“I think you better call him,” Dorian advised.
“Wait, what did I miss?” Candace demanded. “Someone fill me in.”
Rys gestured for Anne to do the honors, before heading into the hallway to make his call. For Dorian’s sake, Rys picked up an actual phone. It rang three times before being picked up. “Hello?”
“Arystair, I was just going to call you. How are you?” Jeremy sounded exhausted, as if he had been up all night.
“I’m fine,” Rys assured him. “I’m just calling for an update.”
“Brandon is being dispatched to a military academy. I called in a favor with the Dean, and he’s going to pick up Brandon late this afternoon. I already supplied him with a copy of your video, so he would understand the kind of issues he will be dealing with. If you could stay at Anne’s house for the rest of the day, I think that would be best.”
“Understood.” Even though none of this was Rys’s doing, he still felt guilty. “I am very sorry, sir.”
“Don’t be sorry, Arystair. I think this was inevitable; it just took a while to reach the boiling point. Could you hold on a minute?” There was a murmur in the background and a distinct sigh. “Ashley and Dylan are both pretty upset about this. Do you think Anne would mind if they visited you for a while? I think they’re half-convinced Brandon did something to you last night, and we are trying to keep it from them. Only seeing you in person will put their minds at ease, neither one of them trusts Brandon.”
“I think that would be alright,” Rys replied, “but let me check.” He put his hand over the mouth piece of the phone and stuck his head around the doorway so that he could look at Anne. “Would you mind if Ashley and Dylan come over? They’re parents are very anxious to prove that Brandon didn’t injure me last night. They won’t believe them, until they see me for themselves.”
“I don’t mind,” Anne assured him. “Dad, would that be alright with you?”
“I assume Ashley and Dylan are Admiral Bloch’s children?”
“Yes, sir.”
Dorian gave a weary nod. “That’s fine. I’ll be in a coma anyway.”
Rys lifted his hand off the phone. “That’s fine, Jeremy.”
“Good, good. Expect them shortly.”
***
Shortly was an understatement. It was a bare ten minutes later when Sara showed up with Dylan and Ashley. She must have hit every traffic light green on the way over. Rys was scarcely able to get the door open before Ashley grabbed him around the waist, as if her life depended on it. Dylan, shorter than his sister, settled for wrapping his arms tightly around Rys’s thigh.
Rys was rocked back by their eager assault. He was slightly off balance, but instinctively put his arms around both of them in return. “Whoa, what is this? Ashley, Dylan, at ease!”
“We s-saw B-brandon take D-dad’s p-p-pistol last night,” Dylan choked out against his leg. “But we d-didn’t know he’d u-use it on y-you!”
Uh-oh. Things are becoming clearer. Rys bent his head so that he could speak closer to their ears. “Listen to me, both of you. Brandon didn’t actually fire that pistol last night.” They both went still, faces lifting gratefully to his. “Do you understand me? I’m not hurt.”
“Really?” Dylan sniffed, with a glimmer of hope spreading over his small face.
I am detecting a pattern with this. “Really,” Rys assured him, gently rubbing his back. “Do you really believe that Anne would let me walk around if I’d been shot?”
Ashley gave Anne a grave appraising stare. “No, probably not.”
“Definitely not,” Anne assured her firmly.
Rys gave them one last squeeze, holding them close for reassurance, and then let go.
“But why did he want to shoot you?” Ashley was silently pleading with her eyes for an answer, something to make sense of all of this.
Rys hesitated, looking at her, not knowing how to respond to that. His eyes went to Sara, wondering how much she had told the children already.
“I only told them the basics about last night,” Sara responded quietly to his unvoiced question. “They know what happened, but not the reasons behind it.”
That left the explanation squarely in Rys’s court. Nuts! Just exactly how do I respond to that? Do I dare paint their brother as a monster? Do I try to gloss this over?
