Fountain of Secrets (The Relic Seekers) (33 page)

“I think that’s proof. We’re looking for the Holy Grail. What we don’t know is whether the Blue Chalice is the grail. We haven’t seen it. But people are dying over it, so we have to assume it is.”

“We have to find the chalice before he does,” Nathan said. “If it’s not too late.”

“Assuming your attacker stole it, I’m surprised it wasn’t with the body,” Kendall said.

“I didn’t know it was missing, so I wasn’t looking for it,” Nathan said. “I didn’t have much time to look at anything. As soon as I saw his body, I heard the police coming. I almost didn’t get away in time.”

“We need to go back and search the area,” Kendall said. “If it’s not there, then the cops found it, or the killer already gave it to the Reaper.”

“Or Brandi accomplished her goal,” Jake said. “After what Marco said, I think Brandi might be right about destroying the relics. If they’re destroyed, there’s no threat of some egotistical maniac trying to use them.”

“We can’t destroy them,” Nathan said.

“We won’t,” Kendall said. “At least not until we see if they’re your cure.”

Nathan looked tired. “I don’t think it will be. Raphael said there was a way to get rid of this thing, but it would be complicated. It’s not likely I’ll just drink from the fountain and be cured.”

“But it keeps them young for… centuries,” Kendall said. “And Fergus thinks Raphael gave Marco some to drink before he escaped the mansion. He found a strange vial under the bed. Maybe it’ll cure you.”

Nathan’s face brightened. “Marco told me he hadn’t had the drink in a long time. I asked if he needed water, and he said not that kind.”

“You’ll be taking a risk,” Jake said. “We don’t know what the side effects might be.”

“Can they be any worse?” Nathan asked.

“Hell yeah. There are people who would kill to have what you have,” Jake said. “You’re like a superhero.”

“Superheroes don’t hurt people they…” He glanced at Kendall. “They don’t hurt their friends.”

“Maybe you need to control it. Like Kendall needs to control her gift.”

“Don’t look so self-righteous,” Nathan said. “You have your own issues, your own secrets too.”

“And we’re back to fighting.” She threw up her hands. “If you two don’t stop this pissing contest, I’m going to walk out of here and let you find the damned Fountain of Youth by yourselves. I could be at home on a date right now with a really hot guy instead of listening to you poke at each other like kids.”

Nathan and Jake turned their glares on her. “What hot date?” Nathan asked.

“The neighbor I told you about, the one who’s trying to get in her pants.
Todd
.” Jake made it sound like a curse word. “You want to date him after what we…” Jake looked at Nathan and stopped speaking.

“I didn’t say that—”

“You can’t date him,” Nathan said. “I haven’t finished checking him out.”

“My God. I don’t need you to do background checks on my dates,” Kendall said.

“Someone with your gift would be a target for crooks all over the world,” Nathan said. “If they find out what you can do, you’ll be on the run for the rest of your life.”

“He’s right,” Jake said. “Dating isn’t safe.” They were both looking at her with identical frowns, and she’d noticed for the first time that they looked a lot alike when they were both scruffy and wearing jeans. Maybe that explained her attraction to both. That thought just made her more irritated.

“Are you actually sitting there telling me that I’m not allowed to date?”

“Why do you need to date?” Nathan asked. “You haven’t been dating before.”

Kendall shook her head in bewilderment. “I can’t. You interrupt every date I try to go on.”

“Me?” Nathan asked, looking blank.

“Yes, you do. I want to date for the same reason everyone in the world dates.”

“Sex,” Jake said, his face set like stone.

“Not sex.” Not
just
sex. “Male companionship. Someone to talk to.”

“You have
us
…
me,
” Jake corrected, frowning at Nathan.

“You two don’t talk. You order,” she said. “You demand. I don’t like taking orders any more than you do, but I tolerate it because I lo… I respect you. I need more from a man than orders and demands disguised as protection.” She turned and walked toward the bathroom.

“Well hell,” Jake said as she closed the door. “She’s cranky. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was that time of the month.”

“How the bloody hell do you know it’s not?” Nathan asked.

