by Grady, D. R.
Aleksi sent her a sardonic glance and to appease him, and because she adored him, she blew him a little kiss. He smiled lazily at her, and she wished their wedding day was here already. Except that before they could be married she had to return to America.
In the slyest move yet, Aleksi had arranged for them to marry ten weeks from now. That meant she had no more than six weeks in America. At least if she wanted to have two weeks before the wedding that is. She would need at least that. In the back of her mind, she was aiming for no more than three weeks. The thought of being away from him for six weeks was… unbearable.
The main problem would be selling her condo in that time-frame. Hmm. “Hey, Ben. Do you know anyone who is looking to buy a condo?”
He blinked before shifting conversations with her. “I think Julie mentioned needing a new place. Why?”
“I need to sell my condo, and I’d like to do it quickly.”
“Isn’t Bryan’s girlfriend a real estate agent?”
“Yes, she is. But she sells more on the west shore than our side of the river.” Tia resettled her napkin. “The sooner I sell the condo, the sooner I can return here.”
“Don’t you also have a work project to finish up?” Ben sounded skeptical.
“Yes, but we’re working on it here in Rurikstan.”
“How is that possible?” Derek asked.
“I had a colleague send me everything I needed. So we can perform the necessary tests here. We should be finished soon.”
“And that will enable you to?” Derek kept eating, like he didn’t get meals like this one very often. Beside her, Rex appeared to be enjoying the meal every bit as much.
“The toughest thing I have to do when I return to Hershey is pack and sell my condo.”
Ben frowned. “The Packers can have your place finished in a few hours.”
“Oh, I forgot about The Packers. Of course, they’re as near to professionals as anyone I could hire.” Tia sighed in relief. Of course, her mother and the aunts were exceptional at many things, but they really excelled at packing up their various family members’ belongings.
“The Packers?” Aleksi blinked.
Tia laughed. “They are a collection of our mothers,” she gestured to Ben and herself, “and some aunts who all get together and pack up the homes and apartments of family members.”
“They go in, pack it all up like a professional moving company, label everything, stack it up for the men—” Ben said.
Tia cut in. “And probably will have supper made and waiting for you in the fridge.”
“That’s what they did for KC.” [The Corpsman and the Nerd - Book 2 - The Morrison Family Series]
“And numerous other cousins and family members.” She and Ben smiled at each other, content to think about their mutual family. “I can’t imagine not being a part of the Morrison family.”
“Neither can I. Nor do I ever want to.” Ben’s tone was emphatic.
“Since I’m becoming a member, do you think they would perform this service for me?” Aleksi’s droll face was firmly in place.
She leaned forward and flicked that nose she loved so much. “Yes. But since your family hasn’t moved out of this palace in over five hundred years, I’m guessing you won’t need their help.”
“Eight hundred,” Aleksi corrected absently.
Everyone turned to stare at him in astonishment. “Your family has lived here for eight hundred years?”
Gracia stared at the ceiling. “No, it’s been nine hundred and thirty-seven years.”
“The original palace burnt down at least twice.” Aleksi glanced at his mother for confirmation.
“You’ve been here almost a thousand years?” Tia stared at her fiancé in utter shock.
“Not me, my ancestors of the House of de Leos.”
Tia waved that away. “Same thing.”
“We Americans have no concept of history,” Rex said after he swallowed a mouthful of the roasted chicken they were enjoying. “I have no idea where my great-grandparents lived.” Rex stared at Aleksi and Gracia in wonder.
Derek took a sip from his drinking goblet. “I have no idea who my great-grandparents were.”
“You don’t even know their names?” Ben paused in devouring the last of his chicken.
Derek shook his head.
Ben turned to her. “We’re lucky.”
“Yes, we are.” She enjoyed the shared family moment with Ben. At least they could trace their ancestors back several generations. She turned to Aleksi. “You know who all of your ancestors are, from over nine hundred years ago?”
“No, probably further back than that,” Gracia answered. “I can trace mine back at least twelve hundred years, but the House of de Leos probably goes further than that.”
When no one said anything, because the four Americans in the room were probably all reeling from shock, Aleksi smiled. “We’re a small, family principality. This nation has always kept very good records. There is a streak of recorders in our line.” He glanced at her. “That would be Emerson’s family in our generation.”
“So his family is part of the de Leos line?” She still didn’t know all that much about Aleksi’s history. It would take her lifetime just to learn all his ancestors.
“Yes. He’s my second cousin in my father’s line. And a second cousin in yours, right?” Aleksi turned to his mother.
She nodded. “Yes, his father and I are first cousins.”
“You’re double cousins with Emerson?”
“I’m double cousins with most of the royal families in Rurikstan.”
“Emerson is considered royalty?”
“Oh yes.” Gracia’s smile was as wicked as Tia guessed hers was. Now that the lead in Gracia’s system was nearly gone, she was proving to be a lot of fun.
“That offers so much ammunition.”
“Have we met Emerson yet?” Ben leaned back in his chair.
