He fought down the rush of anger. His daughter had been groomed to ascend to the throne of Grand Dame from the moment her particular gifts had manifested themselves.
Granted, Adele didn’t have exactly the same talents as the late Dame, but his daughter had come closer than anyone else had in a very long time. Her gifts, coupled with her impeccable bloodline, made her the obvious candidate. He’d even taken the family to Seattle every year to visit relatives, always making arrangements to call on the Dame and her Consort.
All those plans, all that work, and all for nothing. Now an upstart woman with no pedigree and no right had been declared Grand Dame. Not only that, but she’d managed to ensnare Ranulf Thorsen, which only proved the rumors he’d been hearing for years about the Viking’s instability. That didn’t explain Sandor Kearn’s support of the Dame, though.
Maybe insanity was contagious.
“Father?”
He jerked himself back to the present. “I’m sorry, my dear. You’ve been most gracious about what’s happened. However, nothing is set in stone yet, so we need to continue as we began.”
The look she shot his way was puzzling, but before he could pursue the matter any further, a servant appeared in the doorway.
“Excuse me, sir, but dinner is served.”
“Thank you. We’ll be right in.” Harcourt stood up and offered his hand to his daughter. “Shall we?”
“Yes,” she said, but she didn’t sound happy about it, making him wonder if they were actually talking about dinner at all.
Grey checked the address Sandor had given him against the one on the building. He had the right place, but it certainly wasn’t what he’d expected. The door opened and people filed out of the restaurant, bringing the scent of fresh bread and cinnamon along with them. His stomach rumbled. Inside, there wasn’t an empty table in sight; hopefully it was a testament to the food.
Sandor stood up at a corner table long enough to catch Grey’s attention.
When Grey reached him, Sandor poured him a cup of coffee and handed him a menu. “Good morning. Hope this isn’t too early for you.”
“Not at all. The eight hour time difference from London still has me a bit off schedule, but I’m adjusting.” He studied the menu briefly. “What’s good?”
“It’s all good, but I always order the spinach and feta omelet with a basket of cinnamon rolls.”
The waitress made her way to their table, her notepad at the ready. Grey kept it simple and followed Sandor’s lead. As they waited for their meal, they made small talk about mutual friends over cups of the restaurant’s special blend of dark roast coffee.
Grey took another sip, waiting for the jolt of caffeine to hit his bloodstream.
“Did Lena make it back all right? Dame Kerry said you were picking her up at the airport yesterday.”
Sandor nodded, clearly pleased by the return of his woman. “She may have to make another trip to finish up, but she got a lot done while she was there. The moving truck will be heading this way by the end of the week.”
“I’m sure she’ll be glad to stop living out of a suitcase. I know I’ll be relieved when the rest of my things arrive.”
The waitress came back carrying two plates piled high with food. By unspoken agreement, both men concentrated on their breakfasts. Grey knew after just one bite that he’d be back here soon, perhaps even becoming a regular at the café.
Finally, he pushed his plate away and sat back. “That hit the spot. Thanks for inviting me.”
Sandor finished off the last bit of his eggs and then set his fork down. “Glad you liked it. I thought you might prefer to meet away from the Dame’s house in case you had any questions.”
“I appreciate it. I haven’t really had a chance to look over the files you left for me, but I will today.” He poured them each more coffee. “I did meet Piper Ryan yesterday though.”
Sandor winced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think to warn you about her, but—”
“I know. You didn’t expect me back so soon.” He was tired of hearing that and let it show.
The other Talion got the message. “I’ve had a lot going on and let a few things slip. That shouldn’t have been one of them.”
“You’ve all been through a lot recently.” Grey could afford to be gracious, and besides, he needed Sandor’s cooperation on some of the changes he wanted to make.
Where to start? Maybe with the easy stuff.
“So how did Dame Kerry come to hire someone like Piper Ryan as an assistant?”
Damn, he didn’t mean to sound like a snob, but there should be standards. A dress code at least. He wasn’t above enjoying a short skirt when it showed off such fine legs, but first impressions counted.
He knew Kerry was on trial, even if the others didn’t. She was now the head of several foundations dedicated to the education, health, and financial stability of her people. Every decision mattered if Kerry was going to solidify her position. And that included her staff.
Sandor said, “Piper called one day wanting to meet the Dame,” said, “She’d recently found out about her own Kyth heritage and wanted to learn more. Since meeting with newly discovered Kyth has always been one of my principle duties, I talked to her first. When I brought her to the house to meet Kerry, the two of them hit it off. One thing led to another, and Kerry offered her the job.”
“I assume her credentials checked out?”
“Yes, as far as they went. She’s moved around a lot over the years, so there were stretches of time when she wasn’t working.”
Interesting, but not necessarily suspicious. “Did she say why she moved so often?”
“Apparently because of her mother’s job. Even when Piper was of legal age, she followed her mother because she was the only family Piper had. When her mom passed away, Piper used her inheritance to enroll at the university here to finish her business degree. She’ll graduate after this quarter.”
Sandor had reasonable answers for Grey’s questions, but there was still something that didn’t feel right. Maybe he was a suspicious bastard, but then that was his job. He’d have to do some checking of his own.
