by Jill Cooper
Marcus’s face is a series of harsh angles. “So it’s true? You really can’t travel in time anymore? I thought it was something you played up for the press.”
“If I could, I would’ve used it last night.” I swallow hard. “Marcus, level with me. Can the TTPA really monitor when someone opens a time-travel wormhole? Or whatever they’re calling it these days to the media. Can they really stop it?”
Marcus wipes his mouth. “Absolutely. You’ve seen the room. The monitors and the technicians. Space is monitored just like a weather system rippling across the ocean. Thanks to your brain scans, we can see that ripple in a fraction of a second. Trace it to the source and dispatch who we need to to stop any infraction. But, truth be told, except for a few blips,” Marcus shrugs, “there haven’t been any. A few people tried, but never made it through.”
“Like slamming into a closed door.” I think about last night. How I had tried and failed to get through, so why hadn’t the TTPA come to me? “I’d like to see the recordings from last night, if I can.”
“Of course, of course. After our meeting this morning.” Marcus taps the folder laying in front of him, “Time to go over a few of these candidates before they arrive?”
“So, there are a few more than just me,” I smirk as he blusters and coughs into his fist. Reaching for the coffee butler in the center of the table, I shake my head. It’s going to be a long morning.
****
A few cups of coffee in my belly and my mind swirls into anxiety mode. As the other board members start to arrive, I stand. Although Mom’s license to perform time-travel experiments had been blocked by a court injunction, no one rivaled her knowledge of time travel. We greet each other with a hug. “Mom,” I eke out because it’s so good to see her. A girl always needs her mom, even if that girl is grown up and living in a penthouse suite overlooking the whole city.
“You okay, baby?” She pushes my hair back. “She was our friend; I’m so sorry you had to find her like that last night.”
“Me too, Mom.” There’s no time to elaborate as others rush into the room. The conversation will have to wait.
I turn to shake hands with a few other board members even though I would rather not have blown my mom off so fast. Merrill Thomas, Franklin Smith, and Tracy Morgan arrive one by one. All decent people who know more about running a business than time travel, and that’s okay. We strive for balance. Both ends of the spectrum must be level and they have my confidence, or at least they did when Delilah had been holding the reins.
When Jax enters the room, I breathe a sigh of relief to have him there. He’s my former step-dad and nothing has changed between us since the divorce. His blond hair is a little shorter than it used to be and the worry lines around his eyes are deeper. He grips my hand and I squeeze his forearm.
“Good to see you, kid,” he leans over to kiss my cheek and whispers, “We need to talk.”
A shiver runs up my spine. Another mystery, another secret? Jax infamously caused my father to rot in prison for a crime he hadn’t committed—for ten long years. I know he’d done what he had thought was right to protect me and my mom, but sometimes my bitterness over it rises to the surface. If he’s keeping a secret now, if he knows something about Delilah, I wish he’d just come out and tell me.
But maybe now isn’t the time. Or the place.
“After? Grab a cup of coffee?”
Jax affirms it with a nod. Everyone takes their seats and I return to mine.
Marcus clears his throat. “I know it’s early and short notice, but thank you everyone for attending. Delilah was the heart of this organization and until we find a permanent new director, we need to appoint someone to fill her very large shoes. My feeling, for now, is it should be someone in this room.”
I stiffen as he speaks, but I try not to let my reservations show. I cross my legs and grip my hands together under the table, giving him my full attention. But out of the corner of my eye, I catch a few things. Mom’s face had been slack, but now it’s brightened. Is she so ready to jump back into the time travel game that she would have me risk our family’s happiness? Franklin Smith stiffens. He doesn’t want the job—or doesn’t want to appear to want the job.
Both Tracy and Jax’s faces drop. Merrill smiles and sits up straighter. His arms lean onto the table. He doesn’t just want the job, he’s hungry for it. Had some sort of rift between him and Delilah led to her death?
I shouldn’t cast members of the board in my own personal whodunit, but what would the motivation to kill her have been, other than to assume power?
