by I. T. Lucas
Ana forced a smile. “Yeah, I just need to talk to him and make sure that he’s okay.”
Leon pulled the phone out of his pocket. “What’s his number?”
6
Peter
Peter hated to clip Eleanor’s wings.
Since the mission wasn’t critical, he’d felt comfortable letting her take the lead and enjoyed watching her in action.
Eleanor had potential, but her lack of training and impatience had almost blown their cover.
Perhaps he should have let her leave with Leon.
Peter didn’t really need a wing-woman, and the only reason he’d insisted she stay to help him was to give her a chance to prove her worth to the clan and assess her capabilities.
So far, he’d been impressed with her single-minded dedication to the mission, and also her ability to work in a team. After being a solo operator her entire life, Eleanor had done surprisingly well on that front.
Maybe he should give her another chance.
As they headed down the hallway to their next class, he put his arm around her shoulders. “I have an idea.”
She didn’t flick it off like she usually did, casting him a glare instead. “What is it?”
“Let’s pay the nurse a visit together. Pretend that you have a terrible stomachache. I’ll volunteer to take you to her office.”
“I thought that you’d given up on her. She’s too brainwashed to notice anything fishy.”
“That’s true. But I bet that she’s shared Emmett’s bed numerous times, and she can give us details about the experience.”
Eleanor pursed her lips. “You could just flirt with any staff member and have her invite herself to your room. That would look less suspicious than another stomachache.”
“True, but that would mean waiting until all the workshops are over and hunting for one in the common room later. I thought that you were in a rush.”
“I am.” She glanced around at the people heading to the different classrooms. “Should I do it now? Or should I wait until we are in class?”
“Your call. How good of an actress are you?”
“Passable.” She took another glance. “Get ready.”
Doubling over, she uttered a pained groan. “Oh, my God, that hurts.”
“What’s wrong?” He leaned down, so his face was next to hers. “Do you need to see the nurse?”
“I don’t know if I can walk all the way there. It hurts so bad.” She clutched her stomach.
“I’ll carry you.” He lifted her into his arms.
“Are you nuts?” she hissed at him. “You’re overdoing it.”
Ignoring her, he searched for a familiar face. “Hey, Daniel. Can you tell Henry that I took Marisol to the nurse’s office?”
The guy looked at him with an awed expression on his face. “Of course.”
“Thanks, buddy.” Peter started walking the other way. “Put your head on my shoulder and groan from time to time,” he whispered in Eleanor’s ear. “Some tears would be good too.”
She did as he asked, finally relaxing into his arms. “Greggory will be very upset when he hears about this.”
“He is not here, and besides, this is strictly professional.”
He wasn’t attracted to her in the slightest. Not that there was anything wrong with her. Eleanor was a fine woman, and he liked having her as a work partner, but she wasn’t his type.
“You can put me down,” she said when they neared the nurse’s office.
“Stay in character just for a little longer.” He knocked on the door with his booted foot. “Shirley, can you open up? I have an emergency patient for you.”
He heard her rushing over, and just a moment later, the door was flung open. “What happened?”
“Marisol has a bad stomachache.” He walked into the office and deposited Eleanor on the exam table.
She lay down and put her hands on her belly. “That’s weird. The pain is gone.”
“It’s a miracle.” Peter threw his hands in the air. “I was afraid that the threesome was too much for you.”
If looks could kill, the deadly glare Eleanor cast his way would have turned even an immortal into stone. “You flatter yourself, Devlin.”
Nurse Shirley shooed Peter aside and put her hands on Eleanor’s stomach. “Show me where it hurts.”
“I’m fine.” Eleanor pushed her hands aside and sat up. “Maybe Devlin was right.” She kicked one side of her mouth up in what Peter assumed was her conspirator’s smile. “Having sex with two guys at once is exhausting. Have you ever tried it?”
Shirley shook her head. “I’ve always wanted to, but I’m too chicken. Maybe one day I will, though.”
“Nurse Shirley.” Peter put his hand over his heart. “You didn’t tell me that you were such a naughty girl.” He leaned closer. “What else are you hiding under that good-girl façade?”
She arched a brow. “What would you like to know?”
He glanced both ways as if checking for an invisible audience. “I’ve heard rumors that Emmett is an animal in bed. Is that true?”
Her eyes glazed over, and a dreamy smile bloomed on her face. “Emmett is amazing.”
“Is he, now?” Eleanor took over. “I heard that he has incredible stamina, and that his partners can barely walk after he’s done with them. Was it like that for you?”
Shirley nodded. “Each time, I felt like I’d run a marathon.”
“Is he really well endowed? Were you in pain afterward?”
Shirley shook her head. “Maybe just a little, and not every time. But I always felt lethargic afterward.” She smiled. “Having multiple orgasms is exhausting.”
“I bet.” Eleanor cast a sidelong glance at Peter. “Did he come to your room? Or did you go to his place?”
Shirley frowned. “I went to his, of course. Emmett is our community’s leader, and it would be presumptuous for anyone to expect him to come to them.”
