She sighed. First the jewel, then her revenge.
* * *
The time arrived for them to leave and Fletcher paced the foyer. He thought the ladies, the M and M’s and Rena, had magick to help them get dressed and ready for something like this. Apparently, that took time too.
He could feel his palms sweating. He didn’t know why this seemed so important. Well, besides the fact that they were going after a ruby that could put them one step closer to salvation. It was something they had been fighting to solve for over a century now. They were so close and if he was the one to screw it up, he didn’t want to think about how horrible it would end for all of them, especially Phoebe and Callum. Since she had found that passage about the children of the Clan, they had all been a little more on edge.
And in the end, he knew most of it lay at his feet. Laire had sold them out, or her father had. Either way, their love had been false. He knew that now. Now that he knew he was in love with Rena.
“You seem deep in thought.”
He hadn’t heard her approach the stairs or start down them. When he turned, she was already halfway down.
Bloody hell, the woman was a vision. She was wearing a dress of red that matched the red in his plaid. Had she done that on purpose? Maybe. Her hair was a pile of curls on top of her head, while a few strands had been left to tempt him. Every time her head moved, something seemed to sparkle within her dark tresses. He realized there were little jewels embedded within her curls. The dress showed just enough of her breasts to be sexy but not too revealing. The silk fabric clung to her curves. What looked to be rubies dangled from her earlobes.
“Nothing to say?”
He blinked. “Sorry, but I don’t have any more blood in my brain, love. It’s hard to come up with words.”
She smiled. “Try.”
“Wow is all that hits me right now.”
She laughed, her happiness reaching out to him. He could have sworn it physically touched him. The nerves that had tied his stomach in knots seemed to loosen as the warm feeling spread through him.
“I can say that about you too. You do know how to wear a plaid, Fletcher.”
He held out his arm.
“Hold on. I need my wrap.”
She closed her eyes and held out her hands. A charge snapped in the air just before her wrap appeared on her hands.
“I’ll never get used to having two witches and a faery running around.”
She donned her wrap and this time, she slipped her arm through his.
“Let’s go.”
He nodded and opened the door. After she stepped out, he shut it behind him, locking it.
“Are you nervous?” he asked.
“Not about what I can accomplish tonight. I have always had belief in my ability.”
“To steal.”
She stopped as he opened the car door. “It was my way to survive. There isna a lot a woman like me can do, but I am good at it. I have absolute belief I can accomplish what we have to do tonight. There is just that layer of worry. I doona want to let down Phoebe or your family.”
He cupped her face. “We’ll get it done, love. Then we can run away to Greece.”
This time when she smiled, it didn’t reach her eyes. “Concentrate on tonight, and then we can worry about tomorrow.”
He nodded knowing that she was right. He waited for her to sit down, then he closed the door. She could worry about the job tonight, as he would, but tomorrow they would deal with them.
Chapter Fourteen
About an hour into the fundraiser, Serena was ready to scream. From the moment they arrived, they had to deal with people. Everyone seemingly wanted to spend time with a Lennon. Not surprising. The cousins were well known, but they kept a low profile and made only a few rare appearances. With the prettiest and most charming one out on display, the women were horrible. And if the blonde bitch now slobbering all over Fletcher didn’t get her bloody hands off him, she might live to regret it.
Fletcher tossed her a warning glance. She frowned at him.
He leaned down. “You know you’re the only lass for me, Rena,” he whispered. “Please don’t have angry thoughts about me because I can hear them.”
He pulled back as her eyes widened. He nodded as if confirming that he could hear her.
Bloody hell, she was in trouble. She didn’t know how he was hearing her thoughts. Was it because she was so worried about tonight? It wasn’t normal for her to be this anxious. Ever. But tonight was more important. This man was making her mental. For her entire life, she had planned for this moment. Now, though, she was worried if she had to choose, revenge would lose in the contest. When did she become so bloody soft? She couldn’t give up something that had been her sole purpose in life for decades because of a fling with a very sexy man. No matter how good he looked in that bloody kilt—because he did.
Fletcher sighed, and she felt a wave of calm wash over her. The irritation dissolved into warmth. She glanced at Fletcher, who showed no sign that he knew what he did.
“Did you do that?”
“What?”
She moved closer, so people could not hear them. “Did you send something out to calm me?”
He shrugged. “Not on purpose. I just wished that you would calm down.”
“I wasna out of control. And don’t tell me you can hear me.”
He turned his head and caught her gaze. “When you hurt, I hurt. I could feel it. Besides, why would I ever want another woman other than you?”
She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. There was no way for her to argue with him about that. It would be stupid. From the goofy smile, he knew it too.
“You think you’re smart, don’t you?”
“I know I am.”
“And how do you know that, Fletcher?”
“I was smart enough to fall in love with you.”
