Bound by Secrets (Cauld Ane Series)

by Tracey Jane Jackson

  Pepper nodded. “I’d be better if I knew what was going on.”

  “Follow the emotion, Pepper,” Payton said, standing and guiding Pepper to a chair.

  “What do you mean?” Pepper asked. “What emotion?”

  “When Jet kidnapped you and we didn’t know where you were, Fiona did some research and told Connall to find you by following your emotion, rather than trying to listen to your thoughts,” Payton explained.

  “Really?” Pepper groaned. “So that’s how he did it. Little sneak!”

  “Why don’t you try it and see if it works,” Payton suggested.

  Both Pepper and Sam closed their eyes. Within seconds, Sam opened hers with a scowl. “I got nothin’.”

  “You’re not a firestarter,” Payton said.

  “That’s a requirement?” Samantha asked.

  Payton nodded.

  “Well, that sucks,” Samantha grumbled.

  Pepper paced the office, paused, closed her eyes, then repeated the process. Payton and Samantha watched as though engrossed in a movie. Pepper gasped. “Jet got loose.”

  “What?” Sam exclaimed. “How? What happened?”

  “Sammi.” Pepper held her hand up. “Shhh.”

  Sam wrinkled her nose, but didn’t respond as Pepper continued to “listen.” Pepper’s face was a smorgasbord of expression and Payton couldn’t look away, even when Sam stood and left her office for several minutes.

  Payton jumped when her phone rang, and Kade’s number popped up on the screen. “Hi, Kade.”

  “It’s not Kade,” Brodie said, slight exasperation in his tone. “You three may as well come in here. Sam and Pepper keep interrupting us anyway.”

  “How did you know they were in here?” Payton shook her head. “Never mind, we’ll be right in.”

  “Okay,” Brodie said, and hung up.

  “Sorry, Pay. I guess I wasn’t stealth enough.” Pepper bit her lip. “Con sounds a little irritated.”

  “So does Brodie.” Payton smiled. “I don’t even want to know what Sam’s dealing with.”

  Sam poked her head in the door. “Kade wants us.”

  Pepper frowned. “Yeah, we were just summoned.”

  Payton led everyone down the hall and into Kade’s office. Pepper looked about ready to kill someone as she made her way to Connall, while Sam slid into Kade’s arms quietly, her expression controlled. Alasdair leaned against the wall nearest Kade’s desk, his expression guarded. Brodie stood by the windows that faced Edinburgh Castle and Payton joined him. Even with the trust forming daily between them, she still wasn’t quite ready for public displays of affection.

  In pure Cauld Ane male fashion, however, Brodie settled his hand on her lower back. Payton couldn’t help but lean into it, taking refuge from the thick stress permeating the room.

  “What happened with Jet?” Pepper demanded. “How did he get away?”

  “Well…” Connall stalled as he rubbed his forehead.

  “And before you say something inane like ‘you shouldn’t have been listening,’ how about you just tell us exactly what happened,” Pepper added. “Now that I’ve figured out the little trick to get past your block, you obviously can’t hide anything from me anyway.”

  “He got hold of Red Fang,” Connall said. “Enough to incapacitate a couple of the guards so he could get out. He dosed Kinnon too, but he wasn’t as lucky.”

  “What do you mean?” Payton asked.

  “Kinnon’s dead, love,” Brodie said gently.

  “Oh, no. He used that much Red Fang?” She asked as she forced back tears.

  “He did use a lot, aye, but he’d also laced it with arsenic.”

  “Oh, that’s horrible,” Payton rasped. “Is Nye okay?”

  “He doesn’t know yet.”

  “What?” She grasped Brodie’s arm. “Why doesn’t he know?”

  “Because he’s somewhere in America, love. Remember? They’re in the middle of their tour. I did give him a ring and asked him call me back, although, it probably won’t be until tomorrow.”

  “I have his itinerary. We could call the hotel.”

  “Let’s not wake him in the middle of night, eh?” Brodie smiled. “I promise I’ll tell him as soon as we have a few things tied up…or he calls back, whichever comes first.”

