by Kat Mizera
“Would it be dumb if I wore them for the trip home?” she asked me.
“Not even a little. Why do you think I bought them for you? I want to see you wearing them, and not just in the bedroom.”
“Well, I can’t wear them when I’m working, so that’s why I want to wear them now.”
I watched her put them on, pleasure drifting through me. I hadn’t planned on telling her I loved her, but the softened version, with “I think” at the beginning, had just slipped out. That she’d said it at the same time had been kind of freaky, but wonderful too. Everything about her, this thing between us, was pretty wonderful, so I was in a relaxed happy mood as we boarded the jet. But that faded as soon as I saw Uncle Ben’s face.
“What is it?” I asked automatically.
He held up a hand. “Everything is okay, but there was an incident.”
“What kind of incident?” I asked through ground teeth.
“Apparently, Omar danced with Sasha at the ball.”
“What?!” My voice was so loud Aunt Kari jumped, but I didn’t care. I was too damn pissed.
“How do we know?”
“Because he sent a picture to the tabloids, talking about the lovely stepdaughter of the King of Limaj, and what a great wife she’s going to make.”
I used so many curse words, in so many languages, Aunt Kari bit her lip to keep from laughing. The situation wasn’t funny, but my obnoxious combinations of English, Limaji, Swedish, French and Russian curse words would have been humorous under other circumstances.
“She was never alone,” Uncle Ben said calmly. “She was never in any danger.”
“But he got close enough to dance with her!” I yelled. I got up and started to pace. “That means he got past all of us. What the fuck is it with this guy, that he keeps eluding us? He can’t be that much smarter than all of us.”
“He’s wily,” Lennox said quietly. “Which makes him more dangerous than a regular enemy.”
“He bought the ticket off a friend,” Uncle Ben said. “Including the special dance. Nick’s already planning to upgrade security for future dances, requiring ID that matches the ticket. Any changes have to be announced seven days in advance.”
“That’s great for the future, but it doesn’t help us now.”
“But Sasha’s fine,” Aunt Kari reminded me gently. “Everything is okay. Erik wouldn’t let anyone tell you so it didn’t ruin your holiday.”
I sighed in frustration. I couldn’t even blame what had happened on my absence, because it had happened right under my nose, and everyone else’s, so we would have to deal with that when we got home. For now, I logged into my laptop and contacted Joe. There would be a meeting first thing in the morning.
Lennox was up before me in the morning. I awoke when the door clicked behind her and I frowned, rolling over and grabbing my phone to send her a text, and finding one from her waiting for me.
Lennox: Going to meet up with a few of the guys at the gym. Meet us if you have time before the meeting.
It was only six o’clock, so I got out of bed and hurriedly dressed after sending her a text asking her to wait for me. I didn’t want there to be a weird emotional distance between us, not after everything that had happened in New York, but last night had been a little strained since I’d been preoccupied with the Omar incident. I was focused on my job again, instead of her, but that didn’t mean anything had to change between us. We weren’t on vacation anymore, but I didn’t want her tiptoeing around me either.
She was in the kitchen when I came in, protein drink in hand. She poured one for me and smiled. “Good morning. I thought I’d let you sleep.”
I made a face. “You thought I needed space and I don’t.”
“You sure?”
“Not from you.” I pulled her against me. “We’re good, babe. I have to figure out how Omar keeps getting so close to us, but that has nothing to do with our personal relationship. It’s work, like always, just with a more focused direction today.”
She nodded. “Regardless, after eating the way we ate in New York, I need a solid workout.”
“As do I.”
We finished our drinks and headed out. To my surprise, the whole gang was at the gym, except Joe and the night guard, who were still at the house. Chains, Xander, Jonas, Axel, Daniil, Elen, and even Ace was there. I hadn’t known he was in town so I reached out to give him a quick hug, that weird upper-body-shoulder-slap thing guys did to pretend we were cool or something. I’d never understood it, merely went along with the culture here in the U.S. We were a bit more affectionate in Europe, but not here so much.
“When did you get to town?” I asked him.
“Last night,” he said. “Erik and I had a few things to talk about, so I flew in. I was in D.C. anyway.”
“All right, let’s get this show on the road,” Lennox said, running in place as she warmed up. “Who’s up for a five-mile run?”
“Me.” Xander stretched out on the floor next to her. “Just give me a second to get loose.”
“I’m in,” Jonas said, nodding.
I hated running, though I did it as often as necessary to stay in shape, but it wasn’t my preferred form of cardio.
“Let’s go.” Chains started off and the rest of us followed. Lennox and Xander were both runners and they took the lead without even trying. Ace fell back with me and the others were in the middle. I didn’t have anything to prove but I saw the younger guys trying to keep up with Lennox, which was entertaining. She was fluid when she ran, her body moving easily, her long legs taking strides the guys struggled to keep up with even though they were taller than she was.
“The thing with Sasha bothers me,” Ace said as we jogged at a more moderate pace.
“Yeah.” I didn’t want to get pissed off all over again.
“We need to catch this guy because he’s not going away and I’m afraid things are just going to escalate.”
“No shit. The question is how.”
