All the Wounds in Shadow

by Anise Eden

  Ben rubbed his jaw. “I think most research into paranormal gifts has the potential to cut both ways. There have always been powerful groups interested in how those gifts could be used for spying, interrogation, or worse. And while I don’t know where Skeet stands on any of that, I’m sure that to be the head of the Paranormal Division at NIMH, you have to have a certain amount of moral flexibility, or at least a tolerance for it. If you don’t trust him completely, maybe it’s because you were picking up on some of that.”

  “Oh God!” I slammed my fist into the mattress. “So he could be as bad as Anglerfish!”

  “No, come on, Cate. You were there; you saw that he was just as horrified as the rest of us by what Anglerfish intended to do with Braz’s work.” Ben took my hands in his. “Look, I think it’s safe to say that you and I are on the conservative end of an ethical continuum. It’s possible that Skeet is a bit further down that continuum that we are, but that doesn’t mean he’s anywhere close to Anglerfish. If he were, I can tell you for certain that my mother would have cut ties with him years ago.”

  “I guess that’s true.” That thought was somewhat comforting. I suddenly realized that I was clenching my hands again, and my fingernails were digging into Ben’s palms. I took a deep breath and ordered myself to relax. “Do you think it’s okay for me to talk to your mom about all of this?”

  Ben raised my hands to his mouth and kissed each of them in turn. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to tell you exactly what she thinks. You know she won’t pull any punches.”

  He had a point. Dr. MacGregor was famously blunt. “Okay. I wanted to talk to her anyway, about the whole kheir thing.”

  “Great idea.” Ben glanced at the clock. “Right now, though, Skeet wants to take us out for a thank-you lunch—the whole group of us, Yankee Company and all. At a nice restaurant, I’m told. My mother will be joining us as well. Maybe the two of you could set up a time to talk. If you’d rather go straight home, I understand completely. But if there’s any chance you’d be willing to accompany me….” One of his eyebrows rose like a question mark.

  Having talked through some of my concerns about Skeet, I was feeling a little better equipped to face the outside world. And Ben’s second mention of the word “lunch” elicited a loud grumble of protest from my stomach. Although Yankee Company had better food than I had expected, I was longing for a really good meal. It also occurred to me that it might be rude and unprofessional to decline, especially with Dr. MacGregor coming.

  However, I hadn’t packed any clothes suitable for a nice restaurant, especially not D.C.-style. I knew Ben might think it was silly concern, but I decided to raise it in the event that it got me out of going. “I don’t have anything to wear.”

  His smile held a hint of victory, as though he had known he’d be able to convince me. “It’s taken care of. Vani and Kai said they didn’t have anything to wear either, so the three of you are going shopping. We’ll meet you at the restaurant.”

  I knew he was lying about Vani and Kai not having anything to wear, since they both had been quite nicely dressed for our entire stay. However, my body was practically clawing to get out of the clothes I’d been wearing through the whole ordeal. I wanted to say yes, but it had been quite some time since I’d been in a large crowd of people, and the idea was somewhat intimidating. “Honestly, I’m just not sure I have the emotional energy to go shopping.”

  “Don’t worry. Vani has it all arranged, some kind of private shopper thing at Saks. And since it’s a work-related event, all expenses will be paid by the MacGregor Group. Apparently you three will get your own room, and they’ll bring the clothes to you. You won’t have to mix with the unwashed masses.”

  I gave him the most reproachful look I could muster. However, private shopping did sound like something I could manage—even if it also sounded totally bizarre compared to my usual bargain rack hunt. “Well, okay. Since Vani went to all of the trouble of arranging it….”

  “Excellent! I’ll go get her.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The limo ride to the restaurant after our private shopping session made me feel like we were on our way to prom. Vani looked regal in a fitted shift of turquoise-and-silver brocade. Kai was resplendent in an asymmetrical silk color-block dress that dramatized his angular frame. I definitely felt a little down-market in my outfit, particularly because they were both wearing five-inch Jimmy Choos, and I had opted for two-inch, no-name slingbacks. But I was determined to be comfortable, goddammit—and also not to fall over sideways like a felled tree as soon as I tried to take a step.

