Destiny Of A Donovan (The Donovans Book 15)

by A. C. Arthur

  Only, that wouldn’t happen with Monica and the Lakefield Galleries. Monica who was still engaged to Alex Bennett after multiple years of dating. Brynne didn’t know the reason for that situation, but it brought her mind right back to relationships again.

  She was shaking her head at herself and her thoughts when the first sound had her pausing. It sounded like someone had stepped on a branch or twig, not far away. There were trees close by. Tall, mature trees that clumped together would provide complete coverage of anyone or anything that chose to hide among them. She paused for a moment and waited to see if there would be a follow-up sound or if someone would actually come walking through the trees. When neither happened she took her cell phone out of the front pocket of her shirt and scrolled through her emails.

  There was nothing from Monica or from any of the other places where she’d sent her resume. A part of her wanted to call her Aunt Alma, but Brynne refrained. If she couldn’t get a job on her own, she didn’t want the job. Using her family and their many influences throughout the business community couldn’t be her back-up plan. There was a message from Keysa and another one from that #donovans#1 sender. She deleted that and opened the one from her sister, smiling as she clicked on the attachments.

  Her niece was adorable. She had chubby cheeks and hands just like Brynne’s and beautiful hazel eyes. The picture of Ian holding his daughter made Brynne sigh. They looked so happy and a big part of Brynne wished she could be there with them again. She had traveled to Michigan to see them two months ago but she’d only stayed for a couple of days. Her father had been there.

  “It’s good to see you, baby girl,” Bernard had said as he’d gripped her into one of his tight hugs.

  Brynne had hugged him back because he was her father and she was glad to see that he was doing well. That didn’t stop her from being angry with him.

  “I haven’t had a chance to talk to you,” he’d begun.

  Brynne had immediately shaken her head. “And now is not the time, Dad. Let’s just be here and happy for Keysa.”

  “I want to apologize,” Bernard had insisted.

  “I don’t need an apology,” she’d told him. “I’m not the child you turned your back on. At least not totally.”

  She’d walked away from him then and later that day when she’d felt like a jerk for not at least giving him a chance to talk, she’d gone back to find him. But by then he wasn’t alone. Mary Lee, was there. They’d been sitting side-by-side talking quietly. She’d tried to ignore the fact that they’d looked intimate and refused to think about her father again until the night before when her mother had called to announce their divorce. Was it because her father and his first wife were getting back together? Brynne sighed because this was precisely the relationship nonsense she didn’t need on her mind.

  It was getting late and she wanted to look over the idea folder that Lauren had compiled for the upcoming silent auction they were having. Brynne had been helping her friend in that arena since she’d hosted plenty of live and silent auctions at the gallery. She stood then and was just about to step out of the gazebo when she heard another noise. This one was definitely closer and sounded oddly like a ticking clock…or a ticking…

  With quick steps Brynne exited the gazebo and looked back at the row of trees. It was dark so all she could really make out was the shadow of the trees and where they stopped to drop down a hill. But the noise was persistent and if she wasn’t mistaken, it was growing louder.

  “Hello?” she yelled into the darkness.

  There was no answer.

  Really, had she expected one?

  Brynne didn’t know what to expect. What she did know, however, was that she had no intention of being that woman in the movie that had her head chopped off because she was foolish enough to walk into the trees in search of that sound. With that thought in mind and her phone clutched tightly in hand, Brynne headed for the house. The sound grew louder, as if it were following her. She was still a short distance from the house and though she’d had her exercise for the day, began to run until she was on the porch. It seemed just like a scene out of a movie when the patio door was stuck as she tried to open it.

  The ticking sound was still behind her but Brynne refused to turn around. When she thought they were accompanied with footsteps, she leaned all her weight into that door and pulled it so hard her shoulder screamed in pain. Brynne was through the door, running into the dining room and colliding with Mrs. Ramsey all in a matter of seconds.

