“Indeed.”
“Did I say something wrong?” he asked.
Again, there was that perception she was thinking about earlier.
“No.”
He studied her for a long moment and she grabbed bits and pieces of his thoughts. He was trying to figure out if she were lying or not.
“I’m going to help Angus. I say we leave Wednesday, so we can be settled in by the weekend.”
“Sounds good.”
He started to walk out of the room, but he paused at the doorway. “What did Meghan mean about talking plans?”
“More than likely, we will have to gain access to the ruby in a less than legal way. If we find out where she is storing it, talking it over with Meghan and Maggie might help me formulate some kind of a plan.”
“Why would that be left up to you?”
“Because I’m the thief. You can help, but the M and M’s and I are good at this.”
He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn’t; instead, he nodded then slipped out of the room. Now that she was alone, she rose from the couch and wandered to the window and looked out over the lawn. She didn’t like the situation. She had been prepared to go into battle alone. Now, Fletcher was involved, and she didn’t want to risk any harm to the rest of the family.
“He will help you.”
She jumped at the sound of the small voice. She turned and found Jack standing in the doorway.
“What are you talking about, Jack?” she asked, a little harsher than she had expected.
Jack picked up on it, of course.
He hesitated, then walked over the thick carpets to her. He had a biscuit in his hand. He held it out for her and she smiled. It was the lemon cookies she loved.
“Thank you,” she said, taking the cookie from him. “Is there a reason you brought me this?”
“Because I love you.”
The easy way he said it made her heart melt. The boy was the sweetest part of Maggie, and her friend was raising him right. But, he was always crafty like his mum.
“I love you too, but I know that’s not all of it.”
He sighed, the sound almost made her laugh, but she didn’t for fear of hurting his feelings.
“I wanted to talk to you but Mommy said to leave you alone because you were talking to Fletcher. I said that it was important, then she got busy looking at the computer with Daddy, and then Fletcher showed up. So, I just guessed you weren’t busy.”
“I wasn’t. Just thinking.”
“About the quest, yes, but also about something else. Something that kind of scares you.”
“Yes.” She sat down on the biggest couch and patted the seat next to her. Serena carefully broke the cookie in half and handed a portion to him when he got situated.
“Thank you.”
“So, Jack, tell me what scares me?”
“Your quest.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
“Not the ruby. The woman. The one you think you have to kill.”
Her heart almost stuttered to a stop. “What?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to over listen, which is different than eavesdropping because sometimes people’s thoughts are hard to hear.”
That was true. It was something she should have been working with him on. Now, it was probably too late.
“If you trust him, he will always protect you.”
“Jack, even though I love to talk in riddles, and I truly enjoy when you do it, I’ve no idea what you’re jabbering about.”
“Fletcher. He will protect you. You can win the battle, defeat your enemy, and then you can get the ruby.”
She nodded, knowing it wasn’t true. There was a very good chance she would not return from her trip. “Of course.”
“Now you are just trying to pretend. I only wanted you to think about Fletcher and about trusting him.”
“Why is this important to you?”
He leaned closer. “I don’t want you to die, Rena.”
Again, her heart almost stopped. The fact that he knew everything and held onto the secret was amazing, but she had to worry that he would blurt it out to Maggie and Angus.
“I’m not going to die.”
“You will if you don’t trust him.” He looked up at her, his eyes watery with unshed tears. “Please promise me you will trust him. You must trust him with your thoughts.”
She wanted to say no. She wanted more than anything to deny Jack’s vision. Unfortunately, he was usually right about everything.
She nodded. “I will.”
“Good. Now, Logan promised to let me play with his paints.”
He stood, then without asking, or warning her, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. The sweet gesture stunned her, but he acted like it was not out of the ordinary. It wasn’t for a boy like Jack. Maggie was affectionate, as was the entire family. He might not be of their blood, but the McLennans treated him as though he was. He smiled and hurried out of the room.
“Was that Jack I just saw fly by?” Fletcher asked.
She nodded. “He wanted to tell me to trust you.”
“Good advice,” he said with a smile. He sat down on the coffee table. “Angus has quite a bit on the woman already, but I thought that we could get together after dinner to talk about it.”
“Good. I need to start preparing for the trip. I would say no more than a week stay?”
“Hopefully. I hate being away that long.”
Of course. Being stuck up there with her was probably going to hinder his social life. “I’ll start packing.”
“Now?”
She smiled. “Yes. I like being prepared.”
She rose. He grabbed her hand as she slipped past him, urging her to look at him.
“What?”
He said nothing for a long few moments. “You do know you can trust me, right?”
“Always.”
“Just like that?”
“One of the things that helped me survive in the system as a child was my uncanny ability to know a good or bad person right from the beginning. I could never really explain it, and at the time I didn’t know I was a faery. But it was there. You are good stock, Fletcher. You all are. I know I can trust you just as I know I can trust your cousins to protect my friends and Jack.”
