“Good. What is it?”
“Our cell phone records. Every time a call is made on a cell phone, the bill reflects the date, time and place of the call. So, when you called us after you found out, those bills would show we were in Las Vegas,” Carson said, excitedly.
As Carson’s idea sunk in, Jackson’s face broke into a broad smile. “That’s brilliant, bro. I’ll look to see if I have those records…”
“But even if you don’t we can request them from the company. If you want to give me the files, I can go through them.” Carson said.
“I’ll take you up on that. Okay, any questions? Kieran, Theodore, Norman? I know this is a lot to process…”
Kieran, Theo, and Norman exchanged looks, then Kieran said, “We don’t know the whole story, but we trust Cody and Dylon so if they’re with you, then so are we.”
Touched by the show of support, Jackson said, “Thank you guys, it means a lot to me and my brothers.”
“Just one thing,” Kieran said, “if there’s a fight, we want in on it too. It’s about time we get to kick some asshole’s butt.”
Smiling at the earnestness of the boys, Jackson said, “Wouldn’t dream of stopping you. As I said, you all are members of this pack and if this comes to a fight, we fight together as one. So, any other questions?” Jackson looked at each brother and was satisfied he found calm determination on each face. “Okay, meeting’s over. Carson, come to my study and I’ll give you the old files. Logan, here’s my list of casinos. See you all at lunch,” Jackson said as he headed for his study.
Logan glanced at the list his twin had given him of the casinos they had visited. It wasn’t hard for him to remember because he’d made a mental note of each of their interior designs. So as he went down the list, each was checked off against the picture filed in his head and he found the list accurate. But he remembered one other possibility and when he handed the list to Zane, told him to check to see if there were cameras there also. Then he headed to his design tower, smiling to himself at the new name Jackson had given his studio.
Cody walked over to his boys and, after making sure Theo would be spending the day in the kitchen with Dakota and Norman with Carson, he said, “Kieran, Dylon and I are going with you because Logan said he wanted to show us some ideas for Jake and Jessica’s nursery so if you’re ready, let’s head up.”
Kieran felt a shiver run up his spine knowing he would be with his mate for the rest of the day. He tore his eyes away from Logan as he left the room and closed them. Last night, when his songs found Logan, his spirit was able to pierce Mystia’s spell concealing Logan’s scent allowing Kieran to finally smell his mate. He loved Logan’s scent; it reminded him of a peat fire, the dew in the early morning and the salty tang of the sea. And there in the shower, as the songs played on, Kieran’s body and wolf reacted to the age-old call of a Fated Mate, calling for his mate to claim him forever. Now, he would be in a room with Logan—all day—as he, his wolf, and spirit joined together to begin their journey to their final claiming. Excited, yet still fearful of rejection, Kieran rose and said, “Good to go.”
~/~/~/~/~
Zane sat on the couch in his computer room, clutching the list from Logan. Looking off into space, he was thinking about the meeting when Jackson told them about their uncle’s complaint. Something happened to him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. One moment he was shaking in fear that his uncle was coming for him and his brothers and the next—poof—gone as if he never had the emotion. So, he sat there, searching for it, the one that had been his constant companion since he found out his parents, younger siblings, his friends in the pack, and even his home were gone—all gone—never to be a part of his life again. And when he didn’t find the fear anymore, he knew he was right and something hadhappened to him—but he couldn’t figure it out and that was as frustrating as hell.
Technology was his life, and yet he believed in what was unseen.Shit, I’m proof of that.He’d categorized the paranormal world into topics and sub-topics, clearly outlined in his mind so he always knew what and where he was. But this—a total removal of an emotion—left him fumbling to find the rock he counted on as a defense against his uncle. If he feared Josiah, he would be safe. That was the mantra he lived by ever since that fateful night. Zane snorted. He knew how crazy it would sound to anyone else, but to him, it allowed him to function in the aftermath of the massacre.So, what do I do now?
~/~/~/~/~
Logan opened the door to his studio, relieved to find the open windows had done the trick but the rest of the space needed help. Grabbing a garbage bag, he emptied the overflowing waste baskets and gathered up the many spent Kleenexes in the bathroom, adding them to the bag. Then grabbing a dirty towel off the floor, he wiped down the sink, filled the soap dispenser and hung up fresh towels. One more pass through the space yielded his dirty laundry which he dumped in the hamper. Doing a quick check, he sighed with relief that Kieran wouldn’t see a mess. Why he was worried about what Kieran thought escaped him for the time being, instead he justified his actions as his desire to look professional.
Just as he finished, Cody knocked and then entered with Dylon and Kieran. “Are you ready to talk about your ideas? If not we can come back,” said Cody.
“Now is fine,” replied Logan as he pulled up an extra chair for Kieran. “Please sit with us. I’m going to propose some initial concepts for Jake and Jessica’s nursery. It’s one of many discussions I’ll have with Cody and Dylonthrough the process of finalizing a design. Any questions?” Logan breathed an inward sigh. He thought he sounded professional—and not like he was thinking how it would feel to be balls deep in that tight little ass that constantly tempted him.
“Uhm no…no questions. If you don’t mind, I’ll just sit and listen,” Kieran said softly.
“Uhm sure…no problem…sorry everything’s a mess…just a second…here, let me move this out of your way…can I get you anything?” Logan asked, nervously trying to sort his drawings and notes.
“No, thank you.”
“Uhm, okay, should we get started?” asked Logan as he sat, looking expectantly at Kieran.
Cody was flabbergasted. No one was acting as they should. Logan was as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof and Kieran was as quiet as a church mouse.What the fuck was going on?Where is my self-assured brother and the sassy, without-a-filter Kieran?
Logan shoved some drawing at Kieran and began, “I started with who…”
Kieran held up a finger and pointed at Cody and Dylon who were standing staring at the scene in front of them. “Aren’t you going to join us?”
Startled, Logan’s cheeks turned a deep pink as he realized he’d totally ignored his two clients. Cursing himself for his mistake, he quickly tried to correct the situation. “Cody, Dylon, is there a problem?”
Cody glanced at Dylon, then returned his gaze to his brother, taking note of Logan’s blushing face. “No problem. Come on Dylon, I think this has gotten a wholelot more interesting.” Picking a chair, Cody sat and gave his brother a smirk as Dylon sat next to him.
“Okay, Logan, you may proceed now,” Kieran said using the same soft voice as before.
Clearing his throat, Logan got himself under control and started again. “I started with who Jake and Jessica are…tundra wolves…and used the plants and animals found there as a starting point for a color scheme.”
