The Mercenary and the Shifters (The Turning Stone Chronicles) (26 page)

“Excuse me? You think I’m trying to steal Mike from her?”

“Well, you are the engaged woman in this threesome.”

“Threesome?”

“Look, Fiona, I don’t mean to pry, but you’ve already got Kyle on a string. Why do you need Mike as well?”

“What? I? Three?”

“His moves aren’t even original. Except he was against a wall, not a tree, this time.” Alexi made a disgusted sound. “I won’t say anything. Yet. But the two of you had better decide before Kyle and Mary Kate get hurt by your shenanigans. Stringing them along isn’t right.” Alexi wheeled around and stalked out of the room.

What the heck was Alexi hinting at? Mike and Mary Kate? Fiona stomped her foot. The impact jarred all the way to her hip. Oooh! She’d told that two-timing man she loved him. Now she was going to kill him!

Chapter 39

Mike joined the rest of the group in the kitchen a few minutes after Fiona arrived. She studiously avoided his gaze, afraid her anger would show on her face. After their hanky-panky he’d probably wonder what she was mad about. Besides, she was having a dickens of a time keeping her emotions in check under the watchful eye of the five other shifters in the meeting.

Mike sidled alongside her. “I think Fiona has something she wants to tell the rest of the group about Kyle.”

She let the anger out, glaring hotly at him. “No, I don’t.” What she’d told him was for his benefit only. Eli, Rhys, Alexi, Mary Kate, LJ, and Donaline did not need to know the particulars of her engagement.

Six sets of eyes swung around, peering expectantly at her. She whirled to face Mike and quietly hissed, “It was my secret meant solely for your ears.”

“They need to know about Kyle, Fiona,” he replied, his voice a whisper. “When we go after the babies he’ll need protection. After all they wanted to kill him.”

“Who’s being killed?” Eli asked from the other side of the room.

Fiona faced the rest of the group. “You heard him from over there?”

“I’m nae wearing a hearing aid, yet.” Eli smiled, the tips of his mustache curling toward his cheeks. “I’m auld, not deaf, lassie.”

Then his smile disappeared, and he pinned her with a stare she knew meant he was scanning her. Could she hide the truth from him? Probably not.

“Sae,” he continued, “tell us whatever ’tis that yer hiding aboot your man.”

Mike inched closer until his shoulder was a hair’s breadth from hers. “It’s okay. Tell them. They’ll help you and Kyle.” His index finger pointed around the group then to himself. “We’ll help you.”

Anger and hurt and desperation and love bubbled inside her.

She was mad at Mike. Had been hurt by him and Rhys. Desperation fueled her plan with Falhman. She also loved Mike desperately. An admission that pained her after Alexi’s veiled reference to him and Mary Kate.

But, if she were truly honest, she’d acknowledge she wanted their help. Wanted Mike’s help as much as she wanted him, even after discovering he and Mary Kate had a . . . what? Alexi hadn’t been explicit about them, just hinted. Could she be wrong?

As she glanced around the group, which had now formed a semi-circle in front of her, she knew for certain they
were
scanning her. Varying degrees of disgust and concern etched their features. When her gaze reached Mary Kate, the glare alternating between her and Mike left no doubt Mary Kate glimpsed the love in her heart, and in Mike’s. Not coming clean with them was not an option.

Drawing in a deep breath, she said in as firm a voice as she could muster, “My engagement to Kyle is a sham. We don’t love each other.”

Eli’s accusatory expression didn’t change. Fiona suspected he’d seen through her from the beginning. He was, after all, the Keeper of the Stone. He had to be more astute than the rest of the shifters. Alexi was not shocked by the news. She’d just seen her climbing Mike like a monkey in heat. Rhys looked relieved, yet concerned. Was his worry for her or what scheme she and Kyle had cooked up? Donaline and LJ appeared confused.

Mary Kate wheeled away, striding to the opposite side of the room. When she reached the wall, she spun and glared at Fiona. Even without scanning powers, Fiona knew Mary Kate was furious over her relationship with Mike.

As she spoke, Fiona leaned into Mike’s shoulder. He slipped his arm around her. Even though she was angry as hell with him over Mary Kate, she welcomed the support. Confessing her scheme, which sounded lame now, was not easy.