“I’m thinking.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about it for months, and so far, can’t come up with anything. Every time we get close, he gets away. I think we have to set a trap and use someone as bait.”
“But who?” Ace countered. “Sasha’s too young and not experienced enough should something go wrong. I think Elen could handle it, but it’s a huge risk we may not want to take.”
“The perfect target would be Luke, but obviously we’re not in any position to take a risk with him either.” I shook my head. “Thus our dilemma.”
“Let me think on it some more.” Ace grinned as Lennox took the lead by a lot, her ponytail flying out behind her as she circled the indoor track.
Xander was second, and I was surprised to see Elen in third place, Jonas, Axel and Chains dropping further and further back. Jonas and Axel were bigger guys, not quite as tall as I was, but probably just as muscular, so they weren’t built to run. They could fight, though. I’d seen video of both of them showing off their skills and they would be formidable against an enemy. On the track, though, they were never going to keep up with Lennox.
“I was thinking maybe I’d come to Limaj for a while,” Ace said slowly. “See if I could get a feel for the vibe around the country, maybe check in with some of my eastern European assets.”
“Couldn’t hurt and you’re always welcome, but doesn’t the agency want you on assignment?”
He shrugged. “I’m taking a little vacation time.”
That surprised me. “You? Really?”
“Not in the way you think,” he said. “I just mean, the red tape and legal constraints are making it harder and harder to do my job. I’ve seen a lot of bad shit over the years, but lately, I feel like I can’t take a piss without someone chiding me. The whole point of being a spy is to be…covert. If I have to check in over every little thing, it kind of defeats the purpose.”
“You think they’re edging you out?”
“I’m not sure,” he said quietly. “But I’
ve given almost twenty years to my country between the military and the CIA, so I’m not going out without a fight. I want my twenty and my pension.”
“I don’t blame you.” I paused. “But you know you always have a job on our team if you want it.”
“I know. I’m counting on it.” He gave me a cheeky grin and followed my gaze, where I was watching Lennox lap us.
“You’re a man in love,” Ace said lightly, following my gaze.
“I am.” I wasn’t going to hide it. I knew better than most how short life was, so I planned to enjoy every minute of it, despite the looming danger.
“She seems great. I’m glad you two found each other.”
“Me too.”
34
Lennox
I was almost glad to be back in Limaj because the vibe in Vegas had been weird after the whole thing with Omar and Sasha. Axel had stayed behind, assigned to be with Sasha all day now, including at school, which she’d resisted before. We couldn’t be too careful anymore, especially with the bulk of the security team here in Limaj. Chains went to school with Luke most days, which had become a bone of contention between Luke and his parents, but at this point we weren’t sure what else to do. Logan was still in Monte Carlo with Leni and the twins, and the rest of us were here, trying to find a new normal.
The first couple of days back, Sandor and I barely saw each other, each of us assigned to different places, different people, different security details. We tried to find an hour at night, before bed, to just be together, catch up on our day, find some semblance of intimacy amidst the chaos of our daily routine, but it wasn’t easy. We were up at five to work out most days, followed by showers, breakfast, and security briefings. Our schedules kept us apart most of the time, though we occasionally met for dinner, and we rarely finished for the day before seven or eight. By the time we wound down, we were usually too tired to do anything but make love and pass out. Sometimes we even skipped the lovemaking, which was rare for us, but we’d been working crazy hours.
Sandor and Joe had upgraded an already intense security system, and the protocols we went through each day were grueling. It was beginning to wear on Casey too, and I mentioned it to Sandor at breakfast one morning after we’d been home about three weeks. It was Saturday and we weren’t scheduled to be anywhere until eleven. Erik had announced he and Casey were sleeping in and staying sequestered in their room for the morning, so we got to do the same.
“I’m glad Erik and Casey are taking some time,” I told him as we sipped coffee and ate eggs and bacon. “She’s been looking a little tired lately. I think being away from her kids is wearing on her too.”
“For sure. Luke hasn’t been doing well in school this semester and Liz said the twins have been getting into trouble.”
“Casey told me the twins were extremely upset they didn’t get to go to the ball, so it’s been hard all around.”
“That’s why Erik worked so hard to pass the education bill. He couldn’t very well start building a state-of-the-art, private, English-speaking school without ensuring that the public Limaji schools were up and running.”
“Of course. It looks like that’s on track, though. From what I’ve read, a dozen new schools reopened this year, just a few weeks later than usual, so if they have a few less days off during the breaks, they should be able to end with the others.”
“Yes. We put a focus on the more rural schools since the ones in the city have been okay. Half a dozen more are set to reopen after the Christmas break to ease the overcrowding in the schools that were still going, and that should help a great deal. We fast-tracked the recertification process for teachers who had licenses in the past, with salary incentives across the board, and teachers are coming out of the woodwork now.”
“So many things most people never think about in the U.S.,” she said. “Whether or not there are public schools. Whether or not there are enough teachers to work at said schools. I mean, there are occasional schools or districts that are short, but it’s mostly situational, not a national crisis.”
“I know. And schools are just the beginning. Did you know there are only a handful of car dealerships in the entire country right now? Maybe five?”
