“What do you think his chances are for being released?”
“Not good. He took the same oaths we did and he's broken more than I can count. He'll be extensively questioned, not that they'll get a lot more out of him than we did, and probably wind up in jail. I just wish he'd confide in us. We can't help him if we don't know what's wrong.” Rhett exhaled in quiet frustration.
“I think you must be right, though. There has to be a reason, more than just money, that he's doing this. He doesn't strike me as the type to betray his own family.” But she couldn't be positive. If Christian thought he could have immortality, he might be willing to do a lot of things she didn't think him capable of.
Throughout the ages, men had done far worse in search of the same.
“We may never know. In the pit, he said there were things I didn't understand, things he couldn't tell me. Maybe he's too embarrassed to admit that he got sucked in by his accomplices and was lured by the thought they'd all be able to live forever if they could get you girls to tell them the location of Eden. Christian's always been a pretty prideful man, so I imagine his crumbling house of cards has been a humiliating blow.”
“It wouldn't be the first time someone went to extremes to get what they wanted. There might even be a noble cause behind his thinking—“
“There isn't anything noble about kidnapping, Evelyn.” Rhett glanced sideways at her.
“No, but if he felt like he had to, then it's possible he justified it in his mind and doesn't know how to tell the rest of you. I don't know. It's confusing and I wish it was all over.”
Leaning back in the seat, she let her gaze drift out the front windshield. It was a lot to think about.
“It would be so nice to just...live for once. Without having to constantly look over my shoulder.” Struck by whimsy, she shared the thought with him.
In periphery, she saw Rhett glance across the car again.
“We'll get there, Evelyn.”
“Not if there are more people involved than the three of them. Because then it'll spread like wildfire and everyone will want a piece of what we know.” The tone of her voice took a solemn turn.
“Dracht is pretty good at dragging information out of people. He's going to interrogate both of the men one more time before he and Alexandra take off. Maybe one or the other will break.”
“Where are we going, anyway?” Evelyn and Rhett hadn't decided on a destination. They'd packed in a hurry, said goodbyes in a hurry, and walked out the door of the stronghold without looking back.
“Where would you like to go?” he asked in return.
“I haven't thought that far ahead, to be honest. As long as it's somewhere no one else can find us for a while.” The thought of spending so much private time with Rhett was undeniably appealing. Even now, the chemistry between them ebbed under the flow of their conversation. At the red light, she looked over to find him watching her.
They shared a full minute of eye contact before the light turned green, spreading the glow over the hood and in through the windshield.
“Sometimes it's best to hide in plain sight. I think we should pick a smaller city along the coast and hole up in a random hotel room. I've got places in other countries but Christian knows about them. I'd rather choose something completely random rather than risk that he's given those locations out to strangers.”
Evelyn didn't look away when he put the car into motion. The full shape of his mouth, pressed into a thoughtful line, was as appealing as the snug fit of his shirt over the breadth of his shoulders. He'd foregone the shoulder holster in public, though she knew he had a gun on him somewhere. The injury he'd sustained to his head, thankfully, hadn't been serious.
“All right. Where ever looks good, I guess.” Despite their chemistry, the natural pull between them, she knew the second her head hit the bed she would be out like a light. Maybe this time, she wouldn't be woken up by an intruder, or gunshots, or someone blowing out the door.
Maybe.
***
Sunlight slanted across her eyelids, drawing a wince and a frown across her brow. Even with her eyes closed it was bright. Sitting up, she rubbed the vestiges of sleep away and yawned. Still in her clothes—that was one habit she couldn't (wouldn't) break—she felt slightly stiff and sore.
The Kineta Bay Resort had been the second hotel they passed coming into the small town. She remembered dragging herself out of the car and into the elevator after Rhett secured them rooms under false names. Up to the fourth floor, they had a room overlooking the water and as she'd predicted, she'd barely hit the mattress in a dead slump before passing out.
Hair a mess around her face, cheeks flushed, she glanced through the room for Rhett. He wasn't hard to find.
Sitting next to the balcony doors in a chair, he had his legs stretched out onto another chair and his arms folded over his chest. A golden layer of whiskers had come in overnight, reminding her of short stalks of wheat. Instead of his customary dark colors, he had on faded jeans and a white tee shirt. Fully clothed, he looked like he hadn't slept a wink.
Of course he wouldn't. Not with the possibility of a threat hanging over their heads. She almost felt guilty for crashing like she had.
The Saronic Gulf sparkled like a broad, turquoise gem out from the sands of the beaches beyond the balcony. Shaped in a slight curve, the shoreline led to a finger of land that jutted outward, making this particular stretch seem cut off from the rest of civilization. Private, beautiful, with the sun gleaming down overhead from a cloudless blue sky.
She guessed the time to be around noon.
“You should have woken me up sooner so you could get some sleep,” she said, swinging her legs off the mattress. The one concession to not removing her clothing had been her shoes. She couldn't bring herself to tuck them under the covers last night. They sat side by side in front of the nightstand within easy reach.
He glanced over. “You needed the rest. I heard from Dracht.”
