Mystic Guardian (Blackwood Pack #9)

Chapter 1

As the helicopter lifted off, Carson stared out the window, tears streaming down his cheeks, watching Cody and Colton grow smaller and smaller until he could no longer see them.

Blinking several times to stem the flow, he leaned back against the headrest, letting the chatter of Hunter and Fionn fill his ears.

It wasn’t the first time he’d been separated from his fellow triplets but this was different; he was now on his own without any of his other brothers nearby.

And the loneliness he’d fought his whole life came rushing back, threatening to overwhelm him.

It was the part of him he’d kept hidden from everyone—that is, everyone except his mother.

Thinking back to his last conversation with her before leaving for France, Carson smiled as her words came back to him, helping to push back the darkness that was always lingering around the edges of his consciousness.

It was one of the hardest decisions he ever made—leaving when his mother had just come back into his life—but after talking it over with her, Carson knew it was the right one.

Even so, the fear that Josiah might discover his mother survived, made him waffle back and forth about leaving, until he finally spoke to Cody who assured him the rest of his brothers were able to protect her from harm.

So, he packed his clothes and personal belongings, said good-bye to his brothers, kissed and hugged his nephews and niece, promised Jackson he would keep in touch, and walked away from the only security he’d known in his life since the massacre.

It was a bittersweet moment when he said good-bye to Cody and Colton and boarded the helicopter.

He saw the worry on their faces, which made him love them all the more for understanding his need to leave.

Picking a seat by the window, he gave them a final wave as the engine revved up and they lifted off for the short flight to the airport.

When Carson finally got his thoughts in order, he tuned back into what Robert, their pilot was saying.

They were about to land, and anticipation began to build about boarding the Dire Enterprises jet, the one Cody and Colton always raved about; now he would be on it instead of looking at pictures they always sent to him.

Turning his eyes back to the window, Carson watched as they landed, light as a feather, near a hanger.

Unbuckling his harness, Carson grabbed his carry-on bag containing his computer and phone along with all the files he received from Remy Marchant during the past week.

Following Hunter and Fionn as they debarked, he turned around and, looking into the hanger, saw a gleaming white jet with someone in uniform waiting for them at the boarding stairs leading up to its open door.

“Holy shit!” Hunter muttered, looking at the plane with the striking Dire Enterprises logo emblazoned on its tail.

“Mate, wait until you see the inside,” Fionn said, gleefully. “Kieran told me all about what it’s like to fuck while up in the air.”

“What’s so different?” asked Hunter.

“Uh-uh,” smirked Fionn, “you’ll just have to wait and see for yourself.” Then seeing the perturbed look on Carson’s face, he added, “Hey, don’t worry about us, this baby has a couple of bedrooms so you’ll have your own.”

Carson snorted. “Thank goodness for that. After what Mac told Colton about your nighttime activities…well, let’s just say I’ll certainly appreciate that. ”

“Hey,” Hunter said, looking at his cousin, “exactly what did my brother say?”

“No way I’m telling you,” Carson chortled. “Ask him yourself…but he did recommend I pack a pair of earplugs.”

“That fucker!” Hunter exclaimed. “When I get home, he’s gonna pay for telling tales.”

Grabbing his mate’s arm, Fionn said, “You can’t hurt him, mate, Mac is now my brother, too, and I don’t want anything happening to him.”

“Listen to Fionn, Hunter. Jackson won’t like it if you hurt the doctor taking over for Ian.

And besides, I didn’t pack any earplugs because I figured it was just a lot of bullshit.

C’mon, let’s get going.” Letting Fionn and Hunter sort themselves out, he walked up to the man waiting for them. “Hi, I’m Carson.”

“Good afternoon, sir. I’m Paul, your steward. I’ll take your bag, and if you would, please head up the stairs. You can sit anywhere.”

After handing his bag to Paul, Carson ascended the staircase, eager to get his first look at the inside.

Stepping into the cabin, he softly gasped.

It was everything his brothers described and more.

Pausing, he felt like he’d just fallen down the rabbit hole, smiling as he remembered his favorite childhood story.

Finally, he moved forward, sensing Fionn and Hunter behind him waiting to enter the cabin.

Looking at the love seat and figuring his fellow passengers would claim that as their own, he headed toward a club chair next to a small table at the back of the plane, knowing he’d be able to get some work done on his computer there.