Her heartbeat raced at the look he was giving her now. It was as if no one else in the world was there. They were in a crowd of about five hundred, but it was as though they were alone. Life would be so simple if it was just the two of them, no ruby to get, no revenge to take. Just two people in love.
He cupped her face and brushed his thumb over her cheek.
“Why do you look so sad, love?”
She shook her head trying to battle back the tears she could feel threatening to fall. He opened his mouth but there was tinkling of harp strings. That had been used every time another item was to be displayed. They turned and this time it wasn’t for something to bid on. Instead, Aileen had the mic, the treacherous bitch.
She was dressed in white, probably on purpose. It looked good on her, accentuating her small frame, bringing out the brightness of her red hair. Her skin looked almost otherworldly…but of course it did. She was a bloody demon from hell.
“Hello, everyone. I wanted to direct you to the display in front of you. Many of you have already looked at it, but it is about to go back into the vault. One is a necklace from the eighteenth century, along with a few other items. I know a few of you were interested in the ruby. It isn’t particularly special in appearance. But I understand that it is from a Claymore. We are still researching it, but from what we have found, it is tied to Robert the Bruce.”
Both Serena and Fletcher stilled.
“Did she say...” Fletcher trailed off. “Bloody bitch. She knows.”
“Keep calm.”
“What?” he asked from behind clenched teeth.
“Keep calm. Listen, we need to pretend that we have no reason to suspect her. Also, it could be that they found out where it was from and not the connection to your family. It isn’t like it’s a secret that your family has the Claymore, but she doesn’t have to know that it is that particular Claymore.”
She grabbed his hand and tugged him through the crowd to the hallway. It was pretty deserted, so she felt safe enough there. “We’ll act like we don’t know what she’s talking about. Stick to the plan,” she said as she watched the people gather a
round the display.
“We have to take it back to the vault due to insurance issues. Apparently, the other items that are coming out for the auction are worth too much to have in the same room as this during a gathering. So, please make sure to get a look,” Aileen said. “They leave in ten minutes. Then we will bring the next round of things out.”
“There. Once they take it back to the vault, we go with our plan.”
“But—”
“No. We go on with our plans.”
He glanced over her head to the ballroom. His gaze fixed and hardened.
“Fletcher.”
He looked down at her. “What?”
This was the broody man who had avoided her for a few weeks. “I have experience with this. Let me handle it.”
He drew in a deep breath, and she could feel the energy around him calm.
“Now, help me mess up my hair a little.”
“What?”
“Just in case she really is on to our plan, we need her to think we stole away a few moments for something other than a planning session.”
He eyed her. “You’re quite devious.”
“You have no idea.”
After they tugged a few more curls down, she grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and pulled him down for a kiss. She just wanted to get a witness or two who might see them snogging in the hallway, but just like always, their passion had a mind of its own. Heat lapped at her flesh as the lights flickered around them. She barely noticed as he deepened the kiss, his tongue stealing into her mouth. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. Bloody hell, she wanted him…right now, against the wall...just feet from a ballroom full of people.
It took all of her power to pull back from the kiss and everything it promised. He growled, but she smacked his hands.
“Fletcher.”
He blinked, as if just remembering where they were. His face flushed.
“I guess I should say I’m sorry.”
“No need. I forgot myself too.”
He snorted. “I don’t normally lose control.”
“Do you think I do?”
He studied her for a moment. “No.”
“Right, now that we have agreed we both have never lost control, can we get on to the job?”
“Yes. I need to clean up. You go...do what you have to do.”
She moved past him, but he grabbed her hand. “You know I love you.”
“I do.”
He smiled and released her hand. She could feel him watching her as she hurried down the hallway to the bathroom. She was happy that there was no one else in the room. She drew in a deep breath, closing her eyes and trying to relax. There was always a bit of anticipation in her blood before a job, but tonight was different. Tonight, she was more than likely performing her last job.
Serena opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror. Jesus.
Her hair was a mess, her skin flushed, her lips swollen. She looked every bit the woman who had been ravished. If this were any other time, she would love the thought. Now though, this was a man she loved and was going to leave. There was a very good chance she would die trying to kill the woman, or she would be arrested afterward. Either way, her life would be over.
She sighed. There was no reason to have a pity party. She had chosen this path, except for the added side job of stealing the jewel. She got to work on her makeup, cleaning it up and then fixing her hair. There was no need to have regrets now. She needed to get that blasted ruby.
After a few hurried moments, she looked presentable enough; although, it would be apparent to anyone that she had been kissing Fletcher. She slipped out of the bathroom and suddenly came up close and personal with Aileen.
“Oh, there you are, Ms. Fay.”
“Please, as I said, call me Rena.”
She smiled. It should have made her look sweet, but Serena just saw the evil lurking behind those blue eyes.
“Yes. Rena.” She said it in a tone that sent a shiver down her spine. “You know, you are every bit as beautiful as your mother.”
