Angus Read online

  “I think that should be left up to the family,” Fletcher said. He was a pretty man, even when he was snarling at her.

  “That man after me was one of many. I had stayed one step in front of them until Angus showed up in my pub. For that, you should have to give us shelter.”

  “Why?” Fletcher asked.

  The man might be a security expert, but he was being dense at the moment. “Because, I had kept Jack safe all these years, but now, they know what he looks like. They know for sure he exists. Now, his uncle will do anything and everything to get him back.”

  “And you expect us to give you sanctuary?” he asked.

  “Yes. You owe me.” She said it without hesitation. They did owe her. If they had left her alone, she could have stayed in New York for at least another six months. Now, she was on the run with no new identity and no idea where to go next.

  Phoebe moved around the desk and then stepped in front of Angus. She thought she heard him growl, but when she looked at him, he was still giving her that same stony stare.

  “Are you sure that’s what they are after?” Phoebe asked.

  Maggie nodded. “My husband’s brother, Dylan, would definitely want the ability to control Jack for his own purposes.”

  “Riddles. I hate riddles,” Fletcher muttered.

  Phoebe shot him a warning look. “Behave.”

  “Now, tell me what you mean by he wants Jack?” Angus asked.

  Maggie shook her head, apparently afraid to say. Phoebe didn’t need for her to say anything. “He wants the child of two very Magickal parents. I’m correct, right?”

  Maggie nodded, sending a prayer of forgiveness to her maker. She wanted to tell them more, but admitting everything might end her sanctuary, and she couldn’t put Jack in that danger.

  “So, Ian was Magickal too. I wasn’t sure if it was just you or he was also Magickal. I can understand why his brother would be interested in your son. But to go to this extent. Do you know why?”

  “Wait, you’re not going to say I’m crazy to think we’re Magickal?”

  Phoebe gave her an understanding smile. “Not too long ago, I would have questioned it, but certain things have made me change my way of looking at the world.”

  Callum stirred then, rising from his chair to walk around to stand in front of his desk. “Plus, there’s the way you and your late husband dealt with the robberies. Neither of you had great hacking skills, no technical background, but somehow you got in and out of some of the most secure buildings in Europe with no problem. You probably would have been able to continue on the same path if you hadn’t lost Ian in the last robbery.”

  She nodded. “We had said we would quit when we had children, and I hope that I’m right to believing in it. We earned a lot of money over the years and were well set.”

  “But that’s gone?” Anice asked. The only female cousin was a beauty to be sure, but she was just as lethal as the others. There was something about all of them, something that told her they were not ordinary humans.

  Maggie released a breath as she nodded. “Most of it was tied up with Dylan’s money and much of it disappeared. What little I could get on my hands on ran out a long time ago.”

  “He threw his brother’s widow out into the cold? And you were carrying his nephew.”

  The lies were getting harder and harder to keep straight, but this half truth was easy to remember. “He blames me for his brother’s death.”

  “Why?” Angus asked.

  “I usually did the jobs. But I was sick that night, so Ian took my place.”

  The silence told her they got the implications. If she had performed that night, she might have survived. Maggie had always been sure if she had worked the job she would have died just like Ian, but Dylan didn’t care about that. He only cared about himself and avenging his brother.

  “So, I’ve come all the way to Scotland on a private jet to help you with something. I am assuming it has something to do with jewels. I have to tell you, I can’t help you. Not anymore.”

  “Can’t, or won’t?” Angus asked.

  “Jack told you the truth. I haven’t used Magick since that night. And without Ian, I’m not sure I could do it anyway.”

  “You used it in your apartment. You blew the man out the window.”

  She said nothing for a moment. “That was anger and fear. It just burst out of me. Threaten my child and you’re a dead man.”

  “Whoa,” Fletcher said, standing and approaching her. “Did you see that?”

  Angus nodded.

  “What?”

  “You don’t wear contacts.”

  She shook her head.

  “But your eyes were green, in all the older pics we have of you,” Callum said coming from around the desk. “And red hair.”

  She shrugged. “I’ve changed a bit. Through my pregnancy, I lost my abilities and my eyes changed. I didn’t think much of it at the time.”

  “Your eyes change colors and you don’t think much about it?”

  The time after Ian’s death came rushing back to her. The fear, the pain of losing him, and the overwhelming news that she was carrying his child had left her in a daze.

  “I had a lot to take care of then. By the time I noticed it, I didn’t think about it. All I was trying to do was keep us alive. Having brown hair and brown eyes made it easier. I couldn’t really use a lot of chemicals during pregnancy. I didn’t want to chance it.”

  “But when you got mad, your eyes were blue,” Angus said. “And they were really a dark blue after the attack. I thought I had mistaken it, a trick of the light, but it wasn’t that. The day I saw you in the pub, your hair was dark brown, almost black. But now there are strands of red in it.”

  “Of course,” Phoebe said. “It must be connected to your magic.”

