“All indications say they are. But we can’t take any chances. We don’t know exactly how many there are these days. Maybe they left some members of the gang behind.” Brian looked unhappy. Jane realized he wasn’t used to having to consider that he might have been wrong.
“But how could they know it’s at the museum?” Tristram asked. “It was a shock to us.”
“Maybe they have a Finder, like you,” Drew said to Michael.
Michael shook his head. “I doubt it, or they wouldn’t have wanted me four years ago.” He raised a hand to quell protests. “I know. They could have acquired a Finder. But he’d have to know what the Cup looks like to Find it.”
“Maybe their research has been more successful than ours.” Brian didn’t realize the impact of his words but Jane saw Kemble shrivel a little with guilt.
“Kemble was on the trail, I’m sure of it,” Drew said. “The manuscript that said it had gone to France was stolen. I’ll leave you to guess by whom.”
“So we know how they found it.” Brian muttered. He rubbed his chin. “I should have asked you to Find the Clan, Michael. I must be losing it.” His unhappy expression mirrored Kemble’s.
“I’ve only seen one of them, Rhiannon. I could Find her. Doesn’t mean they’re together.”
“They’re Cloaking the Wand and the Sword,” Brian said grimly. “So Rhiannon is the best we can do.”
“Right.” Michael gave a short nod. The family watched as his eyes went unfocused. His breathing slowed and deepened. Soon he stopped blinking entirely. Those at the table held their breaths. Finally his head jerked and he hissed in a breath. He blinked several times rapidly then looked around the table. “She’s in Las Vegas. I can’t be more precise from this distance.”
“Damn.” Brian rubbed his jaw. “Either they left her behind or the whole Athens thing was a ruse.” Then he gathered himself. “But we have to try for the Cup. At least she’s not in L.A.”
Jane felt her eyes get bigger. This ramped up the danger tenfold for their plan.
Drew was looking pained. “I don’t think this whole thing is such a good idea.” She glanced to Michael. “What if somebody gets hurt?”
“What have you seen, Drew?” Brina asked. And of course Brina was right. That was the problem in a nutshell.
Jane was surprised when Brian held up a hand. “Don’t tell me, Drew. Not unless it specifically relates to this plan. Does it?”
“As usual, I don’t know what it relates to.” Drew’s voice was miserable.
“Then I don't want to know. We have to try to keep the Cup out of Morgan’s hands,” Brian said, his baritone almost vibrating with emotion. “Long term, the family’s survival depends on it. Probably a lot more depends on it than that. The world would not be a good place with Morgan’s powers and those of her Clan multiplied who knows how many times by owning all four Talismans.” He looked around the table. “We may pay a price for stopping that. We may not. And unless Drew’s vision is specifically and clearly about what we’re going to do here, it will only create doubt and fear we can’t afford.”
He leaned across Michael to take Drew’s elegant hand. “I know I’m asking you to bear a burden, honey.” Then words seemed to desert him.
“Doesn’t matter,” Drew said, her throat full. Then she gave a snort of laughter. “Everybody got useful power except me. I never know when what I see is taking place, or whether I’m misinterpreting the visions. I just feel so inept.”
“You’re not, honey,” Brian said. “Your vision confirmed that what we saw today was the Cup. We’re going ahead with the plan because that’s our burden. All of us.” He looked around the table. “No matter who goes and who stays, we all have a role to play.”
“I’m going. You always need me,” Brina said. Brian was about to protest when she added, “Because just in case whatever Drew is worried about does happen, you might need a Healer. Don’t even think you’re leaving me behind.”
“I think I’m your getaway plan, just in case the police arrive,” Keelan said. “I’ll rearrange things so no one can find us until we can get out of there.”
Brian opened his mouth then shut it. “Not a bad idea, Keelan.”
“Then you’ve got me too, whether you want me or not,” Devin said quietly. “So don’t even go there. Call it bodyguard duty or whatever you want. You’ve got mated pairs staying together, and I’m not letting Kee go into danger without me at her back.”