  “What things need to be tied up?” Pepper asked. “What could be more important than telling Max and Niall that their brother has died?”

  “Finding out what happened, for one. We’re sorting it out, Pepper.” Connall wrapped an arm around her waist, but she pulled away.

  “Bully for you, sunshine,” she retorted, and pushed Connall away. “Why don’t you go ahead and fill us in on what you’re sorting out, exactly.”

  Connall glanced at Kade and then back at Pepper. “I don’t want you and the baby upset.”

  “I’m going to be far more upset if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

  Payton noticed the ends of Pepper’s hair begin to darken again. Brodie waved his hand and the fire extinguisher attached to the wall floated in the air.

  Connall reached out and took Pepper’s hand, gripping tightly when she tried to pull away. “I need you to take a deep breath, love.”

  Pepper laid her hand on her belly and closed her eyes. As she calmed, her hair went back to blonde again. “I’m okay.”

  Brodie flicked his hand again and the fire extinguisher made its way back to the wall, while Alasdair grabbed a chair for Pepper to sit in.

  “We’re going to get Cole involved,” Connall said.

  Kade nodded. “Although, I still think we need someone who knows more about Jet than us. Someone who knows him better than Cole, even.”

  “Which means Dalton, I presume,” Sam said.

  Dalton Moore had been on the same football team as Jet in high school, and had made sure he was kicked off the team after he attacked Pepper. “Aye,” Kade said. “He’ll be able to help get into Jet’s mind, and since he and Cole are used to working together, he’ll be better suited to the job.”

  “So, is Dalt going to work for you, Ali?” Pepper asked.

  “No,” Alasdair answered. “If Dalton agrees to take a job, Cole’s heading his own security group.”

  “Ooh, Dalton working for Cole?” Sam said. “That could be interesting.”

  “Aye,” Kade said. “We’ll let them hash that out. But if he does take the job, Dalton will be working for us primarily.”

  “He hasn’t agreed to anything yet,” Alasdair reminded him.

  Kade smiled. “I know, but he will.”

  “Does that mean we’re telling him everything?” Sam asked.

  “That’s what we’re trying to decide,” Kade admitted. “How much do we say? Full disclosure, partial information, or none?”

  “You won’t get Dalton if you don’t tell him everything,” Pepper said.

  Connall frowned.

  “She’s right,” Sam said. “My brother is worse than a dog with a bone if he thinks he’s being lied to. And he always knows. It’s why he’s such a great FBI agent.”

  “Was,” Alasdair said.

  “What?”

  “He left the Bureau.”

  “What?” Sam swore. “Why didn’t anyone tell me that? How long have y’all known?”

  “Not long.” Alasdair shook his head. “He asked me not to tell you. He wanted to do it, but apparently he hasn’t gotten around to it.”

  “Sounds about right,” Sam said, and scowled at Kade.

  “Before you yell at me, love,” Kade said, interrupting her admonishment, “I just found out half an hour ago. I haven’t kept anything from you.”

  “You’re a lucky man.” Sam’s shoulders relaxed and she nodded. “So, what do we do now?”

  “We’re going to organize flights for Dalton.” Kade looked at Payton with a smile. “Or, I should say, Payton’s going to organize flights for Dalton, if you don’t mind, and then find out what he wants to do. If he doesn’t want to work for us, then w
e’re obviously not going to tell him anything.”

  “He just left Scotland,” Pepper said as she gripped Connall’s hand. “He’s not going to want to turn around again to take care of Jet.”

  “Are you okay, Pepper?” Sam asked.

  Pepper nodded, her face an unhealthy shade. Connall closed his eyes and Pepper let out a sigh. “I’m fine. Just a little nausea that’s gone, now that my husband is doing his job.” She grinned at him. “You know, if you expect me to be a kept woman, you need to be quicker about catering to my needs.”

  Connall smiled and kissed her hand. Pepper shook her head and then began to breathe heavily again, and Connall forced her into a chair. “I swear to Buddha, this child is going to kill me.”

