Page 67 of Destiny Reclaimed
“You saw it, too?”
”Yes.”
“Of course, you did. I remember you shifting in front of us.” Gary snuck a glance at Gabriela. “He shielded us from the bullet.”
His Protector nodded. “Did you recognize the soldier?” she asked.
Jack’s pulse thudded. The million-dollar question hung heavy in the air.
The solemn man’s nod came slow. “I didn’t know for sure until you touched me, but then I saw him as clear as if he were standing in front of us now. It was Arthur.”
Jack’s heart slammed against his ribcage, then adrenaline rushed his veins. The next time he saw his vile cousin there would be hell to pay.
Gary’s puzzled gazed darted to him, then back to Gabriela. “I don’t understand. Why would he do that? How were we all in that place in Vietnam at the same time? And you, you’re a woman.”
Jack was sure the guy didn’t mean for the comment to be chauvinistic like he had been when he’d made a similar one to his Protector. But from the annoyed look on Gabriela’s face, she took it that way, or at the very least, was sick of hearing such comments.
“This is where it will get interesting. So, keep in mind what you’d just said. Basically, you were surprised to see a woman in combat, right?” A bit of grit laced her tone.
The guy nodded sheepishly.
“We were all in that particular spot at that specific time because that’s where Arthur wanted us.”
Gary’s brows pulled together.
She gestured toward Jack. “He is a time traveler, a Preserver and I’m his Protector. Arthur is a time travel Modifier. Jack and Arthur’s families have been battling each other for centuries. The Cornelis trying to preserve history, their family’s decorated military history, and the Duponts trying to steal it to hold as their own.”
Gary flew off his chair. “That’s ridiculous. What kind of crap are you two trying to pull here?”
Gabriela leaned back in her seat, crossed her arms over her chest, indicating she wasn’t going to back down and would wait for him to come around. Jack envied this woman’s patience and restraint.
“We’re not trying to pull anything, and I know you know that. I know this is hard to believe, but you’ve seen it firsthand. You just told us. And, you know...know that you aren’t supposed to be here. You know in your heart your sister isn’t supposed to be married to a monster like Arthur Dupont. But she is because he was successful at stealing Jack’s history and consequently his future.”
Gabriela uncrossed her arms and legs and stood in front of Gary. Her gaze softened. She pointed in the direction of the kitchen. “In Jack’s real reality, he’s married to your sister. She’s not supposed to be married to that brute who beats her.” His Protector shot him a glance and pointed at him. “He’s Blake’s father. You saw how much the boy loves him. It’s like he knows.”
The poor guy stood silent, staring at him with a perplexed look on his face. Jack nodded. “It’s true. Please, help us get our lives back. Gwennie, Blake, and me.”
“Why do you call her Gwennie? Nobody else does,” Gary asked.
Hmm. Of all things for the man to focus on. “It’s just a nickname I gave her long ago.”
“An endearment,” his brother-in-law said softly—knowingly.
“Yes. Like one does for a wife.”
“What is it you think I can do to help?” he asked.
He and his Protector shared a glance. This was even harder than he’d thought. How on earth would they tell him he needed to force Arthur back into a time travel to the moment in time when Arthur changed history. If successful, Gary wouldn’t be returning home...alive. Both Tebon sons would be dead. He imagined the death of another son—brother, would be devasting to Mr. and Mrs. Tebon, and his Gwennie.
“Against the secrecy code of Preservers and Protectors, I’m going to divulge more information than I should.”
“No!” Jack said impulsively, worried for her wellbeing. They needed to just stick with the plan they’d discussed and convince Gary to help them without revealing more information than necessary. As it was, Gabriela had probably already pushed it—the Gods to the limit already by disclosing too much to him.
She sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “It’s for the greater good. I’m too small a piece in this puzzle to worry about. This is my role, my purpose.”
“In our world of time travel, Preservers and Protectors only travel when Modifiers travel. So, we need to force Arthur into a travel so we have an opportunity to set things back on course. I’m not certain, but I think we need to get him to travel to the same moment in time in which he changed history. This is where you come in. Now that your memory is back, I wonder if you can’t use the information you recalled to threaten Arthur into a travel. Then, Jack and I will travel and we can try to set the record straight. There’s no way to do that without traveling back in time.”
“But what if it doesn’t work? What if you die in the process?” Gary asked.
