The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance Katherine Logan (no david read aloud TXT) 📖

After a long pause, James Cullen said, “I don’t remember what happened after I went shopping for Ensley. It’s like a black curtain drops and blocks everything that happened afterward.”

He slowly slid back down the headboard until he was lying flat. “I try to lift the curtain, but when I do, my skin burns so bad I drop it and run away.” James Cullen rolled over and folded into the fetal position, pulling the cloak over his head. “I don’t think it’s important. Do you?”

“No, lad, I don’t think it’s important.”

James Cullen fell asleep again. It wasn’t a drugged sleep, but if his vitals hadn’t been so strong, Charlotte might have worried because he couldn’t stay awake.

But Elliott worried, and his hatred for the scum who tortured James Cullen grew so intense that if Elliott didn’t find a way to confront it, the higher stress hormone levels and heart rate could lead to a stroke.

For the longest time, he couldn’t even close his eyes. He was afraid that if he did, the gift Erik gave him—his son’s life—might disappear permanently.

68

MacCorp Jet—Elliott

The MacCorp jet was airborne again after a refueling stop in England and on its way to Turkey when Meredith came into the bedroom to relieve Elliott.

He hadn’t been able to sleep since they departed from Richmond, even though his body needed it. His damn brain just wouldn’t shut down and give him a break from the rage and fear.

“Any change?” Meredith whispered.

“Some,” he said, trying to hold his temper in check, using a soft voice, erasing the anger from it as best he could.

He eased up out of the chaise lounge, his bones cracking, and he stretched. However, it did little to relieve the tightness in his neck and shoulders or the numbness in his lower leg and foot. He hadn’t mentioned the symptoms to Charlotte yet, or anyone else. He knew he was getting claudication from the stenosing graph, which would require a new graph. And while it wasn’t heart surgery, it wasn’t minor surgery either.

“James Cullen woke up and asked why he was on the plane.”

Meredith hissed in a breath. “Uh-oh.”

“I told him we were taking him to Tiger’s Nest, and he seemed okay with that.”

“Anything else?”

“He said he didn’t remember much but did recall shopping for Ensley in Chicago. Then he curled up in the cloak like he is now and fell asleep again.”

“Did he ask about the cloak?”

“No,” Elliott whispered. “But he seems to know he needs it.”

Meredith kissed him. “Get some sleep. I’ll wake you up if there’s a problem.”

Elliott pulled her into his arms. “I love ye.” Then he returned her kiss and left the room, passing Charlotte sleeping on one of the easy-to-berth divans and Ensley on the other. When he reached his central club seat, Aubrey, one of their two flight attendants, had already converted it into a flatbed, complete with a mint on his pillow.

“Everything okay?” Austin asked.

Elliott sat down on his bed across the aisle from Austin and removed his shoes. “Aye. The lad’s calm. He can relapse, but for now, he’s good. I told him we were taking him to Tiger’s Nest, and he was fine with that.”

“That’s good, glad to hear it. But I’ve been thinking about what happened. Do you think the Illuminati knows about him spending time at the monastery? If so, they could find him there.”

“Erik killed the connection to the Illuminati before, and he did it again in Chicago.”

“But we left those other assholes alive when we escaped the train.”

Elliott glanced at Austin, the overhead light illuminating his grimacing face. “When Erik left MacKlenna Farm, he said his work wasn’t over.” Elliott considered Austin’s concern and had to admit it was alarming.

“Maybe,” Elliott said, “Erik stopped in Chicago to eliminate the men on the train, and that’s what detained him.”

“But here’s the thing, Elliott. Would Erik risk getting to Ensley too late to save her? I don’t think so. I’d like to believe the assholes on the train are dead, but I don’t think they are.”

Aubrey stopped at Elliott’s chair and picked up his shoes. “Can I get you anything, Dr. Fraser?”

“A glass of juice, please.”

“How about you, Mr. O’Grady?”

“I’m good. Thanks, Aubrey.”

After Aubrey returned with Elliott’s juice, Austin continued, “If the assholes survived, they would likely go after JC or even Ensley. We might be setting JC up for the Illuminati to get to him again. If JC can live at the monastery to study, what’s to stop someone in the Illuminati from doing the same?”

“James Cullen needs to be there. I won’t let the slight possibility of danger keep him from getting the help only the monastery can provide. But I’ll warn Paul to be suspicious of anyone showing special attention to James Cullen.”

“But do you trust Paul to spot trouble in time?”

“Paul is a chameleon. Don’t underestimate him.”

“I never have. I just wanted to be sure you were on the same page.”

“James Cullen and Paul have a tight bond. As the saying goes, ‘Paul is the best brother from another mother.’ He won’t fail James Cullen.”

“We should tell the entire family that the Illuminati might take a while to regroup after losing Sten, but they’ll hit us again.”

“I’ll take care of Paul. As for the rest of us, we’ll have a family meeting next week and discuss it.” Elliott finished his juice and handed the glass to Aubrey when she returned with a pair of slippers. “What are ye looking at so intently on the iPad?” he asked Austin.

Austin turned around the screen for Elliott to see. “The cave photographs and videos are all uploaded, and David sent out the link. Kenzie’s already at work trying to identify some of the pieces. She says it’s a slog.”

“I saw the link but haven’t looked at the pictures yet, other than the ones Braham and I looked over before we left MacKlenna Farm.”

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Austin said.

“After we secure the treasure, David can sell