Spectrum (Stone Society #14) - Faith Gibson Page 0,31
forward, studying the man who had his brother’s attention, and he listened in on their conversation.
“Sorry about Nonna. She never meets a stranger.”
“Oh, that’s no problem. I have two at home who are the same.” Cyrus stood and stretched out his hand. “Cyrus Gillespie.”
“Thomas Kinsey.”
“It’s a pleasure, Thomas.”
“I think the pleasure is mine.”
Nonna stepped between the two men, begging for attention. When they released their hands, Thomas ran a hand through his dark, windblown hair. “So, Cyrus. Do you live around here?”
“No. I’m visiting my brother. I live in Montana.”
Thomas smiled. “That explains the bare feet. You must be used to the cold.”
Cyrus grinned and shrugged. “I am, but this is my first time on a beach, and I couldn’t let the opportunity to feel the sand between my toes go to waste. What about you? Is one of these houses yours?”
“No. I’m visiting my sister. She lives in the fifth house down. Nonna is her dog, and I volunteered to take her for a walk. Would you like to join us?”
Cyrus glanced toward the house, and Zeke raised his bottle in agreement. “Yes. I’d like that.”
Zeke leaned his head back, smiling. Had Cyrus traveled all the way to California to find his mate? Time would tell. By the time Zeke finished off all the beer, Cyrus hadn’t returned, but Zeke wasn’t worried. He took the empties into the house and disposed of them in the recycling bin, then went to check on Stella.
Stella’s head was no longer pounding. Her eyes took in the bedroom, and she could see herself waking there every morning with Zeke by her side. Speaking of her sexy Gargoyle, she wondered where he had gotten off to, so she pushed back the covers and slung her legs over the side of the bed. When she caught sight of herself in the mirror above the dresser, she paused. Why was she wearing her clothes from the day she was attacked instead of her sweats? Stella didn’t remember changing back into them. Why would she have put them back on before washing them? She pulled the hem of the sweater out, studying the stain across the bottom. Was that blood?
Stella looked around the room, searching for her sweats. When she didn’t find them, she decided to change into something of Zeke’s. Opening the top drawer, she found it empty. They all were. Stella rushed to the closet and slung open the door. Empty hangers hooked over the bars on both sides of the large walk-in. What the hell? Was this not Zeke’s home? Even if it were a vacation house, there would have been evidence of him being there somewhere.
After closing the door, she padded into the attached bathroom. There were no toiletries. No toothbrushes or accessories lying about. No towels hanging on the bar. The shower curtain was pushed back revealing a spotless enclosure. “No, no, no.” Nothing about this scenario was right.
Stella made her way through the upstairs. Zeke hadn’t shown her any of the house before her nap. Every door opened into empty rooms. There was nothing but bare walls and spotless floors. Stella’s heart pounded harder with each second she spent searching for something. Some indication this house was lived in. She needed to calm down, so she took a few cleansing breaths, drawing on her yoga instruction. Stella walked over to the far wall where a curtainless window looked out over the back of the house. The waves rolled onto the sand as though they were furious. Stella had been on the beach during storms, but the sky wasn’t dark and ominous. She didn’t understand the science behind the tides or the way the water moved at the moon’s insistence. She had always enjoyed the beach without questioning its magical nature. It simply was.
Making her way downstairs, Stella didn’t hear any noise. No television. No voices. Zeke and Cyrus must be outside. When she reached the living room, Stella froze. “Bradley?”
“Hello, Beautiful.”
“Wh-what are you doing here?” Better yet, how had he found her?
“I’ve come to take you home where you belong.” Bradley was sitting in an armchair with an ankle crossed over the opposite knee. He was dressed in his usual khakis with a button-up shirt tucked in. His dark hair was gelled into place. What wasn’t normal we’re the splotches of blood dotting his otherwise pristine beige shirt and the long knife clutched in one hand.
“What did you do?” Stella looked around, searching for any sign of Zeke or Cyrus.