by Dee, Bonnie
Nolen tucked the ticket in his purse and shook his head. “I’m so sorry, but I don’t think you’ll be seeing me any time soon.” Nolen walked away, his hips swaying, presenting the image of a sexually alluring older woman.
And leaving in his wake a horny bemused man.
Time for some tea in the airport lounge. Nothing like a nice cuppa before traveling.
* * * *
“Relax, Ethan. He must be taking the later flight.” Brigid tried her best to reassure him, but her calming words had little affect.
“Perhaps we did get the wrong airport? Maybe he kept on driving?” He smacked the seat back with his right fist and moaned. “Shit! I forgot about my shoulder!”
“Look,” Gabe said. “Nolen isn’t a fool. He’d want to get out of Ireland as soon as possible. He must have booked the later flight. Maybe more than one person bearing a resemblance bought a seat. Give the girl a chance to make sure she has all the information straight.”
“When does the next flight leave?” Brigid asked.
Ethan consulted the schedule he held in his hand for the bunchteenth time. “In an hour. He’s using an alias, of course, but still…”
Gabe laughed. “Ah, the impatience of youth! Listen, my gut’s talked to yours and it said Nolen’s leaving from here.”
Brigid looked out the window and frowned. “Isn’t that the girl from the airline? Where is she going?”
They watched as she hurried out of sight around a corner.
Gabe’s cell vibrated. He flipped it open and checked out an unknown phone number and responded cautiously.
“Yes? Eileen? Calm down. Of course, we’ll talk to you. Where are you? Behind the taxi stand? Stay right there. We’ll be there in a minute.”
Gabe ended the call and sat still. He turned to the Ethan and Brigid. “Eileen thinks she’s going crazy, but she wants to talk to us. She saw something she can’t explain.” He took a deep breath. “A man and a woman booked a flight out of Ireland.”
Ethan shrugged. “What’s so strange about that?”
“It was the same person.”
Chapter Fourteen
1st May—Mid-afternoon
“So, Eileen, tell us what happened. Describe the … person to us.” Ethan spoke in quiet, even tones, using his skill to calm the frightened woman. They had retreated to an employees lounge and now sat at a corner table sipping tea. Ethan kept up their altered appearances with ease, his skill increasing more and more.
He reached out and placed a soothing hand on hers. “Take a deep breath and tell us what you saw.”
Eileen’s hands shook as she brought the cup of steaming, hot tea to her lips. She blew on the liquid to cool it, then set it back down on the table. She spoke as if each word were dragged from her against her will.
“It was so … strange. She seemed like a pleasant enough woman, quite attractive, actually. Dark hair swept back into a chignon, tall, elegantly dressed, fancy sunglasses, designer suit in navy blue.” She smiled slightly. “She was a little demanding, perhaps, but nothing out of the ordinary.” She paused. “Then I looked at her passport picture and glanced up, you know what I mean, not really seeing? And, all of a sudden, it was like I was looking at a picture that was double exposed. I saw a man’s features. A sharp nose, thin lips, high forehead, dark hair.” She shuddered. “And a horrible, puckered scar over one eye.” She shook her head. “But that’s crazy. Isn’t it?” She gazed at each of them in turn, cocking her head. “You’re not really with the drug enforcement, are you? You’re some special branch like in the films.”
“We’re not. Not quite.” He took out his wallet and pulled out a business card. “Here, when you’re home, call this number. Tell them Gabe told you to get in touch.” He paused. “Do you know much about your family, Eileen?”
She turned the card over and over in her fingers before slipping it into her uniform pocket. “A bit.” She chuckled. “Well, maybe more than a bit. My granda liked to tell tall tales and my gran kept up the entries in the family bible.” Her smile faded. “But they never told me about anything like this. Who was that person who picked up a ticket from me?”
Brigid leaned in toward her. “You really don’t want to know. What name did this person give you? What flight? What seat?”
