“Now I’m out on my arse and Fiona isn’t any safer.”
At least he knew the name of the goblin now. He took his phone out his pocket and typed in Brent Houseman. He managed to find an address. A penthouse! Goblins must do well in this time. Looking around, Declan didn’t see anyone. No cars were driving on the street and he didn’t see many lights on in the buildings. He might be safe if he flew to Brent’s penthouse.
His wings unfurled and they let loose a sense of freedom in him that he would never get over feeling. It was like running in a field on the first sunny day after days and days of rain. Being from Ireland he remembered those times keenly.
He flapped twice and was over the buildings moments later, then stayed close to the roofs. Following the river north would have been better, but someone would have seen him. He alighted on a building in a place called Rittenhouse Square.
Brent Houseman lived on the very top floor of this building. Declan jumped down to the balcony before tucking away his wings and returning to human form. The glass doors didn’t have an obstruction and the man Declan was here to see was sitting on a couch, a drink in his hand. He lifted it up in salute as if he’d been waiting for the gargoyle.
Declan slid open the door to the apartment, the vile stench of the goblin hitting him. He grimaced, but strode into the place anyway.
“Gargoyle. I knew you were around tonight,” Brent said.
“Your stench gave you away.”
Declan crossed his arms. He didn’t have a plan and he probably should have. He’d winged it before in life. That had served him well.
“Fiona has no idea she is fae,” Brent said.
He said it not as a question, but as a statement of fact. Had he tried to talk to Fiona about it? He doubted the goblin would give up any of that information.
“Why didn’t you just kill her when you had her?”
Brent loosened his tied and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. He swirled the ice cubes in his glass. “She wasn’t interested in coming back to my place or I would have. Besides, it’ll be more fun to do it in front of you. To see one of you gargoyles get your comeuppance.”
“Why are you so sure you’re going to succeed?”
Brent pointed at him with the glass. “Because you are the least experienced of the three Foley brothers. You were still young when you were cursed.”
He knew about the curse.
“So?”
“Your brothers had much more experience than you. Frankly, if I could kill Fiona then you right in front of your brothers it might make up for them killing my siblings. You fecking gargoyles are the bane of our existence. And you’ve distracted us from our larger purpose.”
“Which is?”
Brent laughed. “Oh, that is to come. Don’t worry though, I doubt you’ll be alive to see it.”
The goblin was trying to distract him. “I want you to leave Fiona alone. Don’t contact her. Don’t talk to her.”
Brent laughed then sipped some of his drink. “You know that I can kill you right now.”
The goblin could and it was arrogance and maybe youthful exuberance that had brought Declan to his door. He began to back away, closer to the door. “Then it won’t be as fulfilling for you if you can’t kill her in front of me.”
“I could live with that.”
Declan had underestimated his opponent. A rookie mistake for sure. Brent had been right about his inexperience. He’d made a tactical error and now not only was Declan going to die, but Fiona would, too, without having any idea why. His brothers might never know what happened to him since he’d never told them who the goblin was.
Feck.
Without a glance backward, Declan hurried to the balcony, unfurling his wings as he went. A rush of air almost enveloped him, but he was out of range fast enough. The surge of energy bypassed him as he flew away.
“Donal? Sean?”
He called to his brothers in his mind. They answered.
“I need to talk to you.”
“We’re at Colleen’s apartment. I’ll text you the address,” Sean said.
Declan landed on a roof and turned back to human form to look at his phone. He memorized the address then took off into the night to meet his brothers.
***
Declan landed on the deck outside of Colleen’s penthouse. His brothers waited, relaxing on deck chairs. Sean pointed to one. “Sit. What did you do?”
Declan tucked away his wings and returned to human form before he sat. “I confronted the goblin.”
“You eejit, really?” Donal choked on his drink.
“Hey you did, too,” Sean said.
“Not quite in the same fashion as both of you. I at least knew Meg would show up eventually,” Donal said.
