Prologue #4
“This is for you too. The gear for the dive has already arrived, Mr. Graves. The packet will give you information on anything else you need to know.”
He blinked.
She was using his name too?
What was this?
Most of the time, he went by Michael, and nothing else. If it was a Blackhawk talking to him, it was Saint Michael of the Blackhawks.
He preferred the latter.
It made him feel…connected.
Did he come back to Scotland to be continually reminded that he was D’Artangnan Graves, and what he’d lost to the man who was from here?
Was everyone getting in on the act?
“Thank you,” he offered.
As she left him alone, he opened the case, and inside was a shit ton of money. Half was in American currency, and the rest was in pounds.
Well, that was helpful.
It appeared they were hooking him up, even when they didn’t have to. Michael had a ton of money to his name now, but he appreciated her consideration.
On a note that he could see on top of the money, he could see her handwriting.
‘D’Artangnan,
Lay low so Riley doesn’t get wind of where you are.
This should keep you in haggis and Scotch for a few months.
If you need more money, tell the castle caretaker, and he’ll hook you up.
You won’t be there alone. Sometimes, silence is NOT our friend.
We wanted to make sure you were given something to take up some of your time.
Thank you for going lake diving. If you love me, you won’t tell me what you found.
I love you.
Mom.’
That amused him.
Oh, he was well aware that she didn’t want to know what he was going to find. If Tony had an arm bone from a person, he was betting the rest would be down there.
That was just her luck.
When he closed the case, he opened the packet. Inside, he found a very old key that had to be for the castle, and a set of keys for a vehicle.
Looking at it, he knew it was going to be a motorcycle. Well, that cheered him up.
Michael loved a motorcycle, and he loved nothing more than driving fast and feeling free.
It was a nice early evening for a drive on a bike, and that cheered him up.
They knew him well, and for that, he was grateful.
Pulling out the next piece of paper, it was from Callen this time.
‘My dude,
Have fun in Scotland. There’s a mess there with the bones, some bodies, and the history of this castle.
I’m running out of time to get this handled before Hurricane Wife hits there.
If you can, please help Gabby and the caretaker figure this out.
I don’t need Elizabeth skinning me and wearing my tan as she skips around a fire.
She’s already got too much power. Let’s not let her invoke more.
You’re the best.
Love you,
CJ.’
Well, he wasn’t sure what he was going to be able to do to solve the mysteries going on there.
He was a Marine, and the last thing he knew how to do was figure things out like this.
That wasn’t his wheelhouse, but he’d still give it a try.
Why the hell not?
More than likely, it would be fun. Besides, Gabby was always a ray of sunshine, and he needed a distraction. Just going back to Scotland reminded him of Graham, and that reminded him of his broken heart.
That was a downward spiral for him.
Working on a mystery would definitely distract the hell out of him, and that was exactly what he needed.
Thankfully, Scotland was familiar, and wherever Graham was, he was likely off with the person who was meant to be his.
And he probably had a husband.
That hurt, but Michael knew the truth.
He hadn’t been courageous enough to look for him to get the answer for that.
There was this fear that he’d found someone else and moved on—like him. Only, the fear was also that he was happy when Michael…
Was.
Not.
For the years after the breakup, he’d wanted to find him, but he couldn’t bear to find out he was happy and had moved on.
The one single fantasy he had in his mind was that Graham never found love again. That he had been his only one, and that he was holding out in hopes their paths would cross.
It was stupid, and he knew it wasn’t possible for two reasons.
They didn’t end on a friendly note, and that Graham was handsome, funny, had a big heart, and was amazing in bed.
There was no way some Scottish man hadn’t scooped him up.
In fact, Michael would bet all the money in that briefcase that he was happily married, had a few kids, and a life.
Unlike him.
Yeah, he had money now, but not one penny of it made him feel alive like being poor with Graham in their off-base housing had made him feel.
It was ironic that he’d taken on being an Archangel to make their futures secure, only to not have him in his future.
Thank God he wouldn’t see him. His existence was embarrassing, and the last thing he wanted to do was to have to come face-to-face with his past.
It might break him the rest of the way.
As he saw the ‘buckle your seatbelt’ sign come on, he did just that. The sleek jet dipped, and they began coming in for a landing.
When his smart watch chimed, he glanced down at it. On it, he could see the coordinates to the castle, and that was the last piece of the puzzle for him.
Now, he would get there, maybe grab some food, and call it a night. Since he knew the castle had a full-time caretaker, he knew there would be food in the fridge for him to peruse.
Since he was losing six hours with this flight, tonight would be about acclimating to the time change.
Tomorrow, he’d see the village there, and figure out how to blend in with the surroundings.
As the wheels touched down, he felt the bounce, and then, they taxied to a slow roll.
Getting up, the flight attendant met him at the door, and smiled.
“Elizabeth and Callen had all of your things shipped ahead, so your clothes are already at the castle. All you have to do is go there.”
Well, that worked for him.
“Have a good time,” she offered.
Oh, well, he just wanted to not cry, and he might be okay.
Instead of saying anything, he nodded, and slipped into the backpack that carried the money and envelope.
When the steps were lowered, he climbed out, and not far away was an airport employee with the bike beside him. It was a tricked-out bike like the ones the Blackhawks had at home, and Michael was excited.
He loved to ride.
Granted, he loved to ride with a partner, but that was never happening. Riley wasn’t a bike guy, and thinking about Graham and the times they’d done just that…
It hurt.
