Page 18 of After Midnight (Skye Druids #7)

Chapter Fifteen

No matter how often she looked, she found no sign of the green Jaguar in the hotel parking lot.

In any other situation, right about now is when Sabryn would’ve reached out to Saber and asked him to check the CCTV footage to see if Parker had left the island.

But that avenue was closed to the Knights now.

She had known they relied heavily on Sabertooth , but she hadn’t really thought about just how much until the option was no longer available. What about the future? Did they find a new hacker? She didn’t want to think about it, but she would have to eventually. Kurt was an issue for her. A big one.

Six years of working together, of Saber learning their habits and tendencies.

Six years of him always knowing how and where to help when they ended up backed into a corner.

Was it fair to throw that away for Finn , Carlyle , Song , Elias , and Bronwyn ?

No , it wasn’t. But could she work with Kurt ?

He had apologized. That should have been enough, but it wasn’t. Not by a long shot.

“ Let me go inside and ask the front desk if they’ve seen the little bastard,” Finn said as he pulled into a parking spot.

Sabryn turned her head to him. Finn , who’d had the roughest childhood, loved the hardest and the deepest. He was upset by Kurt’s deception but had also already gotten over it and put it behind him.

After all, he had pointed out that they all understood Saber had been hiding for a reason.

The only difference was that they now knew what the reason was.

Finn , like Carlyle and Elias , had already forgiven Kurt .

If only she could.

She wanted to. Desperately . If for no other reason than to keep the Knights together.

“ Parker likely already thought of that. We wouldn’t get anything. And whoever you spoke with would just report it to Parker ,” she said.

Finn’s sigh was tinged with his mounting frustration. “ I’m open to suggestions.”

“ I’m sure there are better uses for our time than driving around looking for his vehicle.”

“ If that’s what you want to do, then we’ll do it.”

Sabryn twisted her lips. “ I don’t suppose you know anything about hacking?”

“ Sadly , no. Kurt did give Elias someone’s name, though. We could reach out.”

“ I’m having a hard time trusting anyone not already involved in this.”

“ Kurt trusted them. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have mentioned them to Elias ,” Finn pointed out.

She stared at the hotel entrance before meeting his dark gaze. “ Do we really want to bring someone else into this war?”

“ Of course not, but we need to find Parker .”

“ Unless we let him find me.”

Finn’s face scrunched up before he shook his head. “ Fek , no. That’s not an option, so don’t even consider it.”

“ He —” she began.

“ No !” Finn exploded. “ Kurt is lying in a hospital bed. I won’t have you there, too.”

She had been so lost in her suffering that she hadn’t thought about how the others might be handling the situation. Everyone put on a brave face but was secretly hurting in different ways. She put her hand on his arm and held his gaze. “ I’m not trying to get myself killed.”

“ It sure sounds that way to me.”

“ You know me, Finn .”

He barked a laugh and slid his gaze away for a heartbeat. “ That’s right. I know you go headlong into battle without hesitation. We got our arses handed to us a few hours ago, which means we need to be more careful going forward.”

“ I agree, but I can’t sit at the hospital any longer. I have to do something.”

Finn patted her hand before putting the vehicle in reverse and driving away.

She lowered her hands to her lap and noticed how his fingers gripped the steering wheel too tightly.

Sabryn quickly glanced at his face to find his lips pressed into a firm line.

She didn’t ask him where they were going.

It would be pointless because when he was like this, he didn’t talk.

Surveying the hotel would’ve been just as dreadful as sitting at the hospital waiting for Kurt to wake.

Skye wasn’t that large, but it wasn’t easy to search.

If they knew where Rhona was, they could ask her to reach out to her five deputies, who could spread the word through their segments to look for the Jaguar .

Finn’s cell rang shrilly, drowning out the music he had turned down earlier. He picked up the phone from the cupholder and showed her the screen with Rhona’s name before answering and putting it on speaker.

“ Rhona ?” Finn asked.

“ It’s me,” she replied.

Sabryn leaned her elbow on the center console. “ Are you and Balladyn okay? We’ve been worried.”

“ We’re fine. I left my mobile and didn’t realize it until recently.”

Finn glanced at Sabryn before asking, “ What happened with you and Balladyn ?”

There was a brief pause before Rhona answered. “ Someone or something got through my and Balladyn’s barrier at the prison and killed Kerry .”

“ Shit ,” Sabryn murmured in shock.

Balladyn and Rhona’s combined magic was incredibly powerful. The idea that someone could get through that was deeply concerning.

Finn grunted. “ I’m not too broken up by Kerry’s death. She deserved it.”

“ You’re not the only one who has said that,” Rhona admitted. “ But her death was very painful.”

Finn shrugged carelessly. “ She brought a lot of pain and death to others.”

“ She did. The problem is whoever got into the prison,” Rhona replied.

Sabryn briefly met Finn’s gaze. “ Do you have a plan?”

“ Other than to make sure everyone is safe? No . Balladyn and I were just at the co-op. Kirsi and Matt filled us in on everything.” Rhona sighed. “ I’m now at Emily’s to survey the damage to the cottage, and I sent Balladyn to the hospital to watch over Kurt . Where are you?”

Finn shifted in his seat. “ We just left Parker’s hotel. The Jaguar wasn’t there. We decided not to go in.”

“ That was probably a good idea,” Rhona said.

Sabryn heard the weariness in Rhona’s voice. “ They have us scrambling. We’re worried about each other instead of focusing on Parker .”

“ Because that’s what people with feelings do,” Finn snapped.

Sabryn realized her mistake the moment the words were out of her mouth.

For a man who had never had a family, Finn was particularly protective of anyone he brought into his circle.

And that circle had grown when the Knights followed Elias to Skye .

