Malakai (Stone Society #13) - Faith Gibson Page 0,98

as he found it. “Maybe now the Clan can bring their mates home instead of sending them away.”

“Maybe. That would be wonderful. Keep up the good work, Lachlan. I’m going to tell Rafael what you’ve found.”

Deacon left the room, and Carter and Hunter went back to watching the monitors for Unholy, while Lachlan continued working his magic.

Josie had grown up in what she considered a well-off family. Seeing how the Gargoyles were able to secure whole floors of resorts and rent a private room in the restaurant, they were way beyond well-off. Sixx didn’t hesitate to spend whatever was necessary to keep them all safe. The thing that impressed her the most was he didn’t expect the others to pay him back. Josie couldn’t imagine the wealth he had which allowed him to purchase a jet knowing it was likely to be destroyed. If it wasn’t taken down, then it would replace the one that had been targeted.

Lawton would be flying the plane carrying the mates and kids on to Manono, and Bryce was returning the males to New Atlanta who weren’t accompanying the mates. With Sophia being close to giving birth, Nikolas was going with the mates, as was Malakai. Kai had argued with Frey, but in the end, Frey asked Kai to go with the mates as a favor to him.

Dinner had been a somber affair with the exception of Amelia. The child had no idea what was going on, as it should be. The plan was in place, and everyone was packed and heading to the airport. There was still worry that whoever was responsible for the plane malfunction would find out about the switch, but with Kai and Nikolas joining them, there were now four Gargoyles on their flight. Not that they could save a plane going down. They had discussed things like cabin pressure if the door was opened, but Josie had tuned it out. She didn’t want to think about dying. Not again.

Ariki was piloting Pono’s plane back to the island, but he wasn’t happy about it. He’d wanted to be on the plane with Kai. The worse part of the morning was watching the couples saying goodbye. Even with their decoy plane, there was still a small chance something could go wrong. Josie buried her face against Kai’s chest so she didn’t witness the tears and soft kisses. She felt guilty her mate was coming with them. Sophia didn’t have the same problem. She was more than happy Nikolas was with her due to the impending birth of their baby.

Kai and Ariki hugged Pono tightly before watching him head off alone to the decoy plane. Sinclair argued up until the last minute that he should go with him. But a text from Rafael told his brother to get his ass back home to his mate, and Sin capitulated.

Josie didn’t understand how they made it all happen, but she didn’t need to. She had quickly come to understand when the Gargoyles wanted something to happen, that made it so. Now, she and the others were on their way to Kai’s island home. Four hours felt like an eternity while waiting the whole time for something to go wrong. When the plane touched down at Apia without incident, there were high fives, shouts of joy, and tears of relief. Ariki was there waiting for them, and he wasn’t alone. Five men, who had to be Kai’s brothers, stood with him. Kai was swept up in man hugs and fist bumps as he greeted each one.

When Molly growled at the males, Trevor was the one to introduce her to her new “friends” and told the brothers he would explain once they reached the island.

“Let’s get on our way,” Ariki said. “We’ll make all the introductions as soon as we reach Manono.”

Each brother led the way to identical SUVs and helped load the luggage in the back. Kai and Josie along with Tessa and Trevor rode together. Fetu chatted about Samoa and more specifically Manono, giving them a brief history of how it became their Clan’s home. When he mentioned Ariki and the Auspice of Sevens, Kai tensed beside Josie briefly. Fetu must have noticed the change in his brother’s mood because he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Tessa, who was riding shotgun, turned in her seat. “Is there more to the curse than what you’ve already endured?”

“What’s she talking about, Uso?”

“When Josie and I first met, she wasn’t aware of Gargoyles. I shifted to show her what I am,