Chapter Eleven
The next morning when Brooklyn came down to the kitchen it was to mouthwatering smells and the far end of the table occupied by Owen and two computers. Wyatt passed her a cup of coffee and pointed to the outside. She could see a bunch of the others outside lounging with mugs in hand. Stefan was at the stove making something, obviously the one behind whatever the smells were.
He turned and grinned when he spotted her. “About time you came down to join us. I was starting to worry you were going for a world record shower up there.” Moving to her, he pressed a kiss to her lips. “Go out and join the others. We’ll eat outside since it’s warm enough, and it’ll be way too damn hot later in the day to have a meal outside.”
“Sounds good.” She held the mug in her hands, and after she took two steps from Stefan she turned and grinned. “If you will recall the first part of my shower someone was with me.” She pointed to his wet hair. “So, don’t get started with me, mister man.” She smiled coyly before winking at him. “What’s Owen doing?” The computer guru looked far too intense in whatever it was that he was doing.
“He’s digging through a bunch of things his program found,” Wyatt said, walking past her toward the door. “Because of the broadness of the search parameters he had to set he needs to weed through what’s there already to hopefully either find what he wants or figure out how to narrow the search down more. Right now, it’s best to not even look at him. He tends to be snarly when faced with a crap load of possibilities.”
“I am not snarly,” Owen grumbled.
That comment had Brooklyn grinning. She ran her hand up and down Stefan’s arm and then nodded. “Right. Well, I think that I’m going to go out and catch up with everyone. Will you be joining me soon?” she asked Stefan when he looked down at her again.
“As soon as the food is ready,” he told her. Grinning, he touched her cheek gently and leaned in to press a kiss to her lips. “Go, and relax. I’ll see you in about ten or fifteen minutes.” Brushing his thumb to her skin, he let his hand drop to her arm and rubbed gently.
“Sounds good.” She walked away from Stefan and out the door. It was warm outside, but fortunately, it wasn’t so hot yet that they couldn’t breathe. Brooklyn moved so that she was standing beside Antonio and brushed her shoulder to his. “Miss me?”
He shifted to wrap his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. “I always miss you when you’re not close to me. We were just discussing the possibility of sending out a search party for you.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “How are you doing?”
“I’m good.”
Gareth was grinning when he said, “I’m going out on a limb here, but I’m going to guess you had no problems falling asleep. You look rather well-rested for a city girl.”
“She owns a place not that far from here,” Thomas said. “That security job we did a year or so ago, couple farms over.”
“That’s you?” Dieter asked. At her nod, he chuckled. “Nice digs. I have to say I was very impressed with the little maze you have going over there. Talk about time and effort, but damn, it looks nice.”
“Thank you.” Brooklyn bowed her head to him and smiled. “That little maze saved my sanity more than once. I always would go over there after a shoot or during a long stretch so that I could decompress. I know that I should be thankful that people loved my movies so much, but at the same time, honestly? It is damn exhausting to be pristine all the time in the public eye. Thus my getaway. Dion purchased it for me when I was a lot younger, and he and I have both put time on that maze. He’s a whiz with plants, don’t let him tell you otherwise.”
“You don’t have to worry about it anymore,” Antonio said softly. “Now you can enjoy being well out of the public eye, and living the life you want without the criticism of the press. Laze about, muck about, or do whatever makes you happiest. Best of all, you can wear what you want, when you want.”
“So, what is everyone doing today?” Brooklyn asked.
“As to your question, not much today. There are a few chores we still have to finish up before it gets too hot, but after that, it will be a lazy day. If you have something in mind for us to do definitely feel free to share,” Antonio told her.
“I was hoping that we could go four-wheeling. I saw one of the guys riding one last night and thought it would be fun to pack a basket with food and take a ride around the property. Camilla told me that there is a lake somewhere on the back side of the property?”
“We can do that,” he said. She heard Stefan call from the kitchen. “Let me go give him a hand bringing stuff out. Grab a chair, and then we can eat.” Brushing a kiss to her lips, he let her loose before snagging up a mug and heading inside.
