He had to remind himself to stop smiling before he walked into Kerry’s house. Nobody was used to seeing that particular look on his face, and the last thing he wanted to do was explain why he was in such a good mood. Memories of Piper flowed through his mind, like the way she made that certain sound as he took her over and over again. Or when she decided it was her turn to run the show, riding him hard until she collapsed on his chest.
What was even better was knowing that it hadn’t been just a fluke born of proximity and fear. If he were honest about his feelings, he’d wanted to take Piper to bed from the day they’d met. Now all he wanted was to do it all over again as soon as possible.
He lowered the window and the wattage on his smile as he keyed in the security code at the gate. He’d never had trouble compartmentalizing his life, and this time would be no different. By the time he walked in the front door, he’d be all business, but he’d still be counting the minutes until he was back in Piper’s bed.
Inside, Grey followed the sound of voices into the dining room. Just as he expected, the two Thorsens, Sandor, and Lena were gathered around the table. He was slightly more surprised to see Sean, Sandor’s protégé, there as well.
Grey settled into one of the empty seats and waited for a break in conversation to update everyone on the message on Piper’s answering machine. He hoped that between him and Sandor, they’d be able to learn something from the recording.
And if it led back to Harcourt, Grey would be on the next plane back to England to kill the bastard with his bare hands.
“You’re looking pretty fierce there, Grey. Got something you want to share?” Sandor poured a cup of coffee and shoved it across the table. “And before I forget, thanks for taking Piper home. I forgot all about getting the car back to her.”
Before answering, Grey debated on how much to share. Better to go with a limited truth.
“It was no problem. I was going to follow her to make sure she got home safely anyway.”
He pulled the machine out of the bag and plugged it in. “I went inside with her to make sure everything was clear there, too. This is what we found.”
The eerie voice filled the room. Afterward, everyone remained quiet for several seconds before exploding into a cacophony of questions and outrage. Grey held up his hand to silence them.
“I will be pursuing all possible leads today.” He turned toward the Dame. “Piper has promised to check in with me so we know that she makes it to class and back home safely.”
“This has gone too far.” Kerry’s face was grim. “I want this finished, Grey. Utilize whatever resources necessary.”
Then she reached out to take her husband’s hand. “Ranulf and I talked it over, and for the duration, I will agree to having guards posted twenty-four/seven. Grey, bring in enough additional Talions to make that happen.”
“I will make the arrangements immediately.” Packing up Piper’s answering machine, he looked around the table. “If no one has anything else, I’d like to get to work. Sandor, I’d also like your help.”
The other Talion stood up. “I’ll be right there. I need to make a couple of calls to the lab about your jacket.”
As he left the room, Grey noticed Sean glaring at him. Damn, that kid had attitude, and tons of it. Maybe that’s why he reminded Grey of his younger self, right down to living on the streets and running wild. But he doubted Sean would believe that even if he told him.
“Sean, you’re with me,” Grey ordered.
He wasn’t sure which of them was more surprised, him or the kid. According to Ranulf, Sean’s potential as a Talion was sky high. But he had some serious catching up to do on his training.
It was also clear the kid had little or no use for Grey. Fine, but as Chief Talion, Grey was ultimately responsible for Sean’s future within the Kyth. That made it mandatory to find a way to work together. And it would start with the kid losing the attitude and learning how to take orders.
“Yeah, sure, whatever.” However grudging his acceptance sounded, there was no missing the surge of energy in Sean’s eyes and flowing under his skin.
“Get us each a cold drink and then meet me in my office,” Grey said. Then to Kerry and Ranulf, “If you’ll excuse us.”
As he logged onto his computer, Grey waited to see if Sean would actually show up. Several minutes passed before he heard the shuffle of footsteps in the hallway. Good. He wasn’t going to have to drag the kid in by the scruff of his neck.
“Here.” Sean set a can of pop on the edge of Grey’s desk and then backed toward the door. “I’m out of here.”
