by Jennae Vale
* * *
What on earth is he trying to hide? Richard remained a complete mystery to Angelina and she was annoyed with herself for even wanting to know more about him. After the other night, she had thought she might start peeling back the layers, but he seemed determined to skirt around her questions. Her distrust of men had always been an issue despite the fact that her gut instincts were telling her she might be able to trust this man. How could she though, if he was obviously hiding something? Her attraction for him had grown even stronger this past week, knocking down the walls she kept in place to protect herself from hurt and disappointment. Maybe he wasn’t any different than all the others who’d tried to win her heart, after all.
Angelina patiently awaited her opportunity, and once Nick and Richard were deeply ensconced in conversation with some of the other members of the team, she had slipped away. Being in constant contact with them – with Richard in particular – was starting to get to her. She was drawn to him like a bee to honey and seemed helpless to stop herself. She definitely needed to have some time to herself and already angry with him for avoiding her questions about the elusive Edna, she was going to slip out while nobody noticed. She seized her chance, hopping into her car for the short drive to a nearby coffee shop. She hoped Richard and Nick might not even notice she was missing. If they did… well, she didn’t want to think about that. They’d be furious with her, but she needed some time. With any luck, she’d sneak in to practice again before they even noticed.
As she entered the coffee shop, she noted the lack of patrons. While unusual, it simply meant she could choose a nice spot to sit and enjoy her coffee without interruption. She got a cup of her favorite pumpkin spice coffee and nestled into a corner spot with a view of the door. She was exhausted. They’d been working day and night since Thanksgiving to get ready for the competition and she needed to clear her head and take a deep breath. If she didn’t, she wasn’t sure how effective she’d be against her own opponent.
As she sat daydreaming, she heard the sound of the coffee shop door opening and closing and then felt the presence of someone standing nearby. Startled back to the present, she nearly jumped out of her seat as she lifted her eyes to see Malcom Granger standing before her.
“This is a surprise, Angelina. I wouldn’t expect to see you here all alone.” His lips smiled, but the rest of his face remained impassive.
“Malcolm, you scared me,” Angelina said.
“That wasn’t my intention. May I?” he asked, pointing to the chair opposite her.
“Sure. Please, join me. What are you up to today?” she asked, trying to ignore the unsettled, nervous feeling which had overcome her with Malcolm’s arrival.
“The same as you, I would imagine. Getting ready for this weekend.” A server brought him a coffee and he barely acknowledged their presence.
Angelina thought the server looked familiar. He didn’t work here, or if he did, she hadn’t seen him before. She had seen him somewhere though – but she couldn’t think where.
“Is everything okay?” Malcolm interrupted her thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a bit tired. I needed a little pick me up, so here I am.”
Malcolm leaned forward across the table. “Angelina, I wanted to speak with you about something. You’re fairly open minded, aren’t you?”
It sounded more like a statement than a question and Angelina nodded as she sipped her coffee, which she found she was enjoying less by the minute.
“I have a proposition for you. Hopefully you’ll think it a worthwhile endeavor.”
“What is it?” She wasn’t certain she really wanted to know. After her date with him, she had been so freaked out that she had avoided him at every turn.
“I realize our date the other night didn’t go well, but you are an intelligent woman and I think I can ask for your help in this matter without worry.”
“My curiosity is piqued.” She was holding onto her coffee cup for dear life. Malcolm was examining her face, as if he expected to find something there. She wiped at her lips with a napkin.
“I’m sorry. I’m making you uncomfortable. You’re beauty has me mesmerized and I’m afraid I’m not very good at disguising my interest in you.”
How on earth should she respond to that? She remained mute, and concentrated on staring at the napkin holder.
“Let me get right to the point. Do you believe in time travel?” Malcolm sipped his coffee and patiently waited for her to answer.
Angelina suspected her eyebrows had hit her hairline, she was so stunned by his question. “Time travel? No, I don’t think so. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I believe your friends, Richard and Nick, are time travelers from medieval Scotland.” He held up a hand to stop her immediate protest. “Before you say anything, I know you must think I’ve lost my mind, but think about what you know about them, and then think about what you don’t know.”
Angelina’s head was spinning. If she didn’t know better, it might be possible to believe Nick and Richard were from the past, given their way of speaking, and their reactions to so many things, but since time travel wasn’t viable, there had to be another explanation for the questions she had about them. “I think I’d better get back to practice, Malcolm. They’ll miss me if I’m gone too long.” She began to rise, but Malcolm swiftly grabbed her wrist.
“Please. Just a few more moments of your time.”
She sat down warily because he obviously wasn’t going to let her leave without creating a scene.
“I’m sure you’ll need more time to process what I’ve just told you, but I’m equally as certain you’ll come to agree with my findings. In any case, I need your help to convince them to take me with them back in time.”
Angelina was concerned about Malcolm’s mental state. He really believed this whole time travel thing and unbelievably, he thought he could do it too! “Okay. Let’s suppose you’re right, and time travel is possible. If Richard and Nick have time travelled to San Francisco, wouldn’t they have gone back by now? What’s keeping them here?”