Brooklyn took a seat at the large table that was outside. She noticed everyone pretty much settled into the same places that they did when they were inside and eating. It was nice. “So how much work do you have left to do on the property, Mikhail? Is there still a lot left to do, or are you guys almost done with the clearing and everything?”
“We have all the clearing done, and all the fences. We have to watch the underbrush especially as the weather gets hotter and drier. Anything that is dead we make sure to clean out, but we’re okay for the moment. There’s rain in our future, so we’re not worried about any of that even with the nasty temps we’re going to get. Right now, it’s basic chores like cutting grass, clearing weeds, and things of that nature. Pretty boring overall,” Mik told her with a shrug.
“Boring but necessary. I understand how it is.”
“There were days when we first got the property where it felt like the list would never get any smaller,” Wyatt said with a laugh. “I swear for everything we ticked off ten more chores were added. The day that list was done, and we burned it, was the best feeling ever. Now the little things we do to keep the place in top shape are minimal and more like busy work compared to that first go. But it keeps us busy, so it’s not all bad. Unlike Owen, most of us don’t have the stuff to keep us occupied during the down times.”
“Unless you count our current situation,” Gareth muttered. At her look his way he rolled his eyes. “Ares had us all stick it out here instead of going with the guys to California because of a potential threat. While I felt better sticking around here to keep watch, nothing came of it. Ares says it’s still a possibility, but without some real intel, it feels like sitting on a bomb where you can’t see the clock. Very nerve-wracking, especially when we heard about the troubles you had out there. Took a lot to keep from jumping on a plane to come help out.”
“Ah, yes, that I understand.” Brooklyn nodded and leaned back. “They were able to handle it, though. My guys are nothing if not resourceful, right?”
“They are all resourceful,” Camilla said and rubbed her hand up and down Gareth’s arm. “They are unstoppable when they are all together, however. I still don’t know why Uncle A had you guys separate, however. It was a little odd.”
“Maybe they didn’t want to have you ladies left alone?” Brooklyn asked softly.
“That was part of it,” Stefan said, coming out of the house. He set platters down at one end, while Antonio did the same with the ones he carried but at the other end. There were fluffy waffles, eggs, sausages, bacon, and something in little gravy boats that smelled divine.
“The other part was because of your lineage. Ares wasn’t sure what effect being a relative of Aphrodite might do to any of us. No fault of your own, so get that look off your face, but he couldn’t be sure. Combined with the possible threat here he felt it best to split us up. Not our ideal situation, believe you me. We much prefer having everyone in one place.”
“I can understand that.” Brooklyn was leaning back now and watching everyone. “I work very hard on not letting whatever I have inside of me out. Well, now that I know just what it is. Before I thought it was something else. I did everything from aged makeup to ugly makeup. It didn’t work, none of it.”
“Of course it wouldn’t work,” Owen said as he came out of the house, shielding his eyes. “Damn, it’s hot out here,” he muttered, falling into a seat next to Hailey. Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to her cheek.
Nolan nodded and picked up on Owen’s thought. “The whatever you want to call it would still seep out to draw others in, for a lack of a better term. Now that you’re bonded it will likely be muted down. In theory. Yet something else we can add to the list of questions we consistently seem to have for the gods, and don’t always remember to ask when one of them pops in to visit.”
“It is my hope that it will be tamped down for the rest of time. I have the two men that I love beyond all others, so no one else is needed now or ever. Just them.” She shrugged and watched everyone. “So, Owen, did you figure out what you needed to figure out with your computer?”
The look he gave her should have turned her into a smoldering pile of rubble.
Nolan snickered and shook his head. “Don’t ask questions like that around here. Trust me, if he’d found something you would have known. He tends to get very excitable about shit he digs up from the bowels of the Net.”
Gareth filled Owen’s mug and nudged it closer to the man. “Have some more coffee, buddy. It’s okay, she’s new here. She’ll learn in time. There you go,” he said softly as Owen picked up the mug to sip at the dark brew.
“Sorry, won’t ask about it anymore,” she told the man and lifted her hand in a vow. “Okay, so I’m stealing my guys away today for a four-wheeling expedition and then swimming hopefully. Is the lake swimmable?”