Declan ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not sure what I was thinking.”
“You weren’t,” Donal said. “As usual. You’ve tipped his hand now. He knows that you know he’s a goblin. Is Fiona safe?”
“Aye. She’s asleep. I checked on her before I came here,” Declan said. “She kicked me out when I tried to tell her she was a fairy. She thought I was giving her a story to bed her.”
Donal and Sean exchanged a glance
“That’s kind of funny since you did that a lot to humans back in the day,” Sean said.
“Aye, I get the irony of the situation,” Declan said. “That doesn’t help me with the fact that Fiona is in danger and I know who the goblin is.” He sighed heavily. “I need a plan.”
“You need a plan?” Sean said. “So blindly stumbling around isn’t enough for you now?”
Declan knew the criticism was correct, but this was important. This was his first fairy and his failure had dire consequences. For both Fiona and him. He’d never been tasked with actually protecting a fairy. Before they’d been cursed, he had been in training, but he’d assumed since it was in his blood, he’d know what to do.
The arrogance of youth their father would have said. Not that he had room to talk, but that was another situation.
“How do I get her to believe she’s a fairy?” Declan asked.
Once again, Donal and Sean exchanged a glance. Declan had never been one to ask their advice. He’d always assumed he knew best. That they weren’t willing to try anything new. He had always thought he was smarter than his older brothers. Was it maturity or defeat that had him questioning that assumption?
“Meg and Collen had also resisted. It wasn’t until they were confronted with the goblin that they accepted it.
“I don’t want to wait until we are in mortal danger for her to get this,” Declan said.
Sean shrugged, crossing his feet at his ankles. “You may have no choice.”
Declan rose, pacing away from his brothers. He tapped his head. Think. “There must be something you missed.”
Donal groaned. “You still think you’re smarter than we are.”
Declan spun to look at them in the dim light coming from Colleen’s apartment. “You two just aren’t as creative as I am.”
“Deck, please. You need to understand that we’ve been through this. Your arrogance will get you and Fiona killed,” Sean said. “We’re here to help, but not if you aren’t willing to take our advice.”
“What about Meg and Colleen? Can’t they reveal that they are fairies now?” Declan asked.
“It’s possible, that they can convince her, but Colleen wasn’t willing to listen to Meg,” Donal said. “I doubt Fiona is any less stubborn. It’s like the three of them are sisters the way they are so alike.”
Declan plopped into the chair he’d been occupying earlier. “So you don’t think they can help?”
“They can try,” Sean said. “I’m sure they would be willing. Those three are thick as thieves so I’m surprised that one of them hasn’t slipped yet in front of Fiona.”
“Aye,” Donal said. “It’s only a matter of time.”
“This isn’t helping me, boys.”
“How about we get the girls t
ogether and they can try to talk to Fiona. Can you live with that?” Sean said.
“Aye. I’m going to have to. I don’t see any other options.”
Chapter Eleven
Fiona knocked on Colleen’s door, the sense that someone had followed her now gone. Should she be worried or relieved? She hadn’t spotted anyone, but ever since her dinner with Brent, she wondered if he’d had her followed. He was a rich and powerful man and might want to know what she was up to.
That would have to stop.
He wouldn’t own her. No man ever would. Which made her mind turn to Declan and it still made her mad that he thought some fancy story would get her into bed. Couldn’t a guy just like her for who she was first? Men were poopyheads.
Fiona pushed open the door. She found Colleen on the other side, a wine bottle half uncorked in her hand. “Hey.”
They hugged. Fiona felt relief wash over her.
Meg yelled from the balcony. “Hey, Fi.”
Snacks were arranged on a low table between three lounge chairs. “Go out. I’ll be there as soon as I wrestle this wine bottle.”
Fiona hugged Meg tightly, then plopped onto one of the chairs.
“How’s the job hunt going?” Meg asked.
