by Kaylea Cross
“There are plenty of intel specialists we could bring in to do that.”
“Yeah, except Maguire has intel on someone we think might be connected to another Valkyrie we’ve identified,” Trinity continued. “Also, and this is pretty damn telling, Zack only agreed to this meeting when Rycroft explained it involved you and told him your real name.”
“Yeah, because he wanted to find me.” For the CIA? Himself? Because he was still angry with her for walking away? For ruining his missions? Or was there more to it? Dammit, she shouldn’t want there to be more to it, but she did.
“Did he threaten you at all?”
“No.”
Trinity glanced at the phone in her hand, then back at Eden. “No alerts from Amber about his phone. He’s still in the room and hasn’t tried to contact anyone. If he wanted you captured, he would have called it in by now.”
“I can see how he’d be useful to us. But he’s got every reason to want to turn me over. So how can we trust him?”
“Sure you want me to answer that?”
“Yes.”
“Because of your history together.”
Eden flushed. Trinity and whoever else had been looking into this couldn’t know the extent of it. She and Zack had been careful. “Whatever history he and I do or don’t have, is between me and him.”
Trinity shrugged. “You wanted to know. Also, Rycroft is one of the best operatives I’ve ever known, and he can read people like a book. He said Zack was protective of and concerned about you when Rycroft questioned him. That, combined with him wanting to find out who killed his friend means he’s motivated, and suggests his allegiance might not be with the Agency. So if he agrees to come on board with us now, chances are he’s not going to turn you in later, and this way we’ll be able to keep a close eye on him.”
Eden didn’t like it. She’d never imagined Zack being brought back into her life, and never like this. How was she supposed to work with him and stay objective after everything that had happened? How could she trust him after what had happened?
“How long did you give him to decide?” Trinity asked.
“Twenty minutes.” She was torn between wanting to get away from Zack and going back upstairs to tell him everything. That she had continued to see him after that initial op because she hadn’t been able to stay away from him. That she had started falling for him, and it still scared the shit out of her. “He’s got fourteen minutes left.”
“Amber texted earlier to say she’s got your personnel file ready if you’re interested in reading it when we get back, by the way. She left it in your room at the manor.”
“What personnel file?”
“From the Program. She hacked some of their files before they could shut everything down.”
Impressive. “Does it say anything about my parents?”
“It will, yes.”
An unexpected pang hit her and she looked away, staring at nothing through the windshield. “I don’t remember them. My dad’s mom raised me after they died.”
“What happened to them?”
“Some kind of an accident. She took me in, kept me until her health gave out. Something to do with her heart. I was put into foster care when she went into a palliative facility.”
“I’m sorry.”
Eden nodded, glanced at her. “What about you? Did you know your parents?”
“No. The paperwork says my mom was a single parent when she dropped me off at the facility one day. There was no mention of my father. When no one wanted to adopt me I was put into foster care, bounced around from place to place. To tell you the truth, it was a relief to wind up in the Program. For the first time, I felt worthy, even important.” She shot Eden a wry smile. “That was back before I realized what I was being groomed for, of course.”
Yes. Trinity’s experience was way worse than Eden’s. Eden didn’t know how operatives like Trinity and Kiyomi handled what they did. “Did you have any say about it?” she asked, curious. Because she couldn’t imagine candidates ever choosing that kind of life. “They were torn about where to put me after the initial phase. I cross-trained with Kiyomi in several areas, and I think they were grooming me for that specialty. I loved studying botany and toxins, so maybe that’s why they put me there instead.” Thank God for that. Eden couldn’t have done what Kiyomi and Trinity had.
“No, it wasn’t a choice.”
Her stomach tightened. She’d been so afraid they would force her to become a femme fatale too. Unable to face the thought of having to let strangers use her body time and again. “What about Kiyomi? Did she get a choice?”
“No. Our kind never got a choice.”
Eden faced forward again. Her feelings about the Program were so complicated. It had taught her so many valuable things, made her feel like she could do anything, yet it had taken so much as well. “I’m sorry. That must have been really hard.”
“You know how they were. They made it seem like being the rarest kind of Valkyrie was the toughest and most coveted assignment. That we were the most elite, like it was the greatest prize to be coveted.”
Fucking liars. Brainwashing in all its forms, subtle and otherwise. She could admit to that now. “I’m glad you and Kiyomi both made it through to the other side.” Few of that kind survived longer than a handful of years in the field.
Trinity shot her a genuine smile. “Me too. The most rewarding work I’ve ever done in my life is with you and the others. I feel like I’m part of a dream team, with people who understand me in ways no one else could.”
Eden couldn’t help but grin. It was true, no one understood her like the others did. “I’m not hating it so far.”
“Good. But don’t ever cut comms on an op again, okay? You’re part of this team now, and we’re your backup for a reason.”
Before Eden could respond, her phone buzzed with an incoming message. From Zack. Her stomach sank even as her heart tripped in excitement. “He’s in.”
“Great. Tell him to meet us down here in five. We’re taking him to the manor.”
God, not only was she going to be trapped in this car with him for the next two-plus hours, but he was going to live in the same damn house as her for the foreseeable future?
