Tempest - Kris Michaels Page 0,8

member of Stratus he could find. Hopefully, the trail would lead to the Fates. No, he wasn't okay. Okay wasn't a word in his vocabulary at this time. He stared at the stars and said, "I'm... changed."

"Who wouldn't be." Fury rocked for a bit longer. "Wheeler gave you a Go, with reservations. He thinks you've been doing the job too long. He'd rather you transfer or retire."

"Not fucking likely." Those bastards were his, whether or not his employer agreed.

A low evil chuckle rolled from the man next to him. "Unfinished business. One hell of a motivator."

"You would know."

"I would. I also knew when to walk away."

"I have that line set in stone. There is no grand plan here. It is simple. I take care of the woman who helped me, and I go after those who held me."

"Stratus and the Fates."

Fury put into words the targets he held in his mind. Hearing it from another's lips firmed the concrete determination to eliminate the evil they represented. It was useless to deny facts.

"Yes."

"For the record, I don't agree with Dr. Wheeler. I know what motivates people like us. I know where duty ends and personal vengeance starts, and I’m confident you know it, too. I don't believe you'll blur the lines––too much." Fury stood up and extended his hand. Tempest gripped it firmly. "Thanatos does not have the need to know, but the Fates have been coded. If you find them when you dismantle Stratus, take them down regardless of locality. If you need assistance, you know where I am. Whatever it takes."

Fury dropped off the porch and walked into the night. Tempest rose, leaned against the front porch post and stared into the gathering darkness. "As long as it takes," he whispered to the stars in the heavens.

There was a saying... revenge was a dish best served cold. He'd waited for almost three years, and Fury's parting comments had released the ties that bound him. It appeared today was a very cold day in hell, and the storm held at bay had been released. It was time to become the real Tempest again.

Chapter 3

Pilar Grantham sat quietly as she waited for Regina to finish. The determined jut of her mother's chin and sharp angled cut of her dark hair enhanced her mother's cold hazel eyes. Once again it struck her that she bore no resemblance to her mother. Absolutely none. She had sandy blonde hair, blue eyes and where her mother was stately and incredibly thin, she was smaller in stature, some would say petite, though she disagreed. No matter how much she worked out and watched what she ate, her form held more curve than the haute couture purchased for her was designed to contain. She wasn't exactly overweight, more curvy than overly plump, but she'd never be svelte like Regina.

She leaned back into the chair and stared through the massive window. The panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean was a priceless piece of art, framed by the hand carved crown molding which wreathed the thick, hurricane-resistant glass. Regina's presence in Florida was surprising. Her mother disdained heat and humidity which made the trek from the white marble inlaid corridors of her Upper East Side New York office a rarity. Her preference was for airconditioned hallways, minimum people, and maximum efficiency. On the surface, Regina Grantham ran a multi-national conglomerate and was a powerful woman, but she’d witnessed a side of her mother that chilled her to the bone.

Her mother sighed. "I am once again at a loss for what to do with you."

Pilar waited. Asking what Regina meant by the comment would only garner her scorn. It was a lesson she’d learned as a child, so she waited.

"It was my intent to have you join me in my business endeavors, not fight me at every turn."

Ah. Now she understood. "I'm your lawyer. You retain me to ensure you don't go to jail. The money was obtained through questionable channels. Once again there was no documentation indicating the decedent wanted to assign their fortune to you. I understand financial institutions are not authorized to go looking for heirs but removing all the funds from the accounts without the family's knowledge or consent is unconscionable."

Her mother shrugged. "The fact we have transferred the funds without FDIC inquiry should alleviate any concern."

"Actually, it concerns me more. Fortunately, I have the good sense not to ask how the feat was accomplished. If you continue in this fashion you will be sued, and