Brian nodded. “Tomorrow night. We can’t afford to wait. Three a.m., when the guards won’t be fresh any more. Kemble, you must have the system scheduled to shut down at 3:10.” He saw the look on Kemble’s face, just as Jane did. “It’s just hacking, son. You’re good at that.”
“Hey, I remember how you hacked the security code of the Britannica building in Chicago,” Tristram said. “Fucking marvelous, even if you are my brother.”
“Language, Tristram!” his mother reprimanded. “At the table?”
“I didn’t have time to hack the building’s security,” Kemble protested. “So I hacked the residents’ accounts until I found one who kept their password in their address book.”
Tristram chuckled. “You were clever enough to figure that out.”
“I have faith in you,” Brian said. “You've got more than twenty-four hours to work on it. I have email addresses for their execs, and the system specs they produced to get the contract. It wouldn’t reveal any sensitive information, but it might get you started.”
Jane saw Kemble straighten. He looked a little shocked at his father’s confidence. Jane couldn’t help her secret smile. That’s what Kemble needed, a little more of that. She’d always felt his father took him for granted. Maybe she’d been wrong.
“Michael, you’ve got military strategy and battle knowledge, so you and I are going to spend the day tomorrow with the plans to the museum, finding the best way in, alternate escape routes, that sort of thing.”
“I can help with that, Sir,” Edwards added. “You’ve got to let me do something.”
“You’re on. And we’ll need you and your boys to protect the house while we’re away.” He turned to Keelan. “If we get a contingent of police on the scene, Keelan hides us.”
“I’m thinking I’ll make everything appear as though we’re in a Dali painting. Though I have developed a fondness for M.C. Escher in situations like that,” Keelan responded. Jane could see that underneath her determined expression, she was very proud she might be of help.
“You’ve got all of tomorrow to figure it out.” Brian smiled at his middle daughter. Jane knew he’d always had a soft spot in his heart for Keelan.
“Tristram, can you drive?”
“I was born driving a car,” Tristram growled.
“Right then.” Brian stood. “Meeting adjourned. Let’s try to get some sleep.”
The whole table looked at him like he’d lost his mind.
“Well, do your best.”
“I’ve got a lot to do,” Kemble said. “Jane, do you mind if we stay here tonight? My setup at the Breakers has more power.”
“I think everyone should stay under this roof tonight,” Brina said. “Michael, you and Drew can take Drew’s old room. Tristram and Maggie can sleep down in the Bay of Pigs.” She cleared her throat. “I mean in the boys’ wing. Is Elaine watching Jessie tonight?”
“Elaine’s not down from school,” Maggie said. “Ernie said he’d put Jessie to bed and watch him.”
“Oh.” They all glanced to Mr. Nakamura, who had come out of nowhere to gather coffee cups. His hand was shaking. Did no one notice that?
“She decided to stay in Santa Barbara over break,” he murmured.
“At that age, they want nothing to do with you,” Brian said wryly. “At least she’s not tied down here, like Tamsen and Lanyon are.” He raised a brow to the two in question. “Must be hell not to be able to avoid your parents.”
Well, Jane was surprised again. Brian was growing positively self-aware.
<
br /> “You’re not so bad, Daddy.” Tamsen rose from her chair and placed a kiss on his forehead. She was the only Tremaine child who still called Brian “Daddy” on a regular basis.
“Don’t expect kisses from me,” Lanyon said gruffly. “But it could be worse.”
Brian chuckled. “Such effusion. I’m touched.”
The family broke up and headed their separate ways. Mr. Edwards and Mr. Nakamura disappeared. Kemble took Jane’s hand. “The honeymoon’s over, at least for a while,” he whispered. “Senior thinks I can do this. . . .” He frowned. That meant he didn’t think he could do it. She saw him square his shoulders. “In any case, I’m going to be burning the midnight oil, and probably working all tomorrow too.”
“I’m not so sex-starved I can’t wait a few days,” Jane whispered back.
