She saw his blade falter and realized Rhett had struck that close to Christian's hand for a reason. It bought him a second to sweep his foot out and catch his brothers at the ankle. Christian stumbled back, off balance, while Rhett, fighting to see, charged forward. The very tip of his sword glided down Christian's and in a swift arc, Rhett twisted the weapon right out of his brother's fingers. It flew off to the side and Christian landed on his back, staring down the shining steel of Rhett's blade.
Evelyn, so tunnel visioned on the altercation, didn't realize someone else was there until Dragar's voice boomed through the room. It rivaled the thunder blazing across the sky.
“Rhett Sagan, what the devil is going on here?”
Sagan? Evelyn, even in her distress, was caught off guard by the last name. It had been Nichols on his credentials. She recalled Dragar telling her his last name was Sagan in Egypt however, and she'd never made the connection until now. Nichols was as fake as Rhett's CIA status.
Dragar and Dracht, having come in on the end of the fight, seemed uncertain who had instigated it.
Rhett never looked away from Christian's eyes. “I don't know. Christian's decided to be stubborn. He isn't talking. Get up.”
Christian slowly climbed to his feet. He and Rhett stared each other down, but Christian said nothing.
Evelyn met Rhett's eyes, just for a moment, before he herded Christian over toward Dracht and Dragar, the latter whom appeared to have aged ten years in the few minutes he'd been standing there.
Minna and Alex wore their confusion and mistrust openly. They made their way over and Evelyn hugged first one and then the other. She saw the men Dracht and Dragar had with them, men with their hands bound and injuries on their faces, and knew they had been in their own altercation with her sisters. They didn't look like Templars to her, though she couldn't have said exactly what the distinction was.
What the bloody hell was going on?
“Come on. Let's get you cleaned up,” Evelyn said to her siblings. There was nothing she could do but wait for Rhett to find her with some answers.
***
Evelyn stared at her sisters from her perch on the edge of the chair in Alexandra's bedroom. The events of the evening had left them all in varying stages of shock, disbelief and anger. Learning how her sisters had been snatched out of the office right under their very noses, she'd explained her own turn of events.
How Christian had surprised her in the sand pit, turning the sword first on her and eventually on Rhett. She had no answers over the why of it, or even who Christian worked for. Evelyn's gut instinct, after everything she'd overheard, led her to believe he wasn't involved with the other Templars.
The men were sequestered even now, trying to figure it out.
Four hours later, the rain still fell. Not the vicious lashing of earlier, but an almost delicate patter on the windows and roof. Silence had descended upon the girls, finally, and each had taken up comfortable positions to wait.
A knock on the door interrupted the contemplative mood.
“Come in,” Evelyn called, standing up from the chair.
Rhett entered first followed by Dracht and Dragar. Evelyn noticed the patriarch looked weary, as if a great weight had settled on his shoulders. All three of them were stony faced. Hard to read. Instead of inviting them out into the larger living area, they stood near one of the walls and faced the unfortunate incident head on.
“Christian and his partners insist there was only the three of them involved. We interrogated them separately without them having a chance to talk first, and they gave us very similar stories. The other two say they work for the US government,” Rhett said.
Evelyn wrung her hands before her, glancing from face to face. Gauging reaction to the news.
“Do you believe them?” she asked.
“They coulda got their 'stories' straight before they ever came here,” Alex said.
“That's the sticking point, Alex,” Dracht replied.
The deep baritone had an edge to it Evelyn hadn't heard before.
“It seems unlikely that there would only be three with how organized they are, and with what connections they seem to have. So far, the background checks have turned up exactly nothing on either of them. They refused to give us their names, so we ran their fingerprints. There isn't a match, no names attached. Christian isn't giving up much information himself, we're having to get most of it from the other two,” Dragar added. A muscle flexed in his angular, whiskered jaw.
Evelyn found Rhett staring at her when she looked at him next. She read regret, frustration, remorse and more in the long few seconds of eye contact they had.
“From the confusing, bumbling account the 'partners' gave, they, meaning the government agents, stumbled across knowledge of you by accident. We didn't have enough time to drag out exactly how, or what they'd planned to do with you when they caught up to you. We're not sure how the connections were made or who initiated contact between them and Christian. One admitted that they'd hired other people to work for them, but he insists none of them were ever told the specific details about your existence. He swears they were all three in it for themselves, that they weren't working for or with any other government,” Dracht said. “The men only used their positions to gain access to needed resources.”
“So what'll happen now? I mean, no offense to anyone, but I'm not really sure who I trust and who I don't.” Alex laid it out plain and blunt. She slapped her palms on her thighs and pushed up from the edge of the bed.
“I spoke at length with Father Valanzano before we came here. They found your box, and your scroll, and verified all the names on the list. He is much more willing to do what needs to be done to see you and your sisters safe, and agrees with the plan I've come up with,” Dragar said, taking the lead.
“What plan is that?” Minna asked.
“I think we should split you girls up until we know for sure that there's no one else involved. I give them a few days at most to make some kind of contact with Christian or to make a move on you. They will expose themselves, in one way or another, if there are more, and we'll propagate disinformation to try and draw them out of their holes.”
