Brynna: A Stone Society Novella Page 12

  “You never have to thank me for anything, Princess, but you’re most welcome.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Brynna felt better. Not good, but better now that she knew Travis wouldn’t hate her for killing those two humans. When they entered the kitchen, everyone was sitting around quietly. She smiled, or at least she tried. “I know you have questions. So do I, but I need a drink first.”

  Lawrence rushed from the kitchen and returned with his arms full of liquor “I didn’t know which you wanted.” He set four bottles down, and Brynna chose a bottle of Jameson. Knowing Jasper had a hand in launching the brand had her reaching for the Irish whiskey when she wasn’t in the mood for tequila.

  “Do you want us to leave?” Marcie asked.

  “No. You’re family, and what I have to say affects you and Lawrence too.”

  The kitchen was large, but it was still more crowded than usual with the addition of Dacey and Cal. Brynna didn’t mind them being there, though. Especially Calder. She might need him in the future. Marcie passed out glasses, and everyone except Travis poured a hefty amount of liquor for themselves.

  “Cal, I want to hire you as my attorney.”

  “That goes without saying,” the male replied.

  Travis stood behind Brynna’s chair with his hands on her shoulders. His love and support were what she needed to get this over with. She relayed everything that happened from the moment she was stabbed until they picked her up. She left out no detail.

  Banyan, who was sitting to her left, grabbed her hand. “Gods, Brynna. I’m sorry you had to go through that. If you weren’t as strong as you are… I don’t even want to think of how it could have gone differently.”

  “I’m sorry too.” Urijah stood and paced the area behind the table. “They took you because of me.”

  “What I don’t get is why the kidnappers were human and not Goyles,” Dacey said. “You mentioned the woman was called Sphinx. Surely that’s a code name.”

  “I wanted to keep their phones, but I didn’t want whoever they were working for to have a way to track my movements. It’s why I didn’t take one of their cars.”

  “That was smart,” Banyan agreed. “If Sphinx is a code name, they probably work for a group of mercenaries, or at the least they were hired guns. But I’m with Dacey on this; why not send in Gargoyles?”

  “It could be because we’re in your territory,” Travis said. “This area is full of shifters, and maybe Drago didn’t want to chance sending in a handful of his males knowing they would be outnumbered.”

  “What happens now?” Marcie asked.

  “We continue with our lives, but we remain vigilant. I’m going to ask some of the local Goyles I trust to act as guards. The contractors are shifters, so I doubt they’ll have a problem agreeing to work on the house. Brynna, I would ask that you and Travis limit your trips into town. If you do go out, please take at least two males with you,” Banyan said. “Marcie, you and Lawrence should do the same. I have no doubt whoever is after us knows about the two of you.”

  “Marcie, do you still want to live here? What I did…” Brynna searched her best friend’s face.

  “What the hell are ya going on about, do I still want to live here? I’m proud of ya for what ya did. I always knew you were a badass, and that just proves it. If that had been me tied up, I’d have pissed myself and would still be hanging there.” Marcie shook her head, then turned to Banyan. “I’m good with guards, but do you need to worry about the bodies Brynna left behind? Brynna, I know you said you took every precaution not to leave behind any evidence you were there, but do we need to worry about the politi showing up? Whoever did this was able to have Urijah taken in on fake charges.”

  Banyan took a sip of his whiskey. “I think they had Uri taken in to get him away from Brynna. As for the humans, I don’t think whoever they were working for would want to draw attention to the fact that they were after Brynna. They would have to explain why they kidnapped her in the first place.”

  Cal reached for the Jameson and refilled his glass. “I agree. I don’t think they will involve the authorities. If anything, they’ll come after us themselves. If they retaliate at all.”

  Brynna’s heart warmed at Cal including himself. That was the thing about Gargoyles – once you were mated, the families became one, even if by extension.

  Dacey stood from the table. “I’m going to call Faðir and our brothers to let them know what’s going on. I’ll have them spread word to all the Goyles in the area to keep their eyes and ears open.”

