Page 20 of Blood Skye (Skye Druids #6)
Chapter Twenty
Port of Menteith
Kurt exited the bus and adjusted the rucksack on his shoulder. He glanced around and filed out of the station with the other passengers. Port Menteith was a small, lazy village just an hour and a half north of Glasgow . He’d taken a train to Stirling before hopping on a bus.
Everyone he came across was a potential enemy. His nerves were frayed to the breaking point. He was eager to get settled and figure out how his location had been uncovered in Glasgow . At least the Knights and Rhona’s group had gotten the new mobiles. But that still left so much unanswered. No one had ever come close to finding him before.
Sabryn , Carlyle , Elias , and Finn never knew that he moved locations almost as frequently as they did. He liked to stay in the same time zone. He might be a semi-silent partner, but only because the moment Sabryn learned who he really was, she would cut him out. So , he kept his identity a secret. It had been harmless enough. He had wanted to help the Knights . All with the intention of revealing his identity after he showed Sabryn that he had changed.
But each time he tried to tell her, the words never came.
The more time that passed, the more difficult it was to speak the truth. He had lost her because he’d been stupid. This was supposed to be his redemption, but he had only messed it up, too. Two years prior, he’d decided to forever remain in the background, speaking through texts and emails or using an app to alter his voice if they had a call.
The cause the Knights had taken up was one of honor and sacrifice. He could help them right the wrongs and bring justice to those left seeking it. It wasn’t the redemption he’d sought, but it was one he could be proud of. And it allowed him to stay close to Sabryn and speak to her. He relished every second that she interacted with him.
Kurt walked out of the station as passengers dispersed into the village streets. It didn’t take him long to walk out of the town as he continued north. He came to the small cottage with a bright blue door and keyed in the numbers on the lockbox. When it opened, he fished out the keys.
Once inside the structure, Kurt set up wards on all the windows and doors. Only then did he pause in the kitchen to rest his hands on the counters. He dropped his chin to his chest and drew in a deep breath. There was no time to rest, though. He pushed off the counter and stripped out of his clothes for a quick shower.
His skin was still slightly damp when he tugged on a clean shirt and jeans, then made his way to the kitchen for a strong cup of coffee. He hadn’t slept in days, but rest would come later. First , he needed to fuel his body with food and caffeine. As the coffee percolated, he rummaged in the cupboards and fridge. There was milk, butter, and eggs from the last occupants who’d left two days prior.
Kurt had houses all over the world that he rented out. While they were good investments and brought in money every month, that wasn’t the reason he’d purchased them. They were for instances just like his current predicament.
He made an omelet and toast to go with his coffee and took all of it to the table. He wolfed down several bites before pulling out his laptop from the rucksack and opening it. Kurt logged into his account, which held the security cameras for every location he owned. He scrolled down until he found the warehouse in Glasgow . From there, he went back a month and began reviewing the footage. Someone hadn’t just stumbled upon the warehouse. They had tracked him.
But how? He was careful whenever he left, which was rare. Especially once the Knights went to Skye . They needed him at all hours, and he never wanted to be away from his computer in case they got into trouble. That meant he stocked up for at least two weeks—if not more—when he did get out.
He finished the omelet and toast, but his stomach still growled. Kurt made more toast he slathered with butter, this time forcing himself to eat slower. The food recharged him, and the caffeine revived him. During his second cup of coffee, he sent out a message to the list of numbers that went with the new mobiles. He wanted the Knights and the Druids on Skye to know he was alive and at their disposal. Almost immediately, he got a text back.
It’s Sabryn . I’ve been worried. Are you safe?
He read her words twice. The longing for her never stopped, never quieted. And it never would. Kurt logged her name to match with the number.
I’m safe. Won’t stay in this spot long. They found my previous location. I blew it before they could get to any information.
They found it???!!!! How ?
He felt her shock and concern through her words, but especially the use of exclamation points. She always overuses them , he thought with a grin.
I’m looking into that. be on guard.
Always . Should you join us on Skye ?
Kurt’s fingers hovered over the screen. He wanted to say yes. But he wouldn’t.
I need to know if they want me or information. I don’t want to bring anyone to the isle. It’s better if I remain where I am.
Check in. Often . I mean it.
Understood . Fill me in on the others, please.