Evelyn felt a sliver of alarm at the thought of splitting off from her sisters after just being reunited again. She could see the wisdom in the idea though, and chewed the inside of her lip while studying Minna and Alexandra's reactions.
Minna looked perplexed and Alex was frowning.
“Each of you will come with one of us to a different location. We won't decide where we're going until we leave here and none of us will know where the other is. New phones connected to no one but us are available, giving us the ability to communicate without fear of being traced. We can stay mobile while other Knights follow instructions to lure any other members of this—group—or whatever it is, into the open. Even if nothing happens in three or four days though, I recommend keeping your distance from one another for a short while longer, just in case,” Rhett added.
“How do we know you won't do what Christian did? What if all this is part of an even more elaborate plot to get us to trust you so that we lead you straight to the Garden of Eden? Because I'd bet my favorite pair of knickers that's what they wanted us for,” Alex retorted. She paced a small spot on the floor with her hands propped on her hips.
“Your answer's standing right in front of you. If we wanted it that bad, we would have attempted to get the information from you already.” Dracht rubbed two fingertips over the edge of his goatee.
Evelyn thought his reasoning was sound. Rhett already knew he'd earned her trust, if not an answer about whether or not she would let her guard down to get involved seriously with him. When she glanced away from Rhett to Alex and Minna, she saw both of them giving her a look that was not difficult to interpret.
“Will you give us a few minutes?” she asked the men.
Dragar cut a brisk nod and turned to the door. Dracht followed with Rhett trailing. He stared a lingering m
oment more, gaze locked with hers, before they exited the room.
***
“It boils down to trust. Do we really trust them?” Minna asked.
The conversation had been raging for fifteen minutes.
Evelyn paced opposite Alexandra in the small bedroom, trying to work a headache out of her forehead with her fingertips.
“I can tell you that I trust Rhett implicitly. There's something more there between us. Something largely unexplored but there nevertheless. I honestly don't think he can be faking those looks he gives me or the connection I feel between us.” Evelyn finally broke down and confessed.
“What surprises me, Ev, is that you think Minna and I don't know that already. That's part of the reason why I've decided I'm in favor of this crazy scheme,” Alex said.
“How could you have known that?” Evelyn asked, astonished. She thought she'd hid that from everyone except for Rhett.
“Please, Ev. Really? You might as well have it stamped on your forehead. I got the hots for Rhett.”
“Alexandra.” Evelyn exhaled in exasperation.
“It's not that obvious, Evelyn, but it's noticeable.” Minna, always the voice of reason, tempered Alexandra's outlandish declaration.
“It has to mean somethin', Ev, because we all know how you like to keep guys at arms length.”
“You know the idea appeals to you, too, little miss innocent,” Evelyn said, stabbing an accusing look at Alexandra. I saw you in the sand pit with Dracht, her expression said.
Alex didn't have the grace to blush; she smiled devilish and unrepentant. “Hey, I make no secret I like to move around and he's got skill I intend to exploit at every opportunity. This gives me three or four days or however long to learn a little something new.”
Leave it to Alex to weasel every bit of adventure out of the entire thing.
“You sure changed your mind in a hurry,” Evelyn said.
“I believed them when they answered our questions.” Alex shrugged her eyebrows.
“I guess that means you would be going with Dragar, Minna. Are you comfortable with that?” Even as Evelyn asked, she realized she felt secure with each of her sisters in the brother's care, despite Christian's betrayal. Her only hesitation was over the split from her siblings.
“I'm comfortable with all of them. It led to misjudgment with Christian, but I think the bad seed has been culled from the group,” she replied.
Evelyn knew both her sisters well enough to know when they were telling the truth and when they were lying. Alex and Minna were being honest.
“At least we'll be able to talk whenever we want to without worry someone will be breathing down our neck,” Evelyn finally said.
“Don't look at this as an ending, Ev. Look at it as the start of a new beginning. Sure, we don't have the others with us anymore, and it sucks, but living without constantly having to worry about who's out there is almost within our reach. How long have we all wanted it? Too long.” Alex crossed the space between them and in an uncharacteristic move, tugged Evelyn into a tight hug.
Surprised, she hugged Alex and left a kiss on her cheek when she drew back. “I know, you're right. It's a lot of gear shifting lately and I'm still trying to adjust.”
Minna closed in to share affection with each of them, almost parent-like with the way she cupped Evelyn's face.
“Losing two siblings this close together has been difficult. We'll all still be adjusting a year from now,” Minna said.
Evelyn knew she was right. She smiled, though, because for the first time they were getting an honest shot at what they'd dreamed of for years. Galiana and Genevieve would never be forgotten. Only missed until they met up again.
“I guess it's time to pack our things and inform them of our decision.”
Chapter Sixteen
Rain washed the city clean, scrubbing a damp sheen over the buildings and leaving a layer of glitter on the asphalt. Even the air smelled raw and fresh, as if the entire city of Athens had undergone a thorough cleansing. It was still too dark to tell how many clouds were left in the sky or whether another storm waited its turn to be unleashed. For now the night was calm. Quiet.