“What did he say?” Walking over, she leaned against the chair his feet rested in.
“As far as he can tell, the three worked alone. The two men, who do work for the US government, found out about you girls by accident.”
“What do you mean, by accident?” Evelyn tried and failed to come up with a way they might know about them.
“Nothing is ever as secret as it seems. They read about you in a top secret document buried in a vault they mistakenly came across while they were researching something completely different. So, though you have the scroll at the Vatican, someone else kept the knowledge of your extraordinary existence alive and passed it down through the centuries. What I'm guessing happened is that the men used their positions to unearth the secret group of Knights who've been looking for you all along and started tracking them without their knowledge.” Rhett turned his attention from the water to her.
“That way, if the Templars ever did find us, they could spring into action on a moment's notice,” she finished for him. It was disheartening to realize that their secret hadn't been such a secret at all.
“From what he says, he and his partner never told anyone else in the government about it. They compromised my brother and worked as a team once it came to light that the other Templars had you in their grasp. None of them will admit how they compromised Christian, and Christian still isn't talking.” Rhett drew his legs off the chair and stood up to stretch his back.
“Did they say what they hoped to gain?” She thought she knew. It was the same thing everyone else always wanted.
“They wanted passage into Eden. Dracht didn't get much more out of them beyond that.” Rhett exhaled and shoved a hand back through his hair while he watched her.
“I'm not really surprised. Does this mean that you, Dracht and Dragar think it's contained to just these three?” She linked her arms over her middle, all remnants of sleep seared away by the conversation.
“I don't think we can say with one-hundred percent certainty. It looks like it, though. D
racht, Dragar and I still think it's wise to let a few days pass while the other members of the order spread disinformation to try and draw anyone else out. It can't hurt, and it might even put you and your sisters minds at ease.”
“What does your gut instinct tell you, Rhett?” she asked quietly.
He looked out the window, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“That the worst is yet to come.”
***
The small town of Kineta boasted quaint buildings that, in Evelyn's estimation, were some of the most beautiful in terms of architecture in the world. She'd gotten glimpses of them as they'd pulled into the village the night before, the white structures pristine against the darkness.
From the balcony, she had a view of the beach, the curving shoreline and a few other hotels in the distance. Pretty and peaceful, she thought she could stay here for a long time and never get tired of the scenery. It made her think of her and Rhett's conversation in the kitchen back in the stronghold. There was so much to explore between them. Things she would never get to discover and learn if she killed the idea before it really took flight.
She also had the feeling, even though Rhett hadn't confided in her yet, that Christian's actions had cut him deep. Every once in a while his features took on a grim solemnity that echoed in his eyes. She wanted to be there for him like he'd been there for her.
Leaving the balcony, she stepped inside the room. Two hours ago, Rhett had showered and finally laid down to rest. On his stomach, he'd sprawled diagonal over the bed, taking up a lot of room due to his size. Fresh bandages covered his healing wounds. The jeans he'd changed into were another washed out, worn in pair. But it was his back that gained and held her attention.
Shirtless, the tawny skin stretched over the honed muscles in ways that made her want to trail her fingers across it. The tattoo of the iron cross sat square between his shoulder blades. A stray chill inched down her spine at the sight. She might not be afraid of Rhett, Dracht or Dragar any longer, but it would take her a little while to overcome the knee jerk reaction to seeing the ink.
Reaching down, she put her fingertips to the edge of the scrollwork on the cross. Just as she started to trace the outline, Rhett twisted his shoulders and snatched a hand around her wrist faster than she could draw in a startled breath.
From a dead sleep to just...deadly...in a heartbeat. That was the leonine, golden haired man who held her captivated with the narrowed, pale green of his eyes.
“I don't care if you touch me, but waking me up like that will pretty much get you this reaction every time,” he said, voice raspy from slumber.
“Didn't mean to disturb you. It was impulsive of me,” she admitted. He didn't immediately release her wrist, and she did nothing to break the contact. A moment later, his thumb brushed over the delicate underside and instead of letting go, he gave her wrist a gentle tug.
She leaned forward onto her stomach, laying at an angle to him after he rolled onto his side. The sundress, turquoise with a white floral pattern etched into the hem and around the neckline, left her legs and arms bare. It was the first time she'd felt comfortable enough not to wear jeans and to go barefoot during the daytime.
“What's on your mind?” he asked, as if he could sense that she wanted to talk.
“Whether or not I can convince Ashrael to let us into the Garden.” Evelyn had spent days thinking about it. Wondering. Planning.
Rhett cocked a brow up. “Ashrael? Oh, the Guardian?”
“Yes.”
“I thought it was against the rules.”
“It is. Unless I can convince him otherwise.” Her mouth quirked at a corner in consternation. Doubtless, Ashrael would deny her. Deny them both. Though if she informed him that their secret was out, that their lives had been in danger, and that Rhett was now her Guardian, maybe Ashrael would allow Rhett to partake of the fruit so that he could continue his role indefinitely. She might even be able to do the same for Dracht and Dragar.
“What would make him change his mind? I'm no paragon of virtue, you know,” Rhett said.