Now, it was just him.
And that was likely how it would always be.
“Aye, Mr. Graves, this bike is for you,” the man said. “Jackson James says dinnae go gettin’ yersel’ banged up, or his missus’ll be stormin’ in like a huffy banshee. She wanted ye buckled in somethin’ safer, aye? So zip it, laddie, no lip!”
He laughed.
God, but he missed hearing someone talk with a Scottish accent and slang.
As for Elizabeth, yes, yes, she would be, and while he appreciated that, he didn’t mind the bike.
What was the worst that could happen?
He’d die?
It wasn’t like he’d know it if he died, now would he?
Pulling off the sling, he rolled his arm, and knew he would be good.
You never forgot how to ride a bike.
Ever.
“Oh, and welcome tae bonnie Scotland! Hope ye have a braw time while ye’re here—cut loose, soak it up, and hae a wee bit o’ fun. Folk here are pure sound, ye’ll no be short o’ good craic and kind hearts.”
He said nothing but instead got onto the bike, put the key in the ignition, and cranked it over.
As it warmed up, he tapped his watch, starting the GPS to get him to the castle.
For the time being, until he was called home, it looked like Scotland was going to keep him company.
Well, he’d had worse company here.
Company that broke his heart in ways he’d never been able to fix it.
Thank God Graham Lainey was off doing who knew what.
Michael had to heal.
Being hurt again…Michael was pretty sure his heart couldn’t handle it.
Not.
At.
All.
* * * The Ravensmire Castle * * *
The Castle
Early Evening
Six P.M.
Honestly, it had been a busy four weeks, and that was because Graham had the difficult job of updating Callen and Chris about what had happened at the castle.
To say that they were freaking out…
That would be an understatement.
They needed this project to move forward, and because of that, they opted not to let the authorities know there were remains in the lake.
With a little convincing from Gabby, Finn had been willing to turn his head the other way.
For now.
Thankfully.
When they figured out how to approach this, then, and only then, would they be notifying the cops there.
The last thing they needed was a media spectacle. That would out them.
So, instead of talking about the bones in the lake, they opted to work on permits and renovation.
The castle was still haunted, and Graham caught sight of Duncan and Ciarán every now and again, but the shadowy figure was laying low.
So there was that.
Gabby came around every day, but they didn’t work on the mystery. Finn had made her promise that while she was pregnant, she wouldn’t poke the dead dudes.
And she was adhering to it.
So, they mostly had tea, talked, or watched a movie, and Graham was grateful. She kept him busy during the day, and at night, well, he was reading books.
It kept him out of trouble too.
Just yesterday, he’d been told that the next Blackhawk guest was arriving today, but it was weird.
Why?
Well, maybe because Callen didn’t want him to pick the gentleman up at the airport. Instead, he was informed to wait for his arrival.
If that was what he wanted…
Who was he to argue?
They were, after all, the bosses.
So instead, Graham prepped the Master’s Suite, and the whole time he was doing it, he realized that he missed having someone there.
Gryphen
Ian.
Tony.
Gabby.
Finn.
Even Bark Twain.
It wasn’t the same without someone to talk to, and the construction guys didn’t really care to have chitchat while they worked.
Construction was approved for the wall in the crypt, and they’d be starting in a day or two. Honestly, he was curious what was behind that stone wall.
Was Ciarán buried back there, or was it his bones in the water?
For now, the ones they could retrieve had been carefully placed in the crypt inside the empty vault.
Well, what they could find.
Supposedly, the Blackhawks were going to send someone who was a spectacular diver, and who would be going down in that water to find the ghost IN the lake.
Yeah, good luck to him.
That was terrifying.
It was crystal clear that someone was going to not have a good time doing that. Honestly, he was grateful it wasn’t him.
Well, at least he’d have company.
There was that.
When he heard the kitchen door opening behind him, Graham realized that the newest guest had finally arrived, and that made him feel better.
Until he saw him.
And he knew he had a slew of problems.
The figure that entered the castle was very familiar. He was big, bulky, and a flash from his past.
Oh, and Graham hadn’t expected to see him.
EVER.
AGAIN.
It stole his breath as they both stood there facing each other.
“D’Artangnan?” Graham asked as the dish he was holding fell from his fingers and shattered into a million pieces on the floor at his feet.
Oh, and from the look on his face, Graham wasn’t the only one shocked.
D’Artangnan was too.
“I don’t understand,” Graham whispered, his heart thumping so fast in his chest.
Well, that was both of them.
Saint Michael of the Blackhawks was caught off guard, too, and for a few reasons. No one called him that, but Elizabeth, and secondly…
There was a ghost standing before him.
It was the ghost of relationships past, and the first man he’d ever loved with all of his heart.
His.
Soulmate.
It was also the first man to break it into a million pieces.
Yeah, this was the last thing he expected when coming here. What he’d expected was to have some alone time as he babysat a castle for Callen and Chris and went diving for some bones.
He didn’t expect to have to come face-to-face with the one who got away after blowing his world to kingdom come.
Not this.
Never this.
“Graham?” he asked, not sure what else to say when facing down his once lover—the man who destroyed his heart and soul.
Well, holy shit.
This recovery was going to be interesting.
And no doubt painful.
It was crystal clear what had gone down.
It appeared that Cupid Blackhawk had struck again, and those arrows had pierced two damaged, decimated, and broken hearts.
And the fallout was coming.
Swiftly.