  I tried to keep my head from leaning against the window or the seat, since my visit to Saks’s onsite “blowout bar” had created big, gently swinging curls that I was afraid of crushing. Vani and Kai had embraced the whole makeup treatment, including having foundation air-brushed onto their faces like a coat of paint on a car. True, they looked fabulous, and I was sure that their makeup would remain in place through the apocalypse if necessary. But I had managed to prevent the makeup artist from doing anything that might make me feel like a cake being iced.

  I had to admit that it was a pleasure to feel like the most attractive version of myself possible after having spent so many days in such a grim atmosphere where the only thing about me that seemed to matter was my utility to the mission. And although it wasn’t as fancy as the other dresses, I really liked the plum-colored wrap dress I’d chosen. It was comfortable, flattering, and hadn’t cost a fortune.

  Vani and Kai had each accepted some fine jewelry pieces from Saks on loan, but I opted out. I was certain that if I borrowed something, it would get lost or broken. I’d forced the personal shopper to take me to the costume jewelry section, where she practically held her nose as I chose a pair of understated silver earrings that I thought went nicely with my protective pendant.

  The conversation consisted almost entirely of Kai and Vani admiring each other. Since we finally had cell phone reception again, I took the opportunity to text Simone that things had gone well on my “getaway” with Ben and that I’d be home the next day—and then spent the next several minutes dodging her questions about exactly how well the getaway had gone. Eventually I managed to satisfy her with promises that I’d tell her more about it when I saw her in person.

  When I put my phone away, Vani said, “That was a long text. Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, just checking in with a friend,” I said with a smile. “So, does anybody know where we’re going?”

  Kai said, “I’m not sure, but I think we’re in Capitol Hill.”

  “I hope they have steak,” I murmured, and my stomach growled loudly in agreement.

  “Not a chance,” Vani scolded. “You’re vegetarian for another week at least. Program rules. Or had you forgotten?”

  I turned and stared out the window. I’d come out of paralysis for him; the least Ben could do was give me was a nice steak—even if it did “muck up” my aura, as Vani claimed it would.

  Vani and Kai shared a conspiratorial glance, then Kai turned to me and said in a low voice, “So, are you going to tell us how Ben un-paralyzed you? Because he is being ridiculously tight-lipped.”

  Thank God, I thought, sending a silent pulse of gratitude to Ben, wherever he was.

  “Yeah,” Vani said, “he told us that if we wanted to know, it was up to you whether you wanted to tell us.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “Nothing personal, but not in a million years.”

  Vani blinked innocently. “Not even for science?”

  I rolled my eyes, but fortunately I was spared having to reply. We had reached our destination. Kai was right; we were in Capitol Hill, and right near the White House by the looks of things.

  The limo driver let us off in front of the elegant entrance to a restaurant called The Oval Room. As we entered, the maître d’ seemed to recognize Kai. “You are here for the private party?”

  Kai nodded. The maître d’ said, “You’re in the Blue Room. Follow m
e.”

  I eyed Kai nervously. “Good grief,” I whispered as we weaved through a short maze of hallways. “All of this playing dress-up, and now we’re a private party? How fancy is this lunch?”

  He exchanged a smile with Vani. “Relax,” he murmured. “If you can’t figure out which fork to use, just watch me.”

  “Fine,” I grumbled, silently cursing Skeet for taking us somewhere so upscale that I knew I would feel out of my element—and cursing Ben for having gone along with the plan.

  The maître d’ opened a set of double doors and waved us in. “Your party is waiting.”

  Kai gestured for me to step in first. It did appear as though everyone from the subbasement was there, and all together in one room, we were quite a sizeable group. There were huge flower arrangements as centerpieces, and all of the chairs and tables were draped in blue and green silks. Ben came to greet me, looking impossibly delicious in a dark blue suit and a white shirt with a mandarin collar. His collar was held closed by a black pin, which I guessed was the closest he would ever get to wearing a tie.