Now it was time to address another touchy subject. “I take it Dame Kerry didn’t like the idea of having guards posted at all times?”
Sandor shook his head. “Hell, no. She did point out that Ranulf is with her most of the time. If the Viking can’t keep her safe, no one can.”
He gave Grey a considering look. “Something has you wanting to push for this. Mind telling me what it is?”
Grey knew he was treading on thin ice, but he had to let Sandor know where he stood. “Nothing specific, but I can’t help thinking that we might not have lost Dame Judith to Bradan if she’d kept her Talion guards closer at hand.”
His companion’s face went stone cold. “Is that what everyone thinks? That Ranulf and I failed Judith?”
“No, we all failed her, Sandor. I wasn’t there to protect her when she was taken, either. Even if she had allowed guards to be posted, you and Ranulf couldn’t have done it all by yourselves. I don’t want us to make the same mistake with Kerry Thorsen.”
The tension eased in Sandor’s expression. “Judith thought she was still strong enough to protect herself, but her powers started to fail when her Consort died. No one realized how bad things had gotten until it was too late. Even so, Judith could’ve held Bradan off until we got there, but she burned out most of her energy trying to save Josiah.”
“I hadn’t heard that part of the story,” Grey admitted. It didn’t really surprise him though. He’d always suspected that Josiah had been Judith’s friend, not just her butler. Once on a visit to Seattle he’d dropped in unexpectedly to find them sitting on the sofa sharing a bowl of popcorn as they watched a baseball game.
“All the more reason to make sure Kerry is never put in the same position. What if someone attacked when she was alone with just those three kids? We could lose them all.”
“Don’t think I haven’t
thought about that possibility. It’s right at the top of my worst nightmare list.” Sandor sighed. “Kerry may have the same talents as Judith, but she’s her own woman. She’s been used to doing things for herself. Being responsible for so many people has been a major change for her. I think she fears losing what little independence she has left.”
Grey laid his cards on the table. “I don’t have to tell you that not everyone is pleased with Judith’s choice of a replacement. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors. As talented as Kerry is, she’s still young and inexperienced, especially when it comes to ruling our kind. She wasn’t even brought up in Kyth society.”
Gold sparks flickered in Sandor’s dark eyes. “Damn it, none of that should matter. She was Judith’s choice for good reason. Kerry is the only one Judith ever found with the ability to serve as Dame.” His voice rose. “You think Judith was strong in her heyday? Kerry can flatten both me and Ranulf at the same time. She played a major role in bringing Bradan down.”
Sandor’s anger was drawing attention, and the last thing they needed was for someone to notice the sparks flashing in the Talion’s eyes or the dark energy roiling just under the surface of his fingertips.
Grey gave his companion a pointed look. “We’re in public. Calm down.”
Sandor immediately hid his hands in his lap and briefly closed his eyes. When they opened again, he was back in control.
“Grey, I know some people thought that the Harcourt girl would inherit the throne, and maybe she was Judith’s fallback. But no matter what Adele Harcourt’s old man thought, she has never tested anywhere near as high as Kerry does.”
“I’d heard that.” Right from Harcourt himself, but that didn’t meant the man was going to back off anytime soon.
Grey checked his watch. “I appreciate your meeting with me, but I’d better go. As I get settled in, I’ll be around the office more. Between you, me, and Ranulf, we should be able to keep Kerry safe, but I’d still feel better with someone patrolling the perimeter at all times.”
“I’ll talk to Kerry again. Maybe she’ll at least consider posting a guard at night.”
“Don’t worry about it for now. I’ll wait until I have a better grasp of things and then make my recommendations to her.”
As they walked out the door together, Sandor grinned. “Good luck with that. She can be quite stubborn.”
“That’s all right. So am I.”
All he could was present his plan for approval—and then do what needed to be done anyway, even if Kerry said no. Her life just might depend on it.
Piper paused for the third time in the last fifteen minutes, listening to see if the car outside was passing by or turning into the Dame’s driveway. Not that she was holding her breath for Greyhill Danby to make an appearance.
Right—of course she was.
Their encounters yesterday had been unsettling to say the least. If he worked at his desk today, she’d have to spend hours alone in this closet of an office with him.
She’d gotten in early enough to straighten things up a bit. She’d even asked Hughes to bring in an electric tea kettle for Grey. As a peace offering, it wasn’t much, but at least she’d tried.
The groan of the heavy iron gates rolling open out front caught her attention. She wouldn’t stoop to peeking out the window, but it had to be him. Sandor wasn’t expected in until sometime that afternoon.
The front door opened and closed, and footsteps were definitely heading Piper’s way. She forced herself to keep working. A few seconds later a shadow fell across her desk, forcing her to look up.
“Good morning, Mr. Danby.” She was proud of how calm she sounded.
He cocked his head to the side and studied her. “Mr. Danby is a bit formal, don’t you think? My friends call me Grey. May I call you Piper?”
“Piper’s fine.” Then she mimicked his pose and gave him an impudent grin. “But since your friends use Grey, what should I call you?”
