. “And positioning?”
“According to the infrared, we have two people on the ground floor, and two in the first-floor living area.”
Meaning the first-floor bedroom was free—exactly what I needed. I shifted my arm and let the thin white rope slide from my shoulder to my hand. The claw-hook was hanging out of my back pocket. I got it and began attaching it to the end of the rope. “So Kye and an unknown are keeping watch downstairs, and Blake and Patrin are upstairs.”
“I do so like it when a plan comes together.”
I smiled. “Have fun inside, brother.”
“You can bet on it.”
I stopped in the shadows of a wattle tree one house down from Blake’s, and scanned the area. No one was around, and none of the four men were visible through the windows of their house. Not that they’d see me once I wrapped the night around me.
I glanced at my watch again. Two minutes to go. I waited in the shadows, excitement and the bitter need to get revenge pulsing through me. When the minute hand finally clicked onto seven forty-five, I pulled the shadows around me, then leapt the fence and raced across the well-manicured garden, around to the bedroom balcony. One neat toss had the rope and hook over the balcony wall. I tested that it had snagged properly, then quickly climbed.
The balcony doors weren’t locked. Kye and his friend were obviously relying on the no-longer-working sensors and alarms to warn of intruders. I slipped through the doors and padded across the huge white-on-white bedroom. According to the floor plans we’d found, there was a parent retreat beyond the main bedroom, with the main living areas beyond that. I carefully opened the bedroom door and peered out. The retreat room was shadowed, but the door at the end was open, allowing a good glimpse of the main rooms beyond it. Patrin was sitting in a lounge chair, reading the Age. Blake wasn’t immediately in sight, but infrared told me he was sitting at the dining table, doing paperwork. 
I slipped out the door and raced across the room. The lights tore the shadows away from me the minute I entered the living room, but I was moving so fast they never had a chance to see me anyway. I grabbed Patrin by the scruff of the neck and hauled him upright. He barely had time to yelp a warning before I’d grabbed Blake, yanked him off his chair, and threw him across the room. As he bounced off a wall and slithered awkwardly to the floor, I switched my grip on Patrin, thrusting upward by the neck until his feet were off the floor. He was a big man and it took a lot of effort, but the sheer look of terror on his face made it all worthwhile.
“Consider this my final progress report, as well as a little warning,” I said, as Blake picked himself up off the ground. “We’ve found Adrienne’s body, and we’ve taken care of the men who killed her. Now I want you out of my life forever.”
“There’s no need for—”