King of Tides (The Immortal Iron Brothers #3)

Chapter 15

Work Life

“ J enkins, I’m getting tired of seeing your face,” I say as I walk onto the crime scene.

I’ve been called to a restaurant downtown. It’s a nice place. Not somewhere I would think I’d be called to for a murder investigation. Yet here I am.

“I could say the same about you, Salvado, but yours is a lot prettier than mine,” he retorts.

I pat him on the shoulder and get serious. This is my last call of the night, hopefully. It’s the third crime scene of the shift.

“What do we have?”

“Male, gunshot wound to the head. Left dead in the freezer. Looks like he was dragged in there.

“The crew came in for prep. Halfway through service, one of them finds him in the icebox, chilling. No pun intended.”

“Ha, ha. Have we got an ID?”

“James Clarence. Thirty-two. The head chef. Brother-in-law of the owner.”

“Have we spoken to this brother-in-law?”

“Not yet. He’s on his way down.”

“No one found it odd that the head chef was MIA?”

“They said it’s nothing new. He had a habit of coming and going throughout the night. Sous-chef says he ran this place and one other uptown.”

“Got you.”

I move toward the freezer as I tug on a pair of gloves. I can already feel the cool air coming from the box. I only take two steps inside before finding the vic sitting with his eyes open.

He already looks frozen solid. His green eyes are lifeless but seem as if they’re staring right at me. I take a few more steps and squat before him.

“Damn, buddy. Who did you piss off?” I murmur.

Suddenly, I’m thrown into a vision. It’s like I’m stood back up and turned around, then placed back outside the door.

Instantly, I reach for the door in my mind to open it for Ardan to see my thoughts. I figure this would be easier than trying to explain later.

Though I’m in the vision, I can feel the pendant around my neck warming against my skin. Ardan’s agitation is also taking over my feelings. Something I didn’t know could happen.

I force myself to focus on the vision to see what I will learn about what happened here. At least, that’s what I hope will happen. I stand and watch as men in suits enter the kitchen as if they belong.

I know right away they don’t, as Candido and Pauly Ricci appear among the men, I get a bitter taste in my mouth. I think I can already tell what happened here.

“Oh boy, here we go. I’m telling you for the last time, Candido. I can’t move any more product for you through the restaurants. My brother-in-law found out and he’s ready to can my ass. If it weren’t for my sister, he would have,” the guy in the chef’s coat says.

I know it’s the vic from the freezer. He has the same dark hair and mohawk. He’s a tall guy with a broad build.

“Now see, that’s not going to work for me. I’m having trouble with distribution as it is. I can’t have my transport guys reneging on me too. Pauly, how do you think we should deal with this?

“I came for the box of clams you promised me. Not to do business,” Pauly says.

“That’s funny. I’m always doing business while you’re always stuffing your face. Bardo, let’s see if our friend understands the terms and conditions of our agreement,” Candido says as he waves forward a big blond dude.

The blond comes forward and rolls his neck from side to side then cracks his knuckles. He’s one big motherfucker. I’m taken aback when the chef knuckles up like he’s ready to take this dude on.

The blond swings, but the chef ducks and comes up with a right hook. He lands it, but the blond doesn’t even flinch.

I wince when the sound of his hand breaking reaches my ears. The blond grins as if he’s unfazed. The chef dances back as he cradles his hand to his chest.

“Damn,” I breathe.

“Ah, fuck it,” Candido says and pulls a gun, putting a bullet in the head of the chef.

“What the fuck, Candido?” Pauly growls. “What the fuck are you thinking? You can’t keep doing shit like this right now.”

“At least I’m doing something. What have you done since this bullshit started? Huh?”

“Whatever,” Pauly says shaking his head as he pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and dabs at his upper lip. “You’re losing control. We need to fix the real problem. I’m sure if you speak with them, there’s a solution.

“Fuck outa here. Are you listening to the shit coming out of your mouth? You have our only option. Now make sure she does what needs to be done,” Candido seethes.

“So I’m not getting those clams, huh?”

“If you don’t get the fuck out of my face,” Candido snaps. “Clean this shit up and find me someone to handle the shipments.”

“Boss, should we call the bikers to handle it?” one of the other guys says.

“Would I be here doing this shit if the bikers were an option right now? No, you fucking moron. I want you to clean this shit up,” Candido snarls.

“You all right, Detective Salvado?”

I come out of the vision and look up at the photographer standing over me. He’s looking back at me with concern in his eyes. I shake my head clear and stand to my full height.

