Kiss Across Chaos (Kiss Across Time #10) - Tracy Cooper-Posey Page 0,21

table noticed the three of them staring and got to his feet.

“Damn,” Jesse breathed. Then she properly focused on the man’s face and the olive features and curly hair. “I know him. That’s—”

“Cael!” Marit said, when he was close enough to hear them. “What are you doing back here?”

“I could ask you the same thing, except I think I know the answer to that.” He turned to look at Aran. “I’m here because I own this bar,” he added.

Jesse gaped at him. “Here in the…here and now?” she amended, for none of them could lower their voices and still be heard.

“I inherited it,” Cael added, and his face shadowed. “I come back and check in every few days. I was as surprised as you guys when Aran showed up yesterday.” He shook his head. “I’ve never given your people details about this place, although I maybe implied that I had it. He must have picked up on that and found it on the timescape.”

“He’s been sitting there drinking for two days?” Jesse said.

Cael glanced at her. His smile was grim. “Something’s eating at him. Drinking isn’t letting him get any clarity on it, either, although he didn’t believe me when I said it wouldn’t help.” He shrugged. “He needs to go home, sober up and face whatever it is.” He considered the three of them. “Can you manage him, between you? Or should I ask Kieran to come and help you?”

“Kieran is the giant, right?” Alannah said.

Cael grinned. “He’s quite human,” he assured them.

Marit shook her head. “We can handle Aran ourselves,” she decided. “Jesse will knock him out if he’s reluctant to come.”

Jesse suspected it would be more difficult than Marit made it sound to overcome Aran even as drunk as he was, but she nodded anyway. “Is there a room we can use to leave from?” she asked Cael.

He pointed to a discreet door not far from where Aran was slumped. “Manager’s office. No one is there right now. I’ll help you get him into the office.” He moved over to the table and patted Aran’s shoulder, not lightly. “Come on, up you come.” He got an arm under Aran’s shoulder and hauled him to his feet. Aran was taller, but he was slumping so badly it didn’t matter.

Jesse suspected Cael had handled more than one sloppy drunk before. He made it look easy. He moved over to the office door, bringing Aran with him, even though Aran was making feeble movements with his feet, trying to get them back under him. He wasn’t quite unconscious yet. He was wearing one of his day job suits, which looked odd in this time, but not so strange that it drew the wrong sort of attention.

Alannah opened the office door and Cael moved Aran inside and propped him on the front edge of an old wooden desk and held him upright.

When Alannah shut the door behind them, the noise dropped enough that Jesse could hear herself think.

Cael patted Aran’s face. “Open your eyes,” he said, his tone demanding, but not unkind. “You’re going to have to stand on your feet, man. Long enough for these lovely ladies to get you home. C’mon, now, wake up…”

Aran’s black eyes, with the stupidly long lashes, fluttered open. His gaze shifted from Cael to the three of them. “Sis…” he breathed. “Jesse. Shit…not far enough.”

The hurt squeezed Jesse’s chest and made her temples ache. She hid her reaction by snapping to attention. “Marit, grab his arm. Alannah, slide under the side Cael has, and take his weight. I’m stronger than either of you. I’ll keep him on his feet. You’ll have to take both of us as deadweight—I can’t jump with him leaning against me.”

They moved as she had directed.

“Let me steer again,” Marit told Alannah. “I know where we can take him.” She glanced at Jesse. “Brace yourself. I’m going to slide him off the desk and use his fall as momentum for the jump. All you have to do is catch him.”

Jesse nodded. In this matter, Marit was the expert. She glanced at Cael. “Thank you for watching out for him. Please give my regards to Nayara.”

Cael nodded. “Send word if you need any more help. You know how.”

Long term letter drop. Jesse had heard the others talk about it. She nodded. “I have it from here.” She bit off the sir that tried to emerge. Cael gave out leader vibes.

Marit resettled her grip on Aran. His head was sinking once more.