Page 6 of Justice

“Done.”

He took two steps away when Liberty whisperedLancashirebefore saying the word boldly out loud. “Lancashire. It’s the center of all points.”

If she thought it to be accurate, I believed her. I snagged the laptop off the desk, opened up the browser, and typed in the location. We needed more than that. We needed more specific information, and we needed it now. I looked at the screen, nothing screamingthis is a powerhouse of a hot spot. Until . . .

“Dragon’s Eye.” I felt it. I knew the moment the words left my mouth that this was where we were going, where we needed to be. Around me, everyone gathered to look at the screen in front of me.

“That’s it,” Liberty announced. “That’s where we need to go.”

She must have felt it as I had, the same with the others because no one disputed the location. Instead, Sterling rolled up his shirtsleeves. “Alright then, pack your bags; I’ll set up a private carrier.”

“Now?” Liberty’s eyes were wide as she asked.

“I’m sorry. Did you have other plans, doll?”

She looked at him, hurt on her face at being the recipient of his superiority. “No, I just – it’s just – so soon.”

“Well, the prophecy isn’t going to wait for anyone, not even you,” Sterling explained as he grabbed her, his hand roughly holding her chin, and he kissed her. When he pulled away, he explained, “It’s time to get it over with and meet your fate, Liberty. Lord knows we’ve been stuck for two hundred years in ours.”

Chapter 4

STERLING

It tookno time to arrange a carrier. The fact that Liberty owned a passport from one wild spring break in Mexico was useful. What wasn’t so helpful? The bitching and complaining as we trudged our way through the airport at one in the morning.

“Shut the fuck up. Seriously,” I growled at Ellis under my breath when I was sure Liberty was out of earshot. Her hearing had improved, too, because she turned around and glared.

“It will be fine, Ellis,” she cooed. “We will work out the rest of the details on the plane.”

Only, when we got on the plane, she took a blanket out of her bag and snuggled against my side. Discussing our plans, which surely entitled doom and gloom, became the last thing I wanted to talk about. My fingers found her dark hair and twirled it, the softness soothing me in ways I hadn’t realized I needed.

“Do we have a plan when we get there?” Oak asked as he plopped down across from us. His voice sounded tired. The book was clutched tightly in his hand.

“Find a way in, mainly. I suggest we go after dark when there are likely fewer people around,” Ellis said as he threw his head back onto the headrest.

“I have some contacts in the area, they are gathering equipment we need, and it should be ready in no time. There’s also a little cottage along the way. Close enough to gain access, but not close enough to be suspicious. It was available for rental on a day-to-day basis, so I’ve secured our lodging,” I informed them as I absentmindedly toyed with Liberty’s hair.

She twisted her body so she was looking at me. “You love this stuff, don’t you?”

“What? Traveling? No, I hate it.”

“No.” She gave a mischievous smile. “The whole organizing thing. I bet if we went into your penthouse right now, everything would be immaculate and clean. Exactly in its place.”

I let my shoulders rise then fall. “Well, yeah, I have a housekeeper.”

She raised an eyebrow. “A housekeeper? Is she gorgeous? I bet you hire only gorgeous people. Like your friend at the coffee shop.”

“Is Jackie gorgeous? I hardly noticed,” I stated, trying to play it safe. “And my housekeeper is like eighty, with four children and thirteen grandchildren. I’m sure she was a beauty in her day, but unfortunately, or maybe, fortunately, I didn’t know her then.”

“If you didn’t have this housekeeper, how clean would your place be?” I tried not to smell her hair, but fuck, it smelled amazing.

“He organizes his sock drawer by color,” Ellis offered.

“I do not,” I answered all too quickly because, honestly, Ellis wasn’t too far off.

“It’s because you only wear black now,” Ellis laughed.

Fuck. He caught me. “Black’s a wonderful color.”

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