Zary nodded. “Thankfully, yes. I’m completely overwhelmed with my life as it is.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just because I seem happy doesn’t mean that I don’t have anxiety, Losha. It isn’t easy to go from having no one, as you said, to finding out my mother, who I believed died when I was a child, is still alive, or that I have half sisters. Gunner has been great about letting me take things at a pace I’m comfortable with. In fact, that’s one of the reasons he suggested we come here.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think—”
“The truth is, the reason I’m truly happy is because you’re here. And Gunner, of course. With you, I don’t have to pretend that I have the slightest clue about being a mother or a daughter or even a sister. I can relax and just be myself, and no one is going to judge me for not knowing how to make scrambled eggs.”
“Wow.”
Zary huffed. “What?”
“Now I really feel like a mudak.”
Zary laughed. “You should feel better.”
Strangely, I did. Knowing Zary hadn’t just woken up to a perfect life, made me feel less sorry for myself, although not so much less of a zhopa about it.
“Do you think Kazmir would be up for a walk in town later?”
“I’m sure he’d be up for a ride in the pram. Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask—did you mention what happened the other day to Gunner?”
Zary’s eyes darkened. “No. I decided to wait to see if it occurred again. Do you think I should have?”
“No. It was probably nothing. I’ve been on the run so long, it’s hard to let go of the paranoia.”
“The paranoia kept us alive, Losha.”
* * *
“I’m starving,” I told Zary later after we’d walked from one end of the town to the other. “Should we go back to the house?”
“What, and cook?”
We both laughed.
“There are so many places to eat in Cambria. I think we should go to a different restaurant every night while Gunner is gone.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Let’s start at the north end and work our way to the south. If we eat out for lunch too, we can probably get through them all.”
“And put on twenty pounds.” I’d been itching to start training again. I’d begun feeding Kazmir baby food, which meant he could go longer between nursing. “You don’t need to worry about it, but I do. I think it’s part of my problem; I don’t feel great about myself.”
“You have a full workout room downstairs.”
“I do?”
Zary nodded.
“Downstairs?”
“Yes, haven’t you been in the basement?”
“No. I didn’t know there was a basement.”
“I’ll show you later.”
* * *
“It’s this way,” said Zary after we got back, and she opened a door that I hadn’t noticed before.
“What is that?” she asked when we heard beeping.
“I have no idea.”
“Is it part of an alarm system?”
“I don’t know why there would be one separate of the main house.”
I walked in the direction of the beeping and froze. “Get out!” I screamed. “Get Kazmir!”
“What is it?”
“A bomb!”
19
Shiver
“Thornton, may I speak with you?”
“Of course, Duchess.” I followed her into the duke’s study.
“It is time for you to take over the management of the estate.” She pointed to a row of cabinets and opened the first. “You’ll find the annual reports in here.”
One by one, she opened doors, explaining what was to be found behind each one. “There’s much for you to get caught up on.”
“Duchess, I spoke with Darrow and Sutton before Father passed. The three of us will be hiring an estate manager soon.”
“What?” she gasped.
“Even Father didn’t do it all on his own, and you know it.” I took her hand, led her out of the study and into one of the formal drawing rooms, and closed the door behind us.
“I’m worried about you, Mother. While it’s somewhat to be expected, you aren’t acting yourself.”
“You should be focused on your responsibilities, not on me.”
“See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. I am over thirty years old, and I don’t remember a single time in my life when you spoke to me in that tone of voice.”
“You have a poor memory.”
“I do not. And you are a lousy liar. So let’s get straight to it. What’s wrong?”
She stood and walked over to the window. “Just because your father is dead, doesn’t give you the right to upend my life.”
“No one is upending your life. On the contrary. Sutton, Darrow, and I intend to do everything in our power to keep your life exactly as it’s always been.”
“Keeping my life as it’s been is not in your power. If that were the case, I wouldn’t be a widow.”
“Duchess—”
“No, Thornton. Whatever you have to say, I refuse to listen. Your father worked hard his entire life, as did his father before him, and so on. I will not allow you to throw away your birthright. Nor will I allow Darrow to throw away her chance of marrying well. Who will want her once they find out she’s been with the groundskeeper’s son?”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am. Very serious.”
My phone vibrated, but I ignored it. Within seconds, it vibrated again.
“Should you answer?”
“No. It can wait until we finish this conversation.”
When my phone went off a third time, I pulled it out of my pocket, stunned to see that the calls I’d missed in such close succession were from Zary. “Forgive me, but I fear there’s an emergency.”
She nodded, and I stepped out of the room.
Zary picked up, but I couldn’t make out a word she was saying.
“Slow down, I can’t understand you,” I shouted into the phone. The only word I heard loud and clear made my blood turn to ice. “Bomb!”
