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As they sped down the highway, Glenn checked the rear-view mirror to make sure Smokey had nodded off before asking Ghost, “Do you have any thoughts about where he was?”
Staring out the passenger window, Ghost had lots of ideas but none he wanted to share with Glenn who would be pissed off to no end. Shaking his head, he murmured, “Nah, nothing worth anything.”
Keeping his eyes on the road, Glenn didn’t believe that for a second because no matter how hard his friend tried to hide it, his fear, faint as it was, always came through. He wasn’t sure ‘what’—or maybe, ‘who’?would be a better choice, but Ghost certainly knew more than he was saying. The only conclusion Glenn could draw was his friend was once again trying to protect him…and probably Smokey. “You hungry? I’m going to get off at the next exit to fill up.”
“Yeah, might as well stop for somethin’ to eat. Sleeping beauty didn’t have much of a breakfast and you know how he gets when he is low on his carbohydrates.”
Snorting, Glenn looked over at Ghost. “Carbohydrates? How fucking fancy! You been having tea with the Queen every afternoon, too? Fancy china, I bet. None of this bashed-up, tin cup crap for you anymore, hmm?”
Turning slightly pink, Ghost growled, “Shut the fuck up. Just because I know the different food groups…which, I might add, would do you some good to learn about…doesn’t mean anything. I can beat your ass any day when it comes to surviving in the wild.”
“I doubt it,” Glenn smirked. “As for me needing to know that shit, fuck off. I wasn’t the one sitting around on my ass in front of a computer.”
“Will you two shut the fuck up?” growled Smokey, sitting up in the back seat. “Holy fuck balls, what the hell is going on between you assholes? Comparing diets, really?” Looking around, he asked, “How close are we?”
“Still have at least three hours of driving. I’m stopping for gas and something to eat. You hungry?” asked Glenn, glancing at his friend in the back seat.
Rubbing his stomach, Smokey replied, “Yeah. Someone was rushing to leave, so I didn’t have a lot of time to eat.”
Shaking his head, Glenn turned off the highway, heading first for a gas station. Pulling up to a pump, he turned to Ghost. “Why don’t you get us a bunch of snacks. We may be waiting a while for our mark when we get there.” Then, after getting an affirmative, he climbed out, taking a moment to search the area before he began to pump gas.
Smoky watched Ghost disappear into the convenience store, then looking over to the side, he saw Glenn turn his back to him. Grateful he was alone, he pulled out his phone whose vibration had awakened him just in time to hear Glenn ask Ghost about him. He held his breath, waiting to see what Ghost was going to say, relieved when his friend said nothing. He was sure Ghost knew exactly where he’d been and what he was doing, but, for some reason wasn’t telling Glenn.
Then, after quickly sending back a reply to the waiting message on his phone, Smokey pocketed it quickly when he heard the gas pump turn off. Whatever the reason Ghost had for keeping it a secret, Smokey had no doubt his friend would be confronting him about it soon. Which meant if he wanted to avoid a very uncomfortable conversation, he’d have to avoid being alone with Ghost.
Jumping slightly when the front door opened, Smokey glanced over, his eyes locking with Ghost’s for a moment before his friend climbed in, throwing several bags onto the back seat. But that split second told Smokey that Ghost had figured out where he’d gone, and his friend was fucking pissed about it—though there wasn’t any reason to be. Sighing silently, he turned and looked out the window, watching Glenn put the nozzle back, before taking his receipt.
His phone vibrated again, but Smokey didn’t dare take it out; he could feel Ghost’s eyes following his every move. It would have to wait until later. Maybe he could excuse himself to use the john.
Opening the door, Glenn slid into the armor-plated car…another thing that would be part of his discussion with Ghost later. But for now, he concentrated on his mission to eliminate the threat to them. “Any particular place you want to stop at to eat?”
Chapter 8
Moving stealthily through the nearly deserted chateau, Henri was careful not to make a sound, intent on not waking up the housekeeper. After Artur MacDùghlas died, he’d spent hours going through the files down in the cellar. But when he came up empty handed, he turned his attention to Artur’s office. But that was interrupted when Fionn, Artur’s only son, arrived along with his mate, Hunter. Reluctantly, he paused his search while they were there, hoping it wouldn’t be long before he could resume. That was, until he heard Fionn was selling everything, including the chateau.
