Filip swung his head to Scott. “You didna grow up here. Of course, you’re scared of them.”
“I’m no’ frightened. I’m pragmatic. That’s the difference between being prepared and losing.”
“Just tell me whatever you need,” Filip said as he returned his gaze to the store. “I’m here to help us succeed.”
Scott moved to stand in front of Filip and blocked his gaze. “Need I remind you what just happened with the Fae here? If Rhona and the tall bastard by her side catch wind of what we’re doing, then we’re done before we get started.”
“They willna catch on to anything because we’re going to be careful,” Filip replied evenly.
Scott stared down at Filip. The lad’s grief was so deep that Scott wondered if he had been the right choice. Then again, there was no other option. “You’re here to help me navigate Skye and introduce me to Elodie, but if that’s too mu—”
“It isna,” Filip spoke over him.
Scott studied him for a long moment, looking for any cracks. Filip didn’t bow beneath his gaze. “Okay.”
“There she is.”
Scott glanced over his shoulder in time to see Elodie emerging from the store. She carried a tote filled with groceries in one hand and made her way to the café.
“Come on,” Scott called as he jogged across the parking lot and then the street.
When they entered the restaurant, a wave of heat washed over Scott. He smiled and nodded to a woman, who told them to sit wherever. Scott locked his gaze on Elodie, who had taken a seat as far in the back as she could—as if she didn’t want to be seen. Scott chose a booth diagonal to hers so he could easily watch her. He and Filip removed their jackets and sat. Both ordered coffee, but he added a croissant to his order.
“Tell me more about her,” Scott urged Filip.
Filip shot a furtive glance in the woman’s direction. “Look at her. Have you ever seen anyone so pretty?”
In fact, Scott hadn’t. Elodie could make a man forget his name. Not that Scott was that kind of man. At least, not usually. He would have to watch himself with her. She was stunning, but something more caught his attention.
“She ruined some marriages,” Filip continued, unaware of Scott’s thoughts. “She hung around my brother, teasing anyone with a cock with only her smile. She liked to party hard. If anyone told her she couldna do something, she did it just to prove them wrong.”
Scott frowned at the picture Filip painted because it didn’t match the woman he observed now. “That was before she left Skye. By what I’m seeing, she’s changed.”
“Someone like that doesna change too much. She could drink me under the table, and that’s saying something.”
“Why did she leave?”
Filip sat back when the server delivered their coffees and Scott’s croissant. When they were alone again, he lowered his voice and said, “Her father died. Her mother was taken to prison, and her brother disappeared.”
“Elodie was left alone?”
“She and her older sister, Edie. They’re a year apart.”
Scott glanced at Elodie as she read a book and quietly drank her hot beverage. “You said Edie was on Skye, right?”
“Aye. She lives with her husband and two bairns. She turned out okay.”
“I doubt anyone who suffered what those lasses did is okay.”
Filip shrugged. “Maybe no’ Elodie, but her sister is.”
“I’m guessing our target got a wee bit wild after the tragedy with her family?”
“Aye. Many of the elders tried to step in, but Elodie wouldna have any of it. No’ even Corann made a difference.”
Scott studied Filip. For a Druid who didn’t like Skye or the people on the island, it was obvious that whoever Corann had been, they had left a lasting mark on him. Filip’s voice held reverence each time he mentioned Corann’s name. “Did your brother try to help her? Did you or any of your friends?”
Filip visibly winced at the mention of Kevin. “We were all having fun. We were no’ thinking about anything else.”
Scott grunted in reply. He remembered his own wild time when he was younger. Even when he knew that he should be doing something, he ignored it for the sake of fun. He had pulled himself out of it eventually. So had Elodie, it seemed.
Filip turned his head to look out the window. Scott took a bite of his croissant and noted how many in the café were shooting glances at Elodie. She seemed oblivious, but given the tightening of her shoulders, he suspected that she felt the looks. He was halfway finished with his coffee when she put money on the table, gathered her items, and walked from the restaurant. She passed right by the window where he and Filip sat. Once more, she kept her attention straight ahead. One woman against the wind—and the world. She carried her head high, but he suspected the demons she carried were a heavier load.
What was she doing back in Skye? She didn’t speak to anyone, and it was clear that people recognized her. Only a person who didn’t want to have any connections kept quiet in a small place like Skye. As curious as he was about all of that, none of it mattered to his end goal. Scott should be more focused on finding a way to Elodie in case his charms didn’t work. Something about her warned him not to even try to use his usual wiles on her. Maybe it was the way she held herself. It might be because of the defiance he spotted in her. Or…her magic might prevent him.
His mission put him in her path. Whether he wanted it or not, he needed to know her. He had to learn every detail about her and her sister. That way, he would know how to navigate anything that came his way. Too much rested on his and Filip’s success on Skye.
“How long after her father’s death and mother’s confinement did Elodie leave Skye?” Scott asked.
Filip’s brows drew together for a moment as he looked at Scott. “A year. Maybe two.”
“Why did she no’ leave right away?”
“She left after completing school.”
“But Edie didna leave?”
Filip shook his head and shrugged. “So?”
“Why did the brother and Elodie leave, and Edie stay?”
“I doona know. Edie mixed with a different crowd. I know verra little about her.”
Scott finished his coffee. “I need those details.”
“Sure.”
“How did the father die?”
“Murdered.”
Scott was taken aback. “And you’re just now telling me this?”
“I’m used to everyone knowing. You didna ask why the mother went to prison.”
Scott ran a hand down his face as he tried to shake off the shock. “Bloody hell.”
“Aye,” Filip said softly.
“You told George that Elodie would be easy to convince.”
“She will be.”
“If she isna, things could go tits up quickly. Especially if the Reaper and Rhona turn their attention on us.”
Filip twisted his lips. “They willna.”
Scott leaned forward and lowered his voice to barely above a whisper so no one else could hear him. “Balladyn was once King of the Dark. He’s now the Warden of Skye. That means if he and Rhona discover what we’re about, nothing and no one can save us. They’ll wipe us from existence.”