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Working as fast as she could, Zara felt the flames of urgency licking at her heels when she finally got back to McCormack Manor. Her fingerprint worked on the concealed security entrance revealing that she hadn’t been as ousted as she thought.
Art’s jeep was there with the keys in it, so she climbed in and started toward the house. Another vehicle on the edge of a clearing made her stop the jeep to get out and investigate. Through foliage and rocks, she came to a large open space with a sea view, which was protected on most sides by trees. She heard the sound of a shovel in dirt before she saw anything. The noise drew her attention right and there was Brodie, forty feet away shoveling dirt into a rectangular hole.
Tuck came out of the trees to her left and strode over to join her. “You came,” he said. “You take care of everything?”
Concern for Brodie was her priority, but in a distant tone, she answered Tuck’s question because the job was still important. Art didn’t die for nothing and they had to make it their mission to ensure that.
“I removed the van from the scene and picked up all the plans and paperwork from CI before Grant could get back,” she said. “One advantage of his fear of digital exposure is that we can be sure we have everything.”
Tuck put a hand on her shoulder. “Sutcliffe won’t go quietly. He’s going to be a problem down the road.”
In awe that Tuck was forward planning while Brodie was still doing manual labor, these men were still in combat mode. But she just wanted to get through this night before thinking about tomorrow. “We’ll deal with it when it’s more imminent,” she sighed. “For now, there’s nothing to sell and Grant has no schematics to commission any reproduction. We’ve bought ourselves some time at least.”
“Good. Where is the device?”
She was still fixated on Brodie’s shirtless form glistening in the low dusk sun as he worked to fill the hole. He stepped back to wipe a hand over his mouth and Zara noticed the side view of two headstones beyond Brodie’s position.
“It’s safe.” Transfixed by the beauty and the sadness of the sight, her heart swelled for her love’s toil. “How is he?” she asked, watching Brodie return to his shoveling.
Tuck exhaled and his arm sagged, causing his palm to skim down her back. “We all discussed our final arrangements, but you never think you’ll need them, you know? Brodie’s parents are buried there and Art wanted to be at his sister’s side.”
“Should we help?” Zara asked. The sight of the sole man sweating for his mentor, his father figure, his family, made her inflamed heart shatter as the tears welled in her eyes again.
“He wants to do it,” Tuck said. “He told me to leave him... and he’s almost done.”
“How will we get through this?” she murmured, the weight of anguish dropped through her gut and she almost screamed for the torture Brodie was enduring.
When Tuck’s fingers slipped in between hers, she forced herself to look away from Brodie. “Art told us to stick together,” Tuck said. “We do that and we’ll be fine... But Brodie... he’s gonna need you and it might get rough.”
Encouraged by Tuck’s confidence, feigned as it may be, she fortified herself. “Rough I can handle,” she said. “He’s tried so hard to push me away.”
“Falling for you freaked him out,” Tuck said. “Art and I talked about it. Rave’s been like a bear with a sore head since you found out about Quebec. Art says he kept it secret because he knew he’d want to scare you away.”
Brodie was a loner and love probably wasn’t on his agenda. It hadn’t been on hers, neither was a man as intense as Brodie. He was flawed, far more damaged than most other men were. But his demons didn’t scare her. She would have to get used to him pushing her. In time, he would learn that he wasn’t going to get rid of her, no matter how hard he tried to provoke her into leaving him.
“He failed,” she murmured and noted how tired Tuck looked. This day had taken energy from him too. Art had been a rock. Without him, the Kindred would probably flounder for a while, but she was determined not to let it die. “Come here.”
Stepping into him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and felt him slump as he exhaled into their hug. They would have to get used to leaning on each other now that they didn’t have Art’s guiding hand.
She and Tuck held onto each other for a while. When he drew back, he was looking in the direction of Art’s grave. Zara turned and noticed Brodie was coming toward them. A few feet away, he brought the spade up and drove it down into the dirt. Crossing the final distance, he snatched the back of her neck with his dirty hand.
Dried blood and dirt covered his hands and arms, but she wasn’t deterred. Zara edged nearer and rested her fingertips on the ridges of his abs. “Swift’s gonna take you to your apartment,” he said. “Pack your shit and bring it here. You’re not to leave this house. You understand me?”
“I understand,” she said and let him pull her head back so far she lost her balance. He caught her weight with his hand on her neck and his forearm on her spine. With an open mouth, he tasted her tongue then separated their kiss.
“You’re Kindred now,” Brodie said and curled his fingers around her wrist. Examining her hand, he had to see that Art’s blood was still crusted under her fingernails. But, he brought her hand up and kissed her fingertips before transferring his focus onto Tuck. “You watch her and bring her back to me.”
“You got it, Chief,” Tuck said and after a brief silent exchange, Brodie passed him and marched through the trees toward the house.
“Chief,” she murmured, recognizing Art’s moniker. With him gone, Brodie would have to step up and take over the head role in the Kindred. He was Art’s heir and rightful successor.
Tuck sighed. “Now he has to go inside and tell Bess and the others. He’s gonna need time to get through this. You’ll have to wait for answers about your relationship. I don’t think he’s capable of being rational or reasonable now,” Tuck said. For now, she had all the answers she needed. Brodie needed her and her place was at his side. “I’ll go and get my bike. We’ll bring your essentials and get the rest when we can take a car out later.”
Tuck walked away through the trees on the route Brodie had just used. When she was alone, she turned toward the graves. Zara walked over and read Brodie’s parents headstones beside the fresh dirt.
Lowering to her knees, she exhaled. Opening her hands on the soil beneath her, she opened herself to what her future would be.
“I hear you,” she whispered. “You didn’t need to leave him to make your point. I do love him and I know he plays games to test me. And I promise... I’ll stay by his side and get him through this. I won’t let him sabotage us. I’ll abide by priority one because you were right. I’m Kindred now.”
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