“I…I promise!” I say.
Noah nods to me.
“Did Olivia tell you anything more?” he demands.
“Elena. And, your agent. She’s still alive. Merc doesn’t know. I think he was going to tell Evan…” I stutter.
“God damn her!” Noah roars angrily.
The baby and Tinsley both startle at the same time, and Noah apologizes,
Noah pulls a phone out of a drawer that looks different than, but I can’t put my finger on what exactly makes it different.
“This is a secure phone, Leigha. I expect you know what that means?” he says, punching numbers from memory.
Noah waits for a moment then speaks.
“This is Archangel. The dragon is out of the tower. Repeat, the dragon is out of the tower. Implement Drake protocol. Command code alpha-six-five-hotel-whiskey-four. Do I need to repeat that? Good. Carry on,” Noah is prompt and hangs up.
“What the fuck? Who are you, James Bond? I thought Merc was…” I start to say.
“I am the Director and Founder of an international agency that is chartered and funded by a half-dozen allied countries. The name of my organization is the Restricted Intelligence Section Command or RISC. I’ve been working on this for the past eight years, and it is the main reason I am in the position to confirm that you are even ‘warm’ in your guess,” Noah Stone explains.
“And, you’re okay with this, Tinsley? Or am I supposed to call you ‘your majesty?’” I ask, unsure that I’m even standing any more.
This is a lot to digest in a few moments.
“You won’t even believe me if I told you,” she says and kisses Sebastian’s nose.
I watched the family for a moment and saw Evan and I doing this – loving each other. I watch them together as a family, savoring their time together and I can picture Evan and I doing the same if we manage to have a baby.
That dream feels so far away, especially with Ethan in the picture.
It physically hurts.
“What does this mean Noah?” I ask in a sad attempt to distract myself from the obvious.
My heart aches for what Evan and I have lost, and what Noah seems to be about to lose.
It’s so sad tears prick my eyes again, and I want to sob!
“It means that, when the present Queen is gone, Tinsley is next in line for the throne. She’s the Duke’s illegitimate daughter, as well as the Queen’s. And, now, the Duke will be gunning for her. And, us,” he says quietly.
“What did you just do on the phone?” I ask.
“We’re in an emergency mode, now. We’ll be moving a lot. First, I am going to need to find Elizabeth and Vic. Lucius, too. And, you will have to assist, Leigha. Merc, Levi, and Evan need to meet with us so that we can find a solution to this. We’ll be gathering in the great room in ten minutes. Please round them up, and assure they are there. Oh, before I forget, Athena and Aidan will be joining us. Tinsley, please see if you can arrange for Ava to watch Sebastian for a bit. I need Corban. I think that’s everyone,” Noah concludes.
“What about Isaac and Grace?” I ask, concerned.
“I have people that will watch over them. That’s the best I can do, now,” he replies.
He kisses his son and Tinsley. I can see how much in love they are, even now.
Especially now.
“What did you mean, you and Noah can’t marry, Tinsley?” I ask her.
Noah sighs.
“Prince Phillip thinks his ascendance to the throne is a given. When Tinsley is revealed to be the actual next in line, it’s going to throw a lot of media coverage and also intel agencies onto her. Her life is going to be gone over with a fine-toothed comb. As such, they will also look deeply into me. And, were we to be married, the intense public scrutiny would no doubt eventually reveal the existence of RISC. That cannot be allowed to happen,” he says, darkly.
“Why?” I ask.
Noah sits down.
“What I am going to tell you can never leave this room, Leigha. No one. Ever. Am I clear?” he says.
I am frightened out of my mind now.
“Maybe you shouldn’t tell me then?” I say, my voice quavering.
I sit down on the couch, my legs suddenly weak.
“There are four reasons RISC exists. They are that we root out criminal organizations, such as the Ventretti Family, among others, and put them under surveillance for Interpol and the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies. We infiltrate cartels and work with the DEA and MI-6 to prevent trafficking, such as what Michael Bishop and the Duke have developed. We also supply key personnel to test the security of established agencies, such as Mossad, or the CIA. Finally, we are a line of defense against terrorist activities. Specifically, nuclear proliferation,” he explains.