Which meant more people could be hurt or taken from him.

“ Sabryn’s right,” Rhona admitted. “ But , Finn , so are you. Could Parker have left if he believed he’d succeeded in killing his brother?”

Finn slowed and pulled off the road, throwing the SUV in park. “ Possibly . Kurt was sure Diana was trying to get him home, though.”

“ Sabryn ? You know their family better than any of us. What do you think?” Rhona asked.

“ I barely know them. I never met Diana , and my time spent with Parker was limited. The three months Kurt and I were together were spent developing a romantic relationship. Neither of us spoke about our families much.” A sudden thought came to Sabryn .

“ Although , I do remember that he and Parker bickered constantly. More than most siblings. I asked about the cause once, and all Kurt told me was that it was family pressure.”

Finn rested his elbow on the door. “ What kind of mother would send one son to kill another?”

“ If that’s what Diana did,” Rhona pointed out. “ We don’t have any facts. We believed Kurt because it’s his family, but he also said he hadn’t spoken to them in years. A lot can change in that time.”

Sabryn rubbed her hands together. “ We need to come up with a plan in case Parker wants proof of Kurt’s death. Do we need to check on Ferne ? What about Callum ?”

“ Killian and Ariah are with Callum . Once Theo got word about the bookstore, he rushed to Ferne . Callum and the others fished the debris from the boat out of the water and then headed to the co-op to help Kirsi and Matt finish cleaning up. I just spoke with Theo . Ferne was so distraught he had to physically carry her out of the bookstore. He’s headed to the manor with her now,” Rhona explained.

Finn tapped the steering wheel. “ What about Emily and the kids?”

“ They’re all fine. Scott and Filip surveyed the extent of the fire damage while Elias helped Emily file the police report. Elodie and Bronwyn already took the children to the manor. It’s where we should all head.”

“ We’ll be along eventually,” Sabryn said, looking at Finn . “ We’re going to return to the hospital and stay with Song and Carlyle until Kurt’s released.”

Rhona said, “ Understood . Remember , Balladyn is there, too, should you need him. He’s likely veiled inside Kurt’s room.”

“ Okay . Be safe,” Sabryn replied before disconnecting.

Finn blew out a breath. “ I’m going to admit something to you, but I want you to promise you won’t tell anyone else. Especially not Carlyle or Elias .”

“ I promise,” Sabryn said.

He turned his head to look out his door window. “ We’ve faced many criminals and malicious people, and we’ve always won.”

“ We’re winning here.”

“ Barely .” His head swiveled toward her. “ We’re holding on by a thread. You can’t deny that.”

She shook her head. “ No , I can’t. New enemies are popping up everywhere we turn, but we keep fighting for what’s right. And , somehow, we come out ahead.”

“ We’ve scraped by, it’s true. But I don’t think we’ll be that lucky for much longer.”

“ What do you mean?”

He glanced down. “ Can you honestly tell me you believe we’ll all come out of this alive?”

“ Yes ,” she answered, her concerns growing.

Finn raised his brows. “ Really ? Against London ? Against George and the Edinburgh Druids ? Against Parker ? What about The Grey ? And don’t forget Edie . Or whatever else might arise along the way. Because that’s what’s been happening. Our luck will run out.”

His voice rose with every word. They were all overwhelmed by their enemies’ ruthlessness and the power with which they continued to strike. There was a measure of relief with each victory, but it never seemed to last long.

“ I have to believe we’ll survive this,” Sabryn told him. “ Because to think otherwise is unfathomable.”

“ It’s going to be me.”

His statement took her aback. “ What ?” she asked softly, hoping he didn’t mean what she thought he meant.

Dark eyes met hers. “ I’m not going to live.”

“ Of course you are. Why would you say that?”

He hung his head. When he spoke, he sounded resigned. “ I’ve felt it for a few weeks now. When Carlyle vanished, I thought… I …”

“ I know. Me , too,” she said as she rubbed her hand on his arm, offering comfort. “ But he’s here. He won.”

“ It was close. Too close. Every battle is becoming harder and harder to win.”

She shifted to face him and gently turned his head to her with her fingers. “ Finn O’Connor , I want you to hear me. I’m not going to let you fall. Ever . None of the Knights will. We’re a family, and we stick together. Plus , our family is bigger now. Do you know what that means?”

“ What ?” he asked wearily.

“ It means there are more people to watch out for you. It means we get stronger with every person who joins. No one is going to fall. No . One ,” she stated firmly.

He flashed her a sad smile. “ Not even you can stop death.”

“ Try me,” she challenged, lifting her chin to prove her point.

All the while, she was crying inside. She knew what it was to have family and lose them. Finn held on because he finally had something he’d always yearned for. She held on because she knew she wouldn’t survive losing another family.

When he didn’t smile, she licked her lips and spoke the truth they both needed to hear. “ I need you.”

“ I’ll always have your back. You know that.” Finn sniffed and shot her a halfhearted grin. “ Back to the hospital, then?”

He’d firmly shut away his trepidation once more.

It was useless to continue talking about it because Finn wouldn’t.

She straightened in her seat as he pulled back onto the road.

She’d had no idea he was carrying such fear with him, but she knew now.

Sabryn intended to watch Finn a little closer.

Out of all the Knights , he was the one who liked to get close to his enemies in battle. Next time, she would stay by his side.

Neither spoke on the way back to the hospital. It wasn’t until they were inside the building that Finn touched her arm to stop her. She turned to him, a brow raised in question.

“ Talk to him,” Finn said.

She knew exactly who him was. “ Leave it.”

“ I can’t. You’re hurting, and it kills me. You don’t see how he looks at you when you turn away. There’s still something between you.”

“ You’re wrong. Whatever was there died in DC .”