  Ben also smelled so damn good that I wanted to grab him by the hand and run out of the restaurant and down the street to the nearest hotel. But the gold flecks in his eyes were glowing with mischief, and I could tell that he had something else planned. His pupils dilated slightly as his gaze traveled from my blown-out hair down to my shoes and back. “You look beautiful,” he murmured as he took my hand and tucked it into his elbow, then turned us around to face the room.

  Skeet walked over from where he had been standing nearby, his face alight. “Here she is, everyone!” He announced to the room. “Our MVP!”

  A few seconds later, everyone had turned towards us and broken into applause.

  “Your what?” I whispered to Skeet.

  “Most valuable player! Don’t be embarrassed,” Skeet murmured, then again turned to the others. “As you know, this luncheon is to celebrate a mission that turned out to be as much of a success as it could possibly be. Thanks to all of your hard work and dedication, the mystery behind Braz’s murder has been solved, and his death will not be in vain.” Skeet bowed his head for a moment and the room was silent. Then Skeet slid his hand around my arm. “As you all know, Captain Abbott and I would like to offer a special thanks to Miss Cate Duncan, whose courage and skill overcame the key obstacles to a positive resolution. Thank you, Cate.”

  There was another round of applause. I could feel every beat of my heart pulsing in my cheeks, and I realized that I must have turned bright red. I also had to force myself to close my mouth, which had fallen open at some point. Mercifully, Skeet noticed my distress and cut the moment short. “Everyone, please enjoy the hors d’oeuvres and open bar. I’m told the main course will be served shortly.”

  I tried to catch my breath as the rest of the guests returned to their conversations. Skeet turned towards me, concern etched in his expression. “Cate, I’m so sorry if this made you uncomfortable. That was not our intention. We just wanted to acknowledge your extraordinary efforts, and we thought you’d enjoy a pleasant surprise for a change.”

  The truth was that I hated surprises in general; it didn’t matter if they were good or bad. But I was touched that Skeet—and especially Captain Abbott—had thought enough of my work to single me out, and I didn’t want to appear less than gracious. I forced myself to smile brightly. “Not uncomfortable,” I said, “just surprised—you succeeded there! And thank you so much for honoring me, but I was just grateful to be able to help Braz.”

  “I know,” Skeet said as his tension eased. “And you did help him, Cate, and us, more than you’ll ever know. We just wanted to let you know that.” Skeet produced a smallish square gift box from his suit pocket and handed it to me. “That’s from Braz,” he said softly. “Before he died, he asked me to make sure you got it. It belonged to Pedra.”

  “Oh!” I exclaimed as a pulse of grief throbbed in my chest. “Thank you.” My cheeks began to ache from forced smiling.

  Ben tucked my hand into the crook of his arm again and gave it a squeeze. When I looked up at him, I felt the portal between us open. His love flowed into and around me, calming me a bit. He turned to Skeet, “Do you mind if I take her away for a moment? I think she could use a sit-down and a glass of water.”

  Skeet nodded. “Certainly. You two enjoy yourselves.”

  Ben steered me toward the front of the room. My legs were still a little rubbery from the shock, so I leaned on him as we walked to an empty table. I carefully laid down the wrapped box. While we sat, the rest of the guests stood around socializing. Servers circulated around the room carrying trays of drinks and what looked like canapés. I looked around in wide-eyed wonder, trying to take it all in. Ben handed me the promised glass of water. “Was that MVP announcement an okay thing to do? When Skeet asked me, I told him I thought it would be all right.”

  I took a few sips of water. The sensation of the cool liquid filling my mouth and traveling down my throat grounded me a bit. “It’s fine, and I do appreciate the sentiment. It’s just that—and you had no way of knowing this, but for future notice—I’m not big on surprises. And I’m even less enthusiastic about being the center of attention.”

  Ben seemed to relax a bit. “Oh, okay. Well, just so you know, Kai and Vani were in on it, too. The shopping trip was their idea.” I looked over at Kai and Vani, who waved and gave me thumbs-up signs.