He continued to stare up at her for a long moment. His gaze deepened. Then he nodded and released her hand.
Serena hurried away, her nerves frazzled and her body still humming from the brief contact. If they were there more than a week, there was a good chance she might lose the battle with her lust. She needed to keep her eyes on the prize. Get the ruby, kill McDougall. End of story.
Chapter Seven
Three days later, Serena stood in the foyer of the McLennan mansion and smiled as Anice offered her advice on their quest. The only female cousin always seemed to have her mind on how to break the curse. From what the others said, she was the driving force that found the diary and brought Phoebe into the family.
"Now, when you get there, I want you to scope out the area, but don't get too close. We don't want to freak the woman out."
"Of course not," Serena said, trying to keep from smiling. She did not want to hurt Anice's feelings, but it was unique to get instructions from a novice on how to case a potential mark.
Anice looked at her. "Oh, you really don't need my help."
"I always need help. I would be stupid not to accept help from someone so smart."
"But you know how to do this, right?"
She nodded. "But each mark is different."
Anice’s expression changed from embarrassed to interested in the blink of an eye.
"Is that right? Did you research them all differently?"
She nodded. "Initial research is usually the same, but it is much different with computers. When I started out, personal computers weren't around, so all research was usually done through contacts and visits to the library."
"Oh. Ohhhh. I had no idea how old you were, but
since you aren't completely human, I assumed that you would live longer than a mortal."
She nodded. "I’m not sure how long I will live. Half fae/half humans are not that common, so there isn’t much out there. My research is extensive, but I have never found an answer to that particular question."
"Anyway, if you see anything you need researched on the spot, message or call me. I'm going to work from home after tomorrow. I have some big meeting to head up about our new resorts."
"Why do you have to be at home to do that? Can't you be at work?"
Anice shook her head, then sighed. "I'm trying to avoid that man I told you about."
"Did he turn you down?"
"No. I just..." She straightened her shoulders. "I've been busy with this stuff."
Meaning the research on the McDougall woman and their quest. But Serena knew that wasn't really the truth.
"It's your choice, but you need to make that choice right now. Take a chance, or just let it go."
Anice nibbled on her bottom lip. The world saw a self-assured woman, one who ran a PR department that had to deal with the constant press inquiries about the McLennan family. She was that. Smart, beautiful, and funny. But beneath it was a woman who needed love. One that had kept herself away from any potential suitors for decades. People needed other people, even if for a night of love. Serena knew that.
"Make sure that your decision is about you and not about your family or your past. Make it about right now, Anice. You deserve to have someone in your life."
Anice studied her. "Do you go by that standard yourself?"
"We have different lives."
"How? We both hide secrets?" She opened her mouth but Anice shook her head. "No, I know better. You hide things, and that is your right. I'd be a bloody hypocrite if I expected you to be totally honest. But can you tell me that you don't have feelings for Fletcher?"
She glanced through the open door to where the car they were driving sat. The men in the family were packing it full of things they were sure to need. There was Fletcher doing his part, but also taking time to pay attention to Jack. The usually solemn boy was giggling.
She turned back to Anice. "I cannot, but it's complicated."
Anice smiled as she pulled her into a hug. "I think it's time that you take your own advice,” she whispered before letting Serena go. “Now, I have to get out there and make sure all those idiot men I love didn’t forget anything.”
Serena wanted to ask her what Anice thought was so important that all of them had to take part, but she didn’t. She had learned not to question the cousins. They definitely knew what they were about.
Her mind turned back to what Anice had said to her. Was it that simple? Just let things go and enjoy it. She knew there was a good chance that she wouldn’t return from this trip. She was ready to die to attain revenge. In the decades since the death of her parents and brother, she had never questioned the idea. It was what she needed to do to feel whole, the one thing that had kept her going throughout the years.
Now…there was Fletcher. She watched as he and Anice talked. The two were similar in appearance, as all the cousins were. But their mannerisms were different from the others. The twins seemed more in tune with each other, which made sense. Sharing a womb would make two people closer than those who just share genes. Fletcher said something, causing Anice to throw back her head and laugh. He was good at that. Diffusing a tense situation seemed to be his role in the family.
“Ms. Fay,” Belvidore said from behind her. She turned with a smile. The older gentleman seemed dedicated to the cousins. “I’ve packed some snacks for you and Sir Fletcher.” He held out a container. She spied her favorite lemon cookies.
“Thank you, sir.”
He blushed. “I’m just plain Belvidore, Ms. Fay.”
“Yes, but a man who thinks of the needs of others needs to be honored.”
“Of course.” He was still blushing as he handed the container to her. “Please be careful and watch over Sir Fletcher.”