  “What in the world? Brynne why are you in such a hurry?” Mrs. Ramsey asked when she touched a hand to Brynne’s arm to hold her still.

  “What?” Brynne asked and then took a chance on looking back.

  There was nothing there, except for the open patio door and the chair that was pushed away from the table because she’d bumped it on her way in.

  “There…I thought…I mean…,” she was trying to say when Mrs. Ramsey walked past her.

  “Let’s just close and lock this door. Then we’ll head into the kitchen to get you a nice cup of tea. Chamomile would be good for you tonight. To calm your nerves a bit.”

  Mrs. Ramsey was a kind woman, probably in her late sixties. She had a creamed coffee skin complexion with silver gray hair that scraped her shoulders when she let it down or was stacked in big neat curls at other times. She had a bright smile and wise eyes and moved like a twenty-year old drunk on caffeine.

  “No,” Brynne said. “I’m okay. Just being silly. I thought I heard something, but it was probably nothing.”

  Mrs. Ramsey had returned to stand beside her then. She lifted a hand to tuck strands of hair behind Brynne’s ear, then she cupped her cheek. Her hand was warm and Brynne was instantly reminded of the times her father had taken her and Keysa to visit his mother, Dot, before she passed away.

  “You sure? You look a little pale. I can fix you something to eat. I have some of that chicken and peppers left from last night if you want to nibble on a bit of that,” she continued.

  “No thanks, ma’am. I’m okay, really.”

  Mrs. Ramsey stared at her as if she knew for a fact that Brynne was lying. Her eyes had narrowed and her lips had turned up slightly at both sides. Brynne almost smiled because the look was so like her grandmother’s it made her heart ache.

  “I’m just going to go up to bed now. I’m a little tired,” she said, but left out the fact that her heart was still racing because she knew she’d heard that ticking sound.

  Again, Mrs. Ramsey stared at her. It was a few seconds before the woman seemed to go along with Brynne’s excuses and let her hand fall from her face.

  “Okay, if you say so. But you go right on up and get some rest. You’re still healing you know. Gotta take care of yourself and running around out in the backyard ain’t how you do it.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Brynne said with a smile and was just about to turn and walk away.

  “Oh, wait,” Mrs. Ramsey said and extended a box to Brynne. “This came for you. I was just going to bring it out to you before you came bustling in here like you were being chased by the law.”

  Brynne smiled nervously as she looked down at the box. It was from Tiffany’s, the blue box and white bow were distinctive. Brynne’s heart did a skid and halt in her chest as she stared at the box and then up to Mrs. Ramsey.

  “Who is it from?” she asked.

  Mrs. Ramsey shook her head. “I guess you’ll have to open it up and see.”

  The older woman was smiling as if she knew something that Brynne didn’t. No. He didn’t. He wouldn’t. They’d only had the one date and two kisses. And the walk on the treadmill.

  Gingerly Brynne took the box from Mrs. Ramsey and whispered a quick, “Goodnight,” before turning and heading into the foyer where she took the steps as quickly as she possibly could.

  Brynne was in her room, after locking the door, moving to the window seat that had become her favorite spot. She sat and held that box in the palm of her hand. She couldn’t open it. B
ut how could she not? That was the only way she would find out who sent it. Didn’t she already know? No, she didn’t. It was impossible.

  With an aggravated sigh because she knew she was being silly, perhaps for the second time tonight, Brynne slipped the white ribbon off the box. She opened the top and sighed with delight when she saw the small charm. It was silver, with the Tiffany blue color as the background color forming a blossom shape. The center of the blossom was white and Brynne noticed with a start, was a watch. The ticking sound she’d heard outside instantly echoed in her mind and she dropped the box to the floor. The charm fell out and so did a folded piece of white paper. She knelt down to pick up the paper and with trembling fingers opened it to read,

  Time is Ticking by

  Chapter 5

  Two Weeks Later

  Home of Parker & Adriana Donovan

  Miami, Florida

  “Sorry we missed the wedding,” Trent said to Parker.