  “Please tell Tabor we have things under control. I don’t want him and Gautum cutting their vacation short.”

  Dacey grinned. “I’ll tell them, but you know as well as I do, they will do whatever they want. Unless you want to pull the King card?”

  Banyan laughed. “I could get away with that if it were just your parents, but Freyda will box my ears if I pulled that with her and Gautum. No, if they insist on returning home, so be it. I have no doubt Freyda’s going to want to see Brynna after she hears what happened. I’m going to my office to make some calls and get a few bodies here to guard the manor.”

  “And I’ll get to cooking. I know you’ve all had a trying day, but getting food in your bellies will be good for ya,” Marcie said.

  “I need to get back to the office. With Julian wiping the politi’s system, I can focus on the other cases I was working on.” Cal stood and turned to Brynna. “I’m proud of you, Brynhild Holgersen, and you should be proud of yourself.” He fisted his heart and bowed his head. Brynna’s eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away.

  “I’ll walk you out,” Urijah offered his nephew, and Dacey left the room with them since he needed a ride back to his rental.

  That left Brynna, Travis, Marcie, and Lawrence in the kitchen. Lawrence downed the rest of his tequila. “I just want to say that I’m proud of you too. I can’t imagine what it was like to take a life, but if you hadn’t, you might not be with us right now. You’re family, Brynna. You are my sister as much as Marcie is, and I don’t know what we’d do without you.” Lawrence’s eyes were wet, and he didn’t try to blink away the tears. “Travis, I know she’s your mate, but I’d really like to hug Brynna right now.”

  “I have no problem with that.” Before Travis finished speaking, Brynna found herself pulled to her feet and wrapped in a tight hug. Marcie was watching them, and tears were streaming down her face. Brynna opened one arm, and Marcie was there in the blink of an eye. Brynna was blessed to have a loving and understanding family. Travis moved in behind her, adding his arms to the group hug. She had no doubt there would be bad dreams during the night and times during her days when what she did would overwhelm her, but being surrounded by those who loved her would go a long way in helping deal with the pain and guilt.

  As Banyan promised, he hired Gargoyles to guard the manor so they could get on with their lives. The Andersen twins were more than willing to build the new house in the clearing. They hired a crew of Gargoyles to cut down the trees and have them milled. Another crew cleared the property and got it ready for the concrete footing to be poured. Urijah focused on having a well dug and getting power brought out to the property. It all was a work in progress, and little by little, the new house progressed.

  While all that was going on, Brynna, Travis, Marcie, and Lawrence worked together on turning the manor into a hotel. Marcie and Travis teamed up on the kitchen project while Brynna and Lawrence focused on the décor as well as things like new mattresses, bedding, and linens for the bathrooms. Marcie was in charge of new kitchen appliances, and Travis researched all things related to remodeling the entrance. The plans he drew up to turn the foyer into a lobby were brilliant.

  Uri’s parents, along with Gautum and Freyda, did return home, but after a month of all-quiet on the Greek front, they headed back out to continue their vacation. Brynna couldn’t say she was upset they had come home for a while. She loved Gautum more than her own father, and she absolutel
y adored Freyda. One evening when Brynna and the older female were sitting on the patio having a cocktail, Brynna told her what she had done to the humans, and instead of chastising Brynna, Freyda all but high-fived her. Odin, but Brynna loved the female. She let herself wonder what her life would have been like with Gautum and Freyda for parents. But like Urijah had said, everything happened for a reason, and Brynna wouldn’t trade what she had with Travis for a different life with her parents.

  There were no more threats or even hints of someone coming after them. Brynna didn’t think the worst was over, but she prayed it was. As she and Travis held each other every night after making love, they talked about their future. She admitted to her mate when she was having trouble with what she’d done, and Travis would either hold her quietly, or he would reassure her she did nothing wrong. During the harder times when she couldn’t get out of her head, Travis called on his dominant side and gave Brynna something else to think about, like a pink ass. She never thought about being spanked, but the pain from her mate’s hand was just the thing to take her mind off killing the humans.