Kendall opened the door and stuck her head out. “If you’re going to talk about someone behind her back, at least have the decency to whisper.” She slammed the door. If there were a window in here, she’d climb out and find the priest hole herself. When she’d calmed down enough to realize her outburst came just as much from frustration with the situation as from frustration with Jake and Nathan for their bickering, she walked out of the bathroom.

Nathan grabbed her and pulled her against the wall. She gaped at him. “There’s someone at the door,” he whispered.

“It’s probably Fergus,” she whispered back.

“No, he knows to knock once, then twice. Stay here.” Nathan eased toward the door, where Jake was already in place beside the door, gun drawn. On Jake’s signal, Nathan turned the knob and yanked the door open. Moving fast, Jake whirled, gun pointed.

“Hell.” He disappeared for two seconds and then appeared again, dragging Brandi with him, hand clamped over her mouth as she struggled. Then she saw Nathan, and her eyes widened with shock. She bit Jake’s hand. He cursed and let go.

Brandi tried to get to the door, but Jake stopped her. She stared at Nathan. “You’re dead.”

“So I’ve heard,” Nathan said.

“What are you?” She stepped behind Jake. “A vampire. Oh my God.”

“He’s strange,” Jake said. “But he’s not a vampire. I hope.”

Brandi stopped struggling. “But I saw you dead.”

“Were you dead?” Jake asked Nathan.

Nathan scowled. “Of course I wasn’t dead.”

“You never know. Raphael came back from the dead, and you both have the same eyes,” Jake said.

“Then who did I kill?” Brandi asked.

“The guy who attacked me,” Nathan said. “He hit me over the head with a bag.”

“The neighbor. It must have been him,” Brandi said. “He’s tall. And I couldn’t see his face in the dark.”

“Whose neighbor?” Kendall asked.

“Yours,” Brandi said. “Todd.”

T
ODD
’
S HERE?
H
E
’
S
dead?”

“He works for the Reaper,” Brandi said. “That’s who I warned you about.”

“Oh my God.” Kendall was stunned.

“Why didn’t you put that in the note?” Jake asked.

“I was in a hurry,” Brandi said. “And I wasn’t positive until afterward.”

“How do you know Todd?” Jake asked.

“I saw him at her apartment. He was watching her. Then I saw him here watching the house where you were staying.”

“I had no idea,” Kendall said. Maybe she should have. With her usual luck in the romance department, she should have known that his persistence was more than attraction. “That’s disappointing.”

“We told you dating was dangerous,” Nathan said.

Jake started to agree; then he frowned, probably recalling his request that she date him.

She’d never have a private life now. Heck, she wasn’t sure she wanted one.

“Must have been his camera outside your apartment,” Jake said.

“That means the Reaper is watching her,” Nathan said, his brows knitted together.

“That’s why I sensed something about my apartment when I touched Brandi’s letter.”

“Have you seen the Reaper?” Nathan asked.

Brandi shook her head. “No, but I heard Todd on the phone with him. He’s coming here, and he’s sending more men. He wants the chalice.”

“Did Todd have it?” Nathan asked. “It was stolen earlier.”

“I didn’t see it,” Brandi said.

“If he didn’t have it, the Reaper must have it,” Kendall said. “We’ve got to stop him. We’ll have to go to the priest—” She stopped. She didn’t trust Brandi yet.

“Exactly why did you come here?” Jake asked Brandi. “To confess to Nathan’s murder?”

She brushed at a smudge of dirt on her shirt. “I don’t have anywhere else to go. Someone broke into my room and took everything. I think it was Todd. I don’t even have my wallet.”

“You need a place to sleep?” Kendall asked. “You can sleep here.”

“Here?” Brandi looked at Nathan and frowned.

“He’s safe,” Jake said, “if you don’t startle him.”

Nathan gave her a dry look. “I promise I won’t kill you. Not tonight. I’m the one who should be worried. You said you’d kill anyone who gets in your way. I don’t want to be your second victim tonight.”