Eden sent the message, then lowered the phone to her lap, conflicted. She’d done everything in her power to get over him. She’d left to keep them both safe. Now they would both be in danger, and she wasn’t ready to trust him. “He doesn’t really know what he’s signing up for.”
“You need to give him more credit.”
Eden didn’t want him to be used again or see him get hurt. Didn’t want to be hurt by him in retaliation for what she’d done. She couldn’t shake the fear that he would turn her world upside down again.
What was she going to do? She’d found the strength to leave him once. If something happened between them this time, she wasn’t sure she could do it again.
Trinity reached over to squeeze Eden’s shoulder. “It’s going to be okay. You’re part of our family now, and we take care of each other, no matter what.”
She blew out a breath, nodded. “Thanks.” Knowing that helped. She’d never had backup she could trust, except for Chris. “Does Marcus even know we’re bringing someone else back with us?”
Trinity was busy typing something on her phone. “He does now.”
****
Marcus updated his last account spreadsheet and was about to shut down the computer when a new email popped up. The name made him pause, a knot of dread coiling in his gut. He clicked on it anyway.
How’s it going, mate? Long time no talk to. Shite’s going down here. Wouldn’t be surprised if our paths crossed again soon. I know better than to hope for a reply, but I hope all is well with you.
Rory
He read it twice, was tempted to reply and ask for more intel, then closed it and shut the computer down. His gaze strayed to one of the framed photos on the corner of his desk. It had been taken in Syria just prior to the disastr
ous mission that had cost him nearly everything. He stood in the center of the sixteen-man troop, Karas as a pup sitting at his feet wearing her Kevlar vest. Rory stood to his left.
Of the sixteen men in that photo, only nine had made it home alive. And although Rory and the others didn’t hold Marcus responsible for what had happened, he’d cut contact with them all when he’d returned to the UK. It was just too painful otherwise.
Hurried, impatient footsteps that could only belong to Chloe rushed past the study, pulling him from his memories. He waited until she was out the front door and her steps faded into silence before planting his cane and rising from his desk, covering a wince as a sharp pain sliced through his left hip. The surgeons had told him it was a damn miracle he was even walking. But the price for surviving was he’d never have the mobility he once had, and would never be without pain again—mental and physical.
Beside him, Karas stretched and lazily got to her feet, none too thrilled at having her afternoon nap interrupted.
“Right. Let’s crack on,” he said, striding for the door. He liked Chloe and the others well enough, but he craved solace and privacy—two things in short supply now that his house was full of Valkyries and their significant others.
Through the constant buzz of activity he did his best to stay out of everyone’s way and keep to himself. So it was odd that in spite of all the people around and his preference for solitude, he felt more isolated and alone than ever.
It probably had to do with Megan. Now that she had Ty, Marcus didn’t see her often. They rarely worked out or rode together these days. He missed the way things used to be, even if it was just a quiet evening together in front of the fire with a proper brew. The bond they’d forged in Syria meant he was more comfortable with her than he’d ever been with anyone else—even his own family while they’d still been alive.
Now she had Ty, and that’s how it should be. Marcus wanted her to be happy, she deserved it. All these women did after what they’d been put through, and he was glad to at least offer them his home as a place of refuge while they needed it.
Especially one other Valkyrie in particular that he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about.
The hallway was empty. At the back door he and Karas stepped outside together and headed for the stable. Megan often liked to go riding at this time of day. He might be able to catch her before she headed out.
At first he thought it was her sitting on the bench at the top of the path with her back to him, but as he came nearer he saw the woman’s hair was black, not brown.
Kiyomi. Bent over sketching something onto a pad in her lap. His pulse skipped a beat and he almost stopped, but kept going. This was his home. He couldn’t avoid her forever, and God knew, he didn’t want to.
She sat up and looked behind her when she heard the crunch of his boots and cane on the fine gravel. A polite smile curved her mouth. “Hi.”
“Ey up.”
“You just missed Megan. She and Ty went out with Amber and Jesse to shoot some arrows.”
“Ah.” He smothered the twinge of disappointment, quickly extinguished by the excuse to talk to Kiyomi. “And what are you up to, then?”
She made a disgruntled sound and looked down at her sketchpad. “I was trying to draw.”
Stopping beside her, he studied the drawing. In a few scant strokes she’d captured Rollo as he stretched his head over the door of his stall, ears pricked forward. “It’s brilliant.”
“Then that makes you a liar,” she said with a smile, and closed the cover. “I’m badly out of practice, but it’s just so quiet and peaceful out here and I like the sweet, dusty smell of them.” She gestured to the horses.
“Do you ride?”
“No.”
“Fancy a go?”
She seemed surprised by his offer. “Now?”
“Aye. I’ve got a mare so gentle she used to be a children’s therapy horse, if you’re interested.” It surprised him how much he wanted her to say yes. She’d healed physically during her time here, but not the rest of her. There were still shadows in her dark brown eyes he wished he could erase. Because he knew what it was to be haunted by things that could never be forgotten. “I’ll talk you through it, hold onto the reins so she can’t go anywhere.”
