Their Goddess - The Roses, Book 3 (Completed)

Part 3. Jericho

Our last day without her, was my first thought as I got up. I woke Eli and Noah, who grumbled but agreed to come for a run with me.  I needed to do something with the nervous energy that had been building, making me antsy.
As we followed the track through the woods and rounded the bottom of the lake before we stopped for a rest.
"Lets swim" Noah dared us, stripping off and calling us chickens before rushing into the lake, Eli pushed me and laughed, "come on, we haven't swum here for ages" and he followed Noah in.
I watched them for a second, before my gaze switched to the old oak where Evie had once hung our clothes, and I wondered what she had planned for today.
"Come on Riki, we'll race you to the island".
"Okay, okay" I muttered and stripped, jumping into the cold water.
"Shit, that's cold" I grumble and Eli splashes me, starting a water fight before we started to race.

The boys didn't see the girl with the camera stood silently watching them, hidden in the shade of the tree line.  Unable to move as she replayed in her mind the last time this scene played out. Their first prank. Her face felt hot as she raised her hand to her eyes, brushing back her hair. Before raising the camera. They were still so beautiful, perfect, bigger now than they had been four years ago.
The boys were almost at the island before she smiled and crept forward, gathering up their clothes and heading to the oak tree.

Eli was the first one out, and his angry shout make us both head for him. He stood, hands on his hips scanning the surrounding tree line.
"What's up?" Noah called.
"Our clothes have gone" he growled and I laughed.
"Evie" we all said together smiling, as Noah and I climbed out of the water.
"Can you see her" I asked looking around, not concerned about the thought of her watching our naked bodies.
"No, but she can't have got far.  Come on let's see if our clothes are in the tree. And then we can see if we can find her"
"This was her first prank, what did we do back?" Eli asked as we picked our way across the meadow.
"We took the ladder away and trapped her in the barn loft"
"Okay, maybe we'll get lucky and find her there again, if not we need to get her back, somehow." Eli muttered, looking up at his clothes in the tree above. I laugh at him "The right opportunity will come up, it always does".

Evie had disappeared, so we headed back home, in much better spirits, than when  we left, if she was up to pranking us then she was ready to see us again.
Mom smiled at us as we all pushed into the kitchen together laughing. "Morning boys, why are you so happy?"
"Evie pranked us" I tell her "more than that she recreated her first ever prank on us, that has to be positive, doesn't it?"
Mom sat down with us "I saw her yesterday, she seemed happier, more relaxed, she told me she met Mandy and Diana"
"Oh! How did that go" Noah asked.
"Very well, I think they are all going out for drinks at some point." she told us and our jaws dropped.  We knew Mandy would apologise when she saw Evie, just as she had to us repeatedly, but hadn't expected anything more to come out of it.
"What are you boys up to today?" mom asked changing the subject.
"Noah and I are helping dads on the new obstacle course." Eli said.  "and I'm helping John in the office" I finish.
"Good, I have a job you can do on the way to the office" I look at here suspiciously. "What job?"
"I'm lending Evie one of the quads so she can get around the estate, I've commissioned her to do some pictures for the offices and that old bike of hers is not man enough, I need it dropped down to the cottage"
I grin at my brothers "Happy to Mom, which quad?"
"She can use mine, your fathers don't like me using it anyway, can you check it over and make sure its all okay for her"
"Yes Mom, don't worry, i'll make sure its perfect for her." I exchange a grin with my brothers.
"Come on Riki, we will give you a hand getting it ready, then we can all leave together" Eli offered and Mom smiled at us "You are such good boys" she praised and I snorted as we left the room, before she could ask what was funny.
Noah rushed upstairs and grabbed his kit and we met in the garage. "I've got a tracker and a mic, we need to make sure she wont notice them"
"Unless a lot has changed Evie is not very mechanical, we should be okay, what's the range on the mic" I query.
"One Mile, but we can link it to our phones"
We hear noises outside and tense, Eli glancing at the door, as Dad Hades looks in "Hey Dad" he says guiltily.
"What are you boys up to?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
"Moms lending her quad to Evie, we are just checking it over for her" I explain, keeping everything crossed he accepts just that and leaves, but no, this is our father, nothing gets past him.
"There's some 4" black tape on the shelf, use that and she won't notice the tracker, you're trying to hide" he grins at us.
"Thanks Dad" we call as he walks off chuckling.

I drive the quad down to the cottage and knock on the door, looking at the strange car parked outside. Mrs Thorn opens the door smiling "Good morning Jericho".
"Hey Mrs Thorn, I've brought down the quad for Evie, Mom said she's borrowing it" I can hear male laughter in the house and wonder who it is.
"Oh, she's not back yet from her walk, if you give me the key, I'll give it to her."
"Yes ma'am, sorry to have disturbed you when you have guests" I apologise handing over the keys and turning to go but her call stops me.
"I've some bits for Miss Eva, are you in a rush?" I shake my head "Good good, come in, whilst I get them together" she waves me into the lounge.

I look at the two men sat in there "Jericho Rose, long time no see" the taller man says and I realise it Nick Carlisle, holding out his hand to shake. "This is Evie's friend from America Jonah Kingston, he's followed her back here to do a year at uni here" Nick introduces the other guy.
I feel my heart clench and grit my teeth behind my smile "great to meet you" I offer shaking his hand, wondering what his relationship was with Evie, were we too late?
Jonah looks at Nick and shakes his head. "You are a menace" and Nick laughs. "Sorry, too good an opportunity to pass up" he tells Jonah.
"Have I missed something?" I look at the two of them angrily.
"Your face, when I said he'd followed Evie here" Nick laughed again and I debated the manners of punching another guest in the face.
"Nick!" Jonah warned before turning to me. "Evie and I are just friends, only friends... Nick is my boyfriend, he's the one I followed here" he explains further. I smile as understanding dawns.
"Then why?" I turned to Nick questioningly.
"You boys were hung up on Evie before she left, I just wanted to see if it was still the same"
"and?"
"What are you intentions with our little Pixie" he questions back and I look at both of them.
"Why?"
"You broke her before, and for all her fire, she is sensitive to the core.  I don't want to see her hurt again" Nick growled.
"We want her" I told him plainly.
"For how long?" he pushed.
I could hear Mrs Thorn coming back and looked at them "For forever" I told them, turning to take the box Mrs Thorn was carrying and saying goodbye.