Grey was ready for the defiance. “No, you’re not. You’ll stay here until I say otherwise.”
“Screw that. You’re not my boss. You can’t make me stay.”
Okay, time to show the boy the error in his thinking.
“Actually, as Chief Talion, I am, and yes, I can.”
Grey immediately shot a bolt of hot energy straight at the teenager. Sparkling bands of pure energy formed across Sean’s chest and thighs, flattening him against the wall. Grey sat back and watched Sean try to claw himself free. Struggling only increased the strength of the hold, making it impossible for him to make a dent in the power that held him prisoner.
Sean cursed and kicked his feet, all to no avail. It took an impressive amount of time before the kid finally gave in. As soon the fight had drained out of him, Grey eased his hold on the teenager. Sean briefly sagged against the wall before jerking himself up and bracing for another attack. Resentment burned hot in his eyes as he glared at Grey.
Grey calmly studied his reluctant companion while he popped the top on his drink. “I hear you’ve impressed both Sandor and Ranulf with your training so far.”
A shrug was Sean’s only response, but his eyes were slightly calmer. It was an improvement, anyway.
“Which do you like better—blades or guns?”
A grunt this time. Maybe if Grey kept prodding, Sean would eventually string enough syllables together to speak in actual words. But right now, Grey didn’t have the time or the patience to wait that long.
“I prefer guns myself, but blades definitely have their uses, especially when you want to make an impression.”
With no warning he shot up out of his chair to shove Sean back against the wall again, pressing a knife to the boy’s throat. Sean showed enough intelligence to freeze, although his face burned with a mix of fury and embarrassment. Grey pressed in close until they were almost nose to nose.
“You do not want to fuck with me, boy. Sandor may play nice with you, but he doesn’t understand little wankers like you.” He eased back on the blade a bit. “But I do, because you and I are two of a kind.”
“Bullshit! We’re nothing alike,” Sean sputtered. “You’ve got money and that fancy car.”
“Quit looking at my clothes, boy. Look deeper.”
Grey froze while Sean read him using his fledgling Talion abilities. The attempt was clumsy and crude, but it gave Sean enough of the truth to make him listen.
When Grey spoke again, he let his upper-class accent slip, revealing his much more humble beginnings. “I’m pretty much self-taught with knives. It was learn or die out on the streets. Once I earned a reputation for cutting first and talking second, other predators mostly left me alone.”
Sean’s mouth dropped open in shock. Grey made the knife disappear just as quickly as it had appeared. He shoved Sean toward Piper’s desk.
“Sit.”
This time Sean did exactly as ordered. Grey took his own seat and kept talking.
“As a lad, I hung out in one of the worst parts of London. I did all right for myself. Didn’t starve anyway. But one day I got cocky and was stupid enough to use my favorite switchblade to try to rob one of Dame Judith’s strongest Talions. Not that I’d ever heard of such a thing.”
Grey smiled. “Hell, I thought I was the toughest thing around, but Joseph Ivy showed me different in seconds. I was lucky he was in a good mood that
day or he’d have done more than squash me against the alley wall without even laying a hand on me. The two of us had a similar discussion to the one you and I just had. Then he dragged me home with him.”
He glanced over at Sean. “The bloody bastard actually made me bathe before he’d feed me. Evidently since I’d been living on the streets for months, he found me somewhat less than sanitary. Can you imagine that?”
“No way!” Sean said. But he could imagine it. It showed in his eyes that his memories of living out there were too recent to have faded. “What happened next?”
“He saved my life, just like Sandor did yours. He worked with me until I had my Talion abilities under control and then convinced me to join the military for a while. I learned more about discipline there. By the time I got out, there wasn’t much left of that street punk, which was all right with me. If I’d continued on the way I was, I would have been dead.”
Grey took a long drink of his pop before speaking again. “Not many people know my real background, and I’d just as soon keep it that way.”