“Enola Hadjidakis. She’s on flight seventy-two in seat twenty-seven, by the window. She’s got a connecting flight to Heathrow and then to Malaga, Spain. It should arrive there later today. Here, I printed out all the particulars.”
She handed Gabe a single page. He quickly scanned the details and then smiled. “We should have plenty of time to get a team in place. We’ve people in Spain.” He folded the paper and tucked it into his shirt pocket. “You’ve done a great service to more people than you’ll ever probably know. I guess I needn’t tell you not to mention this to anyone?”
She shook her head. “Who’d believe me anyway?”
Ethan smiled. “Guraibh mile maith agat, Eileen. A thousand thanks.”
“Failte romhat. You’re welcome.” She stood. “Well, I must get back to work. I took a bit longer break than I should have.”
“Shall we speak to your supervisor?” Brigid rose. “Should we go with you?”
Eileen laughed. “Ah, no. I’ve covered for him many a time. It’s only five minutes over.” She smiled at each of them in turn. “Good luck.” She turned and walked away briskly.
Gabe looked at Ethan. “See, I told you our guts were right.”
Brigid pushed back her chair. “You’d better get things set up. Gabe, are there spells to bind him?”
Ethan snorted. “Killing him would make more sense.”
Gabe sighed. “You are a bloodthirsty young man.” He cupped Brigid’s elbow and escorted her from the break room, Ethan following. “We have strong spells that should contain him.”
They walked in silence to the parking lot. Gabe waited to speak until they were by the car. “I’ll make contact with our people in Malaga and give them all the details.”
Brigid spoke urgently. “Are you sure they’re strong enough? Won’t he try to harm someone?”
“You mean humans?” Gabe flipped open his cell phone. “I’ll tell them to take extra precautions; try to get him in an area that’s out of the way.” He smiled reassuringly at her. “Don’t worry. They’ve done things like this before.”
Ethan snorted. “Captured three-thousand-year-old Destroyers who’ve increased their powers from a Master Demon?”
Gabe shook his head. “No, but we’ve come across some vicious bastards over the last several years. They’ll put him out of commission before he can do any damage.” I hope.
Ethan shrugged. “You know what KOTE is capable of, we don’t. Do you need to be alone?”
“No. Assuming I can hook up with the right people quickly enough, we should be able to get things started in just a few minutes. But you’re right, we might as well not take any chances of being overheard and sit in the car and be comfortable.”
Gabe unlocked the door and they settled back inside the vehicle. He punched in numbers, following directions as they were given and inputted various sequences.
Brigid bit her lip and whispered to Ethan. “I’d feel less tense if we could make sure Nolen got on the plane.”
Ethan nodded. “Aye, but we can’t take a chance that he might see us and know he’s been made. Our best bet is to sit tight and not give him any reason to think we’re onto him.” He shook his head. “You’ve got to hand it to him. I never would have thought he’d do anything as strange as that.”
“Agreed.” Brigid paused. “Do you think Eileen may have some Terran blood in her family?”
“It seems logical. Nolen’s Speaker ability doesn’t affect us, only humans. That she was able to see through his disguise even momentarily would indicate the presence of Terran DNA somewhere in her family.”
“Excellent!” Gabe’s exclamation claimed their attention. He closed the phone and placed it in his pocket. “It’s al
l set. They’ll call me when they’ve got him.” He grinned. “We can spend one more night in Ireland then get back to the States tomorrow. Ethan, will you need time to take care of any loose ends with the Warrior Cave dig?”
“No. I took care of everything while you and Brigid…” He took a deep breath. “I took care of things. I filed a detailed report with the school and begged for some time to recover from what I went through with the explosion and the fire in the village. I told them I had been injured and asked for a long overdue sabbatical.” He smiled slightly. “I even called up Macklin and convinced him that Brigid had actually been abducted by Gortham. Since Gortham is dead in that terrible airplane explosion along with Lord Nolen, there’s no need for any further investigation.” He gave Gabe a pointed look. “Something you forgot to do.”
Gabe sighed. “Told you I was getting old. Thanks, Ethan.” He chuckled. “You learn well, grasshopper.”