Fiona shrugged. “Not great, but I have a few weeks before I have to worry.” She paused, not sure why she was reticent to tell them about Brent. “I had dinner with this guy.”
“A date?” Colleen said, walking out with the bottle and three glasses in her hands.
“Nah. He wants to sponsor me and my art.”
A smile broke out onto Meg’s face. “That’s wonderful. Have you taken him up on his offer?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
Colleen poured wine into the glasses. “What’s holding you back?”
Fiona took a sip of her wine. “Well, Declan had a strange reaction to this guy.”
Colleen and Meg looked at each other then her. Colleen spoke. “Declan?”
“Yeah. I had to go to a dinner for Damien and I dragged Declan along. He’s charming and he’s very good at networking I found out. So this guy, Brent, left me a note under my plate and Declan didn’t want me to see him.”
“Is Declan in a position to tell you not to see someone?” Meg asked.
“Well, no, but he was vehement. I didn’t really get the impression he was jealous, just protective. Anyway, I had dinner with Brent and I wanted to think about it, but I will really need the money eventually so I’m going to take him up on his offer.”
“No,” Meg and Colleen said in unison.
Fiona sat up. What an odd reaction from them. Do they know the guy? “Why not?”
Meg cleared her throat. “If Declan doesn’t like him, there is a good reason.”
Fiona eyed them. “You don’t even know Declan that well. Why would you trust his opinion?”
Fiona swiveled on her lounge chair. Colleen sat next to her on it. They looked as if they were going to tell her that someone died. Their faces were long and their eyes held concern. She blinked.
“We have something to tell you,” Colleen said.
Fiona looked from Meg to Colleen, with an uneasy feeling growing in her chest. “Go ahead.”
“It’s going to sound odd and strange and you aren’t going to want to believe it, but please remember that Colleen and I wouldn’t lie to you. You know we’d never do that, Fi.” Meg said.
Fiona did not like the sound of this as the sense of dread creeped up her belly. “Wait.” Fiona looked around. “Is this a joke? Am I being pranked?”
“No, Fi, this is real, and you should listen to Declan about this guy,” Meg said.
“Why? Why are you on Declan’s side?”
“There are no sides, Fi. We want you to stay safe and alive.”
“Alive?” Fiona asked. “No one has threatened me.”
“Not yet. This guy Brent is trouble,” Meg said.
Fiona blinked again. Had her friends gone mad? “You don’t want me to sign with Brent, a man you’ve never met, because Declan, a man you just met, says he’s dangerous.”
Colleen and Meg exchanged a look. Colleen looked back at Fiona. “That’s about it, yes. There’s more and it is even more unbelievable.”
Fiona crossed her arms as she rose. “You two are nuts. I don’t know why you are ganging up on me. This isn’t funny. A rich man wants to pay me to make art and you guys are discouraging me.”
“Fiona, don’t go. Listen and it will make sense,” Colleen said.
Fiona headed for the door. She’d had enough of this. Brent’s offer could be her big break. How could they take that from her? As if they hadn’t known her passion from the start. They’d lived together in college. They’d known each other through so many years and jobs and boyfriends. Her heart hurt that her friends were not supporting her.
“I’m not listening to two people who have pretended to be my friends for so long,” Fiona said.
She strode to the door. Yanking it open, she glanced back. Meg and Colleen were in the doorway to the patio.
“Goodbye.”
“Wait, Fi,” Meg said. “You’re a fairy.”
***
Fiona wandered the streets of Philadelphia as she tried to make sense of what the women had said. Were they in on some joke with Declan? He’d said the same thing and it made no sense no matter how much she pondered it. It was simply preposterous.
Her mind was in a turmoil and almost didn’t recognize the man who stopped in front of her. “Fi?”
She looked up into blue eyes. “Brent?”
“You okay?”
She flashed a quick smile. “Yes. Thank you.”