“It’s a little chilly, but yes. There’s not much in there in the way of fish, and what is tends to stay on the far shore from what we’ve seen,” Wyatt told her. “Take the big bath towels if you’re going down. You will need them to warm up once you’re out, even in the heat we’re expecting.”
“Thank you for telling me that. I would have been very upset if I got into the water and began to freeze my boobies off.” She was teasing, laughing as she did so. “I look forward to also trying out the pool and other things that are in the basement.”
“I see that you are feeding her well,” Dion said as he shimmered into being. “And she’s happy, so I don’t have to kill you.” He took a seat off to the side and looked over the men and women sitting there. “Ares asked me to deliver a message to you. He’s trying to calm Athena down currently, and no, I have no idea why.” He twirled his hand with a shrug. “Let me know when you are ready to tell you all something we’ve recently learned.”
Mikhail held out an empty plate to him and waved the god into one of the four empty chairs at the table.
Brooklynleaned back and watched her cousin —well, the man she thought of like a cousin—taking waffles and then sitting with them to eat. “Okay, so you have food, and you have been welcomed at the table. Talk. I know your looks, Dion, and I know that’s you wanting to say something.”
He used his fork to point at himself and raised his eyebrows. At her look, he chuckled and took another bite before accepting the cup of coffee James passed him. “Thank you,” he said, taking a sip. “All right, here it is. Hera is on Earth for some reason. Don’t know why she was there, but she was. Given her general dislike of humanity, it’s rare for her to show herself to anyone but the one she’s tasked with watching over.”
“Wait, hold up a second here. Are you telling us that the Queen of the Gods is one of the watchers for the keys?” Victor asked.
Dion nodded. “Yup, shocked the crap out of me, too, when Ares told me. But she requested it, which sent my radar into overdrive, and apparently has been pretty good at it for the most part. Except for the occasional times when she’s gotten into a rip-roaring fight with Zeus she’s been relatively dutiful.”
“Hera doesn’t strike me as the kind of woman—goddess—that would let it go. I don’t see her having a Frozen moment.” She smiled and then cursed herself because now all that she could think of was that song from that movie. Great, just great.
“Right now, everything is quiet, but the moment the next key is revealed things should heat up. It’s Hades’s last shot, and since none of you were, we know she’s the master key. Which means a full ride topside for Hades if he gets his hands on her, and gets her to comply with him. He might be a grade-A asshole nearly always, but the god can lay on the charm when he wants. Not as much as some of us can, but he can hold his own. He could well convince her to play ball,” Dion said. “We are watching them so that we know if they go after the last key.”
“No one could come close to oozing the amount of charm as you do, Dion,” Brooklyn told her cousin with a grin. “So how does the whole key-revealing thing work, by the way? Does a light go off or something like that?” She didn’t know how in the world the gods learned about which key was to come into play.
“No,” he said shaking his head. Leaning his elbows on the table, he stared at a point a bit above her head. “It’s hard to describe, but think of it like when you remember where you left your keys. This is after searching everywhere, high and low. You go do something else, and then all of a sudden you have that a-ha moment. Same sort of deal, but much more otherworldly. When the Fates decide it is time they’ll let the information loose into the universe. Every being hooked into that line will know in the same instant. We’ll be given the same information, and then the search is on.”
“Sort of like a computer update,” Owen said.
“Yeah, in a way.” Dion nodded.
“You know I think that I’m a little offended that I’m being thought of as a computer update or a lost set of keys.” Brooklyn was teasing with the guys. She was poking fun at Dion as well. She felt that they all needed to have a moment’s levity, because everything was getting so heavy. “So now we just have to wait for the next lightbulb to light up, right?”
“I don’t think of you as a computer update, Brook. You are my very favorite human, you know that, right?” Dion asked with big eyes.
“Holy shit, look at the big ass, tough as nails god sucking up,” Thomas whispered.
“Someone get a camera,” Stefan muttered with a grin.
“Hey, don’t poke fun at him,” Brooklyn said gruffly. “He’s been with me through thick and thin. He’s a good guy, I promise. He has his days when he’s a bit of an asshole, but the good days way outweigh the bad ones. I promise you will like him on his good days. Oh, and if you ever can go to Mardi Gras with him, you should. Totally. Wow, we had an amazing time when we went there.”
