by Bianca D’Arc
“It is paradise, though,” Shelly said, her expression going soft. “I love working amidst such natural beauty.”
“You’re an architect, right?” Maya asked, suddenly wondering if Mark was putting his wife to work designing that super-villain lair she had described.
“She’s done some gorgeous designs for the island,” Sully put in from Maya’s other side. “Fabulous interpretations of big cats right in the structures. Scrollwork with a South American flair. Really gorgeous stuff, yet it all blends with the natural surroundings, too. It really is a slice of paradise.”
“Sounds lovely,” Maya mused. “Grizzly Cove is a bit rougher around the edges, though many of the men have built their dens…uh…homes to blend into the background. More than a few have dug into the hills surrounding the cove, and you’d never realize it to look at the outside. The town is as you’d expect a Pacific Northwest town to look. It’s still small, but growing. And we’ve got a lot of new residents who are…um…” Maya wasn’t sure how to explain the mer pod that John had allied with. Not only were there now merpeople living in waters of the cove, but in the town, as well.
“I bet there are a lot of things to do on the coast, right? Fishing and swimming. Lots of water activities.” Shelly said, saving Maya from having to think of how to finish that last sentence. “Mark was talking to Sam Kinkaid a few weeks ago, and he explained how his cousin, I think it was, recently married one of the guys up there.”
“Oh, yes. Moira fit right in, though she’s a little different from the others,” Maya said, hoping the ladies would understand what she meant since Moira Kinkaid-O’Leary was a selkie, not a mermaid.
Selkies were rare magical shifters who changed into seals. By an odd twist of fate, the Kinkaid Clan was made up mostly of lion shifters, but about one quarter of them were selkies. Strange alliances and marriages in the distant past had led to a situation where Sam Kinkaid had been the only white lion shifter left after a bloody civil war in Africa had wiped out the previous king of all lion shifters and any others who had royal white lion genes. Only a distant relation—Sam Kinkaid—had been left to take on the role. A role he reportedly hadn’t wanted but had stepped up to fill when there was need.
“Yeah, Sam was telling Mark what Moira had told him about the town,” Shelly said, nodding.
Maya assumed that meant they were all aware of the mer alliance, as well as the one with Hiram. Grizzly Cove had been building friendships and partnerships for a while now. She knew Johnny wanted more of that kind of thing. With the Venifucus threat ever increasing, all those on the side of Light had to band together to stand against evil. She’d heard Johnny say that enough times, and she believed it, as well.
“You know, although I’m here for Hiram, I should mention that I think my brother would love to talk some of this stuff over with you and your mates. I know you all have an open invitation, if you ever want to visit Grizzly Cove. I’d love to show you around,” Maya said with genuine affection. She liked these ladies, and even though they both scented of magic, she could tell they were a force for good.
“We might just take you up on that,” Shelly said with a bright smile.
“Especially if you have any more pieces like the one you’re wearing. I love supporting new artists,” Sully added, and Maya’s mind reeled at the implications. With a big star like Sully wearing her designs, her business might just be put on the map.
“Speaking of your designs,” Shelly said, taking Maya by the arm and steering her to the left side of the wide hallway. “It couldn’t hurt to have some of your work seen in here.”
A very large room was set up with discreet, high-end vendors selling various items. Many of the offerings were related to poker and card playing. Rare decks. Dealing equipment. Custom chips. Clothing and accessories. But some were even more specialized. Clothing articles for fun and pleasure. Naughty lingerie alongside stunning ball gowns. A huge selection of scarves and handbags for every occasion. Everything the spoiled woman might want to pass her time indulging in a little retail therapy.
Several exclusive boutiques were represented, and Maya practically salivated at the idea of getting her designs in front of the buyers for some of those places. Her mail order idea was good, but she needed more name recognition if she really wanted to showcase her work and make some money. She and Jayne had opened their shop on a shoestring budget. Maya had contributed her designs and the stock she had already made. Jayne had provided the gemstones she had found during her many prospecting trips.
Jayne was also a certified gemologist and she had connections in the gem and mineral world. She was able to source rare pieces—both for specimens and for cutting and polishing. Maya, of course, got first dibs on any gemstones that caught her eye and cried out for a unique setting. It was a good, solid partnership, but they weren’t exactly rolling in the dough right now.
Maya had even had to borrow a bit of cash from her brother to keep things going, but she hoped it was only a matter of time before she could pay him back. With interest. Taking this temporary job with Hiram was a first step toward that goal. She couldn’t go on living off her brother’s charity forever. This job with Hiram was helping her bottom line a lot, but she had to do something to encourage more long-term stability. She was hoping getting her jewelry seen by the right people would be the answer.
Judging by the way Sully and Shelly were talking, they were going to help her do just that. It was unexpected, but absolutely welcome. Johnny had better be very, very nice to the jaguar Alpha and Beta, or Maya would have to bite him. The ladies’ openness and warmth were quickly winning her over, and she had a feeling she’d just started two new friendships that might just last a lifetime.