He motioned to the building in front of them. “My place is here. You want to come up for a drink?”
Even if she didn’t understand why Declan wanted her to be cautious around Brent, she still wanted to be. “Uh.”
Brent put up his hands. “We can go to a bar if you want. I’ve just been out all day and ready to take off my shoes.”
How could he be a problem if he wanted to take off his shoes? She could still outrun him. “Well, okay. One drink. I’m going to call for a car in a few minutes.”
“It’s a deal. Then if you don’t show up the driver will know something is wrong.”
That sounded logical. Someone would know where she was. She should probably text Meg or Colleen so they weren’t worried. Wait. She wasn’t speaking to them. Declan would be upset with her if he knew where she was. She didn’t have anyone to worry about her right now.
The sadness hurt her heart, but she was an independent woman. This was how life was sometimes. “I’ll come up. Thanks.”
Brent entertained Fiona with chatter about his day as they rode the elevator to the top floor. She had a smile on her face the whole time. She didn’t understand why Declan had a problem with Brent. He must have just been jealous.
Brent motioned for her to leave the elevator first. She entered a room with floor to ceiling windows with a great view of Center City. “Wow.”
“You like it?” Brent said.
She turned to see him loosening his tie. “I do like it. I have the view of a brick wall.”
“Have a seat by the window. I’ll bring our wine.”
“Thanks.”
She wandered to the love seat he’d pointed out. He was a big man, but there was room for two of them. She didn’t want him too close because she this wasn’t a date. This was business.
The lights of Philadelphia twinkled beneath her as Brent shuffled around his kitchen. He arrived with two glasses of wine, the top button on his shirt undone and his shoes off of his feet. “I’ve been running since early this morning. I’m ready to be out of business attire.”
“I understand though I never wear business attire.”
He handed her the glass then touched his glass to hers. “And with our arrangement, you won’t have to at all.”
She sipped the wine then rested the glass on her thigh. “It is a great view.
”
“I do love it. It’s actually quiet this high up. It puts my troubles in perspective.”
Fiona took another drink of her wine then it seemed to hit her. Her head felt heavy and she couldn’t focus on anything for very long. She hadn’t had but a few sips at Colleen’s and that was at least a half hour ago. Why was this wine bothering her? “I can’t imagine you have that many troubles.”
She swallowed hard, feeling dizzy all of a sudden. Her gaze met Brent’s. He was smiling as he took the glass from her hand. “What did you do?”
“Just a little sedative, Fiona. Sleep tight.”
She fought to keep her eyes open, but they were just too heavy.
Chapter Twelve
Declan banged on Colleen’s door, knowing full well that Fiona wasn’t there. He figured if she was with her friends, he could check out Brent a little more. Then he felt some distress from her, but couldn’t tell where it was coming from. It was there, some kind of link, even if she said she hate him. Yes, something was wrong. His phone was dead so he couldn’t locate her that way. Damned new technology. No, this was different.
“The feckin’ goblin is blocking me.”
He didn’t know how, but he knew it was Brent. Something more than a gut feeling overtook him. Why hadn’t listened to the lessons he’d been supposed to learn? Declan banged on the door again then tried the knob. It opened in his hand. He looked up to see Colleen on the other side. “Where is she?”
He stormed into the apartment, feeling like a caged animal. He could feel that Fiona was in some kind of distress, but he couldn’t tell what.
“She left us. She ran out and I assume she went home, but she didn’t pick up when we called,” Meg said.
“I can track her phone on mine,” Colleen said.
“Do it,” Declan growled, cursing himself for being so stupid.
He should have just stayed on the roof of Colleen’s building. He would have seen Fiona leave and been there when Brent most likely kidnapped her. He hadn’t expected the goblin to make a move. Had he planned it this way all along?
Declan paced as Colleen worked her magic on the phone.
“I found her,” Colleen said. She showed the screen to Declan.
When Garogyles Love Trilogy Page 21