Eden's Charms by Jaclyn Tracey Page B

knew, but you didn’t bother letting her family know she was in danger?” Payton took a step toward him.
    Jonah grabbed him by the shoulders. “Hold on.”
    Donovan answered, “I got to her first. So you can thank me for saving her from that psycho anytime now.”
    Raven strut to Donovan with the falsest smile she could muster. She looked him dead into his olive-colored eyes, and placed her fist there as hard as she could. Her vampiric strength careened him across the stables through a wooden gate landing him next to a mare.
    Donovan glanced upward to his assailant, his nose misaligned. “Aren’t you a rough little wench?”
    “You can go straight back to Hell, Donovan.” To Raven’s chagrin, she turned and left.
    “Savanah, Cherié , go with her. We’ll be in just as soon as we can figure out what to do with this mess.” André grabbed Jovan’s hand in passing and kissed her.
    Savanah whispered, “Be nice to Ethan, Pops. He may not be the brightest star, but I can feel it in my bones, he’s going to turn my dull life upside down.”
    “He’s off to a great start then, isn’t he? Go.” André hugged his daughter hard to him.
    “André, may I say something without getting clobbered yet again?”
    “Bugger off, Donovan. You knowingly placed our family in jeopardy. You, of all people knew what Raven went through, what Sinclair put her through. That’s the main reason we moved to the states. To get the hell away from his family.” André pulled up a spot on a bench, straw stuck to it better than cat hair to a black wool coat and dropped his head into his hands. “Where the hell’s my brother?”
    Donovan offered, “I did it to keep her safe. I knew Xanti wouldn’t get to her. He took some woman who looked like Raven. Xanti has no idea how to use his powers, and he kills without remorse. Just like dear old dad.”
    “So this other woman is, in all likelihood the poor mother of the child you were hoping to kidnap, Ethan?” Julian asked.
    Ethan went to argue the term kidnap, not at all liking the sound of it. Maestro made it sound so much easier on the ears. Total seduction. Semantics at this point. “Uh, yes.”
    André mumbled, “That also means that Xanti may not be as stupid as you make him out, if he was that close to her.”
    Julian bent at the waist and got right in Ethan’s face. “You do know, don’t you, that I’m calling the cops tonight and reporting an intruder.”
    Julian’s voice cut through Ethan harder than a silver semi-automatic could have. “Dammit, whatever your name is, Uncle Jules. It’s my death sentence. I’ll change in jail on the full moon, and then they’ll skin me alive. Have you seen it on TV? It’s incomprehensible. How can you do that to one of your own?”
    Julian closed the distance. “You are not mine. You are not one of my own. You came here with malicious intentions. Buddy, you’re lucky I don’t kill you myself.”
    When he was done barking at Ethan, Julian’s saliva dripped from Ethan’s face. Julian walked into his office located at the back of the stables.
    “When I don’t come home, Hell’s bells will ring,” Ethan yelled. “You are no longer safe here. In two days’ time this house will be leveled. The Maestro will personally see to it. And I can’t stop it.”
    André straightened and crossed his arms. Biceps bulged, biceps Ethan never achieved no matter how many hours he spent at the gym. Yeah, he was in great shape, but this guy could’ve put the movie star gone Governor of California to shame back in the day.
    “Ethan, you overestimate your net worth. Everyone is expendable. Guaranteed your Maestro won’t look for you because you will draw undo attention to him. You just became public enemy number one.”
    Julian stuck his head out of his office. “The authorities are on their way.”
    ****
    From a sofa in east Tim buck-two, an old man with sparse silver hair, trapped in a skeletal frame caught up on the current plays of the week