*
“What do you make of Abernathy?” Marlon asked Jeff silently during one of the breaks between games. They were carefully standing on opposite sides of the room, appearing to prepare for the next round of play, but they were both observing everyone and everything that they could see, and comparing notes.
“He’s cagey,” Jeff replied. “There’s something sort of creepy about him, but I can’t put my finger on it. Excellent poker player, though. He’ll easily advance to the expert rounds. What about Nick Balam?”
“Also an excellent player, but a little impatient with inactivity. He’s like a caged tiger, at times, but then, he seems to settle down once things start moving,” Marlon reported.
“Who’s in your next round?” Jeff asked, his gaze roving over the crowded room.
“I’ve got a couple of senators, both of whom are on our surveillance list, Nick, and—you’re not going to believe this—Admiral Morrow.”
“What’s he doing here?” Jeff was surprised to hear the admiral responsible for all Special Forces commands was at this event. They had both met the man more than once. “More importantly, he has to know about our mission, right? Or… Are we on something so deep-cover that he’s not aware? That doesn’t seem right.”
Jeff was truly confused. Why would Morrow show up at this event knowing one of the Gemini teams was going to be there? Or did he not know? And, if not, why not? Was someone pulling strings that shouldn’t have been able to be pulled? Had someone put pressure on their commander to assign them to this mission without Morrow knowing?
“I don’t know, Jeff,” Marlon replied, and Jeff could hear the same confusion in his partner’s tone. “He hasn’t spotted me yet, but I think I ought to find a way to get his attention before we sit down at the card table.”
“Good idea. I’ll observe while you make your move. See who might be watching.”
Jeff moved around the room so that he had a better view of his partner and followed his progress as he made his way casually over to where the admiral was standing with a group of others. Oddly enough, Mark Pepard was part of that group and looked to be on friendly terms with the admiral. Jeff hadn’t expected that.
Marlon moved closer to the admiral as unobtrusively as possible. He wasn’t sure what to make of
Morrow’s presence here. Was he merely an invited guest? Didn’t he realize two of his most covert operatives were already on the scene? Was he here to check up on them—to observe them in the field? Or was he clueless about their presence?
Hopefully, Marlon would be able to figure that out within the next few minutes. Regardless, it was only prudent to make the admiral aware of his presence before they sat down to play poker together.
As Marlon moved closer still, Admiral Morrow looked up and caught his eye. He gave Marlon the slightest nod of acknowledgment, which answered at least some of his questions. Then, Morrow’s gaze moved to Jeff, across the room.
“He definitely knows we’re here,” Marlon reported to his partner. “He just gave me the nod.”
“Yeah, I saw that,” Jeff replied. “So, he knows we’re on the case, but I still have to wonder why he’s here. Is this some sort of evaluation exercise? Are we going to be critiqued?” Jeff sounded annoyed at that prospect.
They were both long out of training. While they frequently enacted scenarios to keep their skills sharp, they had passed the stage where they would be observed while on an actual mission. Their commanding officer had all the data on their performance that was necessary. Why, then, was the admiral here? That question was going to gnaw at them both until they had an answer.
Marlon sat down to play for the next round with Admiral Morrow at his table. They shared only the briefest pleasantries. Marlon was going by the admiral’s actions. If he wanted to acknowledge their prior acquaintance, that would be up to the admiral. So far, it seemed he wanted to play things low-key between them. Fair enough.
The game proceeded, and Marlon learned a lot more about the admiral’s style and personality from the way he played his cards. Marlon’s father had always insisted you could tell a lot about a man from the way he played poker, and Marlon agreed. He and Jeff played more for the challenge of reading other players than any kind of obsession or addiction to the game, itself. They were good at it, but they weren’t necessarily gamblers.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said for many of the men at this event. Some of them showed all the signs of being compulsive gamblers, including one of the senators currently playing at Marlon’s table. Since this was a gathering of society’s elite, most of them could afford a small gambling habit, but it was a dangerous thing. It could be all too easy for one of these politicians to become indebted to the wrong person. That’s what Jeff and Marlon had been tasked to find out. He made a mental note to look more closely at the suspect senator as the weekend wore on.
After that round was over, there was a longer break. It was about one in the morning, and things were starting to get interesting as the rounds of poker progressed. Several of the men smoked cigarettes, cigars or pipes. Admiral Morrow made his move when Marlon rendezvoused with Jeff by the bar.
“Good game, Parkhurst,” Morrow said in a jovial tone, coming up behind them.
“Yes, it was,” Marlon agreed, not sure how to address the admiral. Were they supposed to acknowledge their prior acquaintance, or not? “This is my friend, Jeff Shera,” Marlon forged ahead, introducing them. He figured that was safe. Most admirals wouldn’t remember every man under their command, after all, so introducing Jeff would work, no matter how the admiral wanted to play this out.
Morrow and Jeff exchanged a handshake. “It’s kind of stuffy in here, don’t you think?” Morrow went on. “I’m going to get some fresh air, if you’d like to join me.”
“Good idea,” Marlon agreed, and they made for the nearest door to the outside. Marlon knew, despite the tight surveillance everywhere on the grounds, there should be a few spots where they could talk freely, in between the audio pickups.