A sparkle of amusement lit her eyes, and he was glad to see a hint of the vibrant woman he sensed hidden beneath her quiet reserve. “Promise?”
“Aye.” He offered her his hand.
She took it, allowed him to help her to her feet. Savoring the small victory, he released her and led her to the stable. “This is Maple. She’s from Canada.” The bay mare came right to her stable door and put her head over it to bump her nose into his chest, her eyes half-closing as Marcus gave the white blaze on her forehead a scratch. “Good lass.”
“She’s beautiful,” Kiyomi said softly, reaching up to stroke the horse’s cheek. Marcus had never been jealous of a horse before, but he couldn’t help but imagine her hand on his skin instead, and lusting after a woman who was still struggling to overcome the trauma she’d been subjected to made him ashamed.
“Aye. You can help me groom her, then I’ll saddle her up and get Jack ready.”
“Jack?”
“My horse. Short for Jacobite’s Revenge.”
She laughed softly, the relaxed sound making him smile. “Let me guess, he’s from Scotland?”
“Aye.”
When the horses were ready, Marcus hooked his cane in the crook of his elbow to bring both animals into the stable yard and took Maple over to the mounting block. After putting a helmet on Kiyomi, he helped her into the saddle. Grasping her ankle to position her foot in the stirrup, he caught the glance she shot him from under her lashes, but she didn’t pull away. “I’ll hold onto the reins and walk beside you for now, so you can get comfortable,” he told her. “Ready?”
At her nod, he led both horses out into the beautiful fall morning, Karas trotting out in front of them. The air was cool and crisp, carrying the scent of damp leaves and a faint whiff of wood smoke. Overhead the sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds, the rays of sunlight slanting through them making the dew-damp grass glisten.
“How do you feel?” he asked, watching Kiyomi closely. She looked relaxed, her posture perfect, if a little stiff. Were her ribs still bothering her?
“Fine so far.” She aimed another smile at him, setting off a sharp twinge in his chest. Her smiles were so rare, being given one was like receiving a precious gift.
She was the quietest of the Valkyries here, though she might not always have been that way. Captivity and all the horrors that came with it changed a person.
He didn’t like thinking about what had been done to her, or to imagine her doing the kinds of things Megan had told him an operative like Kiyomi would have carried out. She’d endured too much in her years of service to her country. War and espionage weren’t pretty. Marcus admired her for being a survivor. Yet the most primal part of him rebelled at the thought of any other man touching her against her will. He wanted to help her, comfort her, protect her…
And offer other things that would probably either revolt or terrify her now.
He rolled his shoulders as a wave of self-loathing washed through him. “Not fine, brilliant,” he corrected, leading her up the hill to the lower pasture. Maybe this impulsive decision hadn’t been a good idea. He purposely limited his time with her because of his growing attraction, and because she held the power to test the restraint he prided himself on.
The steely core beneath that alluring exterior drew him the most powerfully of all.
He walked the horse up the slope, through the gate, and through the field. Karas loped ahead, then stopped to look back at them. Marcus threw the ball for her and she raced after it. “Ready for me to get on Jack now?” he asked Kiyomi. “I’ll keep hold of your reins too if you want, but she’ll follow me like a lamb without it.”
“Okay.”
He hid a smile. She wasn’t sure about it
but didn’t want him to know she was nervous. Handing her Maple’s reins, he made sure she was holding them properly before mounting Jack, putting him a few inches above her, then tucked his cane under his arm. Getting on a horse pulled at the damaged muscles in his hips and thigh. Getting off was worse.
“Right, off we go.” He urged Jack into a walk, keeping a close eye on Kiyomi as Maple stayed close. “Awright?”
Kiyomi nodded, a grin tugging at her mouth. “She’s totally following you.”
“Aye, she’s a good lass.” They rode in silence through the upper pasture toward the hills.
“How is Eden settling in?” he asked a few minutes later. She and Trinity had gone down to London for a meeting.
“Pretty well, I think. It’ll take time for her to really trust us, though.”
“Aye, trust needs to be earned. The building of it can’t be rushed.”
The look she gave him was so full of meaning it triggered an echo deep inside him. “No, it can’t.” She went back to studying the terrain, no doubt reading it like a topographical map. “Where does Megan ride?”
“Through the tracks and bridle paths there,” he said, gesturing to the rolling hills beyond it, bordered with lush green hedgerows and copses of trees turning amber and orange in the distance.
“It’s beautiful. Can we go there?”
“Course.” He angled them across the pasture, cutting toward one of the most used paths. “Reckon you’re ready to try a trot now?”
She slanted him a sideways glance. “I can handle whatever you throw at me.”
“Aye, I reckon you can.” He clicked his tongue to set Jack into a trot, kept a close watch on Kiyomi as he gave her instructions on how to position herself in the stirrups and saddle.
After a few seconds, she broke into a laugh. “It’s so bumpy!”
“Want something smoother?”
“Yes.”
After giving Kiyomi a few quick pointers, he clicked his tongue and nudged Jack with his heels, sending him into an easy canter. Kiyomi instinctively leaned forward in the saddle a bit, a laugh bursting out of her. The happy sound made his heart swell.