“I’m fine,” I say after clearing my throat.

“We need to talk. That was a super I’ve been looking for,” Ardan growls in my head.

“Is he one of the brothers?”

“No, not anymore. He made his choice,” he says angrily.

“Why is he helping Candido?”

“That’s what I want to know. He shouldn’t be alive, let alone in this realm. When I find him, I’m putting him to ground where he should be.”

“I didn’t hear that.”

“He’s from my world. My world, my rules,” he says curtly.

“Well, what did he do?”

“That’s the boys’ uncle. He killed their parents.”

“Oh, in that case. Let’s find that bastard and nail Candido.”

Ardan

“Damn, it’s been a long day. Although, I’ll admit that wasn’t so bad,” Billy says as we ride up in the elevator from the clubhouse garage.

I’ve just emerged from the pendant. I haven’t been that cramped up in years. I’m already cramping myself into this human form. However, being in that pendant is a hell of a lot more restricting.

“You have an interesting work life, for sure. Why homicide?”

“Ricci tried to kill me, remember? I thought if he was willing to do it once, he would be willing to do it again and eventually I’d catch him in the act,” she says and pulls a face.

Candido is the last person I want to talk about. Once that ring returns from his finger, I’m going to kill him myself. I crowd her space, backing her into the corner of the elevator.

“When you’re here with me, none of that out there matters. It’s my job to make you forget,” I say as I grasp her throat and tip her head back with my thumb.

Her eyes fill with lust as she licks her lips. I dip my head and ghost my lips over hers. As I breathe her in, my groin tightens.

She shivers and leans into me. I take her lips as I’ve been wanting to since the last time I had a chance. She places her hand on my waist and lifts onto her toes.

“Fuck this,” I groan and teleport us from the elevator to our bedroom.

I now have her back pressed against the wall just inside the doorway. As she pants, I deliver hungry kisses down her neck and snake my hand beneath her shirt to cup her breast.

Returning my mouth to hers, I then deliver a searing kiss and allow my true breath to fill her mouth. Billy releases a throaty moan as she hops onto my waist and begins to grind into me. The second I think of making our clothes disappear so I can take her to bed, a mind link comes through.

“I feel you have returned, brother. We should talk. Taylor and Bradan were attacked earlier, ” Kendrick says, sounding exhausted which doesn’t happen often for us.

The last few days have taken a toll. I curse and pull away from Billy. She looks at me with such longing and want I almost tell Kendrick I’m busy.

“Are you in your office? I’ll be there in a moment.”

“I will be there by the time you arrive,” he says.

“Shit, I’ve drawn you a bath. Kendrick needs to see me. Go relax, I will return as soon as I can,” I say and peck her lips.

I don’t miss the disappointment that appears on her face. I feel the same way. However, I need to know what’s going on.

“Don’t take too long. I might fall asleep on you,” she says with a little grin.

I peck her lips again as I think of how I plan to wake her if she does. I want to get back before she finishes her bath and has time to fall asleep.

I have plans to lotion and massage her skin before I put her to bed myself. Her skin always looks so silky and soft. I want to become a part of the routine that keeps it that way.

I grow harder as I think of ways to add my lips and tongue to the process. Shaking the thoughts away, I leave before I don’t make it out of the room. I already know one more kiss will make it nearly impossible to part ways.

“What happened?” I ask Kendrick as we appear in his office at the same time.

“The hunters were at Taylor’s workplace. She wasn’t harmed, but we believe we should begin to train the women in combat along with their magic.”

“Did Bradan kill them?”

“No, getting Taylor to safety was his priority.”

“Makes sense.” I nod.

“Listen, I wanted to ask you something.”

Kendrick moves behind his desk and props his feet up. I move to take one of the chairs before it. Once I’m seated, he nods for me to continue.

“Have you noticed anything siren-like about Ray?”

“Yes, Reilly, Bradan, and I pointed it out yesterday. Why?”

“The little titans pointed it out and it clicked that Billy’s voice has the appeal of a siren. I’m noticing that while similar, each of our mates are unique. I’m just paying attention to what’s different and what’s alike.” I shrug.

“Not a bad idea.”

“The boys seemed to like her even after sensing she might be some type of siren. I found that interesting.”

“I heard they were here. How are they? Have there been any incidents?”

“None lately. Speaking of which. Billy had a vision while at a crime scene. She let me in to view it with her. Bardo was with Ricci,” I say the last few words tightly.