  “Oh, good, blame it on the child,” Sam droned as she opened Kade’s medical bag and pulled out his stethoscope, laying it over Pepper’s belly. “Baby sounds fine. Maybe you should stop arguing with Connall, hm?”

  “Don’t talk to me like you know me,” Pepper retorted. “We were simply discussing something private.”

  “Hm-mm,” Sam hummed. “You have a horrible poker face, Pep. You can’t hide your thoughts from anyone. And you know my brother cares about you almost as much as I do. Of course he’ll be willing to come back to get rid of Jet once and for all.”

  Pepper bit her lip. “I guess so.”

  “I’m going to get Pepper back to the flat,” Connall said. “We can meet later to sort out the details.”

  “I’m fine, babe,” Pepper said. “You guys talk. I’ll find something to do.”

  “I’ll babysit her,” Sam offered.

  “Yay for me,” Pepper droned.

  “I’m happy to take you home, love,” Connall said.

  “You’re the one who has to decide if Dalton being here is going to be a problem, baby.” She stood and laid a hand on his chest. “I can’t do that for you. I’m not the jealous one, remember? So it’s fine if I go home with my very annoying sister-in-law, especially if we can watch a horror flick.”

  “Oooh, yes, please,” Samantha said.

  Connall shook his head. “You and your need to watch murder and death. It’s really strange. You know that right?”

  Pepper grinned. “As long as it’s in movies and not in real life, it’s all good.”

  “Come with me for a minute,” Connall said. “Then you can go.”

  Connall guided Pepper from the office, and Payton grabbed a pen and notepad from Kade’s desk. “I’ll get Dalton sorted. The apartment on the third floor’s finished now. Do you want him there, or shall I put him up at the Balmoral?”

  “Apartment, I think,” Kade said. “Find out what Cole wants to do, please.”

  “Right. I’ll get on that now,” Payton said. Her phone buzzed in her hand and she glanced down at the caller ID. “It’s Niall.”

  Brodie held out his hand. “I’ll talk to him.”

  “No,” she said, and held the phone to her chest. “He’s calling me. I’ll talk to him.”

  “You don’t need to tell him anything, Payton,” Kade said. “Unless you want to.”

  “Thanks.” She stepped into the hallway and answered the call. “Hi, Nye.”

  “Hey. You okay? You sound stressed.”

  Payton bit her lip. “Do I?”

  “What’s going on?” Niall pressed. “Brodie tried to call, which means something’s not right.”

  “Did you call him back?” she asked.

  “He didn’t answer. Come on, Pay. Tell me.”

  “Where are you right now?”

  “At a hotel in New York,” he said.

  “Are you alone?”

  “No,” he said. “Max is with me. Payton McFadden, what is going on?”

  “I have some bad news, Nye.” She closed her eyes briefly. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but Kinnon has passed away.”

  “Shite!”

  Payton waited while Niall filled Max in on the news, glancing up when Brodie stepped into the hallway with her. He took her free hand and linked his fingers with hers.

  “I’ve got you on speaker, Pay. What happened?” Niall asked.

  “All I know is that Jet dosed him with Red Fang,” Payton said. “Kade and Connall know more.”

  “That’s why we couldn’t feel him.” Max swore. “I told you something was off, Niall.”

  “Aye,” Niall said. “Okay, Max is going to call Connall now. Do you know where Brodie is?”

  “Right here,” she said, and handed Brodie her phone.

  “Hey, Nye.” Brodie’s side of the conversation was somewhat monosyllabic, which didn’t surprise her. He hated talking on the phone, and she was pretty sure the last thing he wanted was to have this particular conversation in a hallway. “Aye. I’ll ring you later. We can figure out what to do. No, don’t come back. Not yet, anyway. The Council will require an inquest. I’m sorry. Okay. ’Bye.” Brodie handed Payton back her phone, along with the pad of notes she’d left in Kade’s office. “I’ll walk you back to your office, love.”

  “Okay.”

  He took her hand again and tugged her back to her office. Kicking the door shut, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. Payton let the notepad fall to the floor and slid her hands into his hair, sighing against his lips. “I needed that,” she said.