Daggers shot from Mary Kate’s eyes, aimed at her and Mike. The woman’s reaction left no doubt in Fiona’s mind something had happened between Mike and Mary Kate.

When she’d finished, Eli just studied her. No one else spoke either. Fiona surreptitiously glanced at her watch as the seconds ticked by in complete, stunned silence.

After a full minute, Eli finally spoke. “’Tis nae the priest's first story that should be believed, and the lassie has just proved the point.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I know now I should have been completely honest from the beginning. But I’ve been on my own for a long time. It’s hard to trust.”

He gave her another probing stare.

Fiona opened her soul. She wanted him to see she’d told them everything.

“I’m afraid I didn’t help,” Rhys said. “I should have contacted you and let you know why we left.”

“It’s good you didn’t,” George said as he entered the room. He crossed to Mike. “I checked all the phones, like you asked. They’re all bugged. The house as well as Fiona’s office line.” He held out his hand to Fiona. “Your cell probably is, too.”

She dug the phone out of her pocket and handed it to George.

He opened the phone’s casing. “Yep.” He closed the case and handed it back to Fiona.

She grabbed the device between two fingers as if it had an Ebola virus. “Shouldn’t we take it out?”

“No,” Rhys said. “It might tip off whoever planted the bugs. Did you track the source?”

“Working on it,” George said. “I should have an answer in a few hours.”

Fiona looked at Mike. The news someone, besides Mike and George, whom she trusted, had been watching and listening to her made her feel violated and even more afraid. “Who would want to spy on me?”

Mike gave her a glance that clearly showed he thought her stupid. Which she had been.

“Oh, I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “Maybe the people who tried to kill you?”

“The Mafia?” George asked. “The bullets we found at the engagement party matched the ones from the first two attacks.”

“The Mafia? OmniWorld? Falhman? Take your pick,” Mike said. “Seems as if you’ve got a list of suspects. Heck, I wouldn’t even put it past Morrison, if he thought you were double-crossing him and not Falhman.”

“Not Kyle. I’ve never been anything but honest with him and he knows it.”

A pained expression flashed over Mike’s face. “Must be nice,” he mumbled.

Ire spiked along her spine. She wasn’t the only one who’d been dishonest.

“You’ve got some nerve after what you did,” she said, unable to control her hurt and jealousy any longer. He gave her a blank stare, which didn’t set well. She hauled him out the kitchen door to the patio. “Alexi told me you were messing with Mary Kate.”

“When?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me when?”

“No, not when we were messing. When did she tell you? We didn’t do anything but kiss.”

She glared at him and he returned the favor.

“Hey, you were engaged, not me. I’m a free man. If a woman kisses me, then I’m under no compulsion to stop. You, on the other hand—”

“That was fake, and I told you so.”

“Yeah, after the fact and after the kiss with Mary Kate.”

He stopped and gaped over her shoulder. She twisted to see what he stared at. The group, including George, pressed against the kitchen French doors, watching their lover’s spat. Mary Kate, however, was missing.

“You just said you love me and now you’re angry with me because I kissed Mary Kate after I thought you were cheating on your fiancé?”

Hearing the angry tone in his voice, Fiona turned back to face Mike.

“What or who do you want?” Mike asked. “To get something from them, you’ve encourage every man who’s interested in you. Kyle. Falhman. Me. How do I know you’re not playing me now?”

Her stomach quivered. Behind Mike, the horizon tipped. She closed her eyes to stem the panic rising in her chest. She was such an idiot. Happiness was within her grasp and she’d spoiled it. What she was doing was a hundred times worse than Mike and Mary Kate’s kiss.

Fiona grabbed his shoulders. “Look into my eyes,” she urged. “Search my heart. See the truth for yourself.”

Mike shook her hands off. “I’m not a damn shifter. I don’t have those skills. I can only see what you’ve done.”

“If you can’t accept me as I am then I guess there’s no hope.”

“I guess not.”

When they reentered the kitchen, Eli said, “Now ye’ve settled yer relationship dilemma, can we get down tae the business at hand . . . getting the wee laddies back and giving the devil his due?”

“Finally!” LJ shouted. “What’s the plan?”

“Whatever ’tis, ye’ll nae be a part o’ it.”

LJ planted her hands on her hips and bellied up next to Eli. “It’s my son, and you won’t keep me from helping.”