“You’re fucking kidding me, right?”

“No. Saw it with my own eyes. Seems like Candido is using him for muscle.”

“How the fuck did that happen when we couldn’t even locate the bastard for the last year?”

“I had the same question. I’m gonna put him to ground when I get my hands on him.”

“You’ll get no pushback from me. Anything else you need me to know?”

“Nothing I don’t have under control. I sent Kai with the boys for now. Rock has been at the warehouse helping Ocean.

“Amadeus is away, so I haven’t been able to get in touch with him yet. Other than that, the books are sovereign. All dues are in order and earnings have been high.”

“I’m not going to hold you, brother. I know you want to get back to your mate as much as I do. Let me know what you need to finally nail Bardo down, if anything.

“He shouldn’t be running loose. If I were you, I’d start with the assassin’s network. See if Kenji can give you any information.

“If Bardo is dealing with Ricci, that’s most likely where they met up. I want to deal with whoever made that connection happen,” Kendrick says.

“Should we go see Ricci about this?”

“I will kill Ricci if I see him again. He is barking up all the wrong trees. I say we allow him to hang himself on one.”

I snort and nod, although I want to be the one doing the hanging. However, Kendrick is right. At this rate, Candido is going to get himself killed.

There are reasons we bridged the gap between him and our world. We had to do his bidding and couldn’t harm him. All others, especially those in the underworld, will have no such obligation or hesitance when it comes to taking his life.

His problem, not ours.

“Good night, brother.”

“Good night, Ardan.”

We both vanish from his office to head our separate ways. I step into the bathroom of my room at the clubhouse to find my mate sitting in the bathtub. She has her head back and EarPods in her ears.

She looks so peaceful and gorgeous. This is how I’ve imagined her after work. In my tub, soaking as she allows the day to wash away.

I make my clothes disappear from my body and saunter toward the tub. Billy opens her eyes as I get to the edge of the sunken tub and enter. She bites back a smile and allows her gaze to roll over me.

I hold my arms out to my sides as if presenting myself. A crooked grin takes over my lips. Billy throws her head back as she laughs and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

“You think a lot of yourself, don’t you?”

“Have I disappointed yet?”

“No, you haven’t.”

She reaches behind her to drop her EarPods outside the tub. I sink into the water to sit. Reaching for her legs, I lift them to drape them over mine, then drag her to me by the back of her thighs.

Billy cups my face and brings her lips to mine as I turn my face up. As we settle into place, I take her mouth in a passionate kiss. Right as I get ready to bring her down on my length so she can sink down, I get another mind link.

“Ardan, you have to get here quick,” Kai says through the link.

“What’s going on?”

“We don’t know. The boys were sleeping and then ? —”

“Kai, Kai,” I shout through the link and receive no answer.

“What is it?” Billy asks as she searches my face.

“I have to go. Something is going on with Beck and Bourne.”

“Reilly, I need you to come with me to the oasis. Something is happening with the boys.” I mind-link my brother, knowing I might need his help.

Lifting Billy from my lap, I place her beside me and go to stand. She reaches for my forearm causing me to look down at her. She has concern written all over her face.

“I want to come with you. Maybe I can help.”

“I don’t think so. You have no idea what we’re dealing with here. You’re safer staying behind.”

“Please,” she says with pleading in her eyes.

I sigh and give a curt nod. If she’s going to be my queen, she will need to know the going ons of our people. I can feel her heart and that she only wants to make sure the boys are safe.

“Fine. Let’s move.”

We both climb from the bath, and I dress us. Grabbing her hand once we’re dressed, I teleport us to the main hall where Reilly is waiting for us. Together the three of us go through the portal I open up.

“Remember, they are children, but they are powerful. They will not appear as the little boys you saw. Stay behind me,” I warn Billy before we step through the other side.

When we step through to the oasis, my mouth falls open. Kai is lying on her side, bleeding out. Aalto has a sword drawn as he fights off an angry water titan.

“Fuck,” I growl.

The last thing I want to do is hurt the boys, but this has gotten out of hand. It’s not their fault. We haven’t figured out what’s causing these episodes.

“Billy, no,” I call out as she runs around me, headed for Kai to help her as she stirs and lifts her head.

Both boys turn their attention to her. Billy freezes in her tracks but she’s already out of my reach and in the line of their sight. They both go to throw water bolts right at Billy as they swiftly surround her.

“ Ben kral?m ,” I roar.