“I think it’s more who’s keeping them here. They must know how to get back. There’s got to be a portal somewhere in the city, and I need their help to find it.”
“Portal?” Angelina repeated blankly.
Malcolm nodded. “Of course. There must be some kind of wormhole that they’ve travelled through to reach us from their time and consequently, I’m certain they know where it is hidden. I need to find it, Angelina. It’s of the utmost importance.”
“Why?”
“The Twin Sword, the brother to the Sword of State that I told you about during our dinner date. I must locate the Twin Sword.” At her incredulous look, he continued. “Don’t you see? The sword has never been found and if I can go back in time to retrieve it before it’s lost forever, I will have the find of the century!”
“Malcolm, I think you need some help.” She could see he didn’t appreciate her pitying look, so she switched to humoring him. “Going back in time could be very dangerous. What if you got stuck there?”
“That’s why I need your help, to convince your friends to take me there and bring me back. If anyone can convince them, it’s you.” He took her hand and gazed pleadingly into her eyes. “Please.”
Angelina knew that if she wanted to get out of there safely, she’d have to agree to help him. “Okay. I’ll see what I can do.”
His face lit with a brilliant smile. “Thank you. You won’t regret this. We’ll speak again after the tournament.”
Angelina rose from her chair with Malcolm still holding her hand. She practically yanked it away, before she quickly exited the coffee shop and headed for her car.
* * *
“Good work,” Malcolm said, as Pierce approached him.
“She hasn’t spent a moment apart from our two friends, so I knew this would be your only opportunity to speak with her. As soon as I knew she was heading in here, I made the phone call. Do you think she�
�ll do as you ask?” Pierce gazed towards the door where Angelina had just departed.
“She’ll tell them, but whether or not they are willing to help is debatable. We’ll see. In the meantime, keep following her.” Malcolm sipped his coffee, and grimaced because it had grown cold. “Get me another cup before you go.”
Pierce did as he was told and Malcolm mulled over his conversation with Angelina. No doubt, she thought he was losing his mind, but he didn’t care. He was very used to getting what he wanted and he was quite certain he would this time as well. More than anything, he wanted the Twin Sword, but once he had that, Angelina was next on his list. He didn’t like the look in her eye when she looked at him - the one that resembled a frightened rabbit. No, he wanted her respect and adulation, which he knew he would have once he had the sword. Power and money were an irresistible combination to most women, and he was sure Angelina Lawson was no different than any other.
* * *
Richard was beside himself with worry. Angelina had waited until both he and Nick were engrossed in conversation and had obviously slipped away. Her car was gone and she wasn’t responding to Nick’s frantic phone calls. The other students had all left for the day and he was just about to head out to comb the surrounding area when the door opened and she strolled in as if nothing had happened.
“Where have you been?” His worry was translating into anger and Angelina was not receiving it well.
“I had to get away from you for a little while. I needed to clear my head. Sorry I didn’t ask permission first,” she snapped.
“Permission would not have been granted! You know you are in danger, that someone is following you – following all of us, and yet you still decided to run off at the first opportunity! Did you think that I wouldn’t care? That I wouldn’t be concerned for your wellbeing?” His hands were fisted at his sides as he desperately controlled the urge to shake some sense into her. She had to see that it had been wrong to leave the way she had. “What if something had happened to you?” His voice softened, revealing his true concern.
“It would be my own fault then. I can take care of myself.”
If she’d stomped her foot at that moment, it wouldn’t have been out of character. He’d heard that statement before from Angelina and she was beginning to sound like a petulant child. He was worried about her, couldn’t she see that? It meant he cared.
After minutes of silence between them, she appeared to come to that realization on her own. “I’m sorry, Richard. It was wrong of me.”
He didn’t want to be angry with her and he didn’t want her to be angry with him. He wanted to hold her close and protect her. It was what he knew how to do and if it meant his heart could stop racing in his chest, it was what he hoped she’d allow him to do.
Chapter 18
Having Malcolm turn up out of nowhere had made Angelina realize she needed to be more careful. Perhaps he had been the one who was following her, or maybe was having her followed. The more she thought about it, the more she suspected she was right. “Richard, please don’t be angry with me. I’m okay. Nothing happened and I promise I won’t do it again,” she tried to soothe him. He was really very sweet for thinking it was necessary to protect her. How could she blame him for that? Of course, once she told him whom she’d seen while she was out, she was sure he’d blow a gasket.
“There you are,” Nick called from the office. “Did you nae think we might be worried about ye?”
“Don’t you start,” she answered. “I’ve already heard all about it from Richard. I hope you two can forgive me. My independent streak came out and I ran for it. I’ve already promised Richard I won’t do it again.” She eyed the two of them warily, before telling them the rest of her story. “I have to tell you something and I hope you won’t get all medieval on me, but I went to grab a cup of coffee…”
“And you didnae bring me one?” Nick teased.