  “It’s okay,” Parker replied. “Adriana had been thinking about a destination wedding from the beginning, but she wanted to get the movie filmed before she made any definite decision. She fell in love with Paris while she was there shooting that movie. Next thing I know she’s decided she wants to get married there.” He chuckled.

  “There were a lot of family members that couldn’t get away on such short notice. Besides our parents and the rest of the Miami family, your brothers and their wives, Uncle Everette and Aunt Alma, and Max and Deena. But Ben and Victoria couldn’t come and Cade was on some assignment. Sam and Karena couldn’t come because Karena was due any day.”

  “Right,” Trent replied with a nod. “She had a little girl too. I told Sam the minute I had some spare time that Tia, Trevor and I would come out to see baby Ella.”

  “We haven’t seen her either,” Parker said.

  It was a Sunday afternoon and they were sitting in Parker’s home office with its caramel colored leather furniture and large windows with the beautiful view of the water. This was the house Parker had bought for Adriana soon after they’d become engaged. Dev had never been here. The last time he’d been in Miami was when Sean Donovan’s daughter had been kidnapped. This house was a little farther past the Key Biscayne area than the one where Bruce and Janean Donovan lived. It was still a great area, quiet and pretty, precisely what a home should be. The thought of him and Bailey living here once things settled down quickly crossed his mind.

  “You know what would be great,” Parker started to say. He’d been leaning back in the chair behind his desk and he sat up quickly to look from Trent to Dev. “Another family reunion. It seems like forever since we were all in Sansonique. We’d all be together again and the new additions to the family could meet everyone. I mean we’ve had marriages and babies since then. The Donovan clan is forever growing.”

  “You’re right about that,” Trent replied and then cleared his throat. “There was a time my mother would have loved to hear from the other Senior wives about planning a family reunion. Now, it seems as if she doesn’t want to be around anyone but her grandchildren.”

  Dev tried not to focus on the hint of sadness in Trent’s voice. Some weeks back when Dev and Bailey had gone to L.A. to visit with Trent and Tia, his friend had confided in him. Before she was shot Tia had wanted to have another baby, but Trent had been resisting because of the things going on with the family. Now, after her brush with death, Trent wanted to increase their family. Only Mother Nature wasn’t going along with his plan. So all the new babies being born into the Donovan family were making Trent happy on the one end, and extremely nervous on the other. As for Dev, well, he’d never imagined being a father. And he’d never had a family to consider planning family reunions to see. All of this was foreign territory for him. All, except for one aspect.

  “I found this picture in Dane’s home office. Do you remember it?” Dev asked Parker after he’d stood and dropped the picture on his desk.

  Parker looked down. He remained silent, but picked up the picture. He sat back in his chair again, staring at the picture.

  “You and Jaydon were still married,” Trent said to his cousin. “Check the ring on her left hand.”

  Parker moved his hand so that the picture shook, as if he were fanning himself with it. His easy grin and laid back demeanor had shifted, Dev could tell by the muscle now twitching in the guy’s jaw.

  “It was our first Christmas as a married couple,” Parker said, still moving that picture around. “Jaydon had decorated our condo and was playing holiday music that night. The next day was Sunday, Christmas Eve, and we were going to church with the family and then dinner at my mom’s. It was Aunt Carolyn’s turn to do Christmas Day dinner.”

  “You met Dane before he announced himself as a Donovan,” Dev said because hearing about more Donovan gatherings was making him think about Bailey who he and Trent had somehow managed to convince to visit her aunts, Janean and Carolyn, instead of coming with them to see Parker.

  “Dammit!” Parker yelled and flicked the picture away so that it flew like a paper airplane out of his hand.

  It landed on the other side of his desk on the floor. Trent stood and retrieved it.

  “How was he introduced to you? What did he and Jaydon say?” Trent asked.

  Parker sat forward. He dropped his elbows on his desk and lowered his head for a moment. When he looked up, he stared at Trent.

