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  Stone Defender

  Book Three

  Gargoyles in Uniform

  Chris Redding

  ©2019 Chris Redding Author LLC

  Any resemblance to real person dead or alive or coincidental

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  Also, get a FREE COPY of my book

  Destiny of a Gargoyle

  (When Gargoyles Love Book One)

  …where it all began…

  Donal Foley was born in a time when magic ruled the Earth.

  Gargoyles protected fairies from goblins. His family was a group of elite gargoyles who were assigned to protect a specific fairy. His father’s dereliction of that duty cursed his sons to become stone and wait.

  Now reawakened in the twenty first century where no one believes in magic how is he going to convince his fairy that she is one and that she is in danger from a goblin?

  He must do that without falling in love with her.

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  Chapter One

  Herding cats would be easier than trying to get a room of creatives organized.

  Beth Swanson cringed against the cacophony of the group that was full of ideas, but not as much follow through. That was her job. Her role in this acting troupe was to organize them to raise money to buy this building. Otherwise they would need to find another place to put on plays.

  She sighed as she raised a hand and her voice over the din. “Can we concentrate?”

  Several of the people eyed her. Others looked down at the floor recognizing her “nurse” voice. This was why Beth liked Intensive Care Unit for her day job. Most of the patients were quiet. They also usually listened to her because she was the voice of authority. Here, she was just another actor in the group.

  “Go ahead, Beth,” someone finally said.

  “Are you all ready to listen?”

  There were nods around the room. “You all have great ideas, but we need to hone in on a few really good ones. Otherwise, we will be stretched too thin with manpower and won’t get anything done. Now I like the idea of busking. Make sure you are allowed to do that wherever you set up. Don’t go alone. Go in pairs or groups. This city can be scary at the end of the day.”

  There had been an increase in crime lately and Beth knew that some of the younger members felt invincible. They weren’t, and she didn’t want them to find out the hard way. They were all her responsibility since the last founding member had died a year ago.

  The actors had wandered around, not putting in a production until Beth stepped up. Someone had to and she always seemed to be the one to do it. No one took care of Beth. She took care of everyone else. That had probably been why her parents had steered her to nursing. It suited her, but it wasn’t her lifelong dream.

  No, she needed to pay the bills and nursing did that. She admired her co-workers who had seen it as some calling. Not that she put any less effort into her job, it just wasn’t what she dreamed about at night.

  This acting troupe was a stepping stone to making it big in the acting world. She hadn’t made any progress in the last year, but that was okay. She would. Eventually.

  “Now, about her play on-site.”

  There was a groan.

  “Do we have to do Shakespeare again?”

  A younger member in the front had asked the question.

  “It is a tradition and we make a lot of money from it. I don’t see any reason to change it for our big fundraising push. We need more money than ever to buy this building.”

  “There are other places,” someone piped up.

  A male voice. One of those full of ideas and no plan to make them come true. She glanced from one member to another. “We have a committee looking into that, but we’ve had no luck finding a place that will charge us minimum rent.”

  She’d been over this. She loved the idealism, but it didn’t get them any closer to the goal of buying the building. She shifted to sit on the edge of the stage. “Is there anyone that doesn’t have a task? We need to get some sets painted and minor chores to do with cleaning props.”

  A groan went through the group, but Beth knew they would all pitch in when necessary.

  “Do you really think we can buy this building?”

  “We’re going to try. What is our alternative? Do any of you want to disband? We can do this right now and save ourselves some time.”

  Beth knew that they wouldn’t. A lot of them had been part of another group that closed. She was part of the group that had been here from the start. She didn’t want to see the Downtown Players go the way of the dinosaur.

  She’d even done something she’d never done before. She’d put out a call to her parents. They could afford to donate enough to at least get them a down payment. Her phone buzzed in her back pocket. “Okay. Now let’s get to our jobs.”

  The actors rose from their auditorium seats and scattered to their different posts. Beth answered her phone as she walked to the outside door near the stage. She wanted to have this conversation in private. She’d confided in a few people that she might get them a down payment so she didn’t want to disappoint them. Her parents were a long shot.

  Still. They often indulged her when she really wanted something. She really wanted this building.

  “Hi Mom.”

  “Hi Beth.”

  Silence. That was not good. Her mother didn’t like confrontation so she always paused before she said something that Beth wouldn’t like. “Just spill it, Mom.”

  “Well your father and I have discussed your request and we can’t do it.”

  Beth slumped against the outside brick wall of the building. She’d truly hoped that her parents would support her dream, but they were too practical. “Why not?” she asked, even though she knew the answer.

  “You’re in your thirties now Beth. It’s time to get serious. Maybe you should go back to school to get your Master’s degree. We can pay for that.”

  Beth sighed. She didn’t want another degree. She wanted to be an actress. She only nursed to pay the bills. “That’s not what I want.”

  She carefully kept the whine out of her voice.