Noah stands and checks his watch.
“RISC is responsible for stopping fifteen terrorist attacks against England, the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates. We’ve managed to infiltrate the Ventretti’s thanks to Levi, and the Bishop Cartel, thanks to Merc and his partner. When I discovered my daughter Ava was working for her mother, Elizabeth, I had to make a tough decision – to expose RISC, or try another way to free her,” he says, solemnly.
“You mean, you…” I ask, shocked.
“I had to allow Ava to work for Elizabeth and Olivia, even though I knew she was there. I couldn’t take the chance to expose RISC. The overall goals were too large,” he says, suddenly looking sad.
“I had an agent pretend to be Lauren. She and Merc and Lucius were able to keep an eye on Ava. I orchestrated her meeting with Corban. It wasn’t easy, let me tell you, but we’d had an eye on him for a while. Tinsley and I had to separate because I could not involve her. That all changed after it became evident that Olivia, Elizabeth, and Lauren would stop at nothing to aid the Duke. The other Directors and I came to a decision. It was safer for Tinsley to be brought into this, albeit in a non-participatory role. Then, when the Duke and Olivia married, I was given an in,” he says, quietly.
“Oh, my God! Olivia still loves you!” I cry.
“Well, I don’t think that is what I’d call it, Leigha. I think she loves being in a relationship with a powerful man, and she will gravitate to whomever she feels is the Alpha, as it were,” Noah chuckles.
“Well? How does that explain her actions? She fucking tried to kill almost all of us!” I shout.
Tinsley and Noah frown at me.
Sebastian burps.
“Oh, sorry!” I say, suddenly ashamed I’ve sworn in front of him.
I put my hand over my mouth.
“Olivia has always been a bit… driven. She looks out for herself. Amazingly, Corban turned out as well as he did,” Noah admits.
“But,” he continues, “Olivia also has a certain expectation about things. She’s not beyond doing ethically challenged actions, to assure her mate is the top dog. This is why she and Elizabeth put ISA together, and why she and Michael Bishop partnered on the trafficking island. Plus, she and Lauren have their fingers deep into the mob businesses. All of this pale in comparison to what the Duke is orchestrating, however,” he says.
“What? What the hell could be worse?” I ask.
“He is planning on blowing up the middle-Eastern oil reserves with nuclear weapons, and controlling the world’s energy resources, using sustainable technologies,” Noah replies.
“You’re joking! That’s impossible!” I say.
“It’s not. Tinsley is the missing piece. Once she’s crowned, her father, the Duke, will have access to the codes. With the cooperation of some other bad actors on the world stage, he is going to set up a scenario whereby the entire world is going to cave under the financial pressure of having limited oil reserves. You think Venezuela is an accident?” Noah says.
I find I am almost hyperventilating.
“You’re saying things that can’t be, Noah!” I stammer.
Noah points to the phone.
“You heard me, Leigha. Now, you’
re part of this. I am giving you a Delta-9 clearance. I will have some aides explain your responsibilities, later this afternoon. Now, we all need to go to a meeting. Ah, here comes Ava! Tinsley, a word?” Noah says, now fully back in command.
Ava enters.
“Leigha! How nice to see you! You look wonderful!” Ava smiles, and give me a big hug and a kiss.
“We’ll have to catch up soon, but now I get to play with my favorite step-brother! Come here, you little ball of fluff!” she says, taking Sebastian and blowing on his bare belly.
Sebastian laughs, and it’s the first thing I’ve heard in the last hour that makes me smile.
Noah and Tinsley have already walked out, and I put a hand on Ava’s shoulder, and squeeze it.
She smiles.
“Don’t worry, Leigha. Evan loves you, and it’s all going to be all right! Just wait, you’ll see!” she says, gaily.
