by T K Eldridge
Expect a call in a couple of weeks from Cardinal McKinsey. He’s the Dean of the College of Cardinals for the Vatican - and His Eminence is the current head of the Order. I don’t think I have to tell you to keep this all secret. Only you, Connor, and Emlen can share this information. I won’t tell you to not tell Connor - you have never kept secrets from each other, and I don’t expect you to start now.
Why are you getting this and not Connor? You’re the one the Seer saw as Emlen’s Garda. Connor is your Second - your backup and support in this task. Who was my Second? Your father.
I know you have a lot of questions that I can no longer answer. Use the resources I have given you and you will find the answers. I love you both as if you were my own sons. Emlen is important - don’t fail her like I did her mother.
Always, Your Uncle,
Joel DeSantis
Cullen sat back, the pages dropping to the table as he stared at his brother in silence.
“Holy shit,” Connor whispered, staring back. He picked up the pages and shuffled them before finding the last page with names and contact information for the Cardinal and the two security men before setting it all back down on the table.
“Magic? Seers? Fucking Knights Templar?” Cullen finally spoke. “What the actual fuck did we just read?”
Pulling out his phone, Connor tapped it for a few moments then looked up at him. “The names all check out. I don’t think this is some drunken rambling. I think it’s true.”
“Dad. We need to talk to Dad. If he knows about this, he can help. Right?”
Connor nodded. “Yeah, if we can convince him to talk about it. We’ll have to show him the letter and the other stuff. He’s supposed to be coming up for a couple of weeks with Mom at the end of the month. Maybe we can get them to come sooner.”
“I think we need to talk to him today - and not say anything to Em until we know more. She’s got enough on her plate right now,” Cullen said, picking up the ring and cufflinks and putting them back in the bag, then putting everything else into the box once more. “I guess that explains the photo of Joel with Camille and little Emlen.”
“Yeah, it does. Makes me wonder about all the photos of Joel with Em’s grandfather, though. If the lineage is through her father’s line, why was Joel friends with her mom’s father?” Connor mused as he reached for his now cold coffee.
Cullen glanced at the time on his phone and turned to slide the box and the messenger bag back into the hiding spot and clicked the door shut. “I want to go see Emlen.”
“Sounds good. I’ll call the folks and see if I can get them to come up sooner. I’ll use Joel’s memorial service as a reason why.”
“That’s in a couple of weeks, right?” Cullen asked as he cleaned up the breakfast mess and made sure he had his wallet and keys.
“Two weeks. Hopefully we can get Em settled here before that. You find the boat keys so we can take the ashes out into the harbor?”
“That’s the plan. I have the boat keys on my ring. Oh, and thank Tim again for driving my car here and bringing yours back. I barely remember him coming by I was so out of it last night.”
“He’s a good kid, but yeah, I got him a gift card for dinner at Moe’s. He can take his girl out with it,” Connor replied.
“Nice. Okay, call me when you find out what the folks are doing. I’m going to stop at the store and pick up a few things for Em, so she has something besides a hospital gown to wear. See you later,” Cullen called over his shoulder as he locked up and Connor drove away.
Cullen glanced around the deck and the cove where Joel’s boat was docked. It still felt weird to be here without Joel. Pulling his keys out, he got in his truck and headed on his way.
Chapter Eighteen
Emlen reclined in bed, reading on her phone when Cullen arrived, a duffel bag in one hand and a bag of food in the other. “Hey Emlen,” he offered as he set the stuff down and leaned over to brush a kiss to her cheek, “How’re you doing?”
“Bored out of my mind,” Emlen replied, smiling up at him. “What’s with all the stuff?”
He reached for the bag and started to unpack it. “Nurse said you were okay for solid food, so I got you your favorite muffins and coffee from the Main Street bakery.”