“My nominee doesn’t want the job, but she knows better than most the real consequences of time travel. How it can rip a life apart.” Marcus gestures to me and I suck in my breath. “Lara Montgomery.”
I glance over at Jax and Mom for help. Jax holds his hand up. “That might be the most reasonable thing you’ve said all year, Marcus.”
A light chortle waves through each member of the board, but my heart skips a beat. Jax thinks this is a good idea? It’s as if I’ve been slapped.
Mom’s eyes widen. “You support this?”
I’m glad someone has my back.
“How can you even think…” Mom holds up a finger and ticks off her points. “She’s in college, getting married, and after everything she’s been through, she needs a break.”
“Everything she’s been through…” Marcus stands and pushes his chair in. I know what’s coming. His closing argument is ready as he paces around the table, making eye contact with each board member in turn. He’s snowballed me, gotten me here for this very moment, and when his eyes fall on me, terror balls in my chest. I’d thought we were friends.
“Everything she’s been through has made her strong. Has showed her the errors of time travel, the dangers. It can’t be used lightly by anyone. Not the police. Not someone trying to get rich. Not someone trying to avert disaster. The fabric of space already shows signs of strain and how do you suggest we combat that? We need someone in that seat…” he points at me.
I never should’ve taken the seat at the head of the table.
“…who knows and loathes time travel as much as she does. The wrong person in that seat would game the system and would appoint a figurehead to do their bidding. We need Lara, in the interim, to steer this agency in the right direction. She’s the one to keep us on the straight and narrow.”
Comprehension clears the unsure faces. Feeling the change of heart, I gather my thoughts and glance at my mother. Her hand is over her mouth. Even she sees the choice is obvious. I want to beg her for a way out, but no matter what I decide to do, I need the board’s support. Weakness can’t be shown.
I must be strong.
Mom stretches her hand out to me and I squeeze it. “You can still walk away. Still say no, if that’s what you want. It’s up to you, Lara.”
“It’s nepotism,” Merrill says and rises to his feet, “that’s what this is. Plain and simple. Crane has always been Delilah’s pet project.”
My eyes narrow. “She was my friend and collaborator. I’m no one’s pet.”
“Sit back down, Merrill. Everyone understands where you’re coming from,” Marcus says. “We’ll take it to a vote.”
Mom opens her mouth to say something but I shake my head to warn her off. I don’t need her to fuel Merrill any further.
“The board will support you,” Franklin says, “If you choose to stay in that seat for now, I will give you whatever guidance you need.”
“We won’t let you fall,” Tracy nods.
Marcus puffs up his chest as I nod, but I can’t look him in the eye. Part of me doesn’t like how he’s grandstanded and given such a persuasive speech. Just like a politician, and I had thought we were above those tactics. “Then we’ll take it to an official vote.”
“Just a second,” a knock at the door stops the train barreling down the track. A man in a classy business suit enters and hands Marcus an official legal brief. “Delilah Chase named a
successor and filed it with the TTPA several months ago.”
Oh God, is it me? My stomach churns and sweat gathers on my brow. I wipe it away as Marcus’s face goes red. “This is preposterous! I’ve never heard of this individual!”
“It’s no lie, I assure you.”
That voice.
I grip the table and stand. The hairs on the back of my neck rise and my hands go clammy. The man who enters the room is young, with a strong bone structure, green eyes and wavy, black hair. His face has changed, but that British accent…the arrogance with which he speaks…
I’ll never forget that voice.
It’s Rex.
Chapter Seven
I had killed Uncle Rex six years ago, so how is he standing in front of me? He is dead, and I’d rolled all the timelines into one; it’s not possible for him to be alive. Or is it?
Plus, his face…it’s not the same. So how had he pulled that off? Plastic surgery? Something. I don’t know how he did it, but he is here, in the flesh. “Well,” he drones on, “you must be the Miss Montgomery that Delilah has spoken so highly of.” He offers me his hand. In friendship?
Never.