Breath clogged her throat and the hallway started to spin. It took her a few seconds to gather her thoughts and be able to respond.
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Your mother. You know, she was a beautiful woman. And please don’t tell me that you are here on a romantic holiday. You might be, but I know now that you are here to kill me.”
Fear lanced through her heart, sending panic through her entire body. She did her best to control it. Serena couldn’t lose her senses and put Fletcher in trouble. It sounded like Aileen thought Fletcher had no idea what was going on and that was a good sign.
“Don’t be absurd.”
She tried to walk past her, but Aileen was quick.
“Not so fast, Deva.”
The use of her given name left her blood cold. No one, not even her two best friends knew that name.
She turned to face Aileen. She was tiny in stature, but Serena knew that any fight between the two of them would leave Serena bloody. Evil always made a person stronger than they appeared.
“Yes, I know you. I had no idea you were there. In fact, your mother said you were at your grandmother’s. Later, I found out that your parents had no contact with their family. I would like to kill the cunt again just for that.”
It took every bit of her control not to scratch the bitch’s eyes out. She would get her revenge, but not yet. The ruby came first. Of course, it looked like the bastard thought that she was there for revenge.
“I’m not here for revenge. I-I wanted to confront you. That’s it.”
Aileen cocked her head to one side. “Is that true? It makes sense since your mother was a weak woman too. She was never good enough for your father.”
She said nothing to that. The bitch would pay for it, but Serena knew not to lash out now. It was best that she waited until she had the ruby, then she would take her revenge.
“If we understand each other, then there is no issue.”
She said nothing as Aileen swept past her. “What a pity a man like Fletcher seems smitten with you. Again, a man too much for a woman like you.”
“You know not what you speak of.”
“No, but does he know what a lying bitch you are?”
She said nothing as Aileen walked down the hall, the opposite direction of the ballroom. Wherever the hell she was going, Serena didn’t know and didn’t care right at that moment. She needed to collect herself before stealing back into the ballroom, to wait for her chance.
She stepped toward a door that lead out to the garden when a large male hand stopped her.
She turned and found herself staring at a furious Fletcher. Anger poured off of him in waves, battering her already frayed emotions.
Bloody hell.
“I think you have explaining to do, Deva.”
Chapter Fifteen
Fletcher had been doing his best to track down Aileen when he saw her heading to the hallway. He knew there was a chance that Rena and Aileen would run into each other. When Fletcher heard the women talking, he had inched closer waiting to strike if need be. He had been ready to defend Rena, until he heard the comments from Aileen. Every revelation gashed at his heart. She had been lying to him all along.
Anger coursed through Fletcher’s blood.
Treacherous woman.
His mind was reeling, his soul bloodied. He should have known something like this would happen. When he gave his heart to a woman, she always proved to be duplicitous.
She said nothing. She just continued to stare at him, no expression on her face. He wanted something from her, anything. Yelling at him, irritation, crying. Instead, Rena gave him a stone look without an ounce of shame or explanation.
Infuriated, Fletcher grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the garden. She stumbled along after him as he walked them deeper into the dark landscape.
He stopped, released her hand, and turned to face her. He cros
sed his arms across his chest. He ignored the guilt he felt as she rubbed the hand he had been holding.
Bloody hell, why did she have to look so stunning? Sad and beautiful. The moonlight shone down from above, but even in the dark, he could see her bright eyes. They were filled with regret. At being caught?
“Explain.”
She hesitated long enough to cause his anger to boil up. Even as he tried to keep himself calm, he knew it was useless.
“Rena?”
She sighed. “You know my parents died.”
“What the bloody hell does that have to do with this?”
“It has everything to do with it. And, keep your voice down. Apparently, our hostess thinks I’m here for revenge and not the ruby. We can still get it.”
Surprise filtered through him. She must have picked up on it. Her eyes narrowed, and he felt her withdraw.
“Yes, we are still going through with our plan. I gave my word.”
He snorted. “Your word doesna mean much right now.”
She sighed. “As I said, this starts with my family. You know my father was a faery. He was Scottish, my mother Indian. They came back here to live when my brother was about six and I was in my mother’s belly.”
“Your father was from the Highlands.”
She nodded. “He thought his family would accept my mother. He was wrong. They thought he’d turned his back on his heritage. We were on our own.”
“This has to do with their deaths?”
She nodded. “There was an evil man who lived near us. Devon Breck was a very rich man. He had everything a man could want, but he craved more. More money, more everything. He wanted what you and your cousins have.”
“He wanted to be immortal?”
She nodded. “But not the same kind of immortality. He wanted the type that would allow him to jump from body to body. He wanted to take possession of a body, one that would be put to use. Then, he could jump to another. “
Fletcher: The Cursed Clan: Book 4 Page 13
