Chapter Five #4
Graham stared over at him, and his mouth was hanging open.
Finally, he went there.
“I sincerely hope you’re joking, or we’re about to have our first marital fight. Because I absolutely am not into that kind of a kink. Spank me, absolutely. Make me watch you fuck a woman, OH, HELL NO, LAD.”
He actually laughed.
“I was joking, because this is one hell of a situation, and I’m a whole lot scared to death for her. This is my Mom. If anything happens to her…”
Graham got it.
He could hear the emotion in his voice, and he understood loving someone so much that seeing them hurt broke you.
Been there.
Done that.
Michael wasn’t done.
“For the record, I meant more like we’re crashing in her room. You can have the chair, and I’ll sleep on the floor. We need to block that door so she can’t get out.”
That calmed him right down. He didn’t know why he worried about Michael wanting someone else, but one of them had been engaged to someone else.
And that someone wasn’t him.
“Well, that I’m good with, but we’ll both sleep on the floor. I’ll drag the mattress in from the other room. We’re probably all safer in there if this thing is back. If we block the door, what’s she going to do? Walk through the wall? Then, we call a priest,” he said, crossing himself.
Yeah, that was a good plan.
Now, Michael was curious.
“But what ‘thing’ is back? We put Ceit to rest. We put Ciarán back with Duncan. We put the baby with her mother, Catherine. Oison is buried in the forest at the end of the property. Everyone is where they should be, and it was quiet. What the hell? All this because of the painting?”
Yeah, WAS…that was the operative word, because the quiet was clearly gone, and something was stirred up again. It seemed like the painting had to be it.
There was nothing left.
They put the journal back together again, and they solved who had betrayed Duncan.
Yeah, that painting was going to be a nightmare.
Graham could tell.
“Something isn’t happy again. We thought the mystery was done, but we still don’t know how the painting looks like Elizabeth. I guess that’s what remains, Laddie. Our work here is definitely not done.”
Yeah, Michael didn’t like this.
It was one thing for the house to be haunted, but it was another if it was dangerous and making someone sleepwalk. How did he protect her, and his husband from this?
He.
Was.
Worried.
“We’ll regroup in the morning,” Michael stated. “If she was dreaming, we need to find out what she was dreaming about. That might give us something.”
Oh, well, he hoped so.
Because this was absolutely bizarre.
And dangerous as fuck.
* * * The Ravensmire Castle * * *
The Airport
United States Of America
Eleven P.M.
Thankfully, everything was going off without a hitch.
The jet had been procured, and it was an unmarked one thanks to Gabe. It was on the record, but it wasn’t tied to them, so Ivan wouldn’t be able to track him. It was one that generals and high-ranking military used to move around the world.
That was the perk of having the president on your side, and him also owing Elizabeth some favors.
Yeah, Ethan borrowed one of them.
His bad.
Then again, what wouldn’t he do to get to his wife?
The answer was he’d do absolutely anything to get to her when she needed him.
With a basic bag packed, he needed to get to Scotland and find his wife before the void between them was any bigger.
That was the last thing he wanted.
Elizabeth was his soulmate, and he would do anything in the world to make sure she knew that.
Now that he was on board, he texted Raphael.
‘We’re taking off. Thank you for loving me enough to help me fix this. I’m going to make it right. I’m also not coming back without my wife. Tell the family I’m good. I love you, EJ.’
He hit send and leaned back in his seat as the pilot came over the radio.
“Doctor Blackhawk, we’ll be arriving around seven in the morning in Scotland.
It’s a pleasure to be transporting you, and I hope you have a nice flight.
If you need anything, let the attendant know, and if not, get some sleep.
We’ll get you there without any issues. We’ve received our orders from POTUS, and you’re in good hands for this flight. ”
Oh, without a doubt.
Never let it be said that networking in DC hadn’t come in handy in the later years. Thank God for friends in higher places. He was damn grateful for them.
As the sleek jet began rolling, Ethan braced for it to lift off, and when it did, his phone chimed.
Picking it up, he read the message.
‘Just bring Mom home. Be safe, and good luck. Love you too, Ethan. Now, shut off your damn phone so Ivan can’t track your ass!’
Yeah, that was the plan.
Immediately, he followed Winn’s advice, and Ethan turned off his phone. Like the pilot suggested, he planned on taking a nap. Only, that wasn’t what happened.
The entire time, Ethan Blackhawk thought about one thing.
Somehow, he had to convince his wife to trust him again and believe in their marriage.
And he’d do anything to make that happen.
ANYTHING.
Including going back to Washington DC, and leaving the Shaman behind.