Ethan looked quizzical for a second, then laughed. “Kung Fu, the show on television, right?”
Gabe nodded.
Ethan grinned. “You are old!”
* * * *
Nolen relaxed in his seat in first class, sipping a glass of Sauvignon blanc and enjoying the view out the cabin window. The feeling of soaring above the heavens via a machine had initially taken some getting used to, but he’d adapted quickly.
He marveled at the ingenuity of humanity, devising such a vehicle. Although he couldn’t prove it, he wondered if there had been some Terran involved with its inception.
His closest experience to flying before was through Dubhanam’s eyes. The raven had soared off and never came back the night that the bitch, Brigid, had reappeared in his life.
He gripped his wine glass tighter, then calmed down as he remembered how well his plans were going.
He arrived in Birmingham in plenty of time to catch the connecting flight to Heathrow. The crate and his luggage had been loaded onto each flight without any snags—a miracle in itself if he had been a religious person. Now, he looked forward to dinner on the flight to Kennedy Airport in New York where a car would meet him at the airport.
He toed off his heels and rubbed his feet.
How did females endure the horrible footwear? Well, only a few more hours before this torture would be over and he could revert back to a male. He eyed the female flight attendant with appreciation. Her skirt outlined a luscious rear end. He licked his lips, tempted to use his Speaker abilities and take the female into the lavatory and fuck her, but realized he would be wasting his energy for a temporary release of sexual tension.
How he missed dear Mrs. Scathan.
The flight thus far had been uneventful. Soon they’d be circling the airfield and a new world for him to conquer.
* * * *
“Gabe finally got in contact with Donovan Callahan and is giving him a detailed report.” Brigid sighed. “He’s going to be on the phone for hours.” She looked around Ethan’s room. “The room is nice, isn’t it?”
“Aye. And right beneath yours.”
Brigid watched as Ethan began his strengthening exercises for his shoulder and arm. He had taken off his shirt and she could see how well he was healing.
And how well muscled he was.
He sat on the side of his bed, his back to her, as she leaned against the door, thinking.
Remembering.
Gabe had chased her out of their room, claiming she’d only be bored or distract him while he gave Donovan the run-down.
She left, pouting all the way. She’d walked in on Ethan just as he was getting ready to commence his routine. She knew she should leave. Seeing Ethan half-naked was a temptation she should avoid. But it couldn’t hurt to look, could it?
“This can’t be any too interesting for you, either, can it?”
Brigid licked her lips. “Oh, I don’t know. It’s definitely more … interesting than what Gabe is doing right now.”
*
Ethan smiled. He sensed Brigid’s unwilling reaction to him and determined to take advantage of it. He flexed his shoulders and raised his arm above his head. He made a fist and brought it behind his head, bending his elbow. He straightened his arm out to the side and opened his fingers, palm down, then palm up.
He heard Brigid’s sharp intake of breath as he began to sweat. He glanced into the mirror that reflected the door and watched her bite her bottom lip. She uncrossed her arms and wiped her palms on her jeans. The thin T-shirt she’d changed into couldn’t hide her puckering nipples.
He was having just the effect he wanted on her. But, bloody hell, he was feeling the effects himself. His cock was straining against his zipper. He stood, hoping to get more comfortable. He shut his eyes, wishing he could reach into his pants and jack off.
“Why did you get up?”
He jerked and opened his eyes as he felt Brigid’s hand on his shoulder and felt her breath against his ear. He moved away from her light touch, dropping his arm and faced her. “I needed to stretch.”
He shifted his butt onto the flimsy desk placed in the room and leaned on his arms, wincing just a bit as he put weight on his wounded one.
Brigid caught his reaction. “Are you trying to hurt yourself? Get off that arm!”
She moved toward him just as he pushed away and he grabbed her by her arms. He hauled her against his chest, her breasts pressing against him, their mouths almost touching. “As you can see, my arm is perfectly fine.” He stared at her parted lips, listened to her panting breaths and felt her galloping heartbeat. He inhaled sharply. “Ah, bloody hell!”