“Does he live in the community compound?” Eleanor asked.
“No, he has his own small house.”
“Where is it?” Peter asked.
“On the east side of the lodge.”
Peter frowned. He hadn’t noticed a separate structure there. If he remembered correctly from when they had arrived, there was a tall rock outcropping to the east of the lodge. Perhaps Emmett’s home was hiding behind it.
“How do you get there?”
A look of confusion skittered through Shirley’s eyes. “The only way I know of is through Emmett’s office. I assume that he has his own entry from the outside, but the entire area around his house and his private entry to the lodge is fenced in. Some of it is natural rocks and shrubbery, and some of it is man-made. I don’t remember seeing a gate, though, so there seems to be no access from the outside.”
“What’s his house like?” Eleanor leaned closer. “Is it lavish? And what about his bedroom?”
“The house is really small. There is a fireplace in the living room, a couple of bookcases, and a brown couch.” Shirley put her hand on her forehead. “That’s so weird. The only thing I remember about the bedroom is that he has silk sheets on the bed. That’s luxurious, right? I remember thinking that they felt amazing against my skin.” The dreamy look was back.
“Did you go by yourself, or did someone take you to him?” Eleanor asked.
“Emmett’s personal assistant escorted me.” Shirley was starting to look uncomfortable. “Why are you asking so many questions about Emmett’s place?”
Eleanor shrugged. “I hope that he invites me, and I want to know what to expect. A girl can never be too careful.”
The nurse smiled. “Oh, you have nothing to worry about except passing out from too many orgasms.” She tilted her head. “I’m glad that you’ve changed your mind about exploring the possibilities without your partner.”
“Yeah. I figured, why not? If I’m paying so much money for this experience, I’d better enjoy it to the fullest and take advantage of everything that�
��s offered.” She wrapped her arm around Peter’s waist. “I’ve made excellent new friends with benefits here.”
Peter kissed her cheek. “You’ve definitely expanded your horizons.”
When Shirley appeared to relax, he let go of Eleanor and looked into her eyes. “And so did I.” He reached into her mind, sifting through her memories. It had been a couple of weeks since she’d been with Emmett, so naturally they were hazy and fragmented, but not all of the mess could be explained by that. It was almost as if she’d dreamt about being with her leader rather than actually having sex with him.
Did Emmett drug his partners?
And if he did, why?
Regrettably, Shirley’s mind couldn’t provide the answer, and after digging a little deeper, Peter gave up and just removed the last ten minutes of memories.
“Thanks for helping Marisol.” He patted her shoulder.
Shirley shook her head. “What were we talking about?”
“You told me to pay attention to what I eat,” Eleanor said. “Something I had for lunch has obviously disagreed with me. I suspect the fish. It tasted foul.”
“I didn’t have any, but no one else has complained about stomachaches. You might have a sensitive digestive system. Let me give you something to calm your stomach.” Shirley walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a packet of over-the-counter medication.
“Thank you.” Eleanor put it in her pocket. “Come on, Devlin. We should get back to the workshop.”
When they were out in the corridor, Eleanor lifted her eyes to him. “Well? What did you see?”
“Nothing that I could make sense of. It’s all a jumbled mess in there. He might be drugging them.”
Eleanor let out a breath. “Anastasia might know more. She had an audience with Emmett, but she didn’t have sex with him, so he didn’t have any reason to drug her. Probably after figuring that he couldn’t compel her, he decided she wasn’t worth the risk.”
“Excellent idea, Watson. We should call Leon and have him ask her what she remembers from her meeting with the illustrious Emmett Haderech.”
She smirked. “So now you fancy yourself Sherlock Holmes?”
“Do you want to be him?”
“Nah, I always liked Dr. Watson better.”
7
Leon
As the microwave beeped, Leon glanced at the closed bedroom door, willing it to open.
If Anastasia didn’t come out soon, he would have to throw the food away. She’d gone into the bedroom to talk with her father nearly an hour ago, and it was the third time he was reheating the two dishes.
Leon had been under the impression that Anastasia didn’t get along with her father, but given how long the two had been chatting, they were either rediscovering their connection or arguing.
The other option, which he sincerely hoped wasn’t the reason she’d been in that room for so long, was that Anastasia had used the opportunity to go through his text messages, or was copying his list of contacts, or was calling Kian.
It had been incredibly dumb of him to let her take his unlocked phone to another room, but if he’d refused, she would have become even more suspicious.
Hopefully, she hadn’t abused his show of trust.
When the door finally opened and Anastasia stepped out, Leon fought the impulse to snatch the phone out of her hands. Instead, he asked, “How did it go?”
“I’m sorry it took so long.” She walked over and handed him the device. “My father was trying to convince me to leave Safe Haven for good and come home.” She shook her head. “It was the longest conversation I’d ever had with him.”
“Did he ask you where you were staying?” He pulled a chair out for her.