“It’s because Brandon was jealous,” Anne answered. Her eyes were locked with Ashley’s, jaw set firmly. “You know your brother better than I do, Ashley. You know that he couldn’t measure up to Rys — that he wouldn’t even try. Being constantly compared to Rys drove him half-mad with jealousy. That’s why he tried to hurt him.”
Ashley nodded, not surprised, just acknowledging the truth of Anne’s words. “I thought so.”
“Well, I am glad he’s leaving,” Dylan announced, with true malice in his voice.
Sara made a choking sound in the back of her throat, as if she had just preempted a protest to her son’s words. All things considered, she couldn’t deny that Dylan’s attitude wasn’t well deserved.
“But why did you have to leave us?” Dylan was frowning now, as if this thought had just occurred to him.
Well, your father was afraid that after he was done with Brandon, I might actually get shot was not the answer Rys intended to pass along to these two. Fortunately, Anne rode to his rescue again.
“That was my doing,” she admitted without a qualm. “After what almost happened, I didn’t want Rys anywhere near Brandon.”
“Good thinking,” Ashley seconded fiercely.
In Rys’s opinion, it was well past time to change the subject. “So, while you two are here, do you want to go swimming? The Dorian’s have a pool in their backyard.”
They perked up instantly. “Mom, can we?” Dylan pleaded.
“You can run home and get our swimsuits,” Ashley added. Her patented pleading gaze would put any dog to shame.
“Apparently I can,” their mother sighed with a wry smile. You could tell Sara was exhausted, but glad that her two youngest children were getting some much needed time with their new big brother. “Well, I guess I’ll be right back. Rys, they’re pretty good swimmers, just don’t let Dylan dive off the deep end without keeping an eye on him.”
“Okay,” Rys agreed easily.
***
Maybe I shouldn’t have suggested this…
Sara had brought Rys’s swimming trunks as well, and handed them over with a pointed look. This was not the wetsuit he had worn previously, but the typical swimming trunks that any male would wear.
Rys knew what she meant by it — stop hiding.
That was easier said than done.
He had to take a few moments and screw up his courage before changing into them. As soon as he was changed, he caught a glimpse in the bathroom mirror of his chest…and winced. Guardians. I never pay attention to what I really look like! No wonder Sara and Anne reacted so badly. Maybe it would be best for everyone if I didn’t go swimming today…
The thought had no sooner crossed his mind then there came an ominous knock on the bathroom door. “Rys, you ready?”
How was it that Anne always seemed to appear just as he was vacillating in indecision? “Perhaps…”
“Stop stalling!” she ordered, the solid wood barely muting her voice.
Even though he couldn’t see her, he still glanced uneasily at the door. “How did you know?” he demanded in astonishment.
“I know that tone,” she answered dryly. “Now get out here. The kids are waiting on you.”
I’ve faced enemy soldiers, battleships under short interval salvos, and sergeants on the warpath looking for a pound of my flesh. Surely I can face two kids. On second thought, hiding in the bathroom was proving to be an attractive an option.
“Rys,” his name was barked out in a clipped warning tone. “Don’t make me break this door down.”
He snorted in laughter at the mental image of her taking a fire axe to the door. “Somehow, I doubt you can do that
.”
“I can call Gremlin, Erksome, and Snails just as well as you can. I am fairly certain they would be happy to do me a favor!”
Nuts! She had him there. Rather than face the embarrassment of being physically extracted from a locked bathroom by his Lieutenants, Rys unlocked the door. It was with soul wrenching reluctance that his hand obeyed his brain, and actually released the lock on the knob, and opened the door.
Anne had her arms crossed over her chest, an expression of rapidly dissipating patience etched into every line of her face. “I was right. You are body shy.”
There was a towel on the counter behind him. Why hadn’t he thought to put that towel around his neck, at least, before he opened the door? “Anne, consider your first reaction when you saw me bare-chested. Surely you can see why I am more than a little reluctant to expose my skin, especially with the younger kids looking on.”
“You have nothing to be ashamed of,” she replied firmly. “Now, march! We’re swimming. You need to relax.”