  “She said it was her brother. When she was about to tell me his name he interrupted her. He’d smiled and stepped closer to me, extending his hand. I shook his freakin’ hand!” Parker yelled. “Henry. Dammit, he told me his name was Henry!”

  “That wasn’t a lie. His name is Dane Henry,” Dev replied.

  “I know what his name is now!” was Parker’s quick and hostile retort. “I know now and I should have remembered. I should have said something before.”

  Trent was shaking his head as he looked down at the picture once more, then back to Parker.

  “There was no reason,” he told him. “So your wife had a brother named Henry. There was no red flag that you should have seen at that point. I mean, when I met the guy I didn’t think anything about how he looked. But once we found out he was Uncle Bernard’s son, it was easier to see the resemblance. Besides, he’s clean shaven in this picture, even his head is bald so that he looks ten years younger. Now, with his short beard and the hair on his head, he looks even more like Uncle Bernard.”

  Parker shook his head. “But when they were framing my brother for murder I should have remembered. The moment that tape surfaced and Jaydon was seen coming from Giovanni’s house. They said a man was driving the SUV that picked her up, but his face wasn’t clear on the tape. I should have thought of her brother. Dammit!”

  He slammed his palms on the desk and then stood.

  “They were so close to us,” he said. “For so long those two were so close, why didn’t they do anything then? Why wait until years later to ask for more money or to threaten to tell who Dane was?”

  “That’s what we’ve been trying to figure out,” Trent said and looked at the picture again.

  Dev only nodded because he thought he had a good idea as to why nothing had happened at that time. Dane wasn’t the enemy. Those words had been bouncing around in Dev’s mind since his last meeting with Dane Donovan.

  “They’re sick,” Parker said. “All of them. That entire family. They’re all—”

  “Wait a minute,” Trent said.

  Dev looked over at him, recognizing the tone. His longtime friend was holding up a hand to halt Parker’s words, and staring down at the picture.

  “You said this picture was taken at your condo. Who took the picture?” Trent asked.

  Parker had stood straight by then. He rubbed his hand over his jaw as he appeared to be thinking.

  “A delivery guy,” he said. “Yeah, a few minutes after Henry, or Dane, had arrived and the introductions had been made, there was another knock at the door. I joked with Jaydon asking if more of h
er family was making a surprise visit. They’d both looked at each other. I was laughing and didn’t pay any attention to the look they gave, but going back now, I think they might have been worried.”

  He let out a sigh and continued. “Anyway, I went to the door because Jaydon didn’t move. I opened it and there was this delivery guy with a box. It was for me. I opened it and pulled out what was inside. It was a clock and I put it…I put the clock on the table right by the door. I figured it was another gift from one of Donovan Multimedia’s clients. Even though we worked with different branches of the company, various people we did business with used to send me and Jaydon gifts from time to time. Then I looked over and saw him and Jaydon talking quietly. I figured since she hadn’t mentioned her brother before that they didn’t see each other often. So I suggested the picture. After I gave the delivery guy his tip he was more than happy to snap the pic for us. I had two of them printed and framed. I gave Jaydon one for Christmas and then told her to send the other one to her brother.”

  Trent moved closer to Dev and pointed at the picture. Dev looked down to see what he was pointing at.

  “What is it?” Parker asked.

  He came from around the desk and stood directly in front of them to look down at the picture. “What else do you see?”

  “This clock,” Trent told him.

  “That’s the one that was in the box that came from one of our clients,” Parker said.

  “Remember when Savian received a clock as a wedding gift on Christmas Eve?” Trent asked.

  “Sonofabitch!” Parker cursed.

  “It gets worse,” Dev said. “Two weeks ago Brynne called Bailey to tell her that she’d received a box. In it was a charm for a bracelet. Bernard gave Brynne a Tiffany charm bracelet for Christmas, the day before the Seniors told everyone their secret. The charm was a watch and the note read the same as the one that was sent to Savian.”