Kaleb (Samuel's Pride Series) by Kathi S. Barton Page B

seconds before he finally spoke. Samuel didn’t have time for this shit.
    “I was wondering if you know of a Tania Thornton.” Samuel stopped breathing for a second and nearly told the man to fuck off when he continued. “She’s been missing for several weeks now and we’re looking for her in connection with the deaths of three other officers.”
    “You don’t say.” Samuel reached for Kaleb and hit a wall. Either the man was sleeping or blocking him. Either way, he needed him. Picking up his cell phone, he dialed him while speaking to the man on the other end of his house phone. “Who is she? Or you for that matter?”
    “Oh, I’m her boss. Captain Lyod Sweeney. Someone mentioned that she was staying at your clinic, and I wanted to confirm that.” Samuel finally hung up his phone and reached for Stephan when Kaleb didn’t answer. He nearly missed what Sweeney said. “Her fingerprints, you see, are coming up all over the crime scene.”
    “You do know it’s in the middle of the afternoon, don’t you? Whatever you want had better be—”
    “I’m on the phone with Sweeney, and he knows that Thor was at the clinic. He’s saying her prints are all over the crime scene. Not possible, I know, but I need you to see if they’re all right. I can’t contact Kaleb.” To the man on the phone he answered as quickly as he could. “I don’t know who you’re talking about, but if you need information about the patients at the clinic, I’m afraid that the law states that I don’t have to give you that. Even if I had it.”
    Stephan told him he’d go right now as Sweeney spoke. “It’s not nice to lie to the police. I’m a very powerful man, and I can rain trouble down on your head so quickly and so hard you’ll never see the light of day again. If you could have her call me, or better yet, come to the station house, I’d be very grateful.”
    “ Threatening me will get you nothing but your own shit ton of trouble, buddy. And even if I knew where she was, there is no fucking way that I’d tell her shit about you. You fucking call here again and I will—” Samuel looked up when Butler came into the room and sliced his fingers across his throat. Samuel knew he wanted him to hang up and simply put the receiver in the cradle. “What is it?”
    “The alarm , sir. It’s beeping. It’s saying that you’re being traced. Though why they’d trace a call that they made is beyond me, but I wanted you to know.” Samuel nodded and thanked his man. “I have heard from the missus that we’re to have guests this evening. Might I assume that this will be more than a social call?”
    “You can. Though for the record I’d very much like for it not to be at the table.” Butler nodded and smiled. “Do you think maybe we can have a meal that will have us all moaning and groaning about how good it is and not think about all this shit?”
    “I think that can be arranged. And my missus has had it in her head that we’re to have an apple pie, sir. And we’ve unearthed the ice cream maker as well. Would that suit you?” Samuel told him it would. “Very good, sir. I’ll see what I can put together for you tonight.”
    After Butler left , Samuel waited to hear from Stephan. No more than a few seconds later, Stephan, Kaleb, and Thor were standing in his office. Thor was not at all happy with any of them.
    “I said we would drive over. This rolling through the air like a sonic jet is not…Christ, I’m going to be sick.” When she took off running to the hallway, Kaleb followed her. Stephan sat in the chair across from his desk.
    “She’s pissed at me.” Samuel laughed. “I think it’s funny because she thinks she can yell at me and I’ll be sorry. All I can think about is how her face looked when I showed up in the bathroom with her and Kaleb.”
    “You went into their bathroom? Are you nuts?” Stephan shrugged and smiled. “She is going to kill you. You know that right?”
    “She might try , and I might