He laughed, sounding a bit rusty. “Cute. And here I’d hoped we were over that first rough patch.” He held out a small box. “I also thought a little peace offering from a Brit to a colonist might be in order.”
“Very cute, Grey.” Then she recognized the restaurant’s logo and immediately snatched the box from his hand. “I’ll have to starve myself the rest of the day if I eat this, but some things are worth the sacrifice. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I put fresh water in the kettle if you’d like tea.”
“Perfect. Would you like a cup, too? I brought in Darjeeling and a bit of Earl Grey.”
“Either would be fine.”
She forced her attention back to her computer, trying to ignore her companion. While he fixed the tea, she checked her morning e-mail. Because her work for Kerry required Piper to contact other Kyth, she’d struck up a few online friendships with people all over the world. It was a shame that she’d never get to meet any of them in person, though. Even if she could afford to travel, it was doubtful any of them would want to have anything to do with her if the truth ever came out. Actually, when the truth came out. She had no illusions that Grey was going to accept her story at face value.
“Bad news?”
She jumped about a foot and turned to glare at Grey. “Don’t sneak up on people like that!”
He gave her a puzzled look and held out her tea. “I wasn’t exactly sneaking. I saw how hard you were staring at the screen and wondered if something was wrong.”
She forced a smile. “Seems we spend a lot of time apologizing to each other. Sorry, Grey, I didn’t mean to snap. And no, it isn’t exactly bad news. Just complicated.”
“Let me know if I can help.” He set the steaming mug next to her computer and returned to his desk.
Sharing a workspace with someone else normally didn’t bother her, but now she was hyperaware of every move the man made. The faint scent of his aftershave was even more of a distraction. She’d never get through the morning’s work at this rate. Hoping that listening to music would help, she pulled her iPod out of her bag and cranked it up.
Piper scanned her long list of e-mails, making note of the ones she’d need to discuss with Kerry. The rest she either deleted or stuck in a folder to deal with later. Finally, she reached the bottom of the page.
How odd. The Kyth all had e-mail accounts with the same server, but this last one didn’t match.
She clicked to open it, and her computer screen went black. A few seconds later, it filled with a pulsating pattern.
Had she just downloaded a virus? Then she realized that the dizzying display was made up of one phrase written over and over again. Her blood ran cold as she shoved her chair back. The words were written in blood red against a black background.
“Uh, Grey, could you come here a minute?”
Damn it, he’d finally been making some headway in a stack of files from when Piper suddenly shot back from her desk, knocking a pile of papers to the floor in the process. His first instinct was to grumble, but then he saw the look on her face.
He might not know Piper all that well, but he’d bet his last dollar that she wasn’t easily scared. And right now her face was undeniably pale.
When she turned to face him, a ring of white showed all around her dark irises. Years of training had him reaching for the gun in his shoulder harness, even though his Talion senses didn’t detect any immediate physical threat.
“Piper, what’s wrong?”
She held out a shaky finger and pointed at her computer screen. “Can you look at this?”
He moved closer. The red and black color scheme made it difficult to read the text. But before he could ask any questions, the screen blinked off. When it came back on, an error message flashed, saying the computer was searching for a solution. He was willing to bet that when it rebooted, there would be no record of what had been written there.
But he’d seen it and so had Piper. Written there in bloodred words, over and over again, were the words: T
he day of reckoning is coming.
Chapter 3
Grey holstered his gun and stood back, still trying to make sense of what he’d just seen. “I don’t suppose that’s one of your friends’ sick idea of a joke?”
Piper looked insulted. “Of course not. First of all, I don’t use this account for my personal correspondence. I’ve never given out the address except on behalf of the Dame and her foundations. Secondly, the e-mail address was weird. I’ve never seen it before.”
“Weird how?”
“It’s not from the usual e-mail account we all use. As soon as I saw it, I wondered if something was wrong.”
“But you opened it anyway.” He probably would have too, but he wanted to know what she’d been thinking.
She ran her fingers through her hair, clearly frustrated. “Yes, and maybe I shouldn’t have, but I was more curious than worried. Sandor says our system is hacker proof.”
“I don’t doubt that, but we both know no system is totally safe from attack when someone knows what he’s doing and is determined to get in.”
He was glad to see some of the color returning to Piper’s face. “Why don’t you run a full scan on your system while I check my e-mail? Maybe we all got the same message.”
“Good idea.” Just that quickly, Piper was back to business, but he noted that her fingers hovered over the keys, hesitating before she started typing.
Grey returned to his own computer and did a quick check of his e-mail. Nothing odd there. Next he’d check in with Kerry and Ranulf to see if they’d received anything similar. The cryptic message was clearly a threat. But with no indication for whom it was intended, it was impossible to know how seriously to take it or who might need additional protection.
Piper’s reaction had been genuine, if perhaps a bit extreme. It was impossible to tell if she knew more than she was letting on. He tended to think not, or else why would she show the e-mail to him? Too many questions and too few answers. After lunch, when she was gone, he’d start digging into her past. Although part of him wanted to accept her at face value and not delve too deeply, he’d do his job. When he finished, there wouldn’t be much about her he didn’t know.
Dark Warrior Untamed Page 3