She didn’t give him any chance to waffle or duck back into hiding. Anne just appropriated his hand and towed him outside, like a derelict shuttle. As soon as the pool was in sight, Rys was hit with a flash of inspiration — water would distort or obscure sight, correct?
He pulled free of Anne’s hand and jumped into the water, shivering as cool water enveloped his skin. He surfaced, slicking water and hair back from his forehead with a casual motion, as he looked around for the kids. Ashley was already in the water, her hands fastened firmly around a purple floaty. Dylan threw himself off the edge, near the shallow end of the pool. As Rys watched, he tucked his knees tightly to his chest, creating a respectable splash as he hit the water.
The kid made a tantalizing and irresistible target. Rys felt a wicked impulse overcome him and he kicked off, in full stealth mode, completely submerging under the water. Time to play! He kept his left eye closed to protect it from the chlorine, his right eye opened, tracking Dylan.
There he was, dead ahead. Rys couldn’t laugh manically under water, but he grinned in jubilant anticipation. With powerful even kicks, he closed in behind the boy. As soon as he was within range, he grabbed both ankles and yanked.
Dylan flailed in surprise as he went under, and spluttered indignantly as his head broke the surface again. “Rys!” he wailed in protest. “That wasn’t fair!”
Rys just laughed, already planning his next target. “Want to help me ambush Ashley?’’
His injured expression evaporated instantly. “Yeah!”
Interesting, so it’s only unfair if it happens to you? Ah, the uncomplicated logic of children. They both ducked under the surface of the water and swam silently toward their unsuspecting prey.
She must have either sensed the danger, or seen them coming. Whichever it was, she was swimming hard for the pool’s edge when they caught up with her. Rys had to kick off from the bottom in order to get enough momentum to grab her around the waist, before she could slip out of their trap.
Ashley squealed, a sound escaping her lungs that was an odd mixture of outrage and agitated glee. Her grip on the deck tile wasn’t firm enough to save her, and she fell backwards with Rys into the water, producing an impressive splash.
Dylan immediately jumped in and started tickling his sister’s sides.
“Boys, it’s not fair to gang up two against one!” Anne called from the sidelines.
“Whatcha gonna do about it?” Dylan challenged with a naive cocky smirk.
Rys knew better than to challenge Anne. This was not a woman that was even aware that backing down was an option in the play book. He wasn’t in the least surprised when she dove in next to them, taking Dylan out like a passing torpedo as she went by at flank speed. Ashley seemed to think he would be sufficiently distracted by Dylan’s untimely departure, and made her bid for freedom. Rys took great delight in securing his prisoner, and picked up on the tickling Dylan had started. She shrieked and wriggled frantically, soon becoming breathless.
“That looks like fun,” a smooth tenor noted, voicing his approval. Rys looked up to find Gremlin watching them with amusement. “Who declared war on whom, what are the stakes, and whose side am I on?”
“It’s pretty much a free for all,” Rys confided.
“Gremlin, help me!” Ashley pleaded. “I can’t get loose!”
Gremlin shook his head in mock-sympathy. “Sorry, Ashley, but I never could spar with the Captain and survive. Besides, I’m not dressed appropriately for the pool,” noting Rys’s up-dated swimming apparel. “But I can offer you a reprieve in the form of a distraction; I need to talk to him for a few minutes.”
Rys knew that look. He was in trouble, bad trouble. Nuts! Who told them about last night? It could be any number of people; this information was probably public domain by now. Knowing that his fate was sealed, he reluctantly relinquished the hold on his victim, and climbed out of the pool.
Gremlin inclined his head toward the patio chairs, a safe distance away, ensuring they would have the necessary privacy for what he had in mind. Feet leaden with reluctance, Rys trailed after him. Gremlin waited until they were both seated, spearing his Captain with a look that could freeze metal at the molecular level. “Why didn’t you call us?”