From the look on his face, Sean was still not ready to accept Grey’s story as gospel. “Are you bullshitting me?”
Grey ran his fingers down the lapel of his hand-tailored jacket. “No, I’m not. This jacket cost more than my old man made in a year. Of course, most of what he made got spent at the local pub. God knows, Mum and I never saw much of it. At least when he was out drinking, he wasn’t beating me—or her.”
Dusting off all the old memories was no fun, but at least they served as a reminder of how far he’d come. “After Mum passed on, living on the streets was a step up from living with the stench of old whiskey and flying fists.”
He tossed the empty can into the recycle bin Piper had set up. “Believe me or don’t. Your choice. But you’re not the only one who needed a helping hand. I thought you’d like to know that.”
Leaving Sean alone to mull it all over, Grey scrolled through his e-mail and saw nothing out of the ordinary. He turned his attention back to Sean.
“We’ll stick to the training schedule Sandor set up. You’ll work with the three of us as time allows. Ranulf is the best with long blades. Sandor’s a fair hand with martial arts and guns.
“My specialty is down-and-dirty street fighting. Knives, guns, as well as improvising with whatever’s at hand.” Grey let a little more of his former self shine through in his smile. “You’ll be bruised and bloody at first, but I promise one day you’ll thank me.”
Grey held out his hand. “Have we got a deal?”
Sean hesitated only briefly before accepting the gesture. “Deal.”
“Good. Now, since Piper’s not here, I need to see what kind of mail she received this morning. Come closer so you can be my witness. The bastard who’s been sending these e-mails has programmed them to disappear a few seconds after we read them.”
The teenager immediately rolled his chair over next to Grey and watched as he logged on. “Why is this guy doing this stuff?”
“My first guess would be because he’s not happy about Dame Judith’s choice of successor. On the other hand, the attacks haven’t been aimed directly at Kerry, although she would’ve been devastated if Hughes or Piper had been hurt by the bomb blast. And if either or both resigned as a result of the threats, it would make it that much harder for Kerry to carry out her duties as our ruler.”
He found himself reluctant to click on Piper’s in-box, so he kept talking. “You’d have to be crazy to do something like this, so we can’t expect to follow his logic easily. The most we can do is use every avenue of investigation we can to catch him before his attacks escalate even more.
“Failure is not an option, because that means he’ll have succeeded in hurting someone in this household. That’s not acceptable. The bastard’s already crossed the line. When I find him, he will die. Our job as Talions is to carry out the Dame’s justice. The only question is if I will make it quick and easy, or if we’ll have to pick up the pieces with a sponge.”
He gave Sean a sideways glance. It hadn’t been all that long ago that the teenager had been subject to a death sentence under Kyth law himself. Sean looked a bit pale, but he was nodding.
“Now, back to these e-mails.”
Chapter 9
By now that Ryan woman should have found the message she’d left. It had been tempting to use her own voice to record it, but that would have revealed far too much. Grey Danby was no fool. He would have recognized her voice.
Besides, as long as he didn’t know Adele was the one behind the attacks, he’d still be focusing on her father and his friends as possible culprits. It was always satisfying when plans came together so well. Harcourt deserved to take the fall for her. If he’d been doing his job, the old Dame would have kept Adele at her side to finish training her as ruler. Instead, she’d been too far from the center of the action, leaving the door wide open for that upstart American.
That was all right. Kerry Thorsen—she couldn’t bear to think of the woman as Dame—wouldn’t hold on to the throne for long. Adele would see to it personally. In fact, she’d already purchased her airline ticket. Soon she’d be off to the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. She wanted a front row seat when the walls came tumbling down.
Everyone in Seattle was running in circles trying to figure out who had sent that nasty little bomb to the imposter’s house. Adele had really hoped for far more bloodshed, but that was all right. She could always have another special gift delivered whenever the mood hit.