When they got outside, the admiral led them to the pool area. There was a section of the large pool that had a water slide and even a little waterfall. There were chairs and tables in that area, and he led them to one, nodding at a man who had been sitting there reading a book until they arrived. When the reader saw them, he closed his book and headed inside.
Marlon wasn’t certain this setting would be sufficient to allow them to speak freely. He had no doubt that there were listening devices placed on almost every table, but Morrow seemed confident. He pointed casually toward the waterfall, and somehow, the trickling of the water increased. Running water, Marlon knew, could mask a myriad of sounds.
“It’s safe to talk here,” Morrow said quietly. “I shorted out the bugs in this area earlier, and one of my staff made sure nobody had the opportunity to fix or replace them.”
“Handy,” was Jeff’s comment as he looked in the direction the reading man had taken.
“First, I want you both to know I’m not here to interfere in your work. As it happens, I have a bit of business to conduct myself, and it’s just possible I could help get you some introductions that might otherwise prove difficult,” the admiral told them. “Who have you met so far?”
They reported the list, including Nick, Mark, their wives, and Hiram and Maya, plus the folks they’d been playing cards with. The admiral frowned a bit.
“You guys are good if you got close to Nick, Mark and Hiram your first few hours here, but you’re wasting your time with them. I know them, and I know they’re firmly on our side. What you need to focus on are the politicians. Somebody’s gotten to some of them, and we need to know who—on both ends of that equation. Certain things have been happening behind closed doors in the government that just don’t make any sense unless someone has got a few highly placed politicians over a barrel.”
“Our CO didn’t mention that,” Jeff said, referring to their commanding officer, Major Daniels.
“Daniels didn’t have the full brief when he sent you out,” Morrow replied, still frowning a bit. “I decided to accept my invitation at the last minute, so I figured I’d tell you when I saw you.”
“Much appreciated, Admiral,” Marlon said.
Really, there was nothing else to say other than yes sir, no sir, and thank you, sir. One did not chastise an admiral for sending them out without the full picture. Besides, it wasn’t like they were taking hostile fire. There was time to get educated about the new intel and refocus their plans.
“Look, I know the prep for this was a bit sloppier than your usual ops,” the admiral admitted. “That was not my intent. Thing is, this is a strange situation we have here. Normally, I would have the inside track on anyone putting undue pressure on a senator or representative. For whatever reason, I’ve been unable to nail this down, which is why I called Daniels. I knew you two had the right background and skills to be accepted here. I need your special talents to learn what I’ve been unable to discover.”
“We won’t fail you, sir,” Jeff promised.
Morrow nodded. “I don’t expect you to. Let’s try to meet here, at this time each night, and review your progress.”
“A little too conspicuous, don’t you think?” Jeff asked Marlon silently.
“Maybe, but he’s the admiral.”
“Cut that out, you two,” Morrow said, throwing a discarded paper coaster someone had left on the table in their direction. Jeff’s brows shot up in surprise. Marlon merely filed the data away, for later consideration.
“Sorry, sir,” Marlon said for both of them. “It’s become second nature.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Morrow allowed, “but I can tell when people are thinking the old admiral has lost his touch—or his mind.” Morrow chuckled as he stood from the table and stretched. “I can assure you, neither is true. Watch your backs. There are forces in play here that you two have never encountered, but you’ve made good contacts already. Maya Marshall is one of the good ones. Her brother will rip your face off if you mess with her, though.” He left, still chuckling, and when he was out of sight, the waterfall returned to its earlier slower flow.
“What the hell?” Jeff said to Marlon, watching the admiral just disappear into the darkness.
“I always heard he was spooky, but I’
ve never been this close to him before. Dude’s not…normal.”
“You’re one to talk,” Jeff said after a long moment. He shook his head and rose from the table. “It’s about time to head back in, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” They talked about their game play and how much they had made in the past couple of rounds as they walked back into the mansion and up to the game rooms.
Later that night, when there were only a few diehards still playing, Maya met up with Hiram once more. He had easily made it into the next rounds of play scheduled for tomorrow night, as expected. Maya supposed one didn’t get to his advanced centuries without learning a thing or two about playing cards and reading people.
“I’m glad you had a good time with Shelly and Sullivan,” Hiram said, escorting Maya from the playing rooms. “I still have a bit more work to do, but you may consider yourself off the clock for the rest of the night. I will retire at dawn, and you can do as you like tomorrow. I’ll see you at the appointed hour tomorrow night.”
“Are you certain?” she asked, keeping her voice as low as he had. They both had preternatural senses and could converse at levels that would easily foil any surveillance.
“Quite certain. You have done very well for your first day. You need not be at my side twenty-four-seven. As you know, I have others with me who are more used to my habits and needs,” he said gently.
“But I thought I was supposed to help guard you and keep you safe,” she objected quietly, confused.
“My dear, you are much more useful to me in other ways. You are here to help me make connections with people like Mark and Nick. Having you by my side speaks eloquently of my willingness to form alliances, as well as the strength of those alliances. Particularly the one with your brother and his people.” Hiram paused as they reached the bottom of the staircase. “I thought you understood.”