“I was thinking of telling him what happened, if he doesn't already know, and suggesting that if you ate from the Tree, it would extend your life so that you could continue providing security. The downfall, is that you'll be expected to do just that as long as you live.” She studied his eyes, which had sharpened as the conversation deepened.
He rolled up off the bed in a smooth motion and speared a hand through his hair while he paced toward the balcony.
Evelyn got to her feet, tracking his progress through the room with her eyes. It was a lot to ask, a big decision, and had bigger implications for him than simply extending their time together. She realized as she watched him that she wanted him to agree. To take the chance of a lifetime. The same kind of chance she took putting all her trust in him in the beginning.
But she also knew, in that singular moment, that she would accept whatever decision he made and make the best of it. Explore what she could, enjoy the time they had while they had it. Whether it was ten months, ten years or ten decades, there would be no turning back for her.
The knowledge made her heart flutter strangely in her chest.
Standing five feet behind him, staring at the broad, strong expanse of his back, she waited for his verdict. Even the sight of the tattoo didn't give her any hesitation.
She was in, all in, for the first time ever.
With a slow turn of his shoulders, he found her eyes. What looked like a stern expression suddenly blossomed into a rakish grin that changed the entire landscape of his face. It chased the lingering ghosts of betrayal into the shadows, leaving only determination behind.
“It's a noble cause, watching over a woman with a grandma's name who sometimes sports a rat's nest for hair.” Finishing the turn, he stalked her.
“I do not have a grandmother's name!” Laughing carefree for the first time in what felt like months, she set her palms against his chest when he bulled into her and backed her into the wall. Pinned, she didn't push him away but wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer.
“Yes you do.” Blotting out the streaking sun rays, he lowered his head and kissed her.
The End
. . .
Templar's Creed
Chapter One
“So I have to say goodbye, but not for the last time. Death is just a door we step through on the path to a new beginning. Don't close it behind you; leave it wide open because someday, I'll follow you through. I'll miss you both more than I can say, more than I can ever express, and I'm sorry I have to be here on a distant beach rather than at your empty graveside. I wore white instead of black, I have daisies instead of roses, and mother nature provided the music: a gentle breeze, the crash of the waves, a noisy seagull that keeps circling overhead. It's peaceful here. My beloved sisters, until I see you again.” Evelyn Grant let the wind catch the remaining daisies from her palm and scatter them over the damp sand.
She watched a wave glide in to suck them into the foam and draw them back out to sea. Like reclaiming lost souls, calling them home.
Lifting a hand, Evelyn smeared tears off her cheeks and watched the petals until the surf pulled them under. Some still tumbled down the shoreline under a fading sunset that painted the sky orange and pink.
The impromptu eulogy was over.
In defiance of traditional formality, Evelyn had worn a white slip dress with a hem that whisked around her calves. Austere black attire didn't suit her mood or the setting. Galiana and Genevieve wouldn't want her to wallow in sorrow and somber clothing anyway. Inwardly, she mourned her sisters and would for some time to come.
It was impossible not to miss them.
Their bodies were miles away in an Athens cemetery, already laid to rest. Evelyn felt marginally better sending her siblings off with fond farewells and promises to see them again.
A pair of strong arms wrapped her up from behind. She turned a maudlin smile over her shoulder to the
man who'd saved her from the same fate.
Rhett Nichols—no, Rhett Sagan—hadn't dressed any more formally than she: jeans, a black pull over shirt with short sleeves. No shoes. A thin layer of golden whiskers dusted his jawline. Shoulder length hair remained unbound and loose around the breadth of his shoulders.
He smelled like musk and masculinity.
“You know, I never met either of them, but I bet they would have loved this,” he said in a quiet voice near her ear.
“I think so. Since none of us could be at the funeral a couple days ago, I wanted to at least do this. Thanks for coming down here with me.” Evelyn looked out over the water and rested her palms on his forearms. Leaning into him, she let Rhett bear her weight.
“I wouldn't have missed it.” He squeezed her and tucked his chin over her shoulder onto her collarbone. Staring out at the rollicking ocean, he descended into comfortable silence.
Evelyn stole those moments while the sun sank below the horizon to get her emotions under control. To put everything into perspective. The last weeks had taken a toll. Exhausted, she only wanted a few days of peace and solitude before having to face reality again.
Dodging death was tedious business.
***
Christian Sagan stood against the thick wall of the dungeon in the Templar Stronghold, arms crossed over his chest. A shank of black hair fell over his frowning brow.
The only light came from a small fixture on the ceiling, the shadows too cloying to be chased away in the corners. The dungeon, a spacious twenty-by-twenty foot square, had no other amenities to speak of beyond a urinal, a free standing sink and two chairs positioned under the light.
He'd been down here for two days, held for questioning about his part in the death and disappearance of Evelyn's sisters. So far, he'd given his brother and father no information. He couldn't. The situation was too precarious, too dangerous. In a world built on trust and honor, Christian had to break those oaths to the people who mattered most.
Daughters of Eve Collection (Books 1, 2 & 3) Page 25
