The Soul Collector - By Tamela Quijas Page 0,49

read the various charges filed against the youths. The pair would've spent an outrageous amount of years behind bars all for doing what they did best, playing with computers and electronic equipment. Their arrest records noted the pair was arraigned on charges of hacking into a supposedly secure bank system and withdrawing huge amounts of cash for their personal use.

Lucien's encounter with the pair never appeared on court documents. Somehow, and she knew he would deny all knowledge; Lucien managed a deal that prevented the jail time. The youths had come under his tutelage, but their boss didn’t put a stop to them using their self-taught skills.

Instead, he directed the duo into a field where their skill granted them fame, not notoriety. Eva imagined, with their combined knowledge, the pair could adjust any paperwork required for travel.

Deborah, her kind features speculative, was another lost sheep drawn into the strange fold. She had been homeless, bordering on insanity, begging for money in New York's seedier sides of town. There had been a secreted report Lucien had interrupted a near rape and robbery, although the details of the actual event were unclear.

Whatever the deed, Deborah became part of NADGEL.

The Russian's New Jersey locales had been simple to locate, Eva admitted, but his past remained sketchy. Nikolai Rasmonitov sat at the furthest seat available in the room. Despite the heat, he still wore a heavy corduroy jacket and scuffed work boots, his dark hair in disarray. Even as she examined his rugged form, she noticed his eyes glowed with an unusual fire.

Where Lucien found the man, she didn't know. The secrets of Nikolai's past were his own, and she’d been unable to discover much else. All she did unearth was his origins were in some obscure location in deep Russia. He had purposely sought out the company of the paranormal team, his intense knowledge of ancient lore an immense boon to the group.

Brice Linton was something else, and Eva's soft heart went out to him. He had suffered three mini-strokes during numerous years of teaching at the university. The students, on occasion, had ridiculed his instructions and the years of cutbacks slashed his class funding in nearly half. Broken and downhearted when his walking papers were delivered, he lingered on the fringe of suicide, when his only so-called non-student stepped in.

NADGEL granted Brice a new lease on life. His knowledge supplied the group with believable solidity and he offered the group what Lucien couldn't…a sense of ease.

They had been alone in the world, and at the end of their rope before the founder of NADGEL entered their lives. Luke Angeles, as she discovered, was precisely what he denied.

He was their knight gallant.

“Mendelssohn House,” Lucien remained leaning against the far wall of the room as he spoke. Without saying the words, it was obvious he was attempting to redirect everyone to why they were in Florida.

“Yes, yes, Mendelssohn House.” The professor cleared his throat, catching the obvious meaning in his employer's tones. “The inhabitants have documented cases of wall rapping, voices….

….like mine

Reese interrupted, and she stopped herself from reeling about at his interruption. She lifted her pen and focused on her notes, her gaze intent.

“The house has a multitude of going-ons, as well as shadowy images revealing themselves.”

“In other words, the sightings are the norm for most sites,” Gil interjected, tossing a wad of paper across the table.

“Yes,” Brice nodded, his ever-slipping glasses sliding back to the tip of his nose.

“When do we begin, Boss Man?” Ethan questioned and twisted about in his seat.

“You can start the day after tomorrow.” Luke supplied easily, aware they all turned startled eyes toward him.

“Two days?”

“Consider this a vacation, of sorts.” Lucien pasted a congenial smile on his lips. “You’ve two days to enjoy Miami before I put you to work.”

“But?” Brice asked.

“Your day off is all at my expense, of course.”

A gathered mixture of happy sighs surrounded her.

“Is our boss granting us a Christmas holiday?” The Russian interposed and Luke nodded.

“You may consider the break as my gift.” He shoved away from the wall, and moved back to the windows. The room erupted with applause, laughter bursting from the younger group members.

“We’ll meet back here in two days, roughly,” Lucien interrupted, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I would say about three o'clock. That should give us plenty of time to gather our equipment.”

“What about prepping?” Gil inquired.

“Set up shouldn't take so long.” Luke continued without turning. “We’ve seven investigators on hand.”

“Seven?” Nikolai questioned. “There’s just the