* * *
Zary calmed down enough to tell me that they’d discovered a bomb in the basement and that she, Losha, and Kazmir had immediately left. She also told me Gunner was in Afghanistan with almost all of the K19 team.
“I don’t know where to go,” she cried.
“Try to stay calm. Where are you now?”
“Driving through the village.”
“There’s a safe house in Harmony. It’s about fifteen minutes south of Cambria. Set your GPS, and I’ll call you back with the access code in less than ten minutes. It’ll take you longer than that to get there. Is anyone following you?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You know what to do, Zary. Both you and Losha do. Focus, and get to the safe house. Help will be on its way.”
The first person I contacted when I ended the call with Zary was Wilder. “I need you here, now! Where are you?”
“I’m at Wellie’s. What’s wrong, Shiv?”
“I’ll explain when you get here. Bring Pinch.”
Next, I called Rivet, who would have easier access to someone at the CIA.
Doc was gone, but Merrigan wasn’t. I called her and explained I’d told Zary to head to the Harmony safe house.
“That’s the best place for them for now,” she said. “If you can arrange transport that will guarantee their safety, tomorrow they should head here. I’ll call Zary directly as soon as I’ve reprogrammed the access code.”
“Mer? We also need to call a bomb squad.”
“On it.”
I hung up and called Zary back. “Hang tight. Merrigan will call you in a matter of minutes. Still no one following you?”
“Not that Losha or I have been able to pick up on.”
“May I speak with her?”
“Of course.”
“Hi,” she said, her voice
shaky.
“How are you holding up?”
“Terrified. Furious.”
“Both to be expected.”
“Shiv, there’s another call coming in.”
“I’m on my way. I’ll get there as soon as I can.” I heard the familiar sound of the call ending.
“Thornton?”
I closed my eyes, realizing my mother had overheard me. “I don’t have time to explain right now, but I will, Duchess. I promise.”
Wilder and Pinch rushed through the door. “What’s happening?” my brother asked.
“Come with me,” I told them. As hard as it was to do, I had to leave my mother standing in the main hall.
* * *
I closed the door to the duke’s study and briefed them about what I knew so far.
“United Russia?” Pinch asked.
“My first thought, but there’s no way to know for sure at this point.”
“The entire K19 team is in Afghanistan?” Wilder asked.
“Everyone but Merrigan and Mercer Bryant, who is in Turks and Caicos on holiday with his wife and out of contact. Rivet is reaching out to the agency to see who they can send and how quickly.”
“What about you?”
“I’m leaving as soon as I can make arrangements.”
“Where do you want me?” asked Pinch.
“With me. Wild, you stay here. Riv will clear you to be away from MI5 until further notice.”
“Understood.”
“I need to talk to the duchess before I go.”
Wilder nodded.
“I’ll grab my gear and meet you back here,” said Pinch, leaving the room.
* * *
“Thornton, what’s going on?” my mother asked when I came back into the drawing room and found her pacing in front of the fireplace.
“I don’t have a lot of time to explain.”
She nodded.
“There’s a situation in the States that requires SIS support. I need to leave immediately.”
“What about your responsibilities here?”
I took a deep breath. “I simply cannot get into this with you now.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’ve already answered that question.” I kissed both her cheeks. “I’ll be in touch.”
“Godspeed, Thornton.”
“Thank you, Duchess.”
20
Losha
“Hello, Merrigan? It’s Losha,” I said after ending my call with Shiver to answer this one.
“I have your code. Are you ready?”
“Go ahead.”
Merrigan rattled off a series of numbers and letters.
“Got it. Thank you.”
“As I told Shiver, you’re to stay in the Harmony safe house tonight, but in the morning, I want you to come here to Montecito. In the meantime, I’m doing everything I can to reach Doc or Gunner.”
“I…um…my baby.”
“Yes, I know, Losha. We are fully equipped here for your little boy. Call me after you’ve arrived at the safe house.”
“Still no sign we’re being followed,” Zary reported. “We’re almost there.”
We’d had to flee the house without grabbing anything other than our wallets and Kazmir’s diaper bag, and only because they were sitting near the door. Everything else we needed, we’d have to figure out a way to secure.
As soon as we were off the highway, Zary cut the lights on the car and followed the directions on the GPS to the house.
I called in the code to the number Merrigan had given me, and within seconds, the garage door opened and a gate I hadn’t seen, closed behind us. By the time the car was fully inside the garage, that door had closed as well.
“Have you heard of Burns Butler?” Zary asked as I punched the code into the keypad by the door that led into the house.
“Sounds familiar.”
“He’s Doc’s father.”
This was a little bit too much for me to process at the moment, but I remembered Shiver mentioning something about the infamous CIA agent, who was a legend in the intelligence community, having a connection to Doc and K19 Security Solutions.
“He’s the one who set up this safe house.”
Given Zary sounded as though that was significant, I guessed that meant we didn’t need to worry about our safety tonight.
