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An Excerpt From: ETERNAL BROTHERS
Copyright © N.J. WALTERS, 2007
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing,
Inc.
Zane
York let the shadows engulf him as he watched the Dalakis
family pile into several luxury vehicles and drive away. He’d thought he’d
be able to forget about them when he’d left New Orleans
almost three years ago and headed back to his beloved New York City.
God
knows he’d tried to forget about them. Although he was a big man, he had no
problem melding with the darkness. He was at home here in the night. It was
a trait that had served him well when he’d worked the night shift as a New Orleans police
detective. But he’d given up that job and had been back working in New York when
Katrina had hit the city. For a fleeting moment he’d considered returning
to his briefly adopted home but, in the end, he’d forced himself to stay
away. It was better for everyone, especially him.
But he
hadn’t been able to settle back into any kind of a life in New York. Questions
about the Dalakis brothers plagued him
constantly. Were they what he thought they were? He watched the headlights
of the vehicles disappear into the distance. Were they murderous vampires?
He
shook his head. They were the reason he’d moved to New Orleans in the first place. With his reputation
on the New York
police force, it had been no problem for him to get a job here. He’d
quickly gotten into the routine of his new life and watched the Dalakis family from a distance.
From
the outside, they seemed to be exactly what they proclaimed to be—a rich,
powerful family. But Zane had heard rumors and he’d followed up on them.
The
first whisper of real trouble had come when a woman had been assaulted in
an alleyway after witnessing a murder. Delight Deveraux
had escaped, but the men who’d attacked her had never been found, even
though there was quite a bit of blood in the alley and none of it belonged
to the woman.
Detectives
Sam Cassidy and his partner, Jean Gagnon, had been assigned to the case.
Zane had talked to both of them but had been unable to get much of anything
from Cassidy. Detective Gagnon was the weak link in that partnership and
Zane had had a much easier time getting information from him. All it had
taken was a few drinks at a local cop bar one evening and Gagnon had
spilled everything he’d known. Which, admittedly, hadn’t
been much at all.
There
was no doubt in Zane’s mind that Cassidy was the brains in that
partnership, which only proved that looks were
deceiving. Gagnon was smooth, polished and well-spoken, wearing his three-piece
designer suits while Cassidy, with his blue jeans and good ol’ boy attitude, was frequently overlooked.
Gagnon
had told him that Lucian Dalakis had been with
Delight Deveraux when they’d questioned her and
that his attitude had been very protective. Whether he’d been protecting
himself or Delight, Zane hadn’t been sure at the time. But now there was no
doubt in his mind that he’d been protecting his woman. The fact that they
were now married spoke volumes. However, it had also raised Zane’s
suspicions. What had happened to the men in the alleyway?
Then
there was the incident at The Club, a local hotspot, a short time later
when local crime lord Jethro Prince and his chief
enforcer, a man known only as Smith, were found murdered. Once again Sam
Cassidy had been on the scene and it was written off as hit from another
crime syndicate—a falling-out among thieves.
But
Zane hadn’t been convinced. He’d snooped around the streets and alleys
around the club and found a drug addict who remembered a large man with fancy
clothing and long black hair entering the club. No one inside the club
remembered seeing such a man. That had raised Zane’s hackles. The
description easily fit Lucian Dalakis.
He’d
dug further but had uncovered nothing. Worried about his preoccupation with
this family, he’d resigned his job and returned to New York. Then a new rumor had reached
his ears a few days ago. Sam Cassidy was now working for the Dalakis family. What that meant, he wasn’t sure, but
he’d had to find out.
Zane
saw the man in question slinking out the side entrance of the garden,
searching the darkness. So Cassidy sensed that someone was out here. It
wouldn’t do to underestimate this man. He was a good cop. Or at least he
had been. Now Zane was no longer sure. Turning, he walked swiftly down the
street, careful to keep to the shadows. He wouldn’t learn much else tonight
and wanted to return to his home to think.
He’d
tried to resist the temptation of returning to New Orleans, but it was no use. He had to
know the truth, not only for his own sake, but also for the protection of
the people of this city.
And if
the Dalakis brothers turned out to be what he
feared they might be, then he’d be left with no choice.
He’d
have to kill them.
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