Page 33 of Lahaina Noon

“Gabe,” she called to him, “Eat your dinner and quit pestering Siobhan.”

“Bruh!” he turned to her. His eyes widened at the calm expression on her face, “I mean, um, yes, Mom. Ma’am.”

She winked at him, and the rest of the table erupted in laughter.

One of the guys, Marco was his name, slapped Gabe on the back and told him, “Rookie mistake, man.”

Jorrie, eyeing Siobhan, leaned over and whispered, “If that girl hurts my little Rutabaga.”

Bridget whispered back, “You hold her down. I’ll rip her heart out.” Vaughn choked on the bite he’d just taken, and Bridget realized he must have heard them. She winked, and he smiled.

He leaned over to them, “You two she-lions better not pounce too quickly. Siobhan’s a good girl. She won’t hurt him.”

Jorrie looked Vaughn in the eye. “Hey, I watch a lot of DateLine. She’ll never see it coming.” She sat back in her chair.

Bridget blinked prettily at Vaughn as he shook his head. “Speaking of things we don’t want others to hear, we need to sit down with Jack and Jorrie. I haven’t told them much, and they really need to know. Not my secrets to tell, though, so I asked them to wait for you.”

He nodded and kissed her cheek, “Thank you,” he breathed in her ear. Vaughn stood, “Alright, you hooligans.” He was met with jeers. “The grownups are going to have adult conversations; you guys clean up. I mean all of it!” He looked around the table. There was some grumbling, but it was good-natured. “Those who cooked don’t have to clean.”

He took Bridget’s hand and pulled her from the chair, nodding at Jorrie and Jack. “Liam, Killian,” he called, “With me.”

“Hey, Liam didn’t cook!” called out Marco.

“I bought the groceries!” Liam shot back.

The others laughed and began to stack dishes. Bridget, Jack, and Jorrie grabbed their wine glasses and followed Vaughn down the hallway to a large library, Liam and Killian trailing behind. Once they were all settled down, they began.

Well, Vaughn started off by staring at the ceiling and humming.

Bridget elbowed him in the ribs and motioned with her head that everyone was waiting for him to open the discussion.

“Sorry,” he said, “Was trying to decide how much to tell.”

Jorrie leaned forward, “All of it, Mr. Sex God.”

Jack choked on his wine, and Jorrie had to slap him on the back.

Vaughn stared at Jorrie and then at Liam, who was seemingly fixated on the table near him, obviously trying not to laugh. “Mouth. Shut,” he growled to Liam, who nodded quickly. Vaughn looked at Bridget; she was biting her lip. “How much do you trust them?” he asked.

“With my life,” she replied without hesitation.

Vaughn sighed and settled back into the cushions, pulling Bridget closer and kissing the top of her head. “Okay, all of it then,” Vaughn told them about the Shadow Claw, their leader, the great battle for domination and subsequent removal of powers. He shared how they were making a resurgence and about the prophecy that had endangered Bridget’s life.

Bridget could see they were growing more and more skeptical, so she added in her part. About the shadows coming for her, about them trying to grab her in the parking garage, at the restaurant, in the park, and how they’d made a play for Gabe today at the school.

At that part, Jorrie jumped up and threw her arms around Liam’s neck. “Thank you so much, thank you for taking care of my Rutabaga.”

Liam glanced at Bridget as he hugged her back and mouthed,Rutabaga?

She shook her head in a don’t ask motion and looked at Jack. He was quiet and thoughtful.

“Bridge,” he began slowly. “This explains so much.” He looked up at her, tears in his eyes. “I’ve seen the shadows too.”

Bridget ran over to Jack and dropped to her knees in front of him. “Tell me,” she commanded.

“I first saw them the day Brian died,” he began. “You remember I came to tell you; I didn’t want it to be the police.”

She nodded, remembering how awful Jack looked, forlorn and drenched, standing on her doorstep in the pouring rain, not caring he was soaked to the bone.

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