“Ye’ll do the most good here at the hoose. When we get the babe ye’ll be able tae take him far away as soon as ye can.” He directed his attention to Fiona. “We’ll need yer jet, lassie, if ye don’t mind lending it agin. If we hafta split up once we’ve rescued the wee bairns, we shouldnae all go on my jet.”

“Where am I going to run to this time, Eli? Hugh said we’d be safe with you and look what happened.”

“I have loyal shifters around the world. We’ll find some place where ye and the laddie will be surrounded and protected by my own.”

“I will not be left out of my son’s rescue.” Steely determination blazed from her eyes, and her mouth set in a strong, firm line.

Fiona knew the look, and the accompanying emotions. She would go or die trying. “Eli, we can’t deny her. What if she promises to stay out of the actual rescue effort? Since you don’t have special powers or training,” she added when LJ glared at her. “I know if I were in her place I’d want to be there.”

“’Tis too big a risk,” Eli said.

“Which is hers to take,” Fiona replied. When Eli didn’t consent, she added, “Wouldn’t you rather she be where we could keep an eye on her? Left to her own devices she could get into trouble, or maybe even snatched by rogues should they discover our plan.” She tapped her chest. “I’m a perfect example of what can go wrong when someone goes against common sense. Look at the trouble I got in when Rhys left me to fend for myself.”

A pained expression flashed over her brother’s face. Guilt pricked Fiona, and she shoved it aside. If blaming Rhys got results that helped LJ, then making the comparison was worth it.

Alexi joined in on LJ’s behalf. “She’s a mother, Eli, and only doing what any mother would.”

Eli addressed Mary Kate. “Are ye going tae side with the other women folk?”

Mary Kate shrugged. “I’ve no opinion on the rights of motherhood, and likely never will have.” She glared at Fiona and Mike. “Do what ye think best, Keeper.”

“Donaline?” Eli asked.

“’Twould be hard for her tae go, but harder tae stay. The roe is swift enough without setting the dogs on her.”

Eli raised his eyebrows at Donaline when she quoted a proverb at him.

“Well, yer always quoting tae us. I figured ye’d get the drift better, Keeper. We can keep an eye on her. Sae, I say aye.”

Eli faced Rhys. “Am I the solitary voice in this?”

“Looks like it, old man. Besides, having his mother there might keep Hugh Jr. quiet when we grab the boys.”

“I dinna ken aboot that, but I’ll concede tae the majority. Only because I can see the lassie doing something rash should I make her stay here.” He pinned LJ with a firm stare. “But ye willnae have any part o’ the actual rescue. Understood?” When she didn’t answer, Eli added, “’Tis this way, or I tie ye in the attic ’til we return.”

The tone of his voice and the fierce expression on his face left no doubt in Fiona’s mind Eli wouldn’t hesitate to carry through on his threat.

Apparently, LJ thought so, for she crossed her arms over her chest and grumped, “Fine.”

“Guid. Now that ’tis settled, here’s what I thought we could do.”

“Wait,” Fiona said. “I have to have your promise you’ll take care of my Port Authority problems and OmniWorld’s takeovers of mine and Kyle’s companies.”

“Have ye nae been listening, lassie? We’ll fix yer problems. All o’ them. Dinna worry. I’ve people everywhere, including in high places ye’ve only imagined.”

High places? She’d forgotten about the political mimics. “Like congress?”

“And higher.”

“So does Falhman.” She turned to Rhys. “I forgot to tell you, those shifter congressmen who came to the engagement party were not invited by Kyle’s family. Falhman must have told them about the party. For what reason, I don’t know.”

A dark shadow passed over Rhys, Alexi, and Eli’s faces as they glanced at each other. “Has Falhman said anything about them to you?” Rhys asked.

She shook her head.

“Well, ’tis a problem fer another day,” Eli said in a dismissive tone. “We have mair than enough tae deal with planning the rescue o’ the laddies. All else ’twill get its due in time.”

“Aren’t you worried about what they might be doing?” Fiona asked.

“Aye, but when it comes tae rogues, every straw ’tis a thorn at night. And where one cow breaks the fence, a dozen leap it.”

That didn’t sound good. She hoped the dozen to follow wouldn’t be jumping into her pasture.