After he was seated, he glanced up and saw Paul bringing his bag to him .

“Would you like me to put this away or will you need it during the flight?”

“Thanks for the offer but I’ll keep it with me,” Carson said, taking it from the steward.

“Would you like something to drink before we take off?”

“Ahh, just water will be fine…with ice if you have it,” Carson said, smiling.

“Certainly, I’ll be right back.”

After Paul left, Carson looked around, smirking when he found Hunter and Fionn sitting on the love seat, arms entwined, kissing as if they were by themselves.

Shaking his head, he bent down, lifting his computer and phone out of the bag and setting them on the table.

Snapping a few pictures, he sent them to Cody and Colton with a message, before opening his computer and losing himself in the financial records of the companies Dire Enterprises planned to buy.

~/~/~/~/~

“Reemee, I’m scared!”

Hearing the panic in the voice, Remy Marchant sighed, then turned over, opening his eyes. Blinking against the darkness in his bedroom, he found his little brother staring wide-eyed at him. “Where are your brothers?” he asked.

“Sleepin’,” Galen replied.

“What woke you up?” asked Remy, tugging Galen down next to him. “Did you have another bad dream?”

Climbing under the covers, Galen nodded.

Grimacing at Galen’s answer, Remy tucked him in against his side, straightening the covers over them both.

His hope the nightmares would eventually stop was long gone and he was at a loss about how to help.

No matter what he tried, nothing seemed to work except letting his brother sleep with him—a short term solution to the problem, but not good for either of them.

Remy made a mental note to solve it sooner rather than later.

Within minutes, Galen was asleep, leaving Remy to reflect on what had kept him away from taking care of his brothers last night.

Ever since his boss, Artur MacDùghlas died, Remy figured it was only a matter of time before he’d lose his job.

So between looking for a new one and handling the multitude of calamities at work, now almost daily occurrences, his free time was severely curtailed—and that meant his brothers were spending more time with Mrs. Beasley and not with him.

Thankfully, his brothers loved her but he was sure they’d be upset when he found another job, probably requiring a move and a new nanny—taking away whatever sense of security he’d managed to give them since their parents’ deaths.

Reaching carefully for his phone so as not to wake Galen, Remy groaned inwardly when he saw the time.

Setting it back down, he tried to turn off his mind in an effort to get back to sleep.

He needed to be sharp and on top of his game later that morning when the son of Artur MacDùghlas—who was also his new boss—was scheduled to arrive, along with a representative from Dire Enterprises.

When Remy found out who’d be buying all of Artur’s businesses, a small seed of hope began to grow that his plan would buy him time to find a new job; one that paid him as much or even more than what he was making now.

It was an offhand remark by Mrs. Beasley that gave him the idea of offering his expertise to Dire Enterprises, so their takeover would be as seamless and trouble-free as possible.

If Remy was successful in convincing Dire’s representative about the financial soundness of hiring him, it would take an enormous weight off of his shoulders.

Closing his eyes, Remy inhaled deeply, releasing his breath slowly while clearing his mind of a long list of worries that had only grown more serious in the last few months.

Soon his breathing evened out as sleep finally reclaimed him.

~/~/~/~/~

Snorting in disgust, Carson gave up, removing the cotton from his ears.

“I should have listened to Mac and packed some earplugs,” he muttered.

“Or better yet, maybe a pair of Dire’s noise cancelling headphones.

” He wasn’t going to get any sleep with the sounds coming from Hunter and Fionn’s bedroom next door, so he sat up and looked at his alarm clock.

They were still hours away from landing in Paris.

After considering his options, Carson rose, slipping into his robe before grabbing his laptop and heading out to the main cabin.

Selecting a location in the front of the plane—as far away from his cousin and Fionn as possible—he sat down, placing his laptop on a small, high gloss, mahogany table.

Glancing around the cabin while waiting for his computer to boot up, Carson felt his soul settle, aided by the jet’s warm and cozy interior, graced with soft, buff leather furniture and set off by plush, nut-brown carpeting.

Then, stretching his hand out, he softly stroked the cream, leather padding on the cabin walls, its smooth texture calming him further.

“Can I get you anything?” Paul asked.

