After they split from the pack, he only asked his brothers to pledge their loyalty to their mother, with him assuming the oldest brother position. Now she was dead and he was about to meet Jackson who apparently had no problem obtaininghisbrothers’ loyalty. Leaning back in his chair, he wondered what Jackson would think of his decision. He concluded it wouldn’t be favorable.
“Hunt, Mac’s looking for you.” Sawyer’s voice came through the door.
“Tell him I’ll be right there.”
“Okay.”
Sadness washed over Hunter. This trip was going to be the last time he and his brothers would be together as a family. When they got back, Robin would leave to pursue the career he’d put on hold, Sawyer had his trip planned, Mac was headed to New York City, who knew what Mason would do, but Hunter was sure he wouldn’t be staying—so he’d be left here with his brother, Quin, bound to him by the promise he made to his mother. He looked into the forest outside his window, wondering forthe umpteenth time how his plans had gotten so fucked up beyond all repair. “Fubar,” he smirked. Then, grabbing his bag, Hunter left the room, running into Robin in the hallway. “Is Quin ready?”
“Yeah,” Robin answered, lifting up a small square case, “once I put this in the motorhome.”
“Here,” Hunter said, handing his bag to his brother. “Put this out there, too. What about you? Ready?”
“Yup, my bag and guitar are already out there,” replied Robin.
“Okay, would ya go check on Sawyer while I help Mac?” Hunter asked.
“Will do.”
Grunting in response, Hunter continued until he reached Mac, waiting for him outside a bedroom door. “Anything I should watch out for?” Hunter asked.
“Nope, everything’s fine. Let’s get this done.”
~/~/~/~/~
Waiting for Mason, Hunter stood on the porch, remembering how many times his brother sat with him at the end of the day, always giving his support, even when he didn’t deserve it. Glancing at the huge motorhome, a weird feeling settled in his gut, like something momentous was about to happen to him. Mentally shaking that off, Hunter turned to see Mason coming out the front door, locking it behind him.
“The alarm is on and connected to the web so if someone tries to break in, we’ll be able to see who it is,” Mason explained.
“Good to know, but would you mind telling me how we’ll be able to do anything about it in California?” asked Hunter.
“Duh. Our neighbor? Remember? I made arrangements with him to keep an eye on our house. All we have to do is call him and he’ll come right over.”
“Oh…right. Sorry, guess my mind was somewhere else,” Hunter mumbled.
“C’mon, let’s go,” Mason said walking to the motorhome, not surprised Hunter didn’t remember. For the last month, his brother had been distracted and Mason figured it had to do with the impending trip, but now he wasn’t too sure. Opening the motorhome door, Mason climbed up the two steps, then, tucking his bag in an overhead cabinet, joined Sawyer and Robin at the dinette.
Taking a deep breath, Hunter followed his brother into the motorhome, shutting the door behind him, walking to the back and opening a door. Spying Mac, he asked, “Everything set?” Getting a nod, Hunter shut the door, moving to the other bedroom. After giving a short rap before opening the door, he asked, “Honey, are you going to stay in here?”
Nodding, Quin held up his phone, and said, “I just downloaded some romances to read.”
“Sounds like fun. See you later, then.” Softly closing the door, he headed to the front, slipping into the driver’s seat. Taking one last look at their home, Hunter started the engine and pulled out of their driveway.California, here we come!
~/~/~/~/~
Obeying his employers’ orders, the man went to the marina, only to find no one on the locked boat and noindication where Reif’s mate might be. Standing in the shadows, he kept watch, hoping the mate would turn up, preferably with Reif, but after twenty-four hours with no results, he called it quits. His gut told him something wasn’t right; fear began to fill his mind. The last thing the man wanted to tell his employers was that he failed in his mission. That could be fatal.
Materializing in the sea dragon’s living room, the man let out a sigh of relief; all Reif’s research was still on the table. Now, sure he would eventually find him, the man sat down, rereading all the documents, still hoping he could find the green diamond first, using it to buy his freedom. After several hours, he glanced out the window, realizing it was mid-morning and still no sea dragon. Standing, the man headed into the bedroom, looking for a clue as to where Reif—and hopefully his mate—might be. Hearing a noise, he froze.
Coming out of the black hole with David, Zane found himself too close to a kitchen chair, causing it to scrape along the floor as he pushed it away from them. “Shit, I have to work on my aim,” Zane muttered.
“At least you didn’t landonthe table,” David said, giggling.
“True,” Zane laughed. “Why don’t you gather these papers up and I’ll get the other stuff.” Zane found the book and removed the hidden paper, then, kicking the rug out of the way, knelt down and pried up the floorboard. Locating the small laptop, he grabbed it before restoring everything to its proper place.
David checked to make sure he had everything Reif had left on the table, then, looking for something to hold everything, he found an old-fashioned cloth shopping bag. Sliding the documents inside it, he held it open for Zane’s stuff.
“That’s a great idea, babe,” Zane said, taking the shopping bag from his mate. “Ready?” After hearing David’s assent, he grasped his mate’s hand and both disappeared, unaware they’d been observed by the man.