  “I thought you might.”

  “This is really unprofessional, Brodie.”

  He smiled. “I’ll smooth it over with your boss.”

  She stroked his face, the stubble she loved so much scratchy against her palm. “What did Niall say?”

  “He just wanted details. I’ll fill him in as much as I can when we know more. Honestly, Connall knows more than me, so him talking to Max is probably going to give them all the information they need.”

  Payton shook her head. “Poor Nye. Poor Max, for that matter. It really is just the two of them now.”

  The MacMillans’ parents had died years ago, within weeks of each other. Their bond had been a strong one, but the stress of losing a child—their only daughter—had slowly killed them.

  “Aye.” Brodie pulled her closer. “They’ve known this news could come at any time. Kinnon’s been bad for a long time, but it doesn’t make anything any easier.”

  “No, it doesn’t.” She leaned against his rock-hard chest. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  He gave her a gentle squeeze. “Are you?”

  She nodded. “Very. Aren’t you getting sick of Gunnach Pharmaceuticals…and Edinburgh?”

  “Why would you think that?”

  Brodie owned several clubs and restaurants around Edinburgh and Inverness, but tended to the Inverness properties a little more personally, as it’s where he preferred to spend his time.

  “Well, let’s see, you’re not a big fan of the city and only come in when it’s absolutely necessary. You’ve been here every day for two weeks now, and I guess I figured you’d be over it and ready to go home by now.”

  He stroked her hair. “Perhaps. But I’m not sick of you, and it’s given me a good amount of time to check in on the clubs.”

  “You should probably think about buying a flat, Brodie.” She leaned back and raised an eyebrow. “It’s silly to pay for a hotel when the flat’s available.”

  Whenever Brodie or Connall were in town, they stayed at the apartment across from Kade’s. Connall and Pepper had used it while sorting out her residency, and then with the mess with Jet, but with the couple back in Inverness, the flat was free for Brodie to use.

  “For the most part, I do stay in the flat, but I’m not buying anything until you can pick the place you want to live part of the year.”

  She grinned. “If I am, in fact, your mate.”

  He kissed her nose and stepped away from her. “Still not a funny joke, Payton.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  Brodie bent down to retrieve her notepad, setting it on her desk. “I had big plans for tonight, but I think they’ve gone a wee bit haywire.”

  “Reall
y? What did you have in mind?”

  He slipped his hand into his jeans pocket and smiled. “I wanted to give you something very special.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “You know, I’ve never fallen for the whole ‘let me show you something special in my pants’ bit. Nice try, though.”

  Brodie laughed and held out his hand. Payton gasped. A diamond ring sat sparkling on his palm, but not just any ring. The ring she’d tried on when she’d been tasked with helping Kade find Samantha’s engagement ring. “Brodie,” she whispered.

  An intricately designed infinity twist, micropavé diamond setting cradled the eight-carat round diamond, and Payton licked her lips as she stared down at it.

  “Is this the right one?”

  She bobbed her head in an enthusiastic nod. “Aye, love. But it’s so extravagant.”

  “Not possible.” He settled himself on one knee and grasped her left hand. “Payton Alison McFadden, will you do me the honor of marrying me and becoming my wife?”

  Payton blinked back tears. The Cauld Ane didn’t generally propose. Since there was no real chance that a woman would turn down her mate, the question wasn’t necessary and was often seen as a silly human ritual. But Brodie also knew that Payton found the whole process romantic and endearing and that she had enjoyed Kade and Samantha’s wedding very much.

  She nodded. “Yes, Brodie. I’ll marry you.”

  He slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her. Payton broke the kiss so that she could get a good look at the diamond. Stunning didn’t begin to describe it. “Did Sam remember this?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “No. You may have thought you were in the store to help Kade find a ring for Sam, but I also made a little plan with Mr. Ferguson. He made note of the one you oohed and ahhed over, for future reference.”

  “You are a big sneak, Brodie Gunnach.” She cupped his face. “In the best of ways.”

  He laughed and kissed her again. “So you don’t want to return it, then?”