He watched the three dots blink for several moments before the message popped up. He quickly learned about Finn and Carlyle . Kurt’s frown deepened when he read what had happened at Mason’s . That was definitely something he needed to investigate.
Sabryn signed off after another few exchanges, then settled in for some long hours reviewing footage. Kurt split his screen to keep an eye on any messages that came in. When they did, he logged the names with the new numbers for the future. He also purchased more mobiles and sent different sets to the three people he trusted outside of the Knights .
He was always prepared, but he made extra arrangements in case something happened to him. He’d had time to get out of the warehouse, but there might come a day when he couldn’t. Kurt’s research for the Knights had shown him the heinous violence that some Druids endured. He wouldn’t be one of those. He didn’t want to be a statistic, but he also wouldn’t put his team in a situation where they had to choose between saving him and saving someone else.
The next time Kurt looked up, two hours had passed. He rubbed his tired eyes and returned to scanning the half screen that showed multiple camera images. He missed his setup at the warehouse. Kurt shoved that thought aside and rose to get more coffee. He came back and set the mug on the table, then moved to stand behind his chair and lean his hands against the back to stretch his legs. His eyes caught something. Reaching over, he paused the playback and clicked on an image so it filled the entire screen. He rewound it and then played it back.
There , just out of range, was someone standing in the dark. Kurt couldn’t tell if it was a male or a female, but someone had been snooping around the warehouse in the wee hours of the morning. He shrank the image and moved to another camera with a different angle. That’s when he saw the individual. They were doing their best to stay hidden, but they had no idea how many cameras he had around the property. Some were displayed openly, but he kept most of them hidden. That was how he caught sight of the woman.
He paused the video and tried to enhance her face, but she had something covering her entire head that made it impossible. All she did was sit and look at the warehouse. He timed her. She was there twenty-two minutes and thirty-four seconds. Then , she left.
Kurt never saw a vehicle. He scoured footage on the cameras but found nothing. Her arrival disturbed him. She hadn’t come close enough to set off any sensors, and he hadn’t been reviewing the camera footage. It was a mistake he regretted now.
He settled into the chair and kept examining the recordings. Six days after the woman appeared at night, he spotted someone else who crept near the warehouse during the night. They stayed hidden behind another building. No matter how he zoomed in, he couldn’t determine the face—or see if it was the same woman.
On hour four, he spotted a car slowly driving past the warehouse at night. He remembered that evening. He had watched the vehicle because it seemed suspicious. But it had gone to the end of the road, turned around, and drove away. Even now, as he watched the recording, he didn’t see anything that would make him skeptical.
Now that the warehouse had been stormed, everything was suspicious.
Kurt wrote down the date and time he’d seen the car, along with the two incidents of people, and went back to reviewing. He paused and got up when his eyes began to glaze over. His body was tense from worry and hurting from sitting too long. He walked around the house to stretch his legs. When that wasn’t enough, he did a ten-minute yoga flow routine.
It was easy for hackers to become lethargic from sitting too long. The weights were his first choice, and while that helped, it wasn’t enough. One of his buddies had told him about yoga years ago. Kurt had scoffed at first, but once he gave it a try, the benefits were just too good.
By the time he finished his flow, he felt like a new man. He returned to the chair and hit play. Thirty minutes later, his mouth dropped open. His brain refused to comprehend what his eyes saw. Kurt replayed it a dozen times before pushing back his chair and leaning forward, his stomach roiling and the multiple cups of coffee he’d drunk threatening to come up.
There was no mistaking his brother’s face in the men who strode up to the warehouse. The same blue eyes, the same light brown hair as his.
Kurt sat up and stared at the face on the screen. Parker’s gaze had lifted to the camera, wanting Kurt to know it was him. None of the men behind him had followed suit. They were looking elsewhere. But not Parker .
Kurt had to tell Sabryn .
He jumped to his feet and stalked to the counters, where he slammed his fists down hard. “ Fuck !”
If he told Sabryn that it was Parker , she might accept that he had used facial recognition to identify him. But if Kurt didn’t give her any other names, she’d start questioning him. Eventually , it would lead to her discovering his identity, and everything he had done to become one of the Knights would be wrenched away.
He turned and looked at the computer screen again. Parker would keep coming. But to bring Kurt home?
Or to be brought to the elders in London ?
If anyone could find him, it was Parker . Kurt had hoped to stay the night at the house and get some sleep, but he couldn’t chance it. He gathered his things and left.