  It wasn’t until Travis called Trevor to check in and see how things were going back home that they realized the worst wasn’t over.

  “Why didn’t you call me?” Travis shouted, and Brynna, Banyan, and Uri rushed out of the kitchen into the living room where Travis was pacing the floor. Banyan looked at Brynna, and she shrugged. “How could you think…? We’ll discuss this when I get there. I’ll be on the first plane home… Yes, I am, Trevor. Your fucking house was blown up!”

  “What?” Brynna gasped. She turned to Banyan, but he was already typing away on his phone.

  “I’m serious, Trevor. I’m coming home. I’ll see you tomorrow… I love you too.” Travis hung up and blew out a breath. “I don’t know how much of that you caught, but Drago blew up the manor, and Kaya’s in the hospital. Several more homes were hit, but no one else was injured. They had already sent the mates to Kai’s family home in Samoa, and during the flight, someone tried to take their plane down. The cabin of the jet is a pod, and it was ejected and landed safely in the ocean. Frey sent Sin and Sixx to meet them in Hawaii. Kai’s brother flew a decoy plane while the mates, along with Jasper, Nikolas, Frey, and Kai, went to Samoa. Drago showed up, Kai killed him, and they captured his hacker buddy, Hagen. They thought Lachlan was behind everything because someone used a computer to target the plane. Kai’s nephew, Henry, is a better hacker than Julian, and he figured out it wasn’t Lachlan, but Lachlan escaped, so now there’s that. I think that’s everything.”

  “Holy shit,” Brynna muttered as she grabbed Travis’s arms.

  Banyan waved his phone in the air. “I’ve got a jet on standby. Uri, call your brothers and ask that they come by and check in with the contractors. Brynna, you and Travis pack whatever you need, and I’ll go talk to Marcie and Lawrence. I’m going to have the house guarded while we’re gone.”

  “How could he ever think he was bothering me when something this tragic happened?” Travis asked Brynna.

  “I don’t know, Love. We’ll talk to him when we get there. Let’s go grab our things.” Brynna had a pretty good idea why Trevor didn’t call, and if his reason was what she thought? Travis wouldn’t be the only one giving him a tongue-lashing.

  Less than two hours later, the four of them were in the air. It was a twelve-hour flight, which would put them in New Atlanta early the next morning. Banyan called Frey to get the details of everything that had gone down. Travis’s quick rundown had given the highlights, but Frey was able to elaborate. Trevor and Jasper were staying with Frey and his family for the time being, and Frey said he looked forward to seeing everyone the next morning. Brynna didn’t need sleep, but her mate did, so she led him to the small bedroom at the back of the jet. Travis snored softly as Brynna snuggled next to him. While she held onto her human, Brynna wondered about what they knew. Drago’s hacker hadn’t been the one to bring the plane down, but neither had Lachlan. That meant there was still someone out there with an ax to grind. Banyan hadn’t told Frey about Brynna’s kidnapping, but she thought they probably should, just in case the incident was related.

  The small, private jet touched down shortly after five a.m., and Banyan ordered a car through one of the ride-share apps. The driver dropped Brynna and Travis off at Brynna’s house first. Banyan and Uri offered to let them stay at their home, but Brynna declined since she wanted alone time with her mate.

  When they entered Brynna’s house, she paused just inside the door. Travis dropped their bags and looked around. He had spent quite a bit of time there before they left for Norway. Was he seeing it differently? Of course he was. This was now his home too.

  “Welcome home, Mate.”

  Travis turned to her with a winsome smile. “It is, isn’t it? Now Molly will have more room to roam.”

  “Yes, she will. I can’t wait to see her.”

  “What if she doesn’t want to come with us? She’s been with the kids for over two months now.”

  “Oh, Love. You’re her person. She’ll be just as excited to see you as you are her. I promise.” Brynna closed the distance between them. “I know you slept on the jet, but do you want to nap before we go see Trevor?”

  “No. I’m… I’m too anxious to sleep.”

  “Want to go to bed anyway?” Brynna wiggled her eyebrows, and Travis laughed.