But the British accent is gone. Now he sounds as Bostonian as I do. There’s a slight twitch on his face as I leave him hanging. The tension in the room thickens as I stare him down.
Did I imagine it? Was the stress of it all just getting to me?
“I will vet you,” my jaw won’t relax, “personally.”
He smiles at me. “Oh, I wouldn’t have it any other way, Lara.”
The way he says my name makes my blood curdle. “And what was it you said your name was?”
“Cameron Kincaid. The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Montgomery. You’ll see that I own the controlling shares of stock in this company. My vote counts for more than all yours combined, and I vote for me.” He hands another legal brief over to Marcus and I hope to God it’s a lie.
A mistake.
This stranger can’t undo everything that Delilah had done.
Marcus fumes as he reads the pages of the legal brief. I hold out hope that he can do something about this that I can’t. “He now controls stock in the TTPA and…Delilah’s. Her will gave him everything.”
Merrill, Tracy, and Franklin start shouting all at once. More at each other than anything, but Merrill is the one who pushes his chair back from the table. “Delilah wouldn’t do that. She trusts me. I mean us. Mr. Kincaid, none of us have ever even heard of you.”
Cameron smiles. “I am something of an enigma, but I was a friend to Delilah. A good friend. You’ll find that everything is in order. Your lawyers will confirm that. Go ahead, let them go over every word of her will and our contracts. I have time.”
Despair hangs around me, but I can’t let it devour the group. My mom’s expression is withdrawn and Jax looks so far off, he might as well be in outer space. I guess I’m on my own.
“Then let me be the first to congratulate you.” I offer Cameron Kincaid my hand.
He pumps it briefly, but with a firm grasp. “My experience is in business, but Delilah trusted me. I know this is a tough time. Horrible, but I’d love to appoint you as my personal adviser, Lara. Together we can make sure the world is a safe place. For everyone.”
My spine tingles at the idea of spending any time alone with this man. Whoever he is, I don’t trust him. If he is Rex, then whatever game he is playing is just beginning.
“Good. Maybe we can grab breakfast tomorrow and I can pick your brain?” The way he smirks as he says it, makes my stomach roll over. I can’t even say anything as the color drains from my face.
If Marcus knows what I’m feeling, he doesn’t tip his hand. “Why don’t I show you around?” Marcus asks. “Delilah’s office is being combed over by the police right now, but I can get you setup in a temporary office for now.”
As Marcus leads him away, my strength returns, but just barely. “Oh yes,” Cameron says, “and I’d love a tour of the time travel monitoring room,” he laughs with his palms up, “I promise not to touch a thing.”
I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe what I suspect and I hope I’m wrong. Can this Cameron guy really be Rex?
Is he the one who had killed Delilah to grab control of the TTPA?
Mom and Jax stand. The way Jax shoves his hands into his pockets depicts his uneasiness. Mom puts her hand on my shoulder. “Did she ever mention him to you?”
My mouth dries. “No.” I need a glass of water badly. Vomit is making its way into my throat as it hits me that this might be my fault. Maybe this guy had been manipulating her and I didn’t know simply because I hadn’t been around. I’d pulled away from the TTPA because it represented the Rewind Agency and everything it stands for. Everything I hate.
Now look where we were.
“It’ll all work out,” Mom’s hopeful eyes widen into circular pools, “I’m sure of it.” She smiles tepidly at us and leaves to give us a moment.
Jax looks sheepish. If his dead brother is back somehow, I suspect he knows. I suppose that’s why he wants to talk. After all this time, hadn’t he learned his lesson about protecting his brother?
“I’ll take that coffee now, Jax.”
I think I’m prepared for what he’s about to tell me, but I’m not.
****
The walk to his office was short and silent. He pours us a cup of rich, dark coffee and the way he paces back and forth puts me on edge. It’s unlike him to be so nervous about something. Hell, he had kept the secret of my dad’s innocence to himself for ten years. Meanwhile, he had raised me, loved me as his own, and he had never batted an eyelash. He’s going to tell me something big and I don’t feel like sitting.