She exchanged knowing looks with Aleksi and Gracia. “If you have to ask, then no.”
“His wife has been away, so he seemed eager to spend some time with her today.” Aleksi managed that without so much as a smirk.
“You’ll probably meet him tomorrow.”
By that time, Hans wheeled in dessert, and their attention shifted from Emerson to the decadent richness before them. She understood. She feared gaining weight here. Her only saving grace was discovering the palace gym. Now she and Helena spent time there every day according to their schedules.
It worked to keep both of them motivated and she really did concentrate better if she worked out. Not that she was a sporty girl, and neither was Helena, but they managed. Actually, they had a great time making fun of each other’s efforts, and it kept them motivated, so that was all that mattered.
After dinner, she and Aleksi took the three visitors on a tour of the palace. It struck her odd that the men checked out things that most guests never noticed.
Usually the guests oohed and aahed over the priceless antiques and paintings. Or the other artwork scattered around like wares in a dollar store. These guys checked out windows and asked where doors went and wondered who had access to which parts of the palace.
“Please inform us if you have need of anything,” Aleksi told them.
Then when the men waved goodnight, he tugged her into a small living room. She didn’t demur and kissed him back with all the longing and angst that leaving him in two weeks was going to cause.
She decided, right as his lips descended again, that she needed to find someone to buy her condo. Spending more than three weeks in America wasn’t going to work.
Chapter 16
Later that evening in DuBois’s flat, Vlad reluctantly removed his lips from Helena’s. He couldn’t bring himself to step away from her though. He savored the feeling of her plastered tight against him. Taking the time to savor her feminine form against his was a nobrainer for the next few moments.
But he knew they couldn’t remain like that. With a silent sigh, h
e parted them.
“I have to leave,” he murmured, and because he couldn’t resist, bent his head to kiss her again.
“You’ve said that several times tonight.”
“I know, but it’s true.”
“Why?”
“I have a meeting. Since I called it, I should be there.”
Behind them, the strains of that first haunting composition died away. He stroked her face and after a final quick kiss, lifted his hand in goodbye to DuBois before he slipped out of the apartment. It didn’t take him long to descend the stairs and hit the street beyond. Ever aware of his surroundings, Vlad quickly merged with the shadows and moved with easy confidence through them.
Shadows were friendly to his sort. Most people feared them. Not him.
They had saved his life on more than one occasion. He was comfortable in them, but he didn’t heed their enticing call. There were some who whispered about the highly trained who lived their lives in the darkness because they weren’t comfortable in the light. Vlad had vowed early on in his career, in his teens, that he would never join them. Like others of his ilk, he used the shadows, but refused to join them.
They had a nasty habit of stealing a man’s humanity. He had other things he wished to do, and those things all required humanity.
He scanned his surroundings, sending his senses out into the night, assessing those nearby. One of his skills, one that he felt he must have been born with, was the ability to locate even the most still and silent. So far he had a perfect track record for locating people and animals who lingered close. No terrorist or drug dealer minion had been able to ambush them because he always located them first.
Right now, he located one individual. He sank deeper into the shadows and continued to flare his senses. With a final, careful sweep, he still detected only one person. Circling around, he stalked closer to the silently waiting man. Hiding his own presence with easy skill.
He suspected he knew exactly who waited for him in the shadows. One had to admire a man who could wait so silently, without fidgeting, the epitome of patience. If you had met him recently, you’d never believe this particular man was capable of this sort of patience.
Vlad hadn’t met him recently.
Since he had worked with him for years, he knew this man’s strengths and weaknesses as well as his own. When he was in position above him, he reassessed their surroundings, making certain no other creatures stirred, at least not the ones they needed to be concerned with.
Then he climbed higher than his silent, waiting companion. Once he hovered over him, Vlad let go, falling silently in the night, expecting the man to break his fall.
Derek Shively, who had worked with him just as long, must have been practicing too. Because with the same silent skill Vlad utilized, he shifted right so Vlad tumbled to the ground. Both of them had earned skills at falling, so Vlad doubted he even bruised when he hit the ground and rolled with easy grace.
“You’ve been practicing.” He rose and brushed himself off.
“Of course. You think Morrison allows any of us to grow lazy?”
“It would be a shame if you lost what little skill you have.”
Shively ignored his teasing. Instead, he headed toward the palace. One of this man’s skills was if you dropped him anywhere in the world, he could find home without modern technology or equipment of any sort. Didn’t matter where they were, what they were doing, or who they were with.
When Shively was along, they didn’t bother with GPS or maps. Even if Tigger didn’t look at a map before they were dropped, and that was unusual, he could still find his way out. Show him a map and he could bring that map up at will, years later. It was an impressive, and helpful, skill.
“So your little detector talent says we’re alone here?”
“Yep.” He sent his senses out into the night. “Group of five ahead.”
Shively nodded and then transformed into urban man out on the town. He joined the SEAL. They were just a couple of guys out and about, enjoying the nightlife.