“My hero.” Em laughed and then winced, hand pressing to her side. “Ow, laughing hurts. Thank you.” She peeled open the muffin and started eating as Cullen pulled the duffel bag up beside her. “I picked you up a few things. I used the sizes of the clothes in your gym bag in your car. Figured you would feel better in something besides a hospital gown.”
Setting the muffin down and opening the bag wider, she blinked a few times and then looked up at him. “You’re amazing,” Em whispered and then spent a few moments looking at everything. “Help me up, please. I want to brush my teeth and put on something else.”
He got her into the bathroom and then waited to help her back onto the bed. She was walking on her own, but slow and stiff, and he smiled as he saw her come out in the lavender unicorn t-shirt nightgown and matching fuzzy socks. “Feel better?”
“Gods, yes. Much better, thank you.” She pointed at the unicorn. “Really though?” Her grin showed she was teasing him. “I’m not exactly a virgin.”
Cullen blushed as he tucked her back into the bed. “But you’re a rare treasure, so it seemed appropriate.”
Her heart stuttered a little at his words and she sighed inwardly, falling even more in love with the man every time he did something like this. “Doc says that I am doing well and can go home tomorrow as long as I come in twice a week for wound care. I did some checking around, there are cottages I can rent by the week on the other side of town.”
Cullen shook his head as he sat down beside the bed and took her hand. “Connor and I had a better idea. I had thought about you staying with me, but it’s too close to your place and too easy to find you there.” His voice dropped low and he leaned in more. “We cleaned up Joel’s place and think that would be best. You can be there and one of us can be with you, and make sure you’re safe.”
Emlen tipped her head, watching his face. “Even though the guy that shot us is dead, you still think I’m in danger?”
“Frankie Kyle, the guy that shot us, is not smart enough to have coordinated all of this. Someone else was pulling his strings. And we got a lot more information from a couple of letters Joel left behind that Connor is checking on before we share it. What do you say, you okay with staying at Joel’s for a bit?”
“I guess so. It makes sense. So, what kind of information?”
Cullen laughed. “I knew that would be the first thing you wanted to know. Connor’s calling our folks and seeing if they will come up earlier than they planned to attend Joel’s memorial service, and we can all talk to them then. I’ll tell you more later.” He glanced around the room before adding, “When we have more privacy.”
“You know that’s gonna drive me crazy now, right?” Emlen gave him a wry smile, picking up her second muffin to take a bite of the blueberry treat.
Reaching for the second cup of coffee in the tray, Cullen leaned back, smirking. “That’s the idea. Give you something else to obsess over.” His smile faded a bit and he sipped his coffee, watching her eat. “The fire and police departments have both locked down the scene at your house. Arson investigators and police are all over it. It could be a week or more before we are allowed to go back there. My place is just too close, and they’d look there anyway. That’s why we came up with Joel’s. No one would consider it, with him gone and it still keeps you close enough to stay involved. I’m glad you’re not fighting me on it. I don’t want to fight, I just want you safe. Ideally, I’d love to ship you to Europe or something where no one would look, but I’m too selfish.” He reached for one of her hands and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “I don’t want to be that far away from you.”
Emlen’s lips curled into a faint smile. “I’d like to see Europe with you sometime, but you’re right. Being
in the area means we can keep investigating.” She leaned back in the bed with her coffee, one hand still in Cullen’s grasp.
Cullen sat there, torn between his need to protect her and his desire to tell her what they knew. Or what they didn’t know but knew how to get the answers. Joel said he knew who it was that ordered the murder, but he didn’t give them a name - just said the Cardinal would call him. Patience was not something he had a large supply of when it came to Emlen.
“You’re awful quiet,” Emlen said after a few moments. “What’s going on?”
“Sorry, just lost in thought.” Cullen smiled at her. “I brought you cotton drawstring pants and loose shirts so there wouldn’t be pressure against your side. A couple of camisoles and sports bras and things like that.”
“I saw. That was sweet of you. I’ll pay you back when I get out of here.”