Rys groaned, rubbing his temples with his fingertips, knowing a headache was a foregone conclusion. “As I pointed out to Anne last night, no one would have been able to get there fast enough to make a bit of difference.”
Gremlin’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Knowing Anne…she’s already thoroughly raked you over the coals for this, hasn’t she?”
“That would be a charitable description. The woman could make Sergeant Barrett scream for mercy!” Rys acknowledged with a wince, remembering the verbal beating he had endured.
“I knew I liked her for a reason. And I hope you now understand just how much value your life has to us?” Gremlin was giving him a pointed stare.
Rys’s eyes gravitated to the beautiful woman in the pool, her blonde hair swirling around her in the water like some fanciful dance partner. With the sunlight playing over her like that, she looked more like a mythical creature in a childhood fable, too ethereal to ever be touched by mere mortal hands. “I know it now,” he whispered. When he finally tore his eyes away from her and looked back at his Lieutenant, he was surprised to find him smiling. “What?”
“She’s definitely better for you than that shrink,” Gremlin noted, his face practically caving in from his expansive grin. “You will listen to anyone, out of politeness if nothing else, but for some reason when Anne says it, it actually penetrates your thick skull. You put more stock in her opinion than anyone else I can think of.”
Rys opened his mouth to automatically protest this…and froze when he realized he couldn’t. “Huh.”
“Yeah, like I thought.” Shaking his head in amusement, Gremlin stood, stretching his arms over his head. “Well, I have an instructional dance formation to attend. I want to be sure I uphold the honor of the 01 at this soiree. You better go rescue Dylan — I think the poor kid has been outmaneuvered.”
Chapter Fifteen
Rys sat on the top of the building with the rest of his team and looked out at their target. Rennick Distributing Ltd. didn’t look like a Novan analyst drop. In fact, on the surface, it didn’t look like anything more than the average distributing center. The building stood three stories tall, with a basement, back delivery dock and employee entrance. The front of the building had an executive entrance with a card lock. With Rys’s optical eye, he could zoom in and see that there were security cameras on every corner of the building that were aimed at the parking lot. Whoever set up the system knew what they were doing—all angles were covered.
In the dying light of sunset, Rys saw two security guards, one on either side of the building doing a patrol. Other than that, there was no real activity in the area. Even the construction site next door sat silent and still. Considering they were surrounded on all sides by office buildin
gs and warehouses, this lack of civilian traffic didn’t come as a surprise.
He turned slightly to catch Gremlin’s eye. “Talk to me, Gremlin. What’s the inside security of that building like?”
“Most of their systems are hardwired instead of wireless,” Gremlin responded with a sour look on his face. “I hate hardwired systems —”
“Because they’re impossible to remotely hack, I know,” Rys completed with forced patience. He’d heard the rant before. Many, many times before. “So you’ll have to get inside before you really know what’s happening. That part I got. What do you know from the intel you have been able to hack?”
“They’re taking their front as a legitimate business very seriously.” Gremlin called up a mental file and shot it Rys’s direction. Not waiting for it to be read, he continued, “As you can see, it has a full board of shareholders. Everyone’s legitimate, as far as I can tell from a quick search. The building has what every other distribution company would have—a complement of five guards, security cameras covering the inside and the front lobby, and a basic fire alarm security.”
Rys’s mind froze in the middle of adding up all of these facts. He could feel his plans for doing only an initial recon tonight start to crumble. “That’s it?”
“That’s it,” Gremlin confirmed with an unconcerned shrug. “I’d lay odds that the office that actually has the intel we’re looking for has some pretty impressive safeguards on it, but the building itself is going to be a cakewalk to get into.”
From Rys’s left side, Snails leaned in slightly for a closer look at his captain’s face. “Sir…I know that look. You’re thinking about going in tonight, aren’t you?”
Rys shot him a quick, slightly mischievous smile. “I think we can do it.”
“Sir!” Erksome protested. “We’re in civvies!”
“Which is part of the reason why this can work,” Rys assured him, still eyeing the area in front of him with a speculative gleam.
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