The Wellspring (Kaitlyn and the Highlander #12) - Diana Knightley Page 0,105
are a connection, as well. They are part of King Magnus and part of ye, I daena think ye need tae worry on losin’ them.”
“I know, but it feels like a heavy stone has settled in my stomach all the same.”
We walked Mookie around to the parking lot, put him in his bed in the back of James’s truck, and returned to the hotel deck to while away the evening. Finally it was late enough in the day to take the kids up to sleep in our suites. Ben and Archie slept in my room this time. Isla shared my bed. We were well guarded by Quentin and the security team. Perfectly guarded. But I still didn’t sleep at all for worrying, and checking obsessively if the kids were still there.
The next morning we ate the breakfast buffet while watching the sky. Quentin said, after breakfast, “Why don’t we get out the laptop and make the next plan for where we move? We clearly have to move and the whole island is suspect now, I think.”
Emma said, “What about this hotel though, seriously? Couldn’t we just do this? We just need more Picassos.”
Zach said, “Nah, I’m bored, and this food sucks. Two more hours here and the kids are going to lose their minds.” Right then Isla was standing on her chair with a fistful of eggs threatening Ben with it, giggling because he was leaning in and then leaning away with his eyes crossed.
Emma laughed, “Two more hours like this and we’ll be politely asked to leave.”
Isla decided to put the eggs in her own hair.
I jumped up with a cloth napkin, cloth because this was a nice restaurant, and wet-wiped the food from my toddler.
Quentin said, “I’m headed out on the deck, just a little bit longer, they’ll be back, we’ll know how it went, and we’ll move us all to another safe—”
The sky went very dark, super dark and windy, a huge storm. Lightning flashed through the sky. “Ours?” No one answered, because of course it was. It had all the hallmarks.
Zach slid his chair away from the table and stood. “Beaty, can you stay with the kids?”
“Aye.”
Chairs scraped across the floor as we shoved them back to stand, dropping our napkins, and racing outside.
We were running toward the beach, thudding down the boardwalk — Quentin was in front of me, then Zach, Hayley, and Emma in the back. We ran down the steps, across the dunes and out on the beach until we could see — one shape lying on the sand. Just one.
Oh my god. I came to a stop.
Only one.
I screeched, “Quentin!”
He kept running, calling over his shoulder, “I see it, I see it!”
By the time I got to the spot, breathless, heart racing, and panting, unable to speak, and about to pass out from fear. There was a tingling loss-of-consciousness trying to pull me under — I saw it was James. A wave of fear roared over me. “Where is he! Where is he!”
I fell on him and shook him, clutching his shirt I shook him and shook him, trying to wake him up. “Where is he? You promised me, where is he?” I pushed him hard. Then I shook him again.
James mumbled, “Katie? Fucking Katie—”
I burst into tears and collapsed on his chest. “Where is he?”
Quentin said, “James dude, we need some answers, wake up, come on. Where’s Boss? Katie’s gonna have a freaking conniption.”
“He’s not great, but he’s alive, I just…” He groaned. “My shoulder is hurt. Katie, hey Katie…”
“What?” I raised up. “Your shoulder is hurt?”
“Yeah, my shoulder was dislocated. Magnus is doing that heart thing again. He can’t jump, not until he calms his ass down.”
Hayley said, “Fraoch is okay?”
I fell back on my ass, sprawled, terrified, so terrified that my eyesight was going tunnel vision and I was about to—
James said, “Yeah, Fraoch’s the only thing keeping me and Magnus alive back there.”
Sixty-one - Kaitlyn
“Katie, Katie?”
Huh…?
Faces swam into focus above me, Quentin, Zach, Hayley, Emma. I had this terrible feeling that this was all exactly as I had feared…
A nightmare come true.
Hayley said, “You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay.” I sat up and wiped sand off my shoulders. “Yeah, um…” My focus was coming back, my sight wasn’t blurry anymore, it was all clear as day. James came home, but he was alone.
Quentin turned his focus from me to James. “Why’d ya come by yourself? You’re scaring the shit out of Katie.”