Unfortunately, their time alone didn’t last long. He should’ve known that Ranulf would sense his wife’s distress and charge to the rescue. Nor was it any surprise that Sandor was hot on his heels. Grey placed himself directly in the Viking’s path and did his best to head him off.
Ranulf pulled up short. “What the hell is going on out here? Get out of my way, Danby.”
“No.”
Ranulf tried to get around him, but Grey blocked him again. Frustrated, he grabbed Grey by the front of his shirt. “Damn it, do you want to die? Kerry’s upset, and I want to know why.”
Grey dug in his heels. “If you’ll give me a second, I’ll explain.”
“Fine, but if you’re the one who’s making her cry—” Ranulf emphasized the threat with a shove.
“It bloody hell wasn’t me. It was Piper, and as you can see, the two of them are still as thick as thieves.”
Ranulf gave the women a considering look and then stood down. Sandor took his cue from Ranulf, but neither man showed any sign of retreating to the house.
“Come with me.” Grey led them a short distance away. “On top of everything else that’s happened today, it seems that the initial investigation into Piper’s background left out the fact that she’s Kerry’s half sister.”
Both men stared at him as if he were spouting gibberish. He repeated himself, speaking more slowly. “Piper just broke the news that she’s Kerry’s half sister. They have the same father.”
“That’s crazy!” Ranulf clearly wasn’t happy about the whole mess. “If that were true, why didn’t she say something before? Why now?”
“I don’t know why she kept it secret this long, but I will find out. Piper found out I’d ordered a deeper investigation into her past and wanted Kerry to hear the truth from her. That’s all I can tell you.”
Sandor looked sick. “How did I miss something that important? I’ve been digging into Kerry’s past for months and getting nowhere and your guy hits pay dirt?”
“I don’t know that he did, but Piper wasn’t taking any chances.” He wished like hell she’d trusted him enough to tell him sooner, but he could only play the hand she’d dealt him.
Ranulf ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as he watched his wife and new sister-in-law talking. “I’ve got nothing against Piper, but this is the last thing we need right now when we’re already under attack.”
He wasn’t saying anything Grey hadn’t already known. “If this gets out it could make Piper both a target and a weapon to be used against Kerry.”
“Exactly.”
The three men stood in silence, trying to come to terms with the ripple effect of Piper’s unexpected confession. They all knew their primary duty was to Kerry. She’d been protective of Piper before, and this would only strengthen that bond.
As he watched, it was clear that the two women had reached an accord over the change in their relationship. Piper said something that made Kerry laugh, but then she stood up and walked away. Where the hell was she going? He checked the time. School.
“Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me.”
Piper was relieved to find her office was devoid of Talion warriors. With her great revelation and the earlier confrontation with Grey, it was no wonder she was exhausted. She felt as if she’d been running a marathon in cement boots. The quiet allowed her to center herself, calming the cacophony of emotions that had her stomach tied in knots upon knots.
It might actually be a relief to lose herself in a long afternoon of lectures and review sessions. She grabbed her backpack and walked out the front door. Outside, a familiar figure was waiting by the gate. No use in denying that she was glad to see him. She got in Grey’s car and buckled in.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I would say that taking the bus would have been fine, but I hate to lie.” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “God, what a day. Promise me you won’t ask me any more about my past until tonight.”
“Agreed. We’ll have plenty to talk about, too. Like why you didn’t warn me or say something when I asked you if there could be anything in that report that might hurt Kerry or—”
“Grey! This is not later.”
He sighed. “Okay, later it is, but we will talk.”
“Fine.” She turned to study his profile. “But back to what happened earlier. How do you live with this tension all the time? My stomach hurts from worrying about you and the others going after these crazies. I can barely stand to let you out of my sight for fear something will happen to you.”
Okay, that was more than she meant to reveal, but sometimes the truth had to be told.