Panicking, Henri resumed his nightly forays to Artur’s office, fear and desperation driving him to take the risk. Carefully opening the heavy, carved, wooden door only wide enough for him to slip through, Henri sighed a breath of relief when it didn’t squeak. He wasn’t sure who fixed it, nor did he care but hopefully it was a sign his luck was about to change. Closing the door, he walked quickly over to the bookcase, reaching in to press a button.
Henri found the secret room by accident one night after a frustrating, fruitless search of Artur’s desk. Now, stepping back, he watched as the bookcase swung open, revealing a large room filled with file cabinets. Heading over to one, he pulled open a drawer, removing a batch of file folders. So far, it had proved to be a tedious task since it seemed Artur had kept every piece of paper from the beginning of time.
Sitting down at a small table he’d brought in one night, Henri opened up the first one, quickly skimming through the contents for information that would lead him to hisson. The possibility of failure was something he refused to contemplate; he’d promised his dying wife to never stop searching for him. That pledge had kept him going for the last thirty years.
He had so many times in the past almost given up hope, but then some new tidbit about his son would surface, reviving his determination to achieve ultimate success. It was one of those thin strands of information he’d been pursuing that led him to seek a job at the Chateau des Flammes. After he was hired, he began to make friends with the employees who lived full-time on the estate. It was during a friendly card game that Henri got his first break. His son was still alive and Artur MacDùghlas knew where he was.
Figuring out how to approach the boss took some time; his interactions with Artur weren’t frequent. Though he was hired as his driver, Henri spent most of his time keeping the winery’s fleet of cars clean and ferrying visitors to and from the airport. But after overhearing a conversation between Arthur and Eideard, Henri realized Artur’s brother also knew about his son. So he began to carefully cultivate a relationship with Eideard when he chauffeured him to various venues. But before he was confident enough to ask him questions, Eideard was killed, and he was back to square one.
Sighing, Henri returned the file folders before grabbing a new bunch. The information he neededhadto be in one of these files—according to Eideard, Henri’s son was the love of Artur’s life. But obviously something happened. Now, with the only ones who could help him find his son gone, this room of files was Henri’s last hope of finding and bringing him home. Exchanging the file folders fornew ones, Henri sat back down, unaware he was being watched.
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Sawyer held his mate, unwilling to wake him even as the afternoon shadows lengthened. The emotional firestorm Alex experienced had left him exhausted, along with Sawyer. But his mind wouldn’t let him succumb to his tiredness; his thoughts were racing, trying to find a way to help Alex. Sawyer knew there was more Alex needed to disclose if there would ever be a chance for them. Even though he was sure on that point, Sawyer was struggling to decide on a path forward.
Slightly shifting Alex, Sawyer freed one hand, using it to grab his phone from the beach bag on the console. Turning it on, he wasn’t surprised to see a number of missed calls from Mac along with text messages, each one growing more demanding. His thumb hovered over the keyboard as Sawyer thought about what to say to get Mac’s advice without telling him he found his mate, but he knew Mac wouldn’t give up until Sawyer told him everything. And the last thing he needed was Hunter and Mason to find out, not to mention his baby brother Quin.
If that happened, Sawyer knew Mason and Mac would fly down to him immediately, wanting to meet Alex. Hunter would cut his and Fionn’s trip to France short, insisting on returning to meet the newest member of the family. And while Sawyer certainly intended to introduce Alex to his brothers, he wanted to do it after they’d claimed each other…I mean if we claim each other.And that was the crux of the problem. The last thing he wanted was for his brothers to see him fail with Alex.
No, I have to do this without Mac.Quickly typing out a reply, Sawyer sent it off, hoping it would satisfy his twin for now. Dropping his phone into the bag, he settled back in the seat, listening to Alex snuffle occasionally in his sleep. Smiling every time he heard it, Sawyer fell in love with his mate a little bit more.
