Shoulder the Skye (Skye Druids #2)(6)
Author: Donna Grant

 

Elias sighed, fighting to keep his frustration in check. “Bigger? What could be bigger than George coming here and informing my sister and Rhona that I’m the one killing the Druids?”

 

“George went to the police.”

 

It was a good thing Elias was sitting because his legs wouldn’t have held him. All the air rushed from his lungs as if he’d been punched. “What?”

 

“I’ll give her credit. George did her homework. She went straight to one DI Theo Frasier.”

 

Elias leaned forward and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Theo’s a Druid. He’d be the only one to listen to her.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Elias thought through the problem. Then he raised his head and met Sabryn’s gaze. “She can no’ prove anything.”

 

“Saber got into the police cameras. He sent me the recording of George’s visit with Frasier. She claims there’s an eyewitness who puts you in Edinburgh at the time of the last killing.”

 

“Of course, I was there!” Elias rubbed his palms on his damp jeans to calm down. “We were all in Edinburgh tracking the killer.”

 

“Frasier doesn’t care about other places in the world. He cares about Skye.”

 

“I didna get here until after the murders.”

 

Sabryn held his gaze and nodded. “You and I both know if Frasier digs deep enough, he’ll find something.”

 

“I was never charged at Cardiff. It was self-defense.”

 

“I was there. I know that. But you know how this looks.”

 

Yes, unfortunately, he did. “Fuck!”

 

“Do you understand now why we came?”

 

His head snapped to her. “Finn and Carlyle are here, too?”

 

“As if you could keep them away,” she replied with a grin.

 

Elias had to admit it was nice knowing the Knights had his back, but he didn’t want them dragged into whatever mess he suddenly found himself in.

 

“What’s the one thing we’ve found?” Sabryn asked, breaking into his thoughts.

 

He shrugged. “There’s been a lot. What are you referring to?”

 

“This is about you, Elias. Something didn’t want you on Skye, and it went to great lengths to ensure you stayed away.”

 

His stomach knotted painfully. “But I survived the mist’s attack.”

 

“It’s no coincidence that George showed up with the accusation now. You’ve not just returned home, you’ve also reunited with your sisters. Not to mention, your mother is about to be released. If you put all those pieces together, someone doesn’t like the idea of the MacLean family being back together again.”

 

Elias shook his head, not wanting to put the pieces together. “My family has been through enough.”

 

“I don’t disagree, but this means we’re getting close to something. All of our hard work has paid off.”

 

“I know the risks of what we do, and I gladly accepted them. My family didna. Elodie. Edie, and her kids. My mum. No, I doona like this.”

 

Sabryn sat up and leaned forward, holding his gaze with her deep blue eyes. “The Knights have your back. We also have your family’s. That’s why I think you should bring Rhona and Balladyn in and tell them about us.”

 

Elias watched as she got to her feet and finished her tea. She then went to the sink and washed the cup before setting it on the towel to dry.

 

“Oh. One more thing.” Sabryn pulled something out of her back pocket and laid it on the table.

 

Elias stared at the three sets of wires and the tiny, rounded ends. “Bloody hell. Those are cameras?”

 

“They were installed in here. Seems your sister and brother-in-law like to spy on their renters.”

 

Elias frowned at her. “You’ll be on those cameras.”

 

“Please,” she replied with a flat look. “Saber disengaged them before I entered.”

 

Elias didn’t bother to ask how she had found him or entered the cottage. Sabryn was nothing if not resourceful—even without the Knights. “Thanks.”

 

“Someone is after you, Elias. That means they’ve taken on all the Knights. We’ll find who it is.”

 

He nodded when he saw the determination in her eyes. Some of the tension that had tightened his muscles loosened. “It’s good to have you here.”

 

“I know,” she said with a wink before walking out.

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER FOUR

 

 

 

 

 

Bronwyn tightened the blanket around her as she sat at the table in the kitchen and tried to finish her current design project, but it was difficult when she couldn’t stop shivering. She took a drink of her coffee, only to gag at the cold liquid that met her lips.

 

She unfolded her legs and slipped her fuzzy-sock-covered feet into Ugg boots. The shoes were a splurge she really shouldn’t have made, but they helped to keep her feet warm in the old, drafty house. She would love to turn up the heat, but she couldn’t afford it.

 

Bronwyn glanced out the doorway and down the long corridor. If she turned her head just right, she could see the soft glow beneath the parlor’s closed doors, where a fire waited. She would be working in there now if she had remembered to charge her computer before leaving for town. She could sit on the floor and complete the designs so she could reach the outlet, but she paid the price with a stiff back and neck for days after. So, she opted to freeze instead.

 

She brewed fresh coffee, listening to it percolate slowly. She didn’t particularly like the taste of the brew, having to doctor it with plenty of milk and sugar, but the caffeine would help her stay awake long enough to beat her deadline and earn a little extra for doing it. Money was money, and she never seemed to have enough.

 

Once she had the coffee, she wrapped her hands around the mug to warm them in her fingerless gloves and then returned to the table. The creaks and groans of the old house were enough to make even the bravest soul believe in ghosts and otherworldly things. Bronwyn had grown up with them, never thinking twice about it. She still didn’t—at least, not often. Sometimes, her imagination ran away with her, though. If she knew one thing, it was that she was safe here.