Page 20 of The Death Dealer

“Everything’s fine. I, uh…”

“What’s going on? I recognize the hesitancy in your tone.” The sounds through their connection changed, indicating Simon had put him on speakerphone.

“Si, do you remember Dad’s dealings with a man named Gene Stockton?”

Evelyn Thorne-Blane, Simon’s new wife, joined their conversation. “Stockton? Why does that name sound familiar?”

“His file crossed my desk once, and I passed it off to you. We suspected he was a lesser player in a money-laundering scheme,” Simon replied.

“That’s right. Turned out he was clean,” Evelyn said.

“Clean?” Trevor rubbed the back of his neck and strolled down the hall to stare out at the inky night sky. “How the hell is that possible? I could swear Dad said he was part of Dutch’s organization.”

A few years ago, they’d discovered their father, Benjamin, was alive and in hiding from a mafia kingpin named Dutch. The man had been responsible for the death of their mother, Gloria, when Simon was still a child and Trevor was a young adult, freshly recruited by the Authority, like every generation before him. The Blane family members were Death Dealers, and the higher-ups liked to use them as glorified assassins for their magical causes.

Benjamin Blane, however, had different ideas.

Having infiltrated Dutch’s organization and taken the lives of the kingpin’s immediate family, he quit the business. Initially, the Authority tried to rehabilitate him, or, as Trevor preferred to call it, reprogram aka brainwash. But Ben had lost his nerve and refused to work with them again, sealing his fate. Trackers had been unable to find him, though, and to this day, Trevor didn’t understand how. The Authority employed the best of the best.

“No,” Evelyn said, drawing Trev back into their conversation. “Stockton was the only legitimate business contact Dutch had. His wife was obsessed with orchids, and Gene Stockton is a procurer of rare plants. Also, he’s a helluva business man. Trades in stocks.”

“In that case, why the armed guards on a disappearing island in the middle of nowhere?”

“Do you know how much some of those plants are worth on the black market?” Simon asked.

“Yeah, I forgot about that for a minute, but really, I couldn’t give two shits. I just needed to know he wasn’t part of Dutch’s organization.”

Evelyn laughed. “Well, you have your answer. Gene Stockton is legit.”

“Why does he need witches on his payroll?”

“Again, that goes back to his inventory,” she said. “He’d be a fool not to protect his investment.”

“I suppose.” Trevor sighed. “Si, do me a favor whenever you head to the office tomorrow, will you?”

“What’s that?”

He explained about the incident at the restaurant. “Please pull up any video footage around seven fifteen yesterday. See if you can get a plate and a name. I need to know who’s after Soleil.”

After he signed off, Trevor made one last visual sweep of the grounds through the window next to where he lingered. A small figure running across the grass caught his attention, and he peered closer. The girl appeared to be a young teenager, and her hair was cropped close to her scalp. Rail thin, it looked like a strong wind could knock her over if she wasn’t careful. Who was she? And why was she running around in the dark?

CHAPTER7

Trevor exited through the terrace doors, kicked off his shoes, and followed the dirt path the girl had used. When he caught up with her, she was sitting on the sand, which was still warm from earlier in the day. Her arms were clasped around her raised legs, and her chin rested on her up-drawn knees.

“You okay?” he asked gently, noting the flimsy little-girl nightgown and worrying it would provide no protection against the brisk sea air.

“Yeah.” Her gaze swept him, and she turned away dismissively. There was no real curiosity when she asked, “Who are you? Another doctor?”

“Doctor?”

“My dad keeps them coming, determined to find a cure.” Her voice was flat, as if she was disillusioned by life.

Why would someone as young as she feel that way?

“I’m not a doctor. My—” What? Companion? Friend? Mark? What was Soleil to him now?

The girl watched him closely. “Your what?”

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