More Than a Mission

by Caridad Piñeiro

  “I’ve called in Rhia de Hayes to track down Donovan.”

  Aidan couldn’t hold back his disbelief. “Rhia? Doesn’t she normally specialize in more…youthful targets?”

  Lazlo also allowed himself a chuckle. “Yes, she does. In fact, Rhia is rather amused by this assignment. She’s currently finishing up a case and will be available in a few days to get on Donovan’s trail.”

  Aidan appreciated being kept in the loop, but wondered about it since it wasn’t standard operating procedure. Which could only mean one thing…“Do you need something else from me, Corbett? Or do you have my next assignment already?”

  “How badly do you want Donovan?”

  He should have known he couldn’t fool Corbett. “Badly. He killed Liz…Ms. Moore’s sister.”

  “Then I guess you wouldn’t mind being backup for Rhia. It would mean leaving in a few days to meet her in Paris,” Lazlo advised.

  Leaving Leonia. Leaving Lizzy.

  “I understand, Corbett. Let me finish up here. Clean up everything. Get things settled.” It would give him a few more days of seeing Lizzy. A few more days to work up the courage to say a proper goodbye. Not the hurried and angered one they had shared days earlier.

  “You sound…hesitant, Mr. Spaulding.”

  He wondered how the man could be so intuitive across a telephone line. “I just need to straighten out a few things here before I go.”

  “Get it done quickly, Mr. Spaulding. Rhia could use your help.”

  With that, Aidan hung up, but immediately contacted the four agents who he had assigned to keep an eye on Lizzy while he…

  While he kept an eye on her, his PDA tuned into the various channels as he watched her with friends and family when they came by to pay their condolences. Worried as she stood by the window at night, staring out at the ocean. So alone. So wounded.

  He wished her relief from her pain. Hungered to see her back at what she did best—tending to her gardens, her hands skimming over the flowers and herbs as she selected what she would need for one of her fabulous dishes.

  Only, it was too soon since Dani’s death. The restaurant had been closed for days and would remain closed until Dani’s memorial service. It was scheduled for tomorrow and he, along with Lucia and Walker, planned on attending.

  After that, Lucia would pack up and head back to New York to await another assignment. Walker had resigned his position with the Lazlo Group to stay with Dr. Zara Smith, the royal physician. As for him…

  The assignment with Rhia seemed the right thing to do. Not that he normally cared, but Silvershire was in an uproar and finding Donovan would help calm things down. On a personal level, Lazlo had been right that finding and dealing with Donovan would give him great satisfaction.

  And possibly bring some closure for Lizzy to know that her sister’s killer had been apprehended.

  The lead agent on the detail watching Lizzy called to confirm that all four men were returning to the hotel. Now it was up to him to remove the surveillance equipment only…

  Lizzy was likely preparing for Dani’s memorial service. He didn’t want to intrude in that fashion at such a difficult time.

  Removing the cameras could wait another day…or two.

  Lizzy smoothed her fingers over the photo she had chosen for the service later that day. It was the one of Dani and her taken in Rome two years earlier. Both of them were smiling brilliantly, the happiness apparent to anyone who viewed the picture.

  It was the way she wanted to remember Dani. Full of life. Full of love for her and for Mitch.

  Inside the restaurant, Nat, Kate and Samantha were setting up chairs for those coming to the memorial service. On the mantel above the fireplace was an enlargement of the Rome photo.

  Out back, she’d had her staff set up tables and chairs for a cold buffet she planned on serving her guests. A simple meal, mostly prepared by Nat. She couldn’t face going into the kitchen or out into the gardens.

  Guilt swamped her that she was alive when Dani was dead.

  And in the back of her mind, she kept on hoping it was all a mistake. That Dani would walk through her door at any moment, because inside her, Dani’s presence niggled at her, begging to be acknowledged.

  A knock came at the door and her heart sped up. She’d seen the agents leaving earlier. Could that mean Dani’s killer had been caught? Could it be Aidan coming by with news?