He smashed his mouth against hers, thrusting his tongue between her lips. His hands slipped down to her ass and he squeezed as he brought her smack against his erection.
He waited for her to pull away and slap his face.
She didn’t.
For one sublime moment she was his. One brief moment.
She wrenched herself away and wiped her mouth, her eyes blazing. “You son of a bitch!”
“Why? Because I took advantage of what we both feel?” His voice softened and took on a crooning tone. “Ah, my bright love, can’t you see you’re still mine? You were mine first and,” his voice dropped lower, “you’ll be mine at the last.”
Tears filled her eyes and she swiped at them as they threatened to overflow. “I belong to no one! I won’t betray Gabe.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know if I can forgive you!”
Ethan pushed his hand through his hair and bit off a curse. “You can’t forgive me for showing you how you feel.” He grabbed his shirt and shoved his arms through the sleeves. “You can’t go on forever denying your feelings.” He buttoned it up, tucking it into his pants. “When you’re ready to admit to them, I’ll be waiting.”
He stalked past her and slammed the door behind him.
*
She stumbled to the bed and sank down on it, her head bent.
One by one, her tears fell on the hand knit quilt.
“Damn, I didn’t think I was going to cry!” She grabbed a tissue from the box on top of the dresser and blew her nose. She chuckled weakly. “I don’t think Gabe or Ethan would find my runny nose and red eyes too irresistible.”
She sniffled and stared at her face in the mirror. “Brigid, my girl, time to try something you’ve never done before, the cure that supposedly works for every feminine problem—go shopping.”
She checked her wallet in her jeans. Yes, she hadn’t left home without it. Plenty of credit available. How did that ad go? Something about priceless?
She wondered if trying to mend a broken heart was priceless?
Well, she was going to find out.
* * * *
“That’s it, Donavan.” Gabe laughed. “Yeah, I know it’s a lot to take in, a whole new group of Terrans. We always knew they had to be there, but they did a damn good job of hiding!” He grew serious. “As soon as Nolen is out of action, we’ll head home. There’s still a lot of information on that hard drive of his that we need to acquire.�
� He paused and chuckled. “Yes, It didn’t surprise me to learn that Brigid’s strongest element is water, but I was surprised to find out that she also has fire in her background. Her memories are still not intact, but Dagda assured us that she’d be able to translate the diary. Yeah, a lot has happened in just a few days. We’ll be in touch soon. And then you can tell me what trouble you were getting into!”
He hung up the phone and sat staring at it. Donavan had grilled him for almost two hours. He glanced at his watch. Six o’clock. If all went well, he’d soon be getting a message from the team sent to capture Nolen that they had him in their hands.
He wondered how Brigid and Ethan had spent the last two hours. Probably exploring Kerry. He was glad he’d sent her off while he reported to KOTE. He hoped Ethan had rested. That arm still seemed to be giving him some problems. He sighed. Now there was a conflicted man if ever he saw one. Stubborn, smart—and in love with his wife.
Damn him.
“Gabe? You’re done? Yay! Look what I bought.”
Brigid stormed into the room, several apple-green bags in her hands. She tossed them on the bed, dumped out the tissue papered contents of one onto the coverlet and lifted up a gossamer thin confection of white lace. “Look! It’s Carrickmacross lace.” She let it flow over her hand and wiggled her fingers. “See how sheer!” She draped it across her breasts and shoulder. “It’s a night gown. Isn’t it gorgeous?”
Gabe nodded. “Stunning.” He touched the flimsy material. “I’m glad you kept … busy.” He smiled slowly. “How about tonight you try it on and I try to take it off you without tearing it to shreds?”
“Don’t you dare! It cost a fortune.” She hid it behind her back and grinned. “Why don’t I not wear it and you just make love to me till my eyes cross?”
He snagged her waist and drew her into his embrace. Cupping the back of her head, he brought his mouth close to hers. “What happened, Bridge?”