“He did.” She sat down. “I told him that I’m staying with a very nice guy in his family’s cabin. I also told him that he and you are on the same page, and that you brought me here to convince me that life outside of Safe Haven was better. Then he asked me a lot of questions about you, for which I didn’t have answers. I promised to call him again at the end of the week and let him know what I’ve decided.”
Leon put the two reheated containers on the table. The salad he had ended up making was already there, along with the place settings.
“What did he want to know about me?”
“How old were you, where did you go to college, what did you study. Things like that.” She reached for the lasagna. “Thank you for setting up the table and doing everything else. I’m sorry for not helping.”
“You don’t need to apologize. I’m glad that you talked with your father. Your peace of mind comes first.”
She rewarded him with a sweet smile. “How are you so considerate?”
He was genuinely surprised by her question. “I don’t know what you mean. All I did was reheat a couple of containers and cut up a salad.”
“I’m not talking just about this.” She waved a hand over the table. “You are a selfless lover, always taking care of my pleasure first. I might not have a lot of experience, but I know that’s uncommon for men.”
He didn’t know what to do with the compliment. Peter would have probably come up with some smart-ass banter, but Leon had nothing. “Let’s eat before it gets cold.” He spooned a big swirl of spaghetti and stuffed it in his mouth.
“Yeah. I’m starving.” Anastasia followed his lead and cut a piece of the lasagna.
For the next several minutes they ate in silence, and when both containers were empty, Leon pushed up to his feet. “I’m going to reheat another dish.”
Anastasia dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “I’m so stuffed that I can’t take another bite. It has been a long time since I’ve eaten anything so tasty. Your boss is a lucky man to have a cook like Okidu. And the guy is also his driver and his butler. Where did he find a treasure like that?”
How to answer that without lying?
“Okidu used to be Kian’s mother’s butler, and when Kian left home, Okidu went with him.” Leon pulled another container out of the freezer and put it in the microwave oven. “Would you like some coffee?”
“I’ll make it.” Anastasia took her plate to the sink. “You’re still eating.”
He handed her the coffee can. “So, what else did you tell your father about me?”
“I said that you were in special ops and traveled all over the world, and that you know a bazillion languages. He was very impressed by that, but even more so when I told him that you translated a conversation that I heard in my head that was in Hungarian. He asked if you or your parents were originally from Hungary, and he added that his grandfather on his mother’s side was Hungarian.”
Leaning against the counter, Leon crossed his arms over his chest. “Interesting. That adds credence to the family connection hypothesis. You might be hearing your relatives talking.”
Anastasia turned the coffeemaker on. “Then why do I hear just pieces of it?”
“Because you only hear them in the moments before falling asleep. That’s a very narrow window of opportunity, and you catch whoever is broadcasting at that moment. What I find even more puzzling is that you hear both people. If the family hypothesis is true, then you should be able to hear just the one you are related to.”
“I might never find out the answer to that.” One side of her mouth kicked up in a smile. “Frankly, I don’t feel a great need to discover who those people are and why I’m hearing them. But I’ll gladly have you translate more conversations for me, so I’ll have more proof to show my father that I’m not insane. Telling him about your translation was the most satisfying part of our talk.”
8
Anastasia
“What would you like to watch?” Leon stood in front of the big screen with a remote in hand, flipping through the selection of movies too fast for Ana to read the titles.
Not that she was making much of an effort.
Leon’s backside was too distracting. It was much more pleasant to stare at it than at the titles zooming through the screen.
>
“Anything?” He turned to look at her over his shoulder.
The cabin didn’t have a cable or internet connection, but it was equipped with a server containing thousands of movies, including the newest releases.
“Can you slow down a bit?” Ana leaned back on the couch. “It’s one big blur to me.”
“I’m sorry.” He sat down next to her and handed her the remote. “You can scroll at your own pace.”
“Thanks.” She put the coffee cup down. “What are you in the mood for? Something romantic, a thriller, a drama…”
He shrugged. “Whatever you choose is fine with me.”
The guy was too easy to please.
Not that she was complaining. After talking to her father and spending an hour in defensive mode, attempting to deflect his relentless attacks on her character and her choices in life and trying to convince him that she was perfectly sane, it was a pleasure to relax with Leon on the couch and just be herself.
Then his phone rang, and her chill mood evaporated in an instant.
Was it her father calling back?
“Who is it?” she asked when he glanced at the display.
“Safe Haven. It’s probably Peter.”
Her gut clenched with worry. “Did something happen?”
“We shall soon find out.” Leon took the call. “Hello.” He listened for a couple of seconds. “Yeah, she’s right here with me. I’ll put her on speaker.” He put the phone on his thigh. “Peter and Eleanor want to ask you a couple of questions.”
“What’s going on over there? Is everything all right?” she asked.
“Everything is fine,” Peter said. “No crises to report. How is the cabin?”
“It’s lovely.” Without an emergency, real or invented, they shouldn’t have been allowed to use the phone. “Where are you calling from?”
“The office. We snuck in.”
That explained it. “What did you want to ask me?”