When her phone buzzed, Zary answered it.
“Yes. We’re here, Merrigan. I was just about—”
I couldn’t hear what Merrigan was saying but watched Zary’s expression change from concerned to calm. Something had happened; maybe Merrigan was able to reach Gunner.
“Speak of the devil,” Zary said when she hung up.
“What does that mean?”
“Burns is on his way here now. Change of plans. We aren’t going to Montecito.”
“Where are we going?”
“Butler Ranch.”
“What is that?”
“Burns’ family has a vineyard and winery not far from here. I’ve heard it’s quite breathtaking.”
I sat in a chair by the table and looked through Kazmir’s diaper bag. “I only have two diapers with me, and no baby food for him.”
“I’m sorry, Losha.”
“Don’t be. It isn’t your fault. I think we can make it through the night, but tomorrow I’ll have to get to a store.”
“Perhaps Burns can help.”
“How?”
“He probably knows where to buy diapers.”
“Right.”
“Oh, Merrigan also said that there was a bomb squad at the house.”
I closed my eyes, shuddered, and said a prayer of thanks that Zary had decided to show me the workout room. If she hadn’t, all three of us would likely be dead by now.
Zary sat in one of the other chairs. “Are you okay?”
“I should never have come out of hiding.”
“I’m sorry, Losha,” Zary said a second time.
“Again, it isn’t your fault. You believed the bounty was lifted. It might be for you, but I fear it’s a different story for me.”
“You can’t know that for sure.”
I stood with Kazmir in my arms. “It isn’t just me, Zary. I have to protect my son.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know yet. Right now, I’m going to nurse Kazmir in the other room.” I walked out of the kitchen and into what looked like a living room. I had nowhere for the baby to sleep tonight, two diapers, no food, and I’d almost gotten my son killed. I was a terrible mother. On top of everything else, I was selfish because even if it would ensure his safety, there was no way I could give him up.
* * *
I overheard Zary talking to a man who I assumed was Burns, but since Kazmir was still nursing, I stayed where I was while straining to hear what the two were discussing.
“We’ll leave as soon as Losha is ready,” I heard the man say.
Tonight? I’d somehow gotten the impression we wouldn’t leave until tomorrow, but did it really matter? Regardless of when we left or where we went, I would be at the mercy of someone other than myself for our protection—not something I was accustomed to.
The other thing I overheard the man say was that the bomb had been diffused. It was a relief that not only had the duplex been spared, but if they were able to inspect the device, it might give clues as to who’d planted it.
When Kazmir fell asleep, I refastened the maternity bra, closed my blouse, and carried the baby into the kitchen.
“Losha. May I call you that?” the man asked, holding out his hand.
“Of course.”
“I’m Laird Butler, known to some as Burns.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”
“The honor is mine,” he responded. “Who is this?” he said, peering at the baby in my arms.
“This is Kazmir, who has a very full tummy at the moment.”
“He’s beautiful,” said Burns. “Shall we be on our way? Sorcha is bu
sy setting up a nursery. Our daughter brought some of their baby-related items to the ranch.”
I felt my cheeks pinken. “We don’t want to be a bother.”
“Not at all. She isn’t using them presently. Is there anything else you can think of you’ll need straight off?”
“As I told Zary, Kazmir will need diapers.”
“Done, or it will be as soon as I know what type you prefer.” Burns laughed. “Don’t look so surprised, lass. Sorcha and I are grandparents above all else at this time in our lives.”
“Thank you so much,” I murmured, having a hard time marrying the kindly “grandfather” standing in front of me with the infamous Burns Butler.
* * *
It took a half hour to drive from the safe house to the ranch via the back roads of the wine country. Since we didn’t see a single other car the entire way, I gathered Burns took the route intentionally. It would’ve been evident if someone were following us.
“Here we are,” he said, waiting for the ranch gate to open. “We’ll go to the main house first so Sorcha can make sure you have everything you need that she’s certain I’ve forgotten. Our son Naughton and his wife live in it now, and we live in one of the smaller cottages, but the main house still serves as a gathering place.”
While I couldn’t see much in the dark, the moonlight illuminated the rows and rows of grapevines as we drove the dirt road leading to several structures that looked like homes straight out of Scotland.
“My father bought the land with the money he made working for Randolph Hearst when he constructed what most call Hearst Castle, but he referred to as ‘La Cuesta Encantada.’”
“The Enchanted Hill,” I muttered.
“You know it, then.”
“Just the translation.”
“I’ve heard you’re a linguist.”
Burns had heard of me? “Languages come easy to me.”
Zary’s phone vibrated, startling me. “There’s a message from Merrigan saying she’s reached Doc. She said I should expect to hear from Gunner later tonight or in the morning. Have you heard anything more from Shiver?” Zary whispered.
The Duke and the Assassin Page 9