  “You always have the best ideas.” He took her hand, and just as they reached the bedroom, his phone beeped. Then it beeped again. Someone was trying to get his attention. When he saw who it was messaging him, he grinned.

  “Trevor is awake. He said we might as well come on over because he can’t sleep.”

  “Won’t we wake the others?”

  Travis typed out a response and waited. Trevor’s reply was immediate. “Trevor said everyone else is already up. Do you mind? I’d really like to see him.”

  “No, I don’t mind. Let me pee and freshen up, then we’ll go.” Brynna wasn’t one to worry about a lot of makeup around friends, but she did prefer her hair not look like a rat’s nest. After redoing her braid and brushing her teeth, she changed into clothes more suitable for chasing after the kids than her short dress allowed. Brynna met Travis back in the kitchen. His minty-fresh kiss let her know he’d also brushed his teeth in the hall bathroom. When they got back from visiting, she was going to move his stuff into the en suite attached to their bedroom.

  Travis’s four-door truck was in her garage since Banyan had picked them up there before their trip. He opened the door for Brynna as he always did. He was ever the gentleman, even back when they were just friends. The drive to Frey’s house didn’t take long, since Brynna’s – their – house was only a few miles away. After entering a code into the new security box, the gate opened, and Travis drove down the long driveway. When the house came into view, she smiled at the cast of friends waiting.

  Instead of jumping out and running to his brother, Travis came around the truck and helped her out. He held her hand as they walked toward the front porch together. Trevor was grinning like a crazed man.

  “That right there is why I didn’t call you,” he said as he met them on the sidewalk.

  “What?” Travis looked down at their clasped hands. “You knew?”

  “We all knew.” Trevor shrugged, looking at his feet. Even though he was mated to a Goyle and had come a long way in his shyness, Travis’s brother was still unsure at times. Brynna had spent a little time with the male during her stay in New Atlanta. She had wanted to get to know the brother of her mate. They may have looked enough alike to be twins, but their personalities were polar opposites.

  Jasper stepped off the porch and wrapped an arm around Trevor’s shoulder. “Welcome back. Why don’t we go inside and talk?”

  Travis released Brynna’s hand and walked up to his brother, pulling him into a tight embrace. Trevor hugged him back, closing his eyes. Brynna didn’t miss the tear that escaped Trevor’s eye. She stepped around the males an
d linked arms with Jasper. “Let’s give them a moment,” she said.

  Abbi was leaning against Frey’s chest, and his hands were cradling her stomach. The couple was smiling down at the brothers who were whispering to one another. Frey opened the door, and when Brynna stepped into the house, an excited Molly came running to her. Brynna dropped to her knees and got a face full of happy doggy kisses. She giggled as the pup wiggled her butt in hello.

  “I missed you too, girl.” Brynna let Molly have a few moments before pushing to her feet.

  Abbi had waited for Brynna, and the pretty dancer hugged Brynna to her as best she could. “It’s good to see you again.” Abbi’s round belly was pressed to Brynna’s flat one, and for the first time ever, Brynna wanted that. Wanted life growing in her stomach made from the love she shared with Travis.

  Abbi stepped back, holding Brynna’s arms. “I take it you finally told Travis the truth?”

  “I did, with a little prodding from my brother and Uri. And if I hadn’t…” Brynna took a deep breath. “Let’s just say we might not be standing here right now.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re standing here. Let’s go to the kitchen and grab some coffee.”

  Brynna took a seat at the large kitchen table. Frey and Abbi’s setup was like the one at her house in Norway. This was the heart of their home. It didn’t matter how large the house was or that there was a formal dining room. The large kitchen held a much-used table where they congregated more often than not. Travis and Trevor joined them, followed by Molly, with each male going to their respective mate. Frey was leaning against the counter where Abbi was pouring several mugs of coffee.

  Once they were all seated at the table, Travis asked, “How’s Kaya? I wanted to call Rafael as soon as Trevor told me what happened, but I didn’t want to disturb him at the hospital.”