“No, you don’t have to pay me back. It wasn’t much, just wanted you to be comfortable. Brought you a couple of books from those authors you like too.”
“Much appreciated. There’s only so many games of Candy Crush a person can stand.” Em chuckled and set the coffee down, letting her head fall to the pillow and closing her eyes. “Stay with me for a little bit? I’m falling asleep, but it’s so nice having you here.”
“Of course, love. Sleep. I’ll watch over you for a bit.” Cullen leaned in and brushed a kiss to her lips before sitting back, still holding her hand. He watched as her breathing deepened and her body relaxed. He couldn’t get over how quickly she’d woven herself into his life. Oh, there had been other women, other ‘serious’ relationships - even one he considered marrying once - but he wanted what his parents have had for the last forty-five years and Sheila wouldn’t give him that, so he broke it off.
His mom always told him that he’d find love when he stopped looking for it. He’d have to tell her she was right. Lifting Emlen’s hand, he pressed a kiss to her fingers before settling it down on the bed. Leaning back, he picked up his coffee and absently sipped, rolling the bits of information around in his head. Still no call from His Eminence and he was getting antsy. Just then, his phone vibrated with an incoming call - it was Connor.
“Hey, Connor.”
“Hey, how’s Em?”
“Sleeping again, but she’s doing a lot better. They say she can leave tomorrow.”
“Let’s see if we can get her out tonight,” Connor replied, his voice tight. “In fact, I’ll make a few calls and you can bring her over tonight.”
“What happened?” Cullen asked, sitting up.
“Your house was broken into. Nothing taken that I can see, but all your papers were tossed, and your computer bag was shredded. Guess you hid the laptop?”
“Shit. Yeah, I did. It’s in the fold-out couch.”
“Nice. Okay, I’ll be sure to get it and your spare ammo. I’ve packed you a bag already. I’ll call you back soon,” Connor replied.
“Thanks, brother. Appreciate it,” Cullen said before they hung up. Running a hand through his hair, he rose and started cleaning up the room and packing up the bag they’d picked up for Emlen’s stuff. Once he was done, he sat again and watched her sleep. If that Cardinal didn’t call him in the next couple of days, he was going to try and track his number down himself.
Chapter Nineteen
It was late and the brothers sprawled in front of the empty fireplace, bottles of beer in hand. Emlen slept soundly in the back bedroom where they’d locked the storm shutters over the window. No one could get to her without a lot of noise or going through the two of them. For the first time in a long time, Cullen breathed a little easier. “Thanks for doing whatever you did to get her released early. I really appreciate it. I can actually feel the stress easing a bit.”
“Captain called, said the risk factors were increasing and if she was able to leave now instead of in twelve hours, it would be a personal favor. So, they let her go,” Connor spoke, voice thick with exhaustion.
“Go get some sleep, brother. I slept off and on at the hospital, so I’ll take first watch. I’ll wake you in about four hours for my turn.” Cull nodded at the stairs. “Go on. We need to stay alert.”
“Good idea. See you in a few,” Connor replied, not even arguing the point. He put the bottle down and stretched, stumbling a little towards the stairs. Cullen listened until he heard the old iron bed frame creak with his brother’s weight settling on it before he rose to walk to the front windows, peering out through the holes in the storm shutters. They had the house boarded up as if it were abandoned, their vehicles parked at a neighbor’s place in the trees. The only thing he’d seen moving out there were ducks and seagulls, but he couldn’t get rid of the feeling they were being watched. Tension curled along the back of his shoulders and he nearly jumped out of his skin when his phone vibrated. Fumbling in his pocket, he tugged it free and glanced at the screen. Unknown number. Lifting it to his ear, he tapped the button and spoke. “O’Brien here.”
“Is the Descendant doing well?” a rich baritone rumbled into the phone, a faint accent in the words.
“The who?” Cullen asked. “Who is this?”
“Cardinal McKinsey, at your service. You can call me Liam, for now. Formalities are for events, not between those who will, I assume, be working together. May I call you Cullen?”