  She hurried to the door, but it was only a boy from a few houses down with an armful of flowers for her. “Mum says you might want some for the service.”

  “Thank you, Billy. Thank your mother, as well.” she said to the ten-year-old as she took the flowers from him and cradled them to her chest.

  Billy seemed satisfied with her response since he gave her a spontaneous hug and dashed off.

  She buried her nose in the large bouquet of flowers and inhaled deeply. Their fragrance was heavenly. Billy’s mum always had the nicest garden in town and was quite particular about her blooms. That she would cut so many flowers from it for Dani…

  Her throat tightened and she decided to walk the bouquet over to the restaurant, complete the preparations for the memorial.

  Inside the restaurant, Samantha and Kate had finished setting up the chairs and were now placing the hostess’s podium at the front of the room for those who wanted to speak. Elizabeth hadn’t wanted anything too formal or religious. Dani had sworn off religion after their parents had died.

  As she walked through the door with the flowers, her friends rushed over to take them from her.

  “These are lovely,” Kate said and smelled them.

  “Mrs. Sanders?” Samantha asked.

  “Yes and yes. Can I help with anything?”

  Kate placed her hands on her hips and looked around. “We’re pretty much done. Maybe Nat needs some help in the kitchen?”

  “Subtle, Kate. Really subtle,” Samantha chided and elbowed Kate in the side.

  “I’m not…” Elizabeth was going to say she wasn’t ready, but stopped short. When had she ever not wanted to cook? In the months after her parents had died, cooking for her and Dani had helped numb the pain. Later, working at the health food restaurant had done more than just provide money for the assorted things she and Dani needed. The joy of creating something tasty had driven away her sadness. Brought happiness back into her life.

  Meeting her friends’ gazes, she nodded and said, “I’ll go see if Nat needs my help.”

  She was in the kitchen, cooking. Flitting from the prep table to the stove where she hovered by one of the chef’s assistants as they worked on something. From the stove back to the prep table where another of the assistants was busy assembling a large salad.

  Finally, she walked over to the ovens where Natalie was checking on a large pastry of some kind. Lizzy stood next to Nat and the two women seemed to confer about the pastry before easing it back into the oven. After, Lizzy turned to Nat and embraced the younger woman tightly, the emotion clear on the faces of the two women.

  Emotion that he had no right to be spying on.

  He shut down his PDA and looked at his watch. Another hour until the memorial service. Another hour until he saw her, up close and personal.

  What would he say? That he was sorry about Dani? He was, but that sorrow was tempered by the anger surrounding Mitch’s death and a sense of incompleteness when he thought that maybe, just maybe, Dani hadn’t been the one responsible.

  And of course, Dani’s death had just created another wrong to be righted. He considered whether he would be the one to take up that wrong and see it avenged, whether leaving here and going on that quest would bring him peace. Or was it just another windmill he was tilting at?

  Nagging doubt chased him as he showered and dressed for the service. He met Lucia and Walker down in the lobby and they paused at a flower shop on the way to purchase a mixed bouquet, one filled with the colors and flowers he recalled from Lizzy’s garden.

  Funny how vividly the memory was of those
things Lizzy. The flowers. The food. The way she looked jogging along the shore and how she could pound the hell out of the heavy bag down in her cellar. The slight, but noticeable aroma of plumeria that clung to her at night, after she had finished in the kitchen and indulged in the luxury of moisturizing her hands with the lotion from Kate’s shop.

  It was crazy to be here, he thought as he reached the entry to the restaurant grounds. He hesitated at the stone wall, wondering if it was wise to come here, to invade her space at such a personal time.

  “Aidan?” Lucia asked and laid a hand on the arm of his dark charcoal-gray suit, the one he had worn to convince Lizzy to hire him. The one that had unfortunately already seen another funeral. “What’s the matter?”

  “I’m not sure I—”

  “She would want you here,” Walker added and grasped his shoulder in a reassuring gesture.