My mouth fell open. “Really?”
“Yup. The few people who can afford it have had to travel outside the country to buy a car, and then they get slammed on tariffs when they get back.”
“I feel so bad for the people,” I said quietly. “I can’t imagine what they went through when Anwar was king.”
“Why do you think Erik is so torn? He desperately wants to help everyone, even though it’s putting a strain on his marriage, his relationship with his kids, everything. But there are several hundred thousand people struggling and he has the power to help them.”
“It just seems like he needs more help, more people working with him.”
“Yeah, the problem is finding people who aren’t trying to stab him in the back in the process.”
“That sucks. Why would anyone do that? Don’t they care about their people, their country?”
“Where there’s power and money at stake, people often turn a blind eye. That’s why being part of the royal family is so important right now, to show unity, to remind them of who we are, who we’ve been, and who we can be again.”
“That kind of pressure must be monumental.”
He smiled. “Sometimes.”
“Well, any way I can help, you know I’m here.”
“I do.” I reached for her hand. “So. Tomorrow. We’re taking a day off. I put it on the schedule. Every other Sunday, you and I are off. It works out well because Sunday is the one day Erik can take off as well, so he can spend time with Casey and the kid or kids, and you and I will have time to ourselves.”
“Cool.” I gave him a smirk. “Can we catch up on sleep?”
“We can, but I have something I want to show you. Can you be ready to go around ten?”
“Sure.”
Sandor glanced at the time. “I guess it’s time for us to get to work.”
“Yup.” I got to my feet and reached for my gun, sliding it into the shoulder holster I wore beneath my light jacket. I put another in an ankle holster as Sandor did the same and we headed down to start our day.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I asked him the next morning as we got dressed.
“I want to show you my childhood home,” he said, pulling on a jacket since it had gotten really cold the last couple of weeks.
“I assumed you grew up in the palace,” I said, frowning. “How did I not know this?”
“Well, we had a group of suites here, so any time there were celebrations, holidays and the like, we would come stay, and as adults we each got a private suite like this one. But no, when I was a child, we had our own home just a few minutes outside the city. My mother inherited it from her paternal grandmother and when Vardan got engaged, my parents passed it on to him. They asked the rest of us, of course, but I didn’t need it since my job at the time was to be wherever Erik was. Daniil and Elen were still at university, so they didn’t care. It’s not like the palace or anything, but it was home. Vardan and his fiancée had just begun renovations when they were killed.”
“I’m so sorry.” I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tightly. He rarely showed any emotion about the deaths of his immediate family, but this time his voice had gotten a little hoarse. “I’d love to see it if you want to take me, but not if it’s too painful.”
“It’s been more than a decade,” he said quietly. “It’s time. I checked it out last winter when we first got here and there are still unopened wedding gifts in one of the guest rooms. It’s time to bury the past and move on, get rid of all that stuff and maybe finish renovations. I thought you might like to help me with that.”
Our eyes met. “I’d love to.”
We took one of the palace SUVs and navigated the roads leading out of the city. It wasn’t far, just fifteen minutes or so, but he’d l
ed me to believe it was a quaint little cottage or something, and the house we pulled up in front of was not that in any way, shape or form. It was a large, sprawling estate, with a gate at the front and a large, if not somewhat falling apart, courtyard.
Mold had taken over what had once been a stunning and ornate fountain, leaving it an ugly black color, starkly dark amidst the snow-covered grounds. The columns framing the front steps were dirty and worn, and the carved double doors that led into the house creaked on their hinges as Sandor unlocked them. When we stepped inside, it was even worse. A decade of abandonment had left everything dirty, worn or broken. Someone, most likely soldiers, had obviously been here at some point, pillaging for valuables. Ironically, many of the paintings and other decorations had been spared, merely gathering dust. The furnishings appeared okay, simply covered with sheets or tarps.
The walls and carpets were filthy, however, as uncaring looters had run roughshod across the floors. I could see what it had been once, though, and my heart broke a little for Sandor as he quietly took in his childhood home. He said he’d been here earlier this year, so he wasn’t seeing it for the first time, but he’d probably been in a hurry and frustrated then. Today, he just looked sad, and I slid my hand into his.
“It can be cleaned up,” I whispered. “The carpets and such are probably ruined, but we could have the floors refinished, new carpets brought in, repairs made. If the foundation of the house is solid, and I think it is, this is all fixable.”
“Come, let me show you the rest.” He led me through dark hallways and empty rooms, but the kitchen was a delight. Huge, filled with dirty but beautiful stone countertops, and the kind of island most women would kill for. I didn’t cook much, but I appreciated a beautiful kitchen as much as any woman, and my little sigh must have been audible because he turned to me with a grin. “Yes? You like it?”
“Who wouldn’t like it? It’s gorgeous. We could do so much with this.” I wrinkled my nose. “The appliances have to go, though.”
He chuckled. “We’d have to gut most of the house cosmetically. At least downstairs. The upstairs fared better, except the master suite.” He paused. “I guess Anwar thought that was where the best stuff would be hidden, so it’s trashed. He’s an idiot, though.”