I walk out after Noah Stone and his princess.
33
Evan
February 12, 2019
We are all in the great room because my father’s office is far too small to fit everyone comfortably.
I see Levi, Merc, Vic, Lucius, Corban, Aidan and Athena, and Levi.
My father comes walking in, holding the door for Tinsley.
Then, Leigha comes in a moment later, looking as though she’s seen a ghost.
There’s a long silence as everyone takes a seat, then my father clears his throat. “We are all in grave danger, I am afraid. Lucius, you need to arrange for Isaac’s security. Take him and Grace to one of the sanctioned hospitals. I also want you to inform Agent Marsh that she is to be relocated immediately to one of the safehouses. Once you have completed those tasks, rendezvous with Corban on the Island,” he orders.
“Levi, you, Merc and Aidan need to stay after I’ve dismissed the rest, here. Corban, I want you to take Ava, Tinsley and the children to a different location, which I will tell you after I finish with Levi,” he continues.
“Is there anything I should take?” Corban asks my dad.
“No, make sure to check with me at the waypoints, as per usual. I think the danger will be minimized from that angle, but let’s be safe, okay?” My dad grins, somewhat dulling the danger I sense.
“Umm…I am going to need Tinsley for an hour or so, Corban. Just gather everyone else, and she will join you, thanks everyone,” my father says.
Corban nods again.
“Okay, you can all get going. Vic, please wait in my office, until Levi comes for you, okay? Does Elizabeth have Ethan?” my father asks.
“Yes, I left him in her care when you called this meeting. Should I say anything to her?” she asks.
“No, I will bring her up to speed myself. Get going, then, and thank you,” he answers.
Vic stands and leaves.
“Evan, you and Leigha stay, too, please,” my dad adds.
The others file out, and Noah waits until they have all left.
My father pauses by the bar, waits until all the doors are properly closed and we are alone, and then slams his fist down on the counter with a groan.
Everyone in the room jumps.
“Levi, I want to know what the hell you were thinking, bringing Leigha and Evan into this?” he roars.
“There wasn’t a choice, Noah. Olivia took you; you’ve been missing all this time! It was hard to maintain command and control, as you well know,” Levi retorts. He’s not backing down, and it’s almost funny to see. It’s like there are two Noah’s arguing.
“The primary mission was to prevent the Duke from exercising the nuclear option,” Noah says.
“Uh, what are you talking about?” I ask, a little surprised.
Leigha squeezes my hand, and I squeeze back.
“Did no one brief my son on this? Of course not!” Noah says and puts a hand to his head.
“Shit. Look, Evan, this will have to wait, and Levi, be sure to tell him the details. The point is that as of now, Tinsley is in mortal danger. If the Duke finds out what Olivia gave to Leigha, it’s all over!” my dad explains.
He sits back down.
“Merc, what’s MI-6 got for us?” he asks.
Merc isn’t looking all that happy.
“Well, first off, Lauren’s dead,” he starts.
Noah laughs.
“Sophie sure pulled one over on you, eh, Torelli?” he says.
“What do you mean? I saw her shoot Lauren in the head, at point blank range!” he shouts.
Suddenly, he sees me looking at him; the rage in my heart reflected in my eyes.
“You fucking bastard!” I start.
Levi puts a hand on my arm.
“She’s not dead, Evan. It was a ruse; in case you and Merc were captured by the Duke’s men. Or even Michael Bishop,” Levi explains.
Noah smiles, grimly.
“Only I was the one who ended up captured. You all knew the stakes. I applaud you for keeping operational security,” Noah says.
Tinsley looks angry.
“Yes, thank all you fine gentlemen for keeping the secret that Noah was alive from me for all those months,” she growls.
“Now, dear, we spoke about all that…” Noah says.
Then, for the first time I’ve ever seen her do it, Tinsley gets furious.
It’s fucking scary!