Kemble made his mouth rueful. “Then you’re better off than I am. Maybe a quickie tomorrow morning, just to keep me going?”
Jane pursed her lips. “Incorrigible.” But she couldn’t help wanting to touch him. She laid her palm on his jaw. “I was so proud of you tonight.”
“I haven’t done it yet.” She saw the old look of worry creep into his eyes. “Knight is a first-rate shop.”
“But you will do it,” she said lightly. “Brian said so. And you know he’s never wrong. Now get going.”
Kemble looked around to make sure they were alone in the dining room, then pulled her in against his body and wrapped his arms around her. To her amazement, he was very erect. He leaned down and kissed her, long and slowly, until she actually felt a little gush between her legs. She’d never been kissed like that before that first night they’d made love. She didn’t even know kissing could feel like that. It was sort of like bonding down the inside of your body as well as the outside, so intimate, so genuine. You couldn’t fake that kind of kiss.
And that meant more to her than the kiss itself. Kemble really liked kissing her. That wasn’t the kiss you’d give a friend. It wasn’t “comfortable.” No, not comfortable at all. It might not be true love and Destiny, but maybe they could make it the start of something good.
“I wish I had time to do the job right,” Kemble muttered, letting her go. He took a deep breath. “Oh, well. Charge for the guns.” He shrugged and let her hand go slowly as he turned and made for his office.
Jane so wished he hadn’t quoted Tennyson’s poem, since only half of the Light Brigade made it back from their famous charge. A shudder ran down her spine. Jane, you idiot. There’s nothing to worry about. Even if they get caught, police don’t shoot you for burglary. They just bring out the handcuffs. No one is going to die. Maybe go to jail, but not die.
Unless the thieving party ran into the Clan.
She wouldn’t think about that. She just needed something to take her mind off this whole thing. And she was so useless. She glanced around, a little desperate. Through the archway into the kitchen, she saw Mr. Nakamura moving around, putting things away. The dishwasher door was open. He’d just put in the coffee cups. As she watched, he leaned both hands on the counter and hung his head.
She had never, in all her years at the Breakers, seen him do such a thing.
She strode into the kitchen and hovered behind him. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but she clasped her hands together. He was a reticent and private man. He wouldn’t appreciate the gesture.
“Mr. Nakamura, whatever is wrong?” she asked. “Can I help?”
He didn’t turn around, but he lifted his head. His shoulders drooped as he stood erect. “No, Jane. There’s nothing you can do.”
“Is it Elaine? Is something wrong?” She didn’t want him to just brush off her concern. Not if there was something she could do. And it occurred to her that she had more influence now than she’d ever had as plain Jane Butler. Now she could ask Kemble to fix whatever was wrong. Elaine had probably gotten into trouble. A DUI or something. It might seem the end of the world to Mr. Nakamura, but these things happened when you were in college. “You know the family would do anything for you.”
Mr. Nakamura went still. He didn’t even seem to be breathing. “I know,” he finally said, his voice so quiet Jane could hardly hear him.
“It is Elaine,” Jane declared. What else could upset Mr. Nakamura so? He was a devoted father. And a fine job he’d done. Elaine was wonderful.
“She’ll be fine,” he said, as though from far away.
But he didn’t sound like he believed it. “Anything at all we can do to help?” she asked.
“No,” he said. “It’s what I have to do.”
That sounded so final.
Mr. Nakamura turned slowly around. “I’ll be fine, Jane. Now, I’m going to bed.”
“Well, if you’re sure there’s nothing. . . .”
“Yes. There is nothing.” That was all he said.
He left Jane standing in the kitchen, feeling helpless. Maybe tomorrow she’d be able to pry specifics out of him and make a plan. But he wasn’t going to let her do that right now.
She took a big breath and let it out. Then she looked around the kitchen. With all the tension and fear likely to be floating around in the house in the next twenty-four hours, she’d better start making some food. A cake for starters, and some dips to go with veggies for the women and chips for the men. It was a little known fact that you couldn’t be afraid while you were eating. And didn’t that explain a lot about the crisis of obesity in the developed world?