  “You might be right, but it isn’t something I can even contemplate. I needed space, time to think and now I think we need to leave.”

  “Mum,” Jack said from behind her. She turned and found him standing behind the family retainer.

  “What are you doing up and out of bed? You need rest.”

  He looked up at Belvidore who nodded. Then he approached her. The sadness she saw in his eyes broke her heart.

  “It’s time, Mum. You need to start using Magick. If not, you could die. I don’t want you to die.”

  Chapter Nine

  “I’ve heard that Maggie O’Conner escaped again.”

  The words were uttered in a sotto voice but Dylan wasn’t fooled. He knew he was in trouble. He had no idea why the Scot cared one whit about the bitch, but he was obsessed with her.

  “She’s here in the UK so I assumed you would be happy with that.”

  He waited, listening to the fire crackling behind him. Any other person would look on the scene and think it was somehow relaxing. It wasn’t. Silences often were a precursor to pain. Or worse.

  “You should never assume what I would be happy with. Your inability to capture Maggie O’Conner for instance…it displeases me.”

  Dylan fought the need to swallow. It would be seen as a weakness. This man had found him, given him the resources he needed to track Maggie O’Conner down. He owed him a lot. It wasn’t a position he liked to be in with anyone. With the Benefactor, it was the worst of positions to be in.

  “I apologize.”

  The man said nothing, looking at him as if he was trying to decide what to do with the body when he was done with Dylan. Truth was, if he knew for a fact that the man planned to kill him, Dylan would take his own life. He didn’t know how he knew it, but death wouldn’t be easy with him. He was a man who liked to put others in pain, and Dylan was sure that his death would be more than a gunshot.

  “Of course, I can give you one more chance. What is the name of the family who brought her here?”

  Dylan released a slow breath trying his best not to let the Benefactor know how scared he actually was. He knew Dylan was scared, but if he showed it, he would strike Dylan down. It
was a weakness and the Benefactor hated weakness.

  “I don’t know any more than what’s been reported in the press.”

  “What is their name?” he asked, irritation threading the words.

  “Lennon.”

  If possible, the room grew tenser.

  “The Lennons, the ones with all the companies?” he asked.

  Dylan nodded. “They are said to be richer than God.”

  The small joke pulled a smile from the Benefactor. That look scared Dylan more than a frown. There was no happiness in it, only evil intent.

  “There has to be some reason she is with them. Find out.” Dylan had been dismissed. He turned to leave, but was stopped by the final question. “Did you take care of the helper we had in New York?”

  “Yes.”

  Then, the Benefactor waved him away without another word. Once he was in the massive hallway that lead to the front door of the mansion, Dylan finally had a chance to swallow the bile that had threatened to escape during the meeting. From the moment he had met him six months earlier, the compulsion to vomit in his presence had grown. He had never had that kind of reaction to a human before.

  That meant the Benefactor was something other than human.

  He said nothing to the staff as he jogged down the sprawling steps that lead to the driveway. He had a family to research and infiltrate…not to mention a witch to catch.

  Chapter Ten

  Maggie pulled up the covers and then sat next to her boy.

  “I’m sorry, Mummy.”

  She brushed his bangs out of his eyes. “Whatever for?”

  “I shouldn’t have talked in front of the clan.”

  She cocked her head and studied him. He had always been a boy wise beyond his years. There were times she cursed the fact he was Magickal. Until she had him in her life, she didn’t realize what a burden it was. The fact that he seemed Magickal since birth, well, that was enough to turn her hair gray.

  “Jack, it is best that we all understand where we stand. You think I will die.”

  He sighed. A boy his age should never know how to sigh like that.

  “I’ve never seen you die, Mummy. It scared me. You have to help them.”

  “If I can, I will. Does that sound good?”

  He nodded. “You know he is the man from the dreams.”

  For weeks now, Jack’s sleep had been off. He had been cranky at times during the day and his nights were filled with tossing and turning. She could hear him all night long. He would only talk of a man they would meet.

  “You think he’s the man who has been scaring you the last few weeks?”

  That didn’t sit well with her if it were true.

  “No, he didn’t scare me.” His frown turned darker. “I dinna know until I saw him who he was. But he wasn’t what scared me.”

  “What scared you?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not sure. Something scary. Maybe it was you being hurt that caused it.”

  She nodded knowing that Jack wasn’t hiding anything from her. He was always very forthcoming about his visions—at least with her.

  “Now, you get some rest, little man.”

  She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. “I love you, Mummy.”

  “I love you, too.”

  She rose from his bed and knew he was asleep before she reached the door. Glancing back over her shoulder, she blinked away the tears. She would do anything to keep him safe, just as she had done even before he was born.

  * * * *

  Angus watched as Maggie shut the door to the suite she shared with her son. It was dark, but he could see her easily in the hallway. The sparks of red fire were almost glowing in her hair. Something told him she wouldn’t be that happy if he told her.

  “Is he all right?” he asked.

  She jumped and squinted in his direction.