“Just razzing him, honey. I know he’s a good guy, one of the few from Olympus. Doesn’t mean we can’t treat him like the family he is. Actually, family gets it worse than strangers do around here,” he said.
“Oh, my. Okay, so do I want to be family? I’m not sure if I will be able to handle being razzed.” She was grinning, and she winked at her cousin. “Although you have to know that I’m as bad as they are. If you give me trouble, I will give it right back to you. I learned from Dion after all.”
“Damn right you should give it back,” Mikhail said. “We dish it and expect it back the same. If you can’t take it then, you don’t dish it around this place. There are limits, though. Everyone has them, and we respect whatever they might be. But back to the next key, any idea of a timeframe?”
“Unfortunately, no. There’s been no rhyme or reason to those prior. We’re on the Fates’s timetable, and those bitches like to make us all sweat. The instant we know you’ll know, believe me on that,” Dion assured them all, looking around the table before nodding to Lincoln and Thomas.
“At least she’s being watched over and taken care of. This is a good thing, so we don’t have to worry too much about Lincoln and Thomas. Hopefully, she will be found soon. It would be good, right?” Brooklyn asked with a smile.
“It can’t happen too soon,” Dion said quietly. He was still watching the two men. After a minute, he turned his eyes on her and smiled slightly. “We’ll all be on watch for the first sign, and get to finding her as fast as we can. The moment we have a location we’ll get Lincoln and Thomas there fast. Depending on the situation, we’ll have some, or all, of you guys follow later.”
“Thank you, Dion,” Brooklyn said with a smile. “I know that you guys will make sure that they know the moment that you have a bead on her. All that we can do is wait. Right?” She knew that they couldn’t do anything more than that, so she would just focus on the happiness that they had right now. That was all that they could do.
“Yeah,” he said with a slow nod. “Well, that’s all I have for news. Thank you for breakfast, outstanding as always, Stefan. I need to get back to see if anything’s changed. Ares said he’d pop around as soon as he had Athena semi-calm. Don’t expect him to stick around long though, so if you have questions, get them ready in bullet format.” Getting up from his chair, he came around the table to give Brooklyn a hug. Then he leaned in to say something to Stefan that had her man laughing as the god disappeared.
“Goodness, that man,” Brooklyn said with a grin and leaned back once more. She had finished eating and was perfectly content to be there with these people. She liked having them around her. “I like having family mealtime together. A lot.”
“Good to know, we have quite a few of them,” Gareth said. “Not all of them, but the majority we sit down together if we’re all home. Gives us all a chance to keep on top of what’s going on with one another, tease a little, banter some, and basically stick our noses where they don’t belong.”
“Yeah, but you guys make it so fun that you can’t help but to have a good time with the teasing and the nose going where it doesn’t belong,” Brooklyn said. “I bet that you guys give a heck of a Fourth of July party, don’t you?”
“Explosives good,” more than one man at the table said. The women groaned, except for Kasper, who looked nearly as giddy. Even Rachael had a bit of a gleeful gleam going on in her eyes.
“We do try to celebrate big,” Mik told her with a chuckle.
“Hell yeah we do,” James said. He shifted to lean forward so she could see him easily. “Our goal is to have all of Texas see the display. So far, it’s still a work in progress, but we’re getting there.”
“Yeah, Texas is pretty big. I’m not so sure that you will get all of Texas to see it, but maybe if you do it right and the Space Station is directly overhead you will be able to make them see it?” She couldn’t wait for the holiday now, if the guys were all on board as well as Kasper and Rachael. Those two women were great with weapons and would make a great addition to their Independence Day celebration.
Gareth chuckled and rubbed his hands together. “Don’t think we can’t do it. We may not have yet managed it, but we have a hell of a team here. If anyone can figure out how to make this sucker bigger and brighter it’s the folks at this table. Doubters are not invited to the party,” he said in warning, wagging a finger her direction.
Brooklyn held her hands up and laughed. “Hey, I’m not going to doubt. I’m just going to wait for it to all happen. I look forward to it.” With that said they all once again began to eat, drink, and laugh. It was a fabulous morning meal shared with family.
The End
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