It took him a minute to process before Cullen let out a breath and nodded as he spoke. “Yes, you may call me Cullen, Your Eminence.”
“Liam, please. Now, can you tell me if Emlen is doing well?”
“She’s sleeping upon release from the hospital. We, my brother and I, have her secured somewhere safe and are taking care of her.”
“At Garda Joel’s cottage, yes, I know. I have dispatched a team to assist in protection detail.”
“A what?” Cullen was surprised - and angry - yet, pleased that his feeling of being watched wasn’t some result of exhaustion, paranoia or all of the above. “Gee, good thing you called then. I’d hate to have shot someone, thinking they were an enemy.” Sarcasm was thick in his tone.
“We’ve been a bit busy, getting things set up on our end, since Garda Joel was murdered. He had contacted me just days before, informing me that you were selected and that he would be beginning your training. I’m sorry that that did not happen. You did get his letter though, yes?” The Cardinal paused before continuing. “Of course you did, you wouldn’t have known who I was if you did not. Trying to coordinate across the ocean is not as easy as it should be. Not when we have to be selective about whom we trust with certain information.”
Anger shivered through Cullen and he knew the Cardinal could hear it in his voice. “And we’ve been a bit busy here, trying to stay a step ahead of someone who clearly wants Emlen dead. We almost died the other night, and the three of us would have if my brother wasn’t so skilled. So, pardon me if I don’t think a fucking phone call is too much to expect.” Yeah, he probably shouldn’t be swearing to a priest, but he really couldn’t care less about that right now.
“I’m sorry, my son, that we weren’t aware of things sooner,” the Cardinal replied, voice even and calm. “Both you and Connor have done amazingly well with the situation, but it’s time we sat down and had a discussion.”
“And that’s a great idea, except I’m not leaving Emlen and she’s in no condition to travel.”
“Well, then. I guess it is providence that I will be docking near your hideout in the next thirty minutes. Don’t wake the girl, but it would be useful to have your brother included in the conversation. I’ll see you shortly.”
The call disconnected before Cullen could get another word out. It took every ounce of his self-control to keep from throwing the phone into the fireplace. A stifled sound of frustration blew past his lips and he turned to head up the stairs, stopping on the bottom step. Connor had only had a little over an hour’s sleep and this putz wasn’t about to show up in the next ten minutes, so Cullen decided to let Connor sleep until someone showed up. Retracing his steps, he headed int
o the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. He needed all of his senses on alert for this conversation.
Chapter Twenty
Liam, Cullen, Connor and three of the Cardinal’s escorts stood in the screen porch off to the side of Joel’s house. It was shielded by huge lilac bushes and the door to the inside left open so they could hear if Emlen called out. One of the escorts pulled cushions out of a storage bench and lay them on the chairs while they all held coffee mugs, waiting for the all clear from the group doing a circuit of the property to make sure they were safe - and alone.
Cullen stared at the Cardinal, taking in his pressed black slacks, polished combat boots and buttoned polo shirt beneath a light, black zip-front jacket. He was a fit man who carried himself with military precision. White hair in a crew cut, clean shaven, and bright blue eyes in a tanned face that showed the lines of a life spent carrying burdens not his own. Cullen guessed the man to be in his early sixties, but he moved like a man half his age.
When the all clear came back, the Cardinal sat and gestured to the brothers to sit as well. The other three stood around the space, eyes watchful, ears tuned to the chatter in an earbud tucked discreetly in place. “Thank you for taking the time to speak with me,” he began but Cullen raised a hand to stop him.
“First, let’s get something straight. This is our place. Joel left it to us. As a guest in our home, I expect you to be considerate and follow the rules.” Cullen fully expected him to behave, but it was always best to lay the cards on the table in a situation like this. His parents taught him the rules of hospitality, but Joel had instilled the strategic benefits such rules brought into play.