His hand settled on her thigh, and he gave it a soft squeeze. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this, Piper, but I promise to keep you safe.”
She ignored the waves of heat that his touch sent coursing through her. “You can promise to try, Grey, but that’s all. You can’t be with me round the clock. Even if you could, that wouldn’t prevent some crazy from coming at us out of left field. Besides, your job is to keep my sister—your Dame—safe.”
He clenched his jaw, wanting to deny it. They were all vulnerable to attack no matter how vigilant they were. But then, accidents happened, too. There were no guarantees.
“I’ll pick you up after class. If I can’t make it for some reason, I’ll send Sandor or Ranulf to bring you back to Kerry’s until I’m done for the day.”
He entwined his hand with hers. “The plan was for all of us to stay at Kerry’s, but I’m thinking you might want a little more privacy. If so, I’ll change hotels to throw whoever is behind this off track. Your choice—Kerry’s or a hotel. But either way, you’re with me.”
If he was expecting her to argue, he was going to be disappointed. She’d already considered her options and knew that she had none. No matter what the future held for the two of them, she’d be a fool to waste a single chance to be with him.
“I’ll be waiting.” Then to lighten the mood, she added, “And I expect you to be extra nice to me when we get to the hotel.”
She loved the way his eyes sparkled when he replied, “It will be my pleasure.”
• • •
Adele stretched languidly, trying to decide what to do next. Traffic had been cooperative, so she’d reached Wes’s earlier than expected. He’d been waiting outside in the driveway when she pulled in. Freed from the constraints of all the spying eyes back at school, she’d shown him exactly how great it was to see him. She’d run straight into his waiting arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and plunging her tongue into his mouth.
By the time they’d reached the porch, she already had his pants unzipped. They’d barely shut the door before he took her, slamming her up against the closest wall. That had been the start of a long, energetic evening.
Oh, yes, it was definitely nice to be missed. The man had stamina, but right now they were both down for the count. Come morning, they’d get back to the business of claiming her throne. For the time being, she’d doze for a while before coaxing Wes into an encore.
He’d already sent the warning about that old car Ranulf Thorsen was so bloody proud of. When they were finished with it, the Packard would be nothing but scrap metal. Hmmm. Would blood stains lessen the value at the recyclers?
With that happy thought, she cuddled in closer to her lover and drifted off to sleep.
• • •
Even with Sandor sitting beside him at the computer, the office felt empty without Piper across the room. He’d dropped her off two hours ago, and he swore he could still breathe in her scent. The first time he’d drawn in a long breath of air Sandor had shot him an odd look. The second time he’d grinned but hadn’t said a word. But judging by the way he’d clamped his lips together, he’d been tempted.
Finding out that Piper was Kerry’s sister was one helluva complication. Grey had enough on his plate as he and Sandor tried to trace the e-mails. He’d made it his business t
o learn some serious computer skills, both through formal schooling and from some talented hackers he’d met along the way. Sandor was no slouch either. Eventually they’d track the bastard down, but so far, they had no leads. Frustrated, Grey leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Not that it mattered—the computer screen was burned on the inside of his eyelids.
They’d made so damn little progress, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that time was running out. Slamming his hand down on the desk, he stared at the screen, but nothing registered with him.
“There has to be something else we could be doing. Some avenue we haven’t explored.”
Sandor looked as close to the edge as Grey felt. “I agree, but what?”
“Let’s take a harder look at that file you’d started on Kyth who had reacted adversely to Judith’s choice of a successor.”
“Why? There were a few disgruntled e-mails and a couple of calls, but nothing that crossed the line. After a thousand years with a single ruler, there was bound to be some unrest with the change,” Sandor said.
“What can it hurt to look at it?”
Sandor quickly pulled the file up on the screen and moved out of the way so Grey could scan through it. He paused to make note of a couple of names before continuing. Toward the bottom of the list, one person stood out. He let loose a string of curses.
“Who are you looking at?”