Jerking his head around and looking up, Carson blushed, embarrassed the steward caught him caressing the leather. “Oh…uhm…sorry, I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“Not at all,” Paul replied. “I’m always on duty during a flight. Would you like something to drink?”

“Water would be great.”

“Certainly.”

Carson watched Paul walk away, then glanced down at his screen.

Opening a file, he again began to read the material he’d received from Remy Marchant.

Despite Carson’s hectic life since learning about his new job assignment for Dire Enterprises, he’d read everything he could about the different companies Fionn now owned.

There wasn’t any real need for him to go through it again, but he needed something to occupy himself since sleep was out of the question.

“Here you go, sir,” Paul said, setting an empty crystal glass and an unopened bottle of water next to Carson’s computer.

Glancing up, Carson smiled. “Thanks, Paul.” After filling the glass, he took a sip, then thought about an opportunity he could take advantage of. It was the perfect time to do it. Cocking his head to one side, Carson studied Paul. Why not? “Paul, would you mind doing something for me?”

“Depends,” Paul said, frowning, “on what it is.”

Carson’s mouth opened and a small gasp escaped.

Gods, I did it again. When will I ever learn?

It was obvious by Paul’s comment, he thought Carson was asking for a sexual favor.

This is why I need Cody or Colton to protect me from making an ass of myself.

But without either of his brothers to run interference for him, he was now left to dig himself out of the hole he found himself in.

Face now flaming red, Carson stuttered, “A-a-ahh, I-I-I was wondering if I could talk to you about your experience working for Dire Enterprises? ”

Chuckling, Paul said, “Whew! Sure glad I misunderstood.” Taking the seat opposite Carson, added, “What do you want to know?”

“Yeah,” Carson said, “sorry I didn’t make myself clear.”

Shaking his head, Paul replied, “No, don’t be. I should have known better. My only excuse is ‘old habits die hard’.”

“What do you mean?” asked Carson, curious about the steward’s comments. But then, realizing Paul might not want to talk about it, added, “Sorry, none of my business.”

Sighing, Paul ran his hand through his hair. “No, it’s all right. You asked me about working for Dire Enterprises, right? Well, I love it. Every day I wake up thanking my lucky stars I met Steel…err, Mr. Valentin…who rescued me from a life of hell and gave me a job…the best job in the world.”

“How long have you worked for him?” asked Carson.

“About ten years,” Paul answered.

“Wow! Good for you,” Carson said. “Would you consider leaving?”

“No, absolutely not,” Paul replied, vigorously shaking his head. “Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering if someone offered you a job with…say, more pay…or better benefits…would you take it?”

“Not interested.”

“Why?” asked Carson before adding, “if it’s not too personal.”

“No, that’s all right,” Paul said. “Salary…benefits…that’s just stuff…tangible stuff…but it’s the intangible stuff that can’t be matched. That’s what makes me loyal to Dire Enterprises.”

“Exactly what kind of intangible stuff?” asked Carson.

“Hmmm…I guess the best way to describe it is I know I’m just not a number…

employee 7502 or whatever…but I’m important to Dire Enterprises…

not only because of my job, but they care if I’m happy or if I have a personal problem or if I need help achieving my goals.

I’m seen as a person who has rights to pursue my dreams or reach my goals and I know Dire Enterprises will help me any way they can.

” He paused for a few seconds as he fished for an example before continuing.

“For instance, last year during a discussion with Steel, I mentioned my goal of becoming a pilot and, two weeks later, he arranged for me to attend flight school and made sure my work schedule didn’t interfere.

That’s the intangible stuff other companies don’t care about. ”

Nodding, Carson knew exactly what Paul meant because he’d written about it in his business plan—the one for a company he wanted to start after he graduated from college.

Now, after listening to the passion in Paul’s voice about Dire Enterprises’ method of management, one of his concerns regarding the purchase of Fionn’s companies was put to rest. Smiling, Carson said, “I understand completely. It’s a philosophy more companies should adopt. ”

“Definitely,” Paul said, just as a buzzer sounded. Standing, he added, “Sorry, I’m needed in the cockpit. Is there anything else?”

Waving his hand, Carson replied, “No…go ahead, but thanks again.” After Paul left, Carson opened a different file and began typing notes about a solution to the high turnover rate of employees in Fionn’s companies.