“You want to tell me what this is all about?”
Jax sips his coffee. Sliding behind his desk, he slips a key into the middle drawer. He pulls out a nondescript manila folder and slides it across the desk for me. “I didn’t want you to find out this way, but he….” Jax rolls his eyes up and sighs, “You need to know. It’s not my place, I know that, but if you’re left in the dark, I’m afraid you’ll make a horrible mistake.”
“I know he’s Rex. So, you can stop beating around the bush.” My cheeks flush with anger.
Jax’s face contorts with confusion. “What? Rex is dead, Lara. Are you feeling all right? You…he’s dead.”
“Then what are you…” I flip the manila folder open and my breath catches deep in my throat. It’s a surveillance photo taken outside the TTPA.
Donovan. Meeting with Delilah?
My face flushes and anger wells inside my chest. What is Jax trying to say? Does he think Donovan killed Delilah? “I don’t know what I’m looking at, but you’ve had Donovan under surveillance? Jax…” I take a deep breath and can’t go on. I need more support, not less, and I won’t have us Montgomerys fighting amongst ourselves.
Jax holds up his hand. “Pace yourself, please. Someone needed to do this and since I’m at the TTPA more than you, I hear things. I see things the others don’t. Lara, you must listen. With an open mind. Please.”
I don’t want my mind to be open to the possibility that Donovan is doing something he shouldn’t. That Jax can be so distrustful, that he’d allow suspicions to enter his brain, is extremely upsetting, but family is important to me. I won’t storm out on Jax even if he’s being deplorable. So, I cross my arms and struggle with my words. “Talk.”
Jax takes a deep breath. “If you flip through those records, you’ll see the data has holes in it. Dates and times where the time-travel monitoring system just…went offline. Was it just not working or did someone delete a spike here and there? Nobody knew, but there was talk. Delilah wasn’t perfect.”
My brow creases. “What’re you saying?”
“Two of these spikes,” Jax flips through the papers in the folder until he gets to a graph. He ticks off the empty spaces with a red pen. “Those spikes correlate to two of Don’s biggest investments. Big gambles that paid off. O
ne three years ago and that one? Just last winter.”
My mouth falls open. “You…Don isn’t a time traveler. He hates time travel. He wouldn’t do it.” I stand up and slam the folder shut. “I expected more from you, Jax.” My cheeks flame.
“Don isn’t a time traveler. Of course he isn’t, but someone is.”
I grab my purse. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Donovan could’ve met Delilah for any number of reasons. “This is crazy.”
“I know what happened last night in the office, Lara.” Jax places a rolled-up towel on the desk. The shape is long, like a cylinder. I know what it is before he even unwraps it.
The assassin’s electrical stick.
“I took it out before the police could find it, but why Lara? Why would you hide this from everyone? If someone is traveling in time and the TTPA can’t track it, we’re all in big trouble. Big trouble.”
Snatching the electrical baton off the desk, I cradle it in my hand. “You think Donovan killed Delilah?”
Jax frowns. “Of course I don’t, but I think he knows more. Ask him yourself. Find out who he bought that information from. I guarantee he didn’t become a millionaire overnight without some strings attached. Maybe he can tell you who murdered Delilah Chase.”
Our wedding is just weeks away. It can’t be true that our life is built on a lie, a time-traveling building block about to crumble. Donovan wouldn’t do that to me. I’ll get to the bottom of the truth, one way or another.
But if I come out and ask him and it isn’t true…I might be ruining the very trust that has saved me all these years.
Jax’s face twists into a deep scowl. “What was that you were saying about Rex?”
“Nothing.” I’m breathless and give a shake of my head. “Forget it. Just been a stressful day.”
“I don’t buy that, Lara. You were white as a sheet when you brought him up. You think he’s here, don’t you?”
“Jax…” I can’t convince him he’s wrong. I’ve seen that look in his eye enough times to know what it means. “Don’t ask me anything else, please. Just stick close to Mom. Keep your head down and let me figure this out.”
