Page 15 of Coming Up Aces

Asher’s phone rang. He dug it out of his back pocket, studied the screen, then answered, “Go ahead, Bishop.” Rayna used her shifter hearing to listen in.

“I’ve got an update on Fredrick Hanson. Up until four months ago, it appears the man was squeaky clean. Then a large sum of money was deposited into an offshore bank account inhis name. Henry Palamo is the one who uncovered the money. I’m good, but Henry is better. Speaking of Rhi’s father, Henry set up an algorithm to alert him if Spencer is seen on any CCTV cameras. So far, nothing.”

“Can Henry link the money to Spencer?”

“Not yet, but he’s working on it. I’ve already called Ryot. I’ll keep you posted with anything else we uncover.”

“Thanks, Brother.” Asher disconnected and tossed the phone on the island.

“Who’s Henry?” Rayna asked, not caring if he knew she had eavesdropped.

“He’s a Gargoyle down in New Atlanta. Lucy, the female I mentioned who used to work for the GIA, is mated to Tamian St. Claire who is also a Gargoyle, tying the families together.”

Rayna couldn’t imagine what a Gargoyle would even look like. “How many types of shifters are there?”

“No clue, honestly. We know of four now that I’ve met you, but there could be any number.”

Rayna tried to wrap her head around the fact that there were all types of creatures in the world interacting with humans daily. How many had she met and didn’t realize it? “If Lucy’s a Gryphon and her mate’s a Gargoyle, what will their children be?”

Asher thought about it, and when he found the answer, he was grinning. “Total badasses.”

Chapter Six

Ace

Ace did hisbest to put on a happy face thinking of Lucy being pregnant, the same as he did when he was around the twins or Daisy and Patrick. He understood what females meant when they said their biological clock was ticking. He’d admitted as much to Ripley’s mom, Regina, and she reminded him he could always foster kids or adopt. Ace had taken their talk to heart, and what no one knew, not even Regina or Ripley, was that Ace had begun looking into adoption. He had so much love to give, and while he’d prefer to have a biological child, he could adopt until that happened. If it happened. He’d all but given up on finding a mate.

“Are you okay?” Rayna asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.

“I am, but I’m also hungry. I skipped breakfast.” Ace moved to the refrigerator to see what he could pull together quickly. “How do you feel about chicken gnocchi?”

“If you tell me you use sundried tomatoes, I’ll be your best friend for life.”

“Then consider me your BFF,” Ace joked. As he gathered the ingredients, Rayna stood close and watched as he prepared their lunch.

Rayna sighed. “I need to tell Seth about Hanson. Since I’m hiding, he can be our eyes in the field.”

“He needs to be careful. Men like that will do anything to protect themselves. Just look at how far Josiah was willing to go. He either had plastic surgery or found a talented artist to create some type of prosthetic.” It reminded Ace of the masks the Gargoyles used.

“What do you mean?”

While Ace diced the chicken breasts, he explained, “Josiah changed his looks and called himself Jacob. After losing Rhi and David, Abraham was done with Josiah and told the guards to shoot him on sight. I’m not sure if Josiah thought gettingRhiannon back to Haven would return him to Abraham’s good graces or if he was just a narcissist who felt he was above it all.”

“What’s so special about Rhiannon?”

Ace sauteed the diced onions in the oil from the tomatoes, then added the chicken and spices. He stirred as he considered telling Rayna the truth.

“Asher, you can trust me. Glory was willing to kill Josiah to keep him from getting his hands on Rhiannon. I’ve never met the female, but I do know she has a baby, so that alone is enough for me to want to protect her. Children are precious, and there’s no way I could sit by while David or Abraham try to abduct her again.”

Ace added the gnocchi and some chicken broth, stirring it all together. He covered the pot to let it simmer. His beast urged him to trust the female, so he admitted, “Rhi has a gift. I’m not sure exactly how it works, but she explains it as channeling energy into something or someone to heal them. Josiah found out about her gift and exploited it. Those trackers that David implanted were more than locaters. When they were activated, Rhi would become semi-conscious. Josiah recruited humans with life-threatening diseases, promising he could heal them in exchange for their money. He would activate the chip in Rhi, then have her use her gift to heal the person, only she didn’t remember doing so. She would wake up having lost chunks of time. With David and Rhi gone, Josiah lost his income generators. He couldn’t control David, but he thought he could control Rhi. Rhi’s grandmother knows about her gift, therefore Abraham does as well.”

“And David said he wanted to protect Rhi? Bullshit.”

“Rhi’s grandmother wasn’t kind to her or her mother, saying since they were pagan, they were of the devil, but we both know how the men in The Ministry feel about women having an opinion. Josiah, and now Abraham, didn’t care where Rhi’sgift came from, only how they can use it.” Ace removed the lid, added the tomatoes, spinach, some heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. He stirred it all together, letting the sauce thicken. He opened one of the cabinets and removed two bowls. Rayna gathered forks, and when she opened the refrigerator, she asked if he wanted another beer. He did, so she grabbed him a bottle but chose a soda for herself. She took them to the island instead of to the table. Ace dished up the food and took the bowls to where she was sitting. He climbed on the stool next to hers and waited for her opinion.

Rayna blew across the food on her fork, and when she took the first bite, she moaned indecently. “So good,” she mumbled around a mouthful. After swallowing, she asked, “How did you learn to cook like this?”

“My dad did most of the cooking at home since my mom was like you and could burn toast no matter what the setting was. He taught me when I lived at home, and after he passed, I watched online videos. I also made some adlib meals where I threw whatever in a pot to see if it worked.”

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