Right now, though, she had to get to class. No telling what useful bit of information she’d pick up. So far all that advanced computer training had been most helpful. She had a real talent for it.
A worried-looking Sandor hustled into Grey’s office. He stopped short as soon as he spotted Sean and Grey sitting shoulder-to-shoulder and staring at the computer. Clearly puzzled by the change in their relationship, Sandor parked himself on the edge of Piper’s desk.
“What’s up, guys?”
Grey nudged Sean’s arm. The teenager looked over at his mentor. “We’re going through Piper’s e-mails looking for more of the weird shit she’s been getting.”
Grey added, “That woman gets more e-mails than any one person should have to wade through.”
Grey was getting tired of reading them, too, and it was unlikely he’d pick up anything useful by going through all of the new ones. He logged off.
“Any luck with the jacket?”
Sandor nodded. “The lab guys say we just need to send them a small swatch. Then we can call Detective Byrne and turn the jacket over to him. Think he’ll put up much of a fuss over the delay?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care. But I’ll call him.” The cop was lucky they were giving it to him at all.
“Good.” Sandor looked as if he’d had a long night, too. He pushed himself to his feet. “Can we check the answering machine later? I forgot Ranulf was waiting to beat on us with his blades some more.”
“Sure, no problem. Go ahead and go, Sean.”
“That sounds like fun—not. See you later, Grey.” The teenager was off and running, clearly excited about another chance to play with weapons.
Sandor stared after him before turning to Grey. “You two seem to have buried the hatchet. How’d that happen?”
“We found some common ground. Now get lost so I can get some work done.”
“Okay, but you’re welcome to join us. I’m always glad to have someone else for Ranulf to use as a target.”
“I’ll think about it.”
When Sandor was gone, Grey pulled out the detective’s card and punched the number into his cell phone. The call went to voicemail, so he left a message for Byrne to contact him as soon as possible.
The moment he disconnected, his phone rang. Without looking at the caller ID, he said, “Well, that was quick.”
A familiar feminine voice answered him. “And here I thought you’d rip into me for not calling sooner,” Piper said with a giggle.
“It was next on my to-do list.” Smiling, he leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the desk. “No mishaps?”
“Nope, but I barely got here before my first class started. I had to wait until it was over to call. I’ve only got ten minutes before the next one.”
“I’ve got a lot on my agenda, too, but I can spare a couple of minutes. Let me tell you my plans for tonight.”
Piper walked into her last class only to find the room empty and a message scrawled on the board that the professor had been called away on a family emergency. Class was cancelled. What a relief. She wouldn’t have been able to concentrate anyway, not with Grey’s voice still whispering in the back of her head about his plans for the night. His plans for her.
She had to give the man credit. He had quite an imagination. She wasn’t sure some of what he had in mind was even physically possible, but she was willing to give it a shot.
Back out in the hall, she considered her options. She could go back to her apartment and—what? Stare at the door and wait for Grey? She sure wasn’t in the mood for studying.
Since she had to take a cab anyway, she could just as easily check in at the office. There were a few things she’d let slide during the past couple of days that could use her attention.
Right. And the fact that Grey will be sitting only a few feet away the whole time is the icing on the cake, she told herself.
Her mind made up, she called a cab and went to the door to wait. And if she smiled all the way to the Dame’s house, well, she had a good reason for it.
Unfortunately, Grey was nowhere to be found when Piper reached their office. His jacket and cell phone were thrown on his desk, so he was around somewhere. Odd, though, because the house felt empty. Kerry was likely in her private quarters, but the men were definitely MIA.
She settled at her desk and got to work. A few minutes later, Grey’s phone rang. Should she answer it or let it go to voicemail? One peek at the caller ID made her decision for her. She had no desire to talk to Detective Byrne unless she absolutely had to. She picked up Grey’s cell and went hunting for its owner. The phone finally went silent, but Grey could return the man’s call when she found him.
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