  “Beth it’s time to give up this dream. It isn’t going to make you happy. You aren’t going to be some famous actress. You need to settle down and think about a husband.”

  Ugh. A husband. That was the last thing she wanted. Another man telling her what to do. Right. Just what she needed. “Well, thank you for thinking about it. I’ll call you later, Mom.”

  She disconnected before her mother could go into a full-blown lecture. Beth rested the phone on her forehead, the weight of it all on her shoulders. Despite not having it any other way, it still sometimes took a toll on her.

  “You okay?”

  Beth jumped because she hadn’t heard anyone come up. That wasn’t good. Not good at all. Where were her city instincts? She shoved away from the building and looked up into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. “I’m fine. Thanks.”

  ***

  Trent Mulligan watched as the woman with the sparkling eyes walked back into the building he was here to check out. He’d beaten the real estate agent here so he leaned against his car that he’d parked in the alley next to the building. Looked like it had good bones.

  He would have an inspector look closer at it, but he liked it so far. Good location. There was a lot of foot traffic, something his bar could use. He hadn’t broached things with his partners, but he thought their pop-up nightclub needed a permanent home.

  The day had dawned nicely, but the humidity of the later afternoon hung between the buildings like a gauzy curtain. You could see through it, but you knew it was there. A thunderstorm would probably roll through in an hour or two and possibly cut the humidity. This was a normal August da
y in Philadelphia.

  His mind went back to the woman who had been leaning against the brick wall. He couldn’t tell if her eyes were blue or green or some combination. He loved women’s eyes. They said so much that the women didn’t.

  Not that he was in the market for a girlfriend. He had too much responsibility between Grotesque and his sisters always needing his help. It had been a few years since he’d done something completely for himself. Even finding Grotesque a permanent home wasn’t just for himself. Since several of his partners were starting families or had little ones, they could all use a more regular schedule and maybe even hire managers to run the place.

  Trent figured he, Ben and Pete would be running it themselves. He hadn’t even let them know what he was doing. Ben would go along. Pete would have a problem with everything. That was just Pete. He was their Eeyore.

  A Mercedes pulled in and parked behind his SUV. A man climbed out and flashed a blazingly white smile. “Trent?”

  “Yes. Chad?”

  They shook hands and Trent felt he was being measured. He wanted to laugh. If only this man who sold high end real estate in Philadelphia knew what Trent had seen during his time in the Army. He wouldn’t be wondering what kind of man he was doing business with.

  “Is this the first building you’ve considered?”

  The man tugged at his starched white collar. Trent had dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. He didn’t have anything to prove. He and his partners could afford to buy this building. “No, but it is the first one I’ve decided to visit. What can you tell me about it?”

  “The owner is ready to sell. It has a theatre in it that has been occupied by an acting troupe,” Chad said waving his hand. “They will move out.”

  “Where will they go?” Trent asked. He didn’t want to oust anyone of the current tenants, but there would be some renovations.

  This building had the best roof of all of the ones that Trent had done research on. Grotesque could use the roof and the top floor for their business. He would rent out the rest of the floors and leave the theatre how it was. If he had any say in it. His partners might want to use the space for something else.

  “I don’t know and that isn’t your problem. Their agreement does not transfer to the new owners.”

  Still. It didn’t sit well that the actors would be out once he owned the building. That was a concern for another day. He followed Chad inside which was a hub of activity. People worked on the stage while others clustered in groups among the seats. Chad didn’t lead him in there, but instead to an elevator in what was probably the lobby.

  The redhead Trent had seen outside was standing in said lobby when they entered it. She smiled at Trent, but walked away. She was adorable. Wavy red hair framed her round face. Under the light of the lobby her eyes looked blue. Why was he so obsessed with the color of her eyes?

  The elevator doors closed and Trent couldn’t shake the sadness in those gorgeous eyes. Was he taking something away from her by buying this building? He was sure they could come to an agreement.

  Even if his partners wouldn’t, he would. He was the moneyman behind Grotesque.

  The elevator doors opened onto the roof. “The place is up to code so in terms of that you’re good. What are you planning here?”

  That was truly none of Chad’s business. They all kept quiet about Grotesque, not wanting cops or any other government officials to get wind of it and bust them. “Multi-use.”

  “You were specific about the roof. You wanted it accessible. Helicopter?”

  “Something like that.”

  Chad landed a light-hearted punch to Trent’s arm. “You can tell me.”

  Trent looked down at where the man’s hand had landed then back at the man. He schooled his face, but was sure that Chad had seen some darkness in his stare. He didn’t liked to be touched.

  Chad took a step away. “Never mind.” His gaze swept the roof. “Will this do?”

  Trent took a moment to envision what they could do with the space. They would need some kind of retractable canopy to open up for rainy days. If it had metal then the rooftop bar would have to close during thunderstorms. One of which was rolling from the West as they spoke.

  They were a hazard to his business this time of year. Despite that, Deke had wanted to set up this weekend. “This might work.”