Grey jabbed a finger at a name. “Lawrence Harcourt and his daughter, Adele.”
“What about them?”
“Judith had assigned me to the London area, ostensibly because a fair number of Kyth live there.” He linked his hands behind his head, hoping to hide the burn of tension running through him.
“But the real reason?”
“Until Kerry came along, Adele Harcourt was the heir apparent to Judith’s throne. The Dame stationed me in London because she wanted one of her stronger Talions to quietly keep an eye on the girl. Though the Dame never made any official announcement about Adele’s status, Harcourt apparently believed it to be true. The greedy bastard is as ambitious as they come and invested a lot of time and energy, not to mention money, in preparing his daughter to rule.”
Sandor was nodding. “You know, the two of them used to come to Seattle every year to visit his cousin, Reginald Harcourt. The two of them were very close. But Harcourt also made of point of having Adele spend time with Dame Judith once the girl was old enough to exhibit her strong gifts. As I recall, she can manipulate energy and influence minds but lacks the talent for healing.”
Grey leaned back in his chair. “That’s right. I suspect that lack was why Judith hesitated over publicly declaring Adele her heir. We’d heard rumors that the Dame’s health was failing for some time; it was the manner of Judith’s death that hit us all so hard. Knowing how power hungry Harcourt is, I’m betting he had his bags packed and ready to go long before Judith’s passing.”
The more Grey thought about it, the more the pieces fit together. Even if it wasn’t Harcourt behind the attacks, it had to be someone with a similar axe to grind. Who else would profit from Kerry’s death? He handed his short list to Sandor.
“Harcourt is why I came to Seattle when I did. He wanted me to spy for him and his friends, and to report back on any weakness I saw. I’m sure he figured if they compiled enough evidence that Kerry wasn’t capable of ruling the Kyth, he and his elitist buddies would be able to replace her with someone they deemed more suitable.”
Sandor ran a finger along the list, scorching the paper in the process. “We figured as much. Ranulf was all for shoving you back on the plane.”
Grey laughed. “Or under it, knowing him. In truth, I used Harcourt’s greed as an excuse to get away from those jackasses he surrounds himself with. His one real claim to fame was Judith favoring Adele. When that went away, he was just another Kyth with more pedigree than good sense. There’s no telling what he’d be willing to do to get that back.”
“He has to know that if something happens to Kerry the Talions will be out for blood.”
Sandor’s left hand was rubbing up and down his right arm over his brand. Grey recognized the gesture for what it meant because his own hand had just settled over his chest. Both men were feeling the heavy weight of their office as guardians of the Grand Dame. It wouldn’t surprise him if Ranulf showed up at the door at any second. The Viking might now serve their people as Consort rather than as the Dame’s enforcer, but he would still feel a connection to Talions gearing up to defend his wife.
“We can’t assume that it’s Harcourt, though. We’ll need to check out that whole list, starting with any locals. See what they’re up to, if they’re doing anything that sets off alarms.”
Ranulf appeared in the doorway. “What list?”
Grey motioned to Ranulf to come in. “We’re going to investigate any Kyth who questioned Kerry’s qualifications to take over as Dame. There may be more who felt the same way, at least at first, but the ones on this list were stupid enough to put it in writing.”
He hit the “print” button and handed a copy of the list to each of the men. After Ranulf read over the names, Grey said, “It will save time if we each take a third of the list. Look for unusual travel patterns. Check phone records, both cell- and land-lines. It won’t help if they’re smart enough to use throwaway phones, but maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“Do you want me to take Harcourt, since the two of you have a past?” Sandor asked.
“Oh, no, he’s mine.” Grey checked the time. “If I leave right now, I’ll have time to pay a call on Harcourt’s cousin before I pick up Piper. I’ll call you if I learn anything interesting. We won’t be coming back here until morning. I’ll work through the rest of my list tonight, and you two do the same. By tomorrow, we’ll have some answers. Call my cell if you find anything or have any questions.”