Richard threw him a stern look. “Continue, please.”
“Well, I sat down to enjoy a moment of alone time and the next thing I knew, Malcolm Granger was standing there. It was as if he knew I was going to be there alone.”
“My instincts were right,” Richard said. “He is the one following you, and his cohorts are probably following Nick and me.”
“I don’t think he’s following me personally, that would be beneath Malcolm. He has a lot of people he pays to do things exactly like that.”
“What did he want?” Richard asked, and Angelina could see he was making a concerted effort to sound unbothered by what he’d just heard.
“Well, this is really weird… but he thinks that the two of you are time travelers.” She eyed them both, searching their faces for any hint that Malcolm might have been telling the truth, but they both remained stone faced.
“Time travelers!” Nick finally laughed. “That’s ridiculous and I hope ye told him so.”
“I did, but he really believes it. He wants me to help convince the two of you to take him back in time, so he can get hold of some sword he thinks has been lost to history.”
“Did he tell ye what sword?” Nick asked.
“The Twin Sword,” Angelina answered and gave them a brief description of what Malcolm had told her about the sword he sought. “He said it has never been recovered and he wants to go back in time to get it, before it’s lost forever. So, since he thinks you two are time travelers, he wants you to help him go back and forth.”
Neither man said anything. Richard stared at his feet and Nick stared up at the ceiling. She didn’t imagine they’d find the answers they were looking for in either place.
“He said he’ll talk to me more about it after the competition. Maybe the two of you should have a conversation with him. I don’t like being stuck in the middle of this nonsense.”
“She’s right,” Richard said. “Let’s intervene after the competition. Keep him away from Angelina.”
“Agreed,” Nick stated. “In the meantime, Angelina, please dinnae wander off on yer own again. Poor Richard’s heart cannae take the strain.” He glanced Richard’s way and chuckled at the look of outrage on his face. Nick apparently knew exactly how to push Richard’s buttons and Angelina was more aware than ever that Richard had strong feelings for her. What she was going to do with that knowledge, was still an unknown.
* * *
“I need to go for a walk, a long walk,” Angelina stated. “I’m feeling claustrophobic after being cooped up all day. One of you is going to have to go with me, or I’m going to head off alone.” She knew that would get an immediate response and sure enough, it did.
“I’ll go,” Richard volunteered.
“What a surprise,” Nick added, with his usual chuckle. “Keep in touch, so I know yer alright.”
“We will. I have my phone.” She happily grabbed her coat from the hook by the door. Angelina took long walks almost every day and when she missed a day or two, she got to the stage where she was ready to crawl out of her skin. Donning her coat, she glanced to the door where Richard was already waiting for her. “Let’s go.”
They closed the door behind them and started down the street. Angelina figured this might be a good time to see what else she could discover about him.
“The tournament is tomorrow. Are you excited?” she asked.
“Excited? No. When meeting another man in combat, whether it’s a real battle or a mock one, I prefer to remain as even-tempered as possible. Some like to get themselves all worked up into a frenzy, but I prefer to let the battle guide my responses.”
“Real battle? When have you ever engaged in real battle?”
Richard hesitated briefly before answering. “A time or two.”
She could see he wasn’t going to volunteer the information she was seeking. She’d have to dig for it. “Only a time or two?”
“It was nothing of interest. I wouldn’t want to bore you with the details.” He took her arm and escorted her across the street.
Why was it that every time he touc
hed her, she could think of nothing but the sensation of having his hands on her? It threw her off her thought processes and she took a moment to regain control. When she did, she continued to pepper him with questions, which he adeptly evaded. She got the impression he was very good at it.
“Isn’t it beautiful today? The air is crisp and the sky is so blue - I love the autumn months.” They entered Golden Gate Park and they were walking briskly past the riding arena, when Angelina heard a woman shout frantically. Richard took her hand and they rushed toward the source, only to discover a woman who seemed clearly out of her depth with the horse she was attempting to ride.
“May I assist you?” Richard asked the startled woman. Without saying a word, she handed the reins over to Richard. He spoke softly and soothingly to the great beast. “He reminds me of my own horse, Arion. He needs some exercise to work off some of his energy, before you attempt to ride him.” He deftly escorted the horse into the riding ring and mounted without any trouble. The horse seemed to be thinking about misbehaving, but when he realized that Richard was no novice, thought better of it. Richard put him into a full gallop and raced around the ring. He put him through his paces and worked him until the horse had quieted considerably. Angelina was enthralled by what he was doing and incredibly impressed by his skill. Coming to the side of the ring, Richard dismounted and held the reins out to the woman, who seemed nervous. “He’s quite tired now. I doubt he’ll give you any more trouble.” He gave her a leg up and once she was settled, he said, “Don’t be nervous. He can sense your anxiety. You must be a strong leader for him, as it’s what he needs. If you’re nervous or frightened, he’ll follow suit.”