  Chapter Two

  Beth could hear the music from the townhouse when she disembarked from the Uber. She walked to the curb wishing she could look demure and sophisticated when she just prayed not to trip. The heels were borrowed from her neighbor who was a fashionista.

  Beth was not, but knew she would have to up her game if she expected to play with the big girls and boys in the world of professional acting. She’d been given an invitation and she hadn’t jumped at the idea at first. Important people in the movie industry were going to be here. In Philadelphia. There was going to be a new movie filmed here and she wanted in on it.

  The townhouse in Old City was two stories high. She glanced up at the lit windows and the outlines of masses of people gave her pause. She wasn’t a party person. She didn’t spend a lot of time in bars. Still. This was important according to the fellow actor who had given her the invitation. Sally wouldn’t steer her wrong.

  “Okay Beth. You can do this. You want this.”

  She strode up the steps to the front door. It opened before she could choose to knock. “Miss?”

  She looked up into eyes so dark she couldn’t see his pupils. She stared at him while he seemed to be in no hurry to let her in.

  “Your invitation?”

  “Oh.”

  She dug into her clutch and produced the postcard Sally had given her. The man nodded and moved out of the way to let her in. The music was even louder but the butler, as she decided he was, leaned closer to her. “The drinks are in the living room. The food in the dining room. The playground is downstairs.”

  Before she could ask what he meant by the playground he left her in the foyer. She blinked and tried to take it all in. On the wall in the foyer was the drawing of a white rabbit. Just a white rabbit in the woods. It seemed like a sweet scene, but it gave Beth the chills.

  She shook off her eerie feelings thinking maybe she was lightheaded. Dinner had been hours ago. Her stomach rumbled and she sought out the dining room. Bodies danced in both rooms that were connected to each other. Music pumped from speakers in the corner of each room. Her apartment could fit inside this living room.

  Having made her way to the food table, she paused and looked at it all. It was an odd assortment better suited for a kid’s Halloween party than an adult one. It turned her stomach and she chose some cheese and crackers. A safe option.

  “Hey,” a man said beside her.

  She looked up into the face of Kenny Rothschild. She stifled her gasp. He was a powerful man in Hollywood. He was also bankrolling the movie she was interested in getting an audition for.

  “Hi.”

  Great way to start. Beth wasn’t dazzling him with conversation for sure. He smiled down at her, his eyes a little glazed. Was he on something? She wanted nothing to do with drugs.

  “I haven’t seen you here before,” he said.

  He wore his shirt opened at the collar. No tie, but a blazer. Jeans that probably cost more than her month’s rent finished off the look. For some reason she got the sense he might be a creepy uncle, but she’d just met him so that wasn’t fair.

  “I’ve never been here before. Does someone host these parties often?”

  He chuckled as if she’d said something funny. “All over the world.”

  Beth stuck a piece of cheese in her mouth not knowing what else to say.

  “You’re an actress?”

  A safer topic. “Yes.”

  His gaze raked up and down her. She was older than most she knew. She’d spent a lot of years doing what she was supposed to and only decided about a year or two ago to become serious about her acting.

  “You’re old.”
r />   Wow. “So?”

  He laughed again. “I like your spunk and you haven’t thrown yourself at me yet. How about we get to a quieter place and take a meeting?”

  She blinked. Was this really happening? Then her radar went off. This was too easy. “Where?”

  He leaned closer. “There are offices in the basement for these meetings. Specially equipped.”

  Before she could ask what that meant, he moved away. Over his shoulder he said, “I’ll meet you downstairs in ten minutes.”

  He disappeared into the crowd leaving Beth wondering if she should find him in ten minutes or run screaming from this place. She chose to find the bathroom. Two girls were coming out of it giggling. They brushed past Beth as if she were inconsequential. Guess she was old in their eyes.

  She locked the door then turned to the mirror. She didn’t recognize herself actually. Too much make up, but this might be part of the life she was choosing. Washing her hands, she noticed a table behind her. On it were rows of a white powder. “Crap.”

  She frowned, wishing she hadn’t come here, but with an impending meeting with a producer she couldn’t risk it. Leaving the bathroom, she squared her shoulders. There would be no casting couch for her. She would find another way if she could.

  The basement door was wide open and as she descended to the lower floor, the music became muted. As if someone had soundproofed it. This must be someone’s recording studio. At the bottom of the steps, she saw a hallway that extended probably to the front of the house. Only one door was open and she suspected that was where the producer was.

  Before she could enter Kenny cleared his throat. He was down the hallway in another door. She walked to him, not sure about this whole set up. She knew not to meet with a producer in a hotel room. This wasn’t much better.

  She entered an office. Kenny leaned against the desk, a smirk on his face. Her heart sped up. This wasn’t right, but he didn’t have a weapon and she couldn’t see any visible threat.

  “Sit down.”

  She shuffled over to the only chair in the room. It was short and her knees were bent at an uncomfortable angle. He moved closer to her. His hand was on his zipper. Oh. God.