  “Yes. I was more upset by it than he was.”

  Angus nodded. “My mum always said the same thing.”

  “You miss her?”

  She didn’t ask if his mother was alive, which is something that should have struck him as odd. He knew that if she hadn’t figured out what they were, she knew they weren’t normal.

  “Yes.”

  She nodded but said nothing else. As the silence stretched out between them, he realized she was waiting for him to say something else.

  “Where were you going?” he asked.

  “I needed a spot of tea. I forgot how cold Scotland is.”

  He motioned with his head. “Come. I’ll show you the way to the kitchen.”

  She fell into step with him and they walked side by side. It wasn’t easy. She wasn’t an overly short woman, but he had long legs. He slowed his steps so she could keep up. Besides, he found that he didn’t want to rush the time together.

  “Why does he say things like that?” Angus asked.

  Maggie shrugged. “I’m assuming he has the sight but I’ve no idea how he got it.”

  “Really? Both you and his father come from Magickal clans, but you have no idea how he ended up this way?”

  “Truly, I don’t. He’s the first male born on my side of the family.”

  “Are you telling me that he is the first man in your family ever? That would make it tough to have a family.”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m telling you that he is the first born from my side of the family. No matter what the union, there has never been a woman from my family who gave birth to a male. I really thought it was a mistake when I had the first inklings.”

  He didn’t like the sound of that. “And?”

  “We all know what we will have before the baby is born. For the longest time I thought, well, I hoped for a boy. Losing Ian…it tore me apart. I knew it was bad when he didn’t show. Leaving without saying goodbye was painful.”

  “Just like that. You left?”

  “It was a rule. If we didn’t appear at the designated time, there was something wrong. The other partner should make a run for it.”

  “But you were married.”

  “First, we really weren’t married. I guess we had what they call a common law marriage. No real official documents.”

  He let that sink in for a moment or two. “And you think Jack has the sight?”

  “I know he does. He…well, he dreamed of you, Angus.”

  “Dreamed?”

  She nodded, her eyes solemn and her mouth unsmiling.

  “Yes. He’s always had the sight. From the moment he could speak, which he did much earlier than other children. There were stories of things that would happen. I thought to take him to a specialist at first, but I dinna have the money.”

  Just a day or two out of New York and her accent had thickened. He found that he liked it almost as much as he liked the tinges of red that now threaded her hair.

  “But, you say he dreamed of me?”

  “Yes. He didn’t know who you were, but he seemed obsessed with a man who would come to find us.”

  Normally, he would accuse her of lying, but there was nothing normal about it. Jack had said a few things that made Angus pause, more than once.

  “Is that why you freaked when I showed up at the pub?”

  She made a face. “Freaked? Really, how American of you.”

  He chuckled. “Phoebe likes a lot of American reality shows. She says they’re like crack. I guess some of it seeped in.”

  She smiled then sighed. “It was your accent. And then…the feeling. I’ve had them before and always found it smart to run. My husband died trying to steal a jewel from a Scottish Laird, so I knew there was some connection.”

  How did someone survive like that? They had hidden on the continent for a few years, but they had never truly felt hunted. He had his cousins and his brother at least. She had no one.

  And she had turned her back on the one thing that would have made it easier.

  “You gave up Magick.”

  “I was so weak when I was pregnant with Jack. And having no one to cal
l to ask…well, I was on my own. And it wasn’t as if I actually turned my back on it. It seemed to dissolve the further along I got in my pregnancy. I could barely do a spell by the time I was on the run after Ian was killed. When Jack came along, I was just too tired to even think about it. ”

  There was something she wasn’t telling him. He could sense it beneath the words, but then, he couldn’t fault her for keeping some secrets. Lord knew he and his cousins were living one every single day of their lives. They reached the kitchen and he went to the massive stove and started a kettle.

  “Tea’s just above your head there.”

  She turned and reached up. He watched, finding a smile for the first time in hours, when she rose to her tippy toes but still could not reach the box. He gave in and stepped forward but was amazed when the box moved close enough for her to grab.

  Maggie pulled it down and turned with a triumphant smile on her face. It faded as he continued to stare at her.

  “What?”

  “It moved.”

  She glanced around the kitchen, then back to him. “What moved?”

  “The box. It was too far away but I watched it move.”

  “I didn’t do anything.” Then she closed her eyes. “But I did wish it was closer.”

  “Have you always been telekinetic?”

  She nodded as she opened her eyes. There were a few more sparks of green in them.

  “I swear I didn’t make it happen on purpose.”

  Before he could say something, the water whistled. He turned off the water, then turned toward Maggie.

  “We brought you here to use your magic.”

  “What if I can’t get it to work?”

  “I think you’ve proven that it is coming back. Even if you have tried to suppress it.”

  She handed him the tin of tea. “I assumed that my pregnancy had something to do with it when it first happened. Then, after having Jack, it was apparent it wasn’t coming back. I thought it might have a little bit to do with him.”