The Darkest Gate Read Online Free

wine.
    “Hey there,” said a gruff voice from the hall. The officer had followed her into the building. “I have to ask you to step into the hallway. You’ll interfere with the investigation.”
    “Okay,” Elise said, letting the paper fall. “It’s just—all of this belongs to me.”
    He studied her with a round, sympathetic face. The badge on his chest said Fred Turner. “You better sit down before you fall down.”
    “I’m fine.”
    Ignoring her protestations, he took her elbow, and Elise bit the inside of her cheek trying not to strike him. “Come on, take a seat. I’ve been robbed before. I was twitching for weeks. Let me get you a cup of coffee.”
    Robbed. No, it wasn’t a robbery.
    It was a message.
    Elise sat on a chair in the lobby. She didn’t want to be inside the building anymore. Hell, she didn’t want to be in the state. Her nerves were ringing like a gong and everything was suddenly too loud, from her heartbeat to the footsteps down the hall.
    Was it Him? Had they been found?
    Her cell phone was in her hands before she realized what she was doing. She rubbed her thumb over the touchpad. James was number two on speed dial. He needed to know. They needed to pack, they needed to run—
    She took a steadying breath. No. If James and Elise had been found, it was too late to run.
    “Ma’am?”
    It took her a moment to focus on the speaker. Officer Turner had returned with a cup of coffee. She took it. “Thank you.”
    “Could I see your identification?” he asked. She handed her driver’s license to him. He scanned it with a confused furrow of his brow. “Your business is listed as being owned by ‘Bruce Kent.’”
    “I’ve filed the paperwork to operate under a pseudonym. It’s completely legal. I could show you the documentation, but everything burned.”
    “Why use a fake name?”
    She took her license back. “Do you think I set fire to my own office?”
    “You’re not a suspect. But considering what’s happened, I don’t think you’ll be leaving town for a few weeks. Right? If we need to interview you later and you’re gone, we’ll be concerned.”
    “I’ll be around,” she said, her voice dead.
    “Good.”
    Fred Turner left, and Elise took a slow sip of her coffee.
    Her hand was trembling.

II
    T he body thudded to the floor. A hand whipped the hood off of the man’s head, and he blinked at the sudden light. His bare skin pebbled with cold.
    A woman probed his torso for injury, pushing down the shorts that barely shielded his modesty, and then rolled him over to expose his arms. They were bound behind his back. His shoulder blades were red and irritated.
    Portia Redmond sniffed as she returned to her seat at the table.
    “It’s wearing an intake bracelet. You said your stock is clean.”
    Mr. Black leaned forward. He was dressed to minimize the physical signs of age, such as a slight paunch to his belly and a sloped back. His hair was wolf-white with accents of gray, and his eyes were blue, very blue, with no hint of warmth.
    “Is that an intake bracelet?” he asked, his voice a cool baritone.
    Portia’s spine straightened. “I think I would recognize the vehicle of my son’s death.”
    A man shifted behind Mr. Black as though to remind Portia of his presence. He was slightly younger than Mr. Black, although he was wiry instead of stocky, and his rust-colored hair was barely touched with white.
    There was a gun at his shoulder. He had removed the strap keeping it in the holster.
    Portia forced herself to relax.
    “Your son was an addict?” Mr. Black asked. “How old was he?”
    “Old enough that I couldn’t have another heir.”
    “What a shame. Miss Redmond—Portia—I don’t lie to my customers, particularly those as loyal as you.” He smoothed his wrinkled fingers over hers. “You asked for spirited, so I brought the most spirited. That kind of fire doesn’t come without cost. Controlling him can be… difficult.”
    “Lethe is a