Page 134 of Anywhere

“Yes. The pilot will radio when he is an hour out. Hopefully, we can keep it secret until the last minute that the plane is coming. Crispin has offered to help arrange the arrival plans since he has the most knowledge of the air traffic routes and how best to keep our loads secret,” Angus said, and everyone mumbled their agreement.

I wanted to know how Angus learned to command a room the way he did. I tried to assert my authority, but there was always pushback. Was there pushback when he was my age, or did everyone naturally follow him because he was an Adair? The name Adair held a slightly different weight than the rest of us, no matter what our accomplishments were. At one time, the thought was like a burr under my ass, annoying and prickly, but I learned to accept it as normal as the sun rising in the east. I wished so many times over the last couple of years that my father was still around for me to ask. Rayland was as useless as a wet noodle in the rain.

As everyone was finalizing the plans to get supplies and more guards to the island, I glanced at Rook. He was still reading the massive leather-bound book. Angus could pound salt. Rook was an excellent One, even if it took him time to come around, and he was still growing. Rook was instrumental in getting those who survived and were made homeless by fires situated in new lodgings and even found a way to use his band as cover to get more supplies here. He was smart. I just wished he saw how smart he was.

I watched his leg swing back and forth over the padded armrest. There was something sexy about the pose with the massive book while he sipped a scotch. I suddenly wanted to lay him out on the desk and fuck him while everyone was still on the line. Now that was a statement.

I leaned over and hit end when I realized the call was over.

Turning back to Rook, I leaned against the desk. “Ya wanna sing wit me?”

“Sorry, I missed that. What?” Rook asked, his eyes meeting mine.

All he needed was a set of glasses to give him the ultimate sophisticated badass look. He was wearing ripped jeans and a black T-shirt. With his shitkickers on, it was a perfect juxtaposition to the old leather-bound book in his hands.

“I wanna sing wit ya. I dinnie ‘ave me pub no more, but we can jam,” I said, and he smirked.

“I thought you said you didn’t like the crap I sing,” he teased, but the tone set my blood racing.

“Who says we are gonna be singin’ yer crap?” Rook cocked a brow at me, and I smiled. “It also could’a been a slight exaggeration on me part. There be a good chance dat I was wantin’ ta git under yer skin.” I pushed away from the desk.

“Well, you certainly did that and more,” Rook said, and I reminded myself that we needed to get actual work done today.

Although locking the door was certainly appealing, Eley may kill us for getting at it while she was having to endure another round of Sam and his over-eagerness.

Glancing at the title he was reading, my eyebrow rose.

“Yer readin’ about dark rituals? Dat is dangerous shit,” I said, suddenly worried about what he was thinking.

“Get that look off your face. I’m not thinking about doing anything crazy. Well…not too crazy.”

I crossed my arms and waited for him to continue. There was no point in saying what I was feeling. The bastard felt everything I did now, which was proving to be annoying as fuck.

“I’m reading up on what I did with the shadows. It’s an actual ritual, but from what I’ve been able to find, it’s never been done outside of a ritual scenario with all the proper preparations, including being down in the catacombs to keep the dark contained.”

“Aye, gee, I’ma wonderin’ why…Ya were taken over by some demon or spirit, and it had no good intentions. We still din’t know if dere be any long-term effects.”

Rook swung his legs around to sit forward in the chair. “I’m looking more at how to prevent that from happening if I were to do that spell again. If I could even do it again.”

“Ugh, dinnie be thick, Rook. Ya shouldna be tryin’, no matter what,” I said as Rook’s phone rang.

He dug around in his pocket and pulled it out, then groaned as soon as he saw who was calling. He hit the video option, but I stayed out of the line of the camera. Devlin looked completely distraught.

“Devlin, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Rook drawled.

“Geez us you sounded exactly like dad.” He made a gagging noise. “What the hell is that? Now I’m fucking positive they’re drugging you, I’m going to come and save you, brother, don’t you worry,” Devlin said.

Rook seemed just as confused as I felt. “What are you babbling on about?” he asked, placing a bookmark in the pages and snapping the book shut.

“Oh, dear spirits, you used the word babbling, and is that…Oh, my god. You are reading.” Devlin sounded truly horrified. “It wasn’t just my eyes playing tricks on me.”

“This is why you called me? What? Father has decided to treat you like crap since I’m not there, so you’ve decided to pick up the mantle and insult me instead? I’m hanging up now,” Rook said.

“No, wait!” Devlin looked around and got close to the phone, so all I saw was part of his nose and an eye. “I wanted to know if you’d come to your senses about the whole triad thing. Rhys has always been a pill, but he sounded like a real dick on the phone. I mean, you don’t want to be tied to that for the rest of your life, do you?” Devlin was so busy ranting that he didn’t notice when Rook smirked and looked at me.

“A real dick…What do you mean?” Rook asked, baiting his brother.

“What do you mean, what do I mean? The guy was a total prick on the call. I mean, who the hell does he think he is, ordering our father, the head of the Adair family, around? I wouldn’t take orders from him. I don’t care if he is named the official head of the McGregor family.”