“I will.”
He studied her for a long moment, then nodded.
“I guess we should join the others.”
He nodded again and waited for her to step through the doorway before following behind her. As they walked side by side, they said nothing, but she couldn’t get her mind off of Fletcher, and just what she would do about him.
* * *
Fletcher and Serena packed up the car. The rest of the family buzzed around offering advice and items for their trip. It was always like this when one of them left on something related to the curse. Now that they were so close, the excitement had risen to a new level, with Fletcher remembering the time when Angus went to New York looking for Maggie. They’d all felt as if they were missing a piece to the whole puzzle.
“Make sure you call us as soon as you get settled,” Phoebe said.
He nodded as he glanced over at his companion. She was a woman who would rather just do that. For her, traveling by car must seem so trivial. She was talking to her friends, their voices low, but he got the feeling they were giving her the same advice he had gotten. The entire family seemed worried that they be able to do this. It wasn't that they didn't believe they couldn't do it. It was more that they knew what the stakes were. They all did. And she was not going to gain a bloody thing for it.
“Fletcher?”
He looked at Phoebe. She was tired. It was easy to see that the next McLennan had been keeping her up, but he knew she worried. About the baby, about them...about everything. He leaned down and brushed his mouth over her cheek.
“Doona worry, Phoebe. We'll get that bloody ruby and get it back to you.”
“I'll text any other passages that I find. Anything that might help you.”
He nodded and stepped back.
“Let us know if you need any backup,” Callum said.
“We probably won't, but I will definitely keep you updated.”
He felt Serena’s presence before he saw her beside him. She moved so quietly, it was easy to see how she could get away with her thievery.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
She nodded and stepped close to Phoebe. Taking both her hands, she said,
“Your bairn need not worry. We will make sure to get that stone and return it.”
The finality of the words rung in his soul. He didn't know why she sounded so serious, or why it affected him the way it did, but he wanted to stop this. Stop it all. Panic set in. It wasn't a feeling he was accustomed to, not anymore. However, he felt as if her comments meant something more, something that he dreaded.
That she would leave.
“Let's go, Fletcher. We're chasing daylight.”
He blinked. “What?”
“I've been watching westerns lately and they say that a lot.”
The woman was always able to surprise him. “You're right. Let’s get on the road.”
The rest of the family called out their farewells and gathered around the car to wish them goodbye. She slipped into the passenger seat as he started the car. They were ambling down the road when she sighed.
“Something wrong?”
She shook her head. “Not really. Just, I'm going to miss my friends.”
“What?”
“I've enjoyed the last couple of months and being around them. Reminds me of our early days together.”
“You'll see them again soon. I hope we can take a week to get this thing rolling, grab the ruby, then return home.”
She said nothing to that, but looked out the window, as if she were worried she would miss something. There it was, that niggle at the back of his mind, making him wonder what this all meant for her.
“Why are you doing this?”
She pulled her attention away from the landscape to finally look at him. There was a sadness in her eyes that he could almost feel. “For my friends, and your family. None of you deserve this, especially that baby.”
“Ah.”
“Why?”
> “Why what?”
“Why do you want to know about that?”
“I was just thinking that we all had reasons for doing this, but you seem to be...well, different than the rest of us.”
She said nothing, and he looked over at her. She was looking out at the landscape again.
“What's wrong?”
“I know I'm different.”
“Yes, you are but then, you're talking to a man who is in his third century of living, so normal isn't what other people think of as normal.”
She glanced at him, the move almost coquettish, but he knew she didn't mean it that way. No, in this, she looked so young...almost innocent. What would it have been like to meet her years ago, before she'd been through so much? In that one little look, he caught a glimpse of that girl.
“I'm sorry. It's just that I was called different when I was younger. Being part Indian didn't help. Knowing that you were different not just in appearance but also in your soul is hard to deal with. It was especially hard to deal with on my own.”
Again, a small tidbit about her past captured him. She guarded so much of that, even from her friends from what he gathered.
“You grew up in homes?”
She nodded. “But, I didn't particularly do well in them. I tended to have problems and when puberty hit, it was worse.”
His blood turned cold. “What happened?”
She must have gathered his thoughts just by the tone in his voice. “Nothing as dire as assault, but faery folk come into their powers when you change over.”
“Good god, you have all of puberty to deal with, and then that?”
“And without anyone to tell me what was happening. It was horrible. I couldn't control just disappearing and then all the empathic issues. I had to shut myself down to deal with it. Otherwise, I could have gone quite mad.”
The thought of dealing with all of that and trying to block out other's feelings must have been a nightmare.
“Maggie and Meghan taught me it was okay to be different, as long as I used it to my advantage.”
“Is that why you always seem to keep to yourself?”
Fletcher: The Cursed Clan: Book 4 Page 7