  “It’s the right thing to do,” he said out loud, almost as if to convince himself. It was the right thing, but also the painful thing. The thing that would add yet another memory that he could dredge up whenever…

  He missed her.

  With a deep sigh, he pushed forward, walked through the open door of the restaurant and to the back of the room so as to not call attention to himself.

  Lizzy was at the front, bending down and talking to two blue-haired ladies in the first row. She was dressed all in black, in a simple dress that hung loose on her body. She seemed to have lost weight in just a few days.

  Dark smudges beneath her eyes were a stark contrast to the paleness of her face. Her rich brown hair, shot through with auburn and blond highlights, was pulled back from her face with a black scarf. Her smile when it came, was forced. A toothless slash of her lips into a thin line. A brittle smile that looked ready to shatter.

  He winced for her, knowing how hard it must be.

  A few more people straggled in and a priest sitting in the front row rose and motioned for everyone to take their seats. He was young, barely older than Lizzy. A fact that was confirmed when he began his speech.

  “I want to thank you all for coming to celebrate Dani’s life. Lizzy asked me to speak first since, at one time, I fancied myself marrying Dani before I got an offer from someone else,” he said, prompting a round of chuckles.

  He went on to describe the Dani he knew. A vibrant, loving woman who was quick to anger, but equally as quick to apologize. A woman who stood up for what she believed to be right and wasn’t afraid to take action when necessary.

  After he finished, he asked others to share their memories and one by one, a myriad of people came up to the podium. The one common element was that Dani had been their friend and their champion. The one everyone could speak to. The one they turned to when a wrong needed to be righted, when someone needed protection.

  It matched what Lizzy had told him about her sister. Lizzy, who sat there flanked by Kate and Samantha on either side and Natalie behind her, but sitting on the edge of her chair with her hand on Lizzy’s shoulder. As he examined the crowd, he noted other familiar faces—Addy and others from the hedge veg adventure. Some people he recalled serving drinks to at the restaurant.

  He had no doubt she would be well taken care of by her friends, family and the assorted neighbors and townspeople who had filled the restaurant to capacity. As he looked toward the door, he realized there was a crowd of people there, as well, and that the back wall and sides of the dining area were standing room only.

  Dani had apparently been well-liked and respected. It made him wonder about Lizzy’s sister and what she really was—a champion or a cold-blooded killer?

  Finally it was Lizzy’s turn. As she rose, he thought she wavered for a moment. Kate reached out and offered a steadying hand and Lizzy took it, let Kate help her up to the podium.

  Once there, she hesitated and even from this far, the glint of tears was visible as she took note of everyone who was in attendance. “Thank you all for coming. I appreciate it. I know Dani does, as well.”

  She struggled for composure and he wanted to rush up there, found himself beginning to rise when Walker laid a hand on his arm. “What can you offer, Aidan? You’ll be long gone in a few days,” he whispered.

  He hated that Walker was right. He dejectedly dropped back down into his seat and waited for Lizzy to go on.

  “After my parents died, it was hard for Dani. She missed them terribly. She wanted justice for them.” Again she paused, as if reconsidering where she was going, but then she charged onward. “Dani always stood up for what she believed in. Always was there to help if someone asked. She was everyone’s champion. She was my champion. My best friend. A sister who I will miss every day of my life, but who will always be alive in here,” she said and motioned to a spot above her heart.

  “I know Dani is okay and in a better place. One where she’s with her loved ones. One where she’s happy. Because of that, I can’t grieve for long.”

  The tears finally came, spilling over to run down her cheeks, but she didn’t wipe them away. Instead, she took a shuddering breath and said, “Thank you all for your kind words and support. For those of you who wish to stay a bit longer, please step into the back garden for some refreshments.”

  Moving from behind the podium, she stepped into the crowd of well-wishers, moving from one to the next to give her personal thanks. Embrace one person or the other and motion them in the direction of the side door that led to the back patio.