Evelyn stared out the windshield of Rhett's sleek car while Alexandra and Minna's goodbyes rang in her ears. There had been promise and hope and determination in their hugs, smiles and glances. Over the course of the next few days they planned to keep in touch and communicate often.
Dragar and Dracht had been less physical in their goodbye with Rhett, though she'd detected the loyalty and affection as easily as she'd sensed the underlying, solemn acknowledgment that their lives were forever changed. Christian had much to answer for and as long as he breathed he was a threat to her and her sister's existence.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Rhett asked, breaking the silence.
“Just thinking about all this.” Few pedestrians braved the late hour, though Evelyn glimpsed two hurrying along in front of a row of storefronts as they cruised by.
“What part specifically?”
“Our homes. Whether or not your co-workers will turn up anything. My sisters. Christian.” You and I.
“We can go back to California as soon as we have a better idea if anyone else is involved. Christian will be detained, unfortunately, for as long as it takes.”
The bitter edge to his voice brought Evelyn's attention from the windows across the car to his face.
“I still don't understand how he got involved with those men so quickly,” she admitted.
“He's being close mouthed about it. But one of the others told us that Christian had been working with them for a while. Before we found you at the club.”
“How can that be?” Evelyn was still shocked that more people knew about them than she realized.
“I don't know. Maybe Christian came across the inner circle of Templars in a meeting or overheard talk about the daughters of Eve and did some research on his own. We can't be sure whether he contacted these other men or the other way around. Christian's conditioned not to talk if he doesn't want to, so we'll have to rely on the other two for any solid information.”
“I thought everyone would break under torture eventually.” Evelyn studied Rhett's profile. She cringed inside thinking about Christian undergoing any kind of torture, no matter what devious plot he'd been involved in. Secretly, she wanted Rhett to deny he would do that to his own brother. She got her wish a moment later.
“He knows we won't do that to him though. He's my brother for christ's sake. So that's to his advantage. The other two, though, are fair game. They've been consistent with their answers so far, but I have a feeling there's a lot more they aren't saying.”
The cold calculation in his tone made her shiver. She knew it was part of the interrogation process. How information was extracted when need be. It didn't make it easier to hear about or think about.
“So if those two men are agents, then they'll be missed and more will follow in their wake to find out what happened. It's unrealistic to think they didn't have families beyond their jobs in the government and I'm sure they'll press the issue when the men don't return home.”
“We'll hold both of them until they tell us what we want to know. Sometimes it takes a while to break them. If any more show up and press the issue, they'll meet an unfortunate and untimely end. The Church has a lot of pull, Evelyn, in matters like these. Father Valanzano has given his word that you're under their protection now, and I can vouch for the truth of it personally. I've known him since I was a kid.” Rhett reached out to adjust the temperature control, letting a cool jet of air filter through the vents.
He spoke so matter-of-factly about death. Yet she understood that it was either him or them, and in this world where the danger to all their lives had increased exponentially in the last few weeks, sometimes hard choices would have to be made. She didn't think for a moment that they were the first lives Rhett might be forced to take, and probably wouldn't be the last ones, either.
Instead o
f being repulsed, she found herself relieved that Rhett was man enough to do what needed to be done. It would have felt a little hypocritical anyway if she'd judged him for the deaths of others when she'd shot him herself. True, she hadn't tried to outright kill him, but that mattered little in the grand scheme of it all.
“Why do you think Christian waited so long to act?” she asked.
“Probably because the situation broke open so suddenly. The Templar group had you at first, but your sisters were missing, and he likely wanted to corral as many of you as he could at once. Besides that, in the beginning, he was with me all the time. I'm sure those were his men I saw skulking around in Port Said, too.” His mouth quirked in displeasure.
“So he waited, biding his time. He wanted the other group of Templars to be caught, didn't he?” she said with sudden insight.
“I'm sure. It took them out of his way. --and you know, it was Christian's idea to be in the club parking lot that night. I told you it was because we were staking out something else, but he used that same excuse on me. He planned for us to see the Templars grab you because he knew we would get involved.” Rhett grunted his discontent at being manipulated and sped onto another street. Leaving downtown Athens further and further behind.
“Do you think his men, the ones in the boat that attacked us after Crete, would have killed you if they'd succeeded in boarding the yacht?” Evelyn hated to ask the question, but she hated not knowing the answer even more.
Rhett slanted her a sharp look. “I'd like to think not, Evelyn, but I can't say for sure. Not one hundred percent. I've never known him to sell out to anyone before, to betray his own blood.”
“Do you think he would have hurt me in the pit?” Another meek question. Evelyn knew what she thought his answer would be.
He was silent for several, long seconds. “Yes. Yes, I think he would have. Push come to shove, he would have ended you right there. I have a feeling that something much larger is at stake here, and that makes men do dangerous things.”
The reply, the one she'd suspected, made her feel queasy coming from Rhett's mouth. He knew Christian better than she did after all.
Daughters of Eve Collection (Books 1, 2 & 3) Page 24