Ranulf blocked his way. “Don’t forget that Kerry is your first priority, even if Piper is her sister, Danby. We all know you’ve got feelings for the woman and that’s your business. But know this: if you’re thinking with the wrong part of your body and my wife suffers for it, I will kill you myself. So tell me now, is your head in the game? And I’m not talking about the one in your pants.”
Grey chest-butted the Consort, forcing him to back up. Considering Ranulf was a tank, it was quite an accomplishment.
“I am the Chief Talion, Consort. I take that very seriously and know exactly where my duty lies. I have guards stationed here on the grounds and extras patrolling the neighborhood. Sandor has already brought Lena here, and he’ll be in charge of security tonight. I’ll relieve him at first light.”
Grey eased back, giving them both more breathing room. “Look, I know you’re worried. We all are. But don’t presume to tell me what to do. The Dame has no reason to doubt my abilities or loyalty, so I will do my job as I see fit.”
After a few seconds, Ranulf nodded. “I’ll let you know what I find out about the people on my list.”
“Good. Now, if you two will excuse me, if I don’t get a move on, I might be late picking up Piper. She’s stubborn enough to take the bus if I’m not waiting at the curb.”
Sandor looked up from his computer screen. “Doesn’t take orders well, does she?”
“No more than Kerry or Lena from what I’ve heard.”
Ranulf actually laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “I don’t know whether to congratulate you or offer my sympathies.”
Grey resisted the urge to rub the spot Ranulf had hit. The man didn’t know his own strength—or then again, maybe he did. Talion tempers didn’t cool off quickly.
“I’ll settle for a little of both. I’ve a feeling I’m going need it.”
Sandor and Ranulf’s laughter followed him down the hall.
Grey pulled up in front of a stately brick home, the kind of place that spoke of old money and an upper-class pedigree. He studied the exterior for a couple of minutes. The place was well tended. It didn’t tell Grey much about the man. If Reginal
d had the same kind of money his cousin Lawrence did, he probably paid other people to take care of the place for him.
As Grey got out of the car, an older man came around the corner of the house pushing a wheelbarrow. He wore grass-stained jeans and a faded work shirt. As soon as the guy spotted Grey, he stopped and waited for him make his approach.
Looking curious rather than worried, he asked, “Hi, can I help you?”
Grey nodded. “I’m hear to talk the owner, Reginald Harcourt. Do you know if he’s in?”
“No, actually he’s out—here, that is. I’m Reggie,” he said with a smile as he stripped off his work gloves and tossed them down in the wheelbarrow. “And you are?”
“Greyhill Danby. I am here on a matter of great urgency on behalf of the Grand Dame of our people.”
“I see.” Reggie’s smile dimmed considerably. “Why don’t we take this conversation inside?”
Without waiting for Grey to respond, Reggie headed for the front door. Inside, he kicked of his shoes. “I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee while you tell me what brought you to my doorstep.”
Grey followed him into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. He watched with interest while Reggie started the coffee. Either the man had no idea why the Chief Talion was paying a call on him or else he had nerves of steel.
“I’m going to get out of these dirty clothes. I’ll be gone just a minute.”
“No need to do that on my behalf, Mr. Harcourt.”
“If you’re sure.” Reggie joined Grey at the table after setting out coffee cups along with cream and sugar. “I’ve heard of you, Mr. Danby, but I wasn’t aware that you were here in Seattle.”
“It was a recent move, Mr. Harcourt. Grand Dame Thorsen offered me the position of Chief Talion, and I’m here in that capacity. Someone has been threatening our Dame and the people who work for her.”
“Is she all right? I’ve only met her once when I attended her wedding, but she seemed like a nice young woman.”
“She’s fine, but the Talions are investigating the situation. Such attacks constitute high treason according to Kyth law.”
Dark Warrior Untamed Page 19