  Aidan waited alongside his colleagues until the room was almost empty and they were some of the last people standing there. Lizzy finally seemed to notice them. A guarded smile came to her face.

  She walked over, embraced Lucia and shook Walker’s hand. They both offered their condolences and then with a sidelong glance at him, excused themselves.

  Lizzy stood before him, her hands clasped together. Her body language sending the clear signal that she was uncomfortable. That whatever he did, he shouldn’t touch.

  He broke the ice first by holding out the bouquet. “I came to say how sorry I am. I know how hard this is for you.”

  “Thank you. I really do appreciate all you’ve done on behalf of Dani,” she said, but made no motion to embrace him or even shake his hand as she had with Walker. She seemed too fragile to do so. When she took the flowers, she cradled them tightly to her body. So tightly that a petal fell off one stem and fluttered to the ground.

  “Well, I’ll be going soon. In the meantime, I was going to drop by tomorrow and remove our surveillance equipment,” he explained and motioned to the room around them.

  A stain of color came to her cheeks at his words. “You bugged my restaurant? What about my house? Did people see what—?”

  “No, they didn’t. Dani jammed the signal. I’m sorry. It was what we had to do to catch—”

  She silenced him with a tense wave of her hand. “Don’t. Dani said it wasn’t what we thought. That’s what I want to believe.”

  Given what he had heard from person after person during the memorial service, he could understand why she wanted to hold onto that belief. So many people couldn’t be wrong. It made him wonder yet again what Dani had meant when she had said she’d been doing a job. That it hadn’t been what it seemed.

  “I understand, and again, I’m sorry. About everything.”

  She said nothing and for a moment, he thought the rigor might leave her body, but it didn’t. Despite that, he embraced her awkwardly, needing that last touch since he had decided that tomorrow he would send the men from the guard detail to remove the equipment.

  It would be better that way, he thought as he stepped away and raced out the door, eager to put some distance between them.

  Lizzy roused too many feelings, some of them threatening to the way he lived his life—carefree, exciting and without any attachments.

  It was the way it had been all his life.

  He wasn’t about to allow one woman to change it all.

  Chapter 30

  Days had passed since the Lazlo Group t
echnicians had come to retrieve their equipment, removing cameras from every room in the restaurant, the gardens and even her front parlor.

  She assumed Aidan was long gone, as well, moving onto his next assignment. Did he ever look back? she wondered. Did he think about the job he had just finished and the people he had met?

  The people he’d slept with and lied to? People whose lives he had irrevocably changed?

  Rubbing her temples to quell her growing headache, she stared out her bedroom window. The ocean was calm tonight. Totally unlike the way she was feeling. Restless. Angry. Lonely.

  Even though Dani had been gone often, there had always been the prospect of seeing her. That would never happen again. Ever.

  Just as she would never see Aidan again. Ever. He and Dani had had so much in common. They were both warriors and wanderers. She only hoped that Aidan’s life didn’t end like Dani’s. Or like his friend Mitch’s.

  If there was any consolation in either of their deaths, it was that neither had died alone. She and Aidan had been at Dani’s side. Aidan had been with his friend.

  And one day, Aidan would…

  She shook her head and drove that thought away.

  She wanted to wedge any remnants of him from her mind. Best to forget what had happened between them. It would only bring continued pain since, like Dani, Aidan was gone from her life forever.

  Unable to stay in her room for another second since it brought too many reminders of what she had shared with him, she rushed from the cottage and out onto the beachfront.

  A breeze, strong and brisk, washed over her. As she walked along the shore, she wished for it to wash away memories of him. To cleanse her spirit and bring peace to her heart, a heart battered by the loss of two people she had loved.

  Dani and Aidan. Both lost to her. One never to return. The other…

  He had given them the location of every camera except one. He’d known it was wrong, but convinced himself that he’d done it for her sake. So that he might keep an eye on her just in case Donovan returned. Just in case she needed him.