By the time they hit the next street they blended in. Most people wouldn’t even remember them from the rest of the crowd. They moved through the young people like a knife through perfectly roasted beef. Since both of them were fairly tall and muscular, it wasn’t hard.
With Shively along, they took streets and shortcuts he remembered from his youth but probably wouldn’t have used now due to forgetting all about them. But Derek had the entire city mapped out and he knew every single street and alley.
“You’re a little scary.”
Shively grunted. “Yeah, and you aren’t Mr. Ultimate Warrior Man?”
His lips curled up. “So why were you waiting for me?”
“Because you called this meeting and you’re fourteen minutes late, loverboy.”
He nodded. “Did Morrison send you?”
His companion sent him a speaking look as they traversed a tiny alleyway only big enough for a pedestrian or bicycle. This was a shortcut he used often while in grammar school. It hadn’t changed all that much. Mrs. Brisbane’s pots of boxwoods and whatever flowers were in season was still a cheerful reminder of civilization. Mr. Hatchard’s back stoop still exited directly onto the alley and it contained the same rusty implements they hadn’t been able to name as youths.
He still couldn’t name any of them. They weren’t hoes and rakes like most people kept.
“What are those?”
“No clue.” He shook his head. “Been wondering that since our school days.”
Shively nodded.
They turned out of the tiny alley into a larger one, and came across Mr. McDaniels’s dog. The dog’s lip curled to reveal a lot of fang. He stopped and asked, “Chipper?” and the snarling stopped while the tail wagging began.
“There is no way this is the dog you remember.” Derek spoke with complete conviction.
“McDaniels always names his dogs Chipper. My guess is this is a grandson or great grandson of the dog I remember.” He ran his hands over the dog, determining this one wasn’t far into adulthood.
“You still remember all this stuff?”
He shrugged. “Sure. I’m sure if you walked the streets you grew up on, you’d also remember them.”
Derek shook his head. “Not likely. I didn’t have time to know anyone while I was growing up.”
“What?” He patted the dog a final time before they continued on.
“My dad moved us around a lot. We never stayed long enough for me to meet people. Besides, if I met them, it just made it harder when we left.”
His eyebrows rose. “You didn’t have friends in school?”
“No, it was easier not to get to know anyone.” Shively’s voice was laid back.
“You spent your entire early years not making friends?” He couldn’t imagine a life like that. Maybe he had felt isolated, but goodness knew he always had his brother and cousins. The lonely times came about because he knew he didn’t fit in with his own family.
“Not my entire childhood. I was eleven or twelve when my dad met a woman with a daughter. They fell in love and got married.”
“So you ended up with a stepsister?”
“I guess she is my stepsister, but I was so happy to have a bratty little sister, I just call her my sister. We could be twins, actually.”
“You look like your stepsister?”
“It’s amazing, but everyone thinks we’re full siblings.” Derek smiled into the night. “We feel like we are, so that’s all that matters.”
“I’ve got two sisters if you’d like more siblings.”
“I’ve got a perfectly fine sister now, I don’t need another one.”
“At least you don’t have four like Morrison.”
Shively laughed. “Yeah, it is kind of funny that he grew up with a lot of estrogen.”
“Have you ever met Janine, his biological sister?”
“Oh yeah. Janine is just like him.”
“How so?” He’d wondered about
her.
“Smart, fast, tall, and lean.”
“I heard she’s a secret operative.”
“Not her, her husband.”
“See, I didn’t hear she was married.”
“Remember Michael Lamont?”
He whistled. “Yeah, hard to forget him.” He remembered the silent, deadly man all too well. Lamont had pulled them out of a nasty situation with a carefully placed bomb and excellent timing.
Shively nodded. “He’s a legend.”
“Thought I heard Lamont met his maker.”
“He did. But his counterpart lives on.”
“Of course. How’s he taking retirement?”
“He gets to spend it with Janine, who is hot, amazing, scary as him, and an impressive surgeon.”
“Janine patched up Lamont and then married his alter ego?”
“Janine patched him up, killed him off quite expertly, covered his tracks, and dodged bombs and terrorists with him for a month or so before they got married.” [Shadows and Spice – Book 5 – The Morrison Family Series]
“She sounds just like Ben.”
“She is. Impressive, gorgeous woman.”
He sent Shively a look. “Had the hots for your commander’s sister?”
Shively sent him one of his own. “Yeah,” he answered in a duh voice.
“Maybe someday I’ll get to meet this amazing woman.”
“If you’re lucky.”
***
“You’re not going to cry now that he’s gone, right?” Beau asked with a lot of suspicion once she closed the door behind Vlad.
“No.”
“Right, let’s play this piece. Maybe it’ll keep your mind off things.”
She considered braining him with her guitar, but that would be a waste of an expensive, nearly perfect instrument. Instead she strapped it on and hoped this would help to keep her from feeling lonely and sad at Vlad’s leaving.
The man had a job to do. She understood that. She took her own job seriously. It was then she realized her work did bear national significance. Without the work she, Maria, Jorge, and Tia performed, their wells might sicken again, in turn sickening the people. They had lost too many in the last infection.