  Ben slid his cell phone out of his pocket and appeared to be reading a text. “There’s someone waiting to see you outside. Come on, I’ll take you.”

  “What? Who?” I asked as he led me to the doors. “And why outside?” But as the doors to the room shut behind us, I spotted a familiar figure walking towards us down the hallway. My eyes widened. I turned back to Ben. “Sid?”

  “Of course,” Ben said as his gaze traveled behind me. “Sid, over here,” he called out. “Glad you could make it.”

  Sid was dressed in one of his more formal suits. Before I knew it, I was squeezing the life out of him. “Sid!” My heart did a jig: he really was fine and all in one piece! I pulled away. “I’m so glad you’re okay! What are you doing here?”

  Sid extended his hand to Ben, who shook it firmly. “Thank you for calling me.”

  My eyes widened as I looked up at Ben. “You invited him?”

  “Of course,” Ben replied, taking in both Sid and me with a magnanimous smile. “I knew you wouldn’t be satisfied that he was all right until you saw him in person. I’m glad you could make it, Sid. Can I bring you something from the bar?”

  I couldn’t quite believe how comfortable Ben was acting—and I wondered how much of it was acting.

  “No, thank you. Unfortunately, as I mentioned, I can only stop long enough to say hello. Family business; you understand.”

  “Absolutely. We’ll talk more later. It’s nice to meet you.” Ben turned to me. “I’ll see you inside?”

  I gave Ben a questioning look. He inclined his head in Sid’s direction. I took the hint and grabbed Sid’s arm. “I’m sorry you can’t stay. Let me walk you out.”

  Ben headed back into the Blue Room. As Sid and I meandered toward the restaurant entrance, I whispered, “You’re sure you’re okay? I’m so sorry about everything.”

  “Please don’t apologize,” he said. “I’m fine. I was furious at first, of course. But once I learned that I was essentially doing you a favor, I started to enjoy my confinement. The FBI is going to have quite a room service bill, not to mention pay-per-view.”

  “I’ll still never forgive myself, ever.” I squeezed his arm. “Do you really have to leave? We both know you don’t have any family business. You’re just afraid of Ben.”

  “I most certainly am,” he murmured. “You are aware that he’s a trained killing machine, right? But that’s not why I can’t stay. I wasn’t exactly invited to the luncheon itself. Apparently you have to have a security clearance to get into that room, and it would be rude of me to keep you away from your party for
too long. But your marine thought it might be good for you if we saw each other, and knowing you and your penchant for worry, I agreed. I respect him for asking me to come. He’s much more generous than I would be under the circumstances.”

  “So you like him?” I asked, hopeful. In spite of our unusual relationship, Sid had become one of my closest friends, and his opinion mattered a lot to me.

  “Yes. He seems like a stand-up guy,” Sid replied. “And you may not be aware of this, but you’re glowing, my dear. If he makes you happy, that’s all I really care about. Still, I have no intention of ever getting on his bad side—any more than I must already be, by default. Surely you’ve sensed the steel beneath that charming exterior of his? He sure puts it into his handshake.”

  I glanced back at the doors to the Blue Room. “Yeah,” I muttered, “I know about the steel.”

  “Good,” he said. “I might be worried if I weren’t so confident that you could handle him.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I don’t think he’s exactly what you’d call ‘handle-able.”

  Sid chuckled. “You’re a perfect match, then.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  As we reached the doors to the outside, he turned and put his hands on my shoulders, holding me at arm’s length. “It means that you’re quite a handful yourself—a delightful handful, of course,” he added, grinning as he dodged a poke in the ribs. “I can tell, though, by the way he looks at you, he would do anything to make you happy. Including calling me here, which was quite big of him. But I’d better be going. I don’t want to be seen as taking advantage of Ben’s leniency.”

  I smirked to let Sid know exactly what I thought about the concept of Ben extending leniency. Then I gave him another huge hug. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said, hugging me back. “Now get back to your marine. You know where to find me if you need anything—a Persian rug, an FBI patsy….”