“No, Noah, you made that decision! I understand it. I don’t approve of any of it! I know that you committed to RISC, but you also committed to me. To our son! To what end? That’s all I want to know! When are you going to be done with all this cloak and dagger bullshit, Noah? When? Or, are you going to keep on using all these fucking crises to keep us apart?” she says.
Tinsley is seething with rage, and it’s the most frightening thing I have ever seen.
Noah weathers the storm, but even he is shaken.
“Tinsley, you know I love you more than anything! I am doing this for our son!” my dad pleads.
I can’t believe what I am seeing. Noah Stone is apologizing!
“Tinsley, I know that you know Noah isn’t trying to hurt you,” Leigha suddenly says.
She is looking very odd as if she is on the verge of saying something she shouldn’t.
“Noah, does Evan have, uh, clearance?” she asks nervously.
Tinsley and Noah look at me.
“Why not?” they say.
Levi and Merc chuckle.
“Clearance?” I ask. “For what?”
Levi bursts out laughing, and even my father and Tinsley seem less tense.
“Brother, have I got a story for you!”
* * *
It’s hard for me to swallow.
I feel stupid and used.
Leigha and I are driving in the Jaguar to our home.
I wonder how Bond has been doing, while we’ve been zooming around the world.
I missed him over at my dad’s.
“Have you seen Bond, darling?” I ask.
Leigha is snuggled against me, leaning her head past the shifter. It looks uncomfortable, but every time I try to push her away, she comes back closer.
“Ava told me he ate himself into a food coma today. He’s so fat, now! Poor kitty!” she giggles.
I imagine he’s living the life of a king: nobody to bother him, all the food he needs, and a comfortable bed.
Lucky bastard.
As I drive, I reflect on what my dad told Merc and me about Lauren, and the reason RISC set up Merc to think she was dead.
Merc was pissed when he found out he was out of the loop. But his reactions were honest, and needed in case Olivia captured us. The way Noah saw it, it was an occupational risk. Merc didn’t need to know. Of course, the whole fake autopsy report also upset Leigha. When Noah finally laid it out, it was apparent it was the only course of action that made sense.
Still, the emotional impacts it had on all of us left us feeling raw and used.
I told him as much.
He just shrugged.
“Son, when you are
in this seat, you’ll understand,” he told me, cryptically.
What the hell did that mean?
* * *
We pull up in front of the house we called home. Vic and Ethan are with Corban.
It’s all mine and Leigha’s once more. Our private refuge, against all the craziness of the world.
There’s no telling what tomorrow will bring, but for now, I have my wife, again.
All of her.
We walk into the house, and all the familiar smells hit my nose, and waves of nostalgia flow through me.
Leigha turns on the lights and begins to gather some things together to make dinner.
The domesticity of it is surreal, after all the things we’ve done over the past months. We are finally home, once more.
Just us.
Husband and wife.
Lovers.
* * *
The night slowly unfolds, one act at a time.
I tease Leigha while she’s cooking.
She pours out a couple of glasses of white wine, and we drink and kiss, and hug. We hold onto each other as if we would float away if we let go. I suck the tip of her tongue, tasting the wine. Her eyes sparkle with wonder, and I see my face reflected there.
I hug her, pulling her close, feeling her breasts pressing against my chest as I knead her ample ass, feeling her fullness, her ripeness.
She gasps with pleasure, and we fall on a couch, eagerly exploring each other, taking our time.
She gets up, wobbling a bit as she walks to the kitchen. I set out the plates and silverware, some napkins, and get the bread and condiments. She sets out the food, and it smells ambrosial.
We eat in silence, marveling at our good fortune.
I nudge her with my cheek, and she kisses me.
Soon, we move to the bathroom, and she sheds her clothing, like a graceful animal, each garment flowing in the moonlight to the floor.
I strip, and she kisses my body, while I rub the tension from her neck and shoulders. Her tongue nips and laps my skin, my nipples harden, and my cock rises to the occasion. Her nipples are like flint, but also oddly yielding, the blood rushing through us.
FRACTURE: Hearts of Stone Book Six Page 19