“I’m not going to kill you.” She gave Nathan a sarcastic smile. “At least not tonight. Besides, what chance would I have against a man with Jake’s skills and your and Kendall’s abilities?”

“Well, we have an agreement,” Kendall said. “No one kills anyone.”

“If you do,” Jake said to Brandi, “Raphael will hunt you down. He’s grown protective of Nathan.”

“Who’s Raphael?” Brandi asked.

“You think Nathan’s strange. Raphael’s a hell of a lot scarier,” Jake said. “How did you find us?”

“I knew they moved the guests from Little Saint Michael’s to the Abbey House. I was in the hall when Fergus left your room.”

“You can sleep on the sofa,” Kendall said.

“Where will Nathan sleep?” Jake asked.

“You think you’re sleeping in the bed?” Nathan asked.

“It’s my room,” Jake said. “And Kendall’s.”

“And where’s she supposed to sleep?” Nathan asked, his eyes narrowed.

“In the bed, where she’s been sleeping.”

“Like hell.”

“What’s your idea?” Jake asked. “All four of us pile up in the bed?”

“We can worry about sleeping arrangements later,” Kendall said. “Right now, we need to search the area for the chalice. Todd might have dropped it.”

“We can’t go until the cops leave,” Jake said.

“That could be hours,” Kendall said.

“We don’t want them to catch us in the area,” Jake said. “We’ll try again in a few hours. They should be gone by then.”

“I hope they didn’t find it,” Kendall said.

“We’d better get a couple hours’ sleep,” Jake said. “This might be our only chance.” He glanced at the bed.

“Brandi and I will take the bed,” Kendall said. “You two can share the sofa or go sleep with Fergus.”

“Fergus and Marco are already sharing a bed,” Jake said. “And I’m not leaving you alone, not with her.” He glanced at Nathan. “Not with anyone.”

“I’m not leaving either,” Nathan said.

“I don’t suppose I could borrow your shower… and some clean clothes?” Brandi asked Kendall.

They were about the same size, and Kendall didn’t want her parading around in front of Nathan and Jake with only a bathrobe. “Sure.”

While Brandi showered, Kendall, Nathan, and Jake discussed the priest hole. They agreed not to mention it to Brandi. They didn’t know if they could trust her yet. The plan was to split up when the cops left the area. Nathan and Brandi were more familiar with the murder scene, so they would look for the chalice. Kendall and Jake knew where the priest hole was, so they would see where it led.

By the time Brandi exited the bathroom, dressed in Kendall’s yoga pants and T-shirt, Nathan and Jake had made up a bed on the floor, having decided that the sofa wasn’t long enough for either of them. Brandi got into bed—as far from the men as possible—and lay down. Kendall climbed in while Jake and Nathan were still sorting out pillows.

“You got anything to sleep in?” Nathan asked.

“I don’t usually sleep in anything,” Jake said.

“I’m not sleeping next to you if you’re naked.”

“I’m wearing my underwear,” Jake said. “Why are you asking? You have your own clothes.”

“I didn’t bring anything to sleep in. I don’t wear pajamas.”

“You’re sleeping in underwear tonight.”

Both men stripped to their underwear after the lights were out. But they could still be seen by the light from the alarm clock. Kendall looked over at Brandi and saw her watching.

“You’re one lucky girl,” Brandi whispered. “I think.”

“You don’t have to live with them. Sometimes I’d trade them both for a good piece of fudge.”

Jake and Nathan each lay as far to the edge of the blanket as they could, but the soft jabs continued.

“See what I mean,” Kendall said. “They do this all the time.” Kendall didn’t expect to get any sleep. She wasn’t completely comfortable next to Brandi, but she felt somewhat better knowing Jake and Nathan were a few feet away. Brandi was right about Nathan and Jake being handy in a fight. She’d put them up against almost anything. She drifted off, thinking about the chalice and the priest hole and woke in the middle of the night to an empty bed. Her first thought was that Jake was missing. Then she remembered Jake and Nathan were on the floor. Brandi was the one missing. Kendall got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom. A hand grabbed her ankle.

“Where you going?” Jake asked, leaning on one arm.