Page 71 of Lahaina Noon

Gabe cried harder and hugged Vaughn tighter. They stood that way for a minute until Jorrie pulled him down and sat with him on the bed. Rocking him and crooning her little song until he calmed down.

Vaughn wiped his face. He nodded at Liam, who smiled in relief.

“Jack,” Vaughn called. The man’s head slowly turned to him. He was moving like a robot, mechanical and stiff. “Jack, come with me, please.”

He rose and stumbled towards Vaughn like a sleepwalker.

The men went into the hallway, and Vaughn leaned against the wall. Jack mirrored his pose and they stared at each other.

Vaughn cleared his throat and took Jack’s hand in his. “Jack, I want you to know. I had no idea about Brian being any part of this until two days ago. I swear it. Please believe me when I tell you, we never knew.” He squeezed his hand. “The moment she realized, Jack, she died in front of me. That’s what it was. She dropped to the floor, and all of the warmth and light went out of the world. I wanted to kill them all. I almost did,” he said ruefully. “She was screaming, Jack. Screaming his name. I thought my heart would shatter and I couldn’t breathe. He must have been a truly amazing man to earn that kind of love from her.”

Jack slowly looked up at Vaughn as if he was seeing him for the first time. “He wasn’t.”

Vaughn looked at Jack, shocked.

Jack shook his head. “I don’t mean to say he was a jerk or cruel, just that he was an ordinary guy. He was funny and nice, kind of a dickto me sometimes, but he was my brother, that was his job. He never meant it, just sibling stuff you know?”

Vaughn nodded. He’d seen enough of that with Liam, Siobhan, and the twins.

Jack continued, “As much as I loved Brian and I miss him dearly, it wasn’t him that made that marriage special. It was her.” He nodded towards the room where Bridget lay. “She loved that man and made him more because of it. That’s what she does. She loves people and makes them more. I know you’ve seen it. Look what she did for Siobhan and Liam, for me, for Jorrie, she made us all a family. It’s her.”

Vaughn looked at Jack, floored. He was right. That’s what attracted him to her in the first place. She made rooms brighter, tastes better; she just made everything more. He suddenly realized that’s how she was going to defeat the Shadows. He finally understood the prophecy and how his mate was going to change the world.

Vaughn kissed Jack on the forehead, saying, “Jack, you’re the best brother a man could ever have. I love you, I love Bridget, and we are going to finish this!”

Jack smiled and hugged Vaughn. He stood back with a serious expression. “Vaughn, I need you to do something for me.”

“Anything.”

“You find that Shadow King, and you fucking kill him. Kill him and make sure he knows that it’s from all of us. For everyone he’s harmed, maimed, killed. But most especially, make sure he knows at least one death blow is for Brian.”

Chapter 39

After a long hotshower, Bridget was starting to feel like herself again.I have really got to stop passing out and waking up in strange places,she thought. She winced as the hot water stung her knees. They were bruised and tender, probably from when she hit the floor.

A cold wind wrapped around her in the shower suddenly, sending chills over her skin. She heard whispers, sliding over the sounds of the pounding water.

She looked around the steam-filled room but didn’t see anyone. The warm water removed the chill, but she shivered anyway. A knock on the door made her jump.

“Bridget? Are you okay in there?” called Vaughn.

She smiled; he was hovering like a nervous hen near her first eggs. “I’m fine,” she called as she shut off the water.Just having phantoms whispering at me and blowing cold air up my skirt,she thought, careful not to let that slip over to Vaughn. She didn’t need him worrying any more than he already was. Who knew he could be so clingy? Of course, if it had been him who’d basically droppeddead at her feet, she wouldn’t have been able to breathe, much less bring down a mountain.

She smiled at that while she dried off. Her fierce warrior, so angry he’d almost destroyed a fortress that had stood for millennia. He loved her beyond reason, and all else he’d told her. She believed it. She reached for a brush, smiling at it, and remembering how, not too long ago, a different brush had started the day that changed it all. Tapping it on her palm, she walked out into the bedroom, wrapped in a robe and found Vaughn sitting nervously on a chair, waiting for her.

He sprang to his feet and rushed to her. “Are you alright? What do you need?”

She smiled, patting him on the chest. “Could you help me brush my hair?” she asked.

He nodded swiftly and led her to the bed. He sat down and leaned against the headboard, patting the comforter, inviting her to sit between his legs.

She sat with her back to him, hugging her knees to her chest while he gently pulled the brush through her hair. “Mm.” She sighed in pleasure. “That feels amazing.”

He smiled as he held the damp locks in his hands. They were like strands of rubies, ropes of fire, and they drove him crazy when they brushed across his stomach.

Bridget relaxed, letting the rhythm soothe her as he patiently worked through her hair in sections. Earlier, her family had all come in to visit her and reassure themselves that she was alive. She received hugs, tears, and more hugs. She thought they were going to have to remove Jorrie with a crane if she didn’t let go. Even little Bunny had come in, givingher wishes to get well. Jack was somber, but it was to be expected. Of all them, the news about Brian’s murder affected her, Gabe, and Jack the most.

Vaughn had told her about his conversation with Jack in the hallway, she wasn’t surprised about Jack’s need for vengeance. Under his silly exterior, the man was a block of steel. He’d been so steady all these years, she knew he wouldn’t waver now. She’d been glad to see her friends and family, but she was also glad when they’d left. She’d had food, she’d had her family, and a hot shower. Now there was one more thing she needed. “My love,” she whispered.

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