She started for the pantry.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Kemble walked into his office at the Breakers with fear in his heart. Why on earth did his father think he could hack Knight, Inc.’s security system? Senior hired them because they were the best in the business. And that meant not getting hacked.
Maybe Senior didn’t hold out much hope but was just trying to encourage his oldest to make the effort. Still, the whole plan seemed to hang on him. Maggie might be able to Calm the guards, but she couldn’t take out the security long enough for them to get in and get out.
He stared at his array of computer monitors, the various humming boxes, the keyboard, like they were the controls of an alien spaceship and he had no idea how they worked. Jesus H. Christ. Senior had better have a backup plan. Kemble had about a 99.9% chance of coming up short on this one. Maybe Tristram could just melt the onsite hardware.
Which would set off alarms and bring Knight and the cops down on their heads. Michael’s Finding wasn’t useful. They already knew where the Talisman was. Drew seeing the future, ditto. What did she see that frightened her?
Concentrate, he told himself. Can’t you focus even for a second?
There wasn’t any power in the family that could do what had to be done with the security system. No way around it. It had to be him.
He sat down at the keyboard. What a disaster. He was a decent hacker. Well, more than decent. He did odd jobs for the family, like tracking Tristram when his little brother didn’t want to be found that year he took to the road trying to escape his destiny. Breaking into the Britannica building in Chicago was only a stupid pet trick, really. He hadn’t found the Cup when it was in the damned exhibit at their own museum.
Okay, okay. Time to quiet the demons. He took a deep breath and let it out. Let’s start with a website survey and check out their emails. Got to find a way in.
*****
“I’ve got to tell somebody, Michael.” Drew paced the bedroom that had been hers growing up. It still had the indigo satin bedspread with the moons and stars on it. “I can’t just let them all go off and do something dangerous like breaking into the museum without letting them know what I’ve seen.”
Michael came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. Drew got distracted for a moment by the torso ribbed with muscle, the bulge of biceps as he toweled his wet hair, the flex of those hard thighs. God, but the man was hot. He always pooh-poohed his physique, saying he was over forty now, practically decrepit. Drew knew from personal experience that wasn’t true.
“Know what, baby?” he said, tossing the towel over a chair and running his fingers through his wet hair to smooth it. “That’s just the problem. You don’t know when the hospital bed happens, or the funeral, whether they’re connected, or who’s in trouble. Your father’s right. Why worry the family over something that may not be about this little expedition at all? You said Brina looked old in that one at the hospital.” He came and put his arms around her. Once she would have protested that he was crushing her dress. Those days were gone. She tried to breathe. It was always hard to breathe around a semi-naked Michael. His chest hair was still slightly damp against the red satin over her breasts. He smelled like soap and the coconut shampoo they shared. He’d always liked that scent on her, and frankly, she’d grown to like it on him too. It reminded her of those days in the Keys when she was falling in love with him. They seemed idyllic now, as difficult as they were at the time.
“And I can’t even go with them,” she murmured, nuzzling his neck.
“Just as well.” Michael squeezed her against his body.
“Why? I want to help.”
He pulled away for a moment and put a light kiss on her forehead. “Since Tammy and Lanyon have to stay here, I feel better knowing Kemble and Jane, and you and I, will be with them. And don’t forget Jesse. Tris and Maggie need to know his godparents are on the job.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. Now I can worry that there will be an attack here while the family is split.” Was Michael saying he was worried Tris and Maggie would be killed? Or the Parents? The thought made her want to vomit.
“No. You can’t worry about that.” Michael kissed her nose and started making his way around to her ear. The touch of his tongue sent shivers down her spine.
“Mmmmmm. You have a way of distracting me,” she murmured into his damp skin. Thank God for that.
“Want to get in the shower?” He kissed her bare shoulder above the red dress.
“You just had a shower.” His breath on her shoulder was hot.
Night Magic Page 22
