by Lisa Cardiff
Her eyes felt heavy, and she fought to keep them open, knowing she could afford to take only a few minutes’ rest break. She would kill for a cup of coffee. Contemplating using her cell phone to call a taxi, she let out a strained laugh when she played out the conversation with the cab service on the phone. “Yes, that’s correct. I’m not sure where I am. I just know I’m by a nearly deserted road outside of Tuam sitting under a big tree.”
A wave of panic surged through her, but she suppressed it so she could think clearly. A peek at her watch told her that it was only six o’clock in the evening. She still had two and a half hours to make it to Temple Jarlath.
She pulled out her phone again to check if she had a signal. When the map immediately appeared with her location, relief swarmed through her. She scanned it, looking for the location of the Temple. She was heading in the right direction. N17 was less than a mile ahead of her, which connected to High Street where the Temple was located. She was going to make it.
Stiff and cold from sitting on the damp, hard ground, she didn’t care. Suddenly full of energy, she jumped up and started running along the shoulder of the road. It was probably risky to walk along N17, a busy road, but what other choice did she have? She didn’t have time to creep along the back roads into Tuam. She would cross her fingers and hope that Kalen didn’t drive down the road looking for her. She half ran, half walked, oblivious to everything around her. She was so tired and hungry that if she stopped to rest, she didn’t think she would find the will to continue.
Based on the text message from her aunt, Dierdre would be buried tomorrow, and she knew she wouldn’t be there to say goodbye. Her throat constricted, and the thought caused a surge of grief to roll through her body. The enormity of her loss overwhelmed her. Nothing was going to be the same, and even her past couldn’t be viewed through the same lens. She wrapped her arms tightly around Kalen’s coat, trying to find the strength to keep fighting.
Memories of her life with Dierdre flashed through her mind, and she willed them to continue so she could block out the strain of the last few days for a while longer. Maybe if she concentrated hard enough, she could remember every meaningful minute with her mom and she could find something to link them together, if not in life than in death. She wiped her face with the sleeve of Kalen’s jacket to dry the tears streaming down her face so quickly and freely that her vision blurred. She couldn’t wait to get back to New York where she could lose herself in her work. She didn’t know what that meant now, but she couldn’t think about it. She desperately needed a distraction right now if only to save herself from going insane or being consumed by her loss.
As Peter exited the Foundation’s private plane, he saw the voicemail from Avery. His eyes gleamed with a cold, self-satisfied light. Her immediate response was more than he had expected. Scrolling through the rest of his messages, he frowned in response to the five messages from Thomas.
Listening to Avery’s message, he knew he finally had the break he’d been waiting for. In little over an hour, all the years of working with Thomas and suffering through his trivial machinations would be worth it. The messages from Thomas were just what he expected—pathetic attempts to retain control of the situation. If Thomas weren’t such an asshole, he might have felt sorry for him.
Based on Avery’s voicemail, he’d have to ignore the Board meeting tonight despite Thomas’ instructions to the contrary in his increasingly desperate voicemails. Being late or rescheduling with Avery wasn’t an option. He refused to give her additional time to change her mind or risk the Fae finding her first. Avery was smart, and it was only a matter of time before she went rogue and decided not to trust anyone. He didn’t know what the Fae had told her or how they explained their interest in her or Thomas’ crazy behavior, but he couldn’t give her too much time to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
In the five years he had known Avery, she gave the impression she was such a shy mousey thing. She went to considerable lengths to appear invisible, but even without makeup, her hair scraped from her face in a boring ponytail and her nondescript clothes, she didn’t escape people’s notice. She had perfect skin that glowed in the sunlight, wavy honey colored hair that highlighted her hauntingly beautiful sea green eyes and a surprisingly lush mouth. Even when her complete lack of style offended his upper class sensibilities, he still had to fight the urge to seduce her. Knowing she would be his eventually, he accepted her rejection of his advances without argument letting her ramble at length about valuing his friendship too much to risk jeopardizing it. He just smiled and agreed with her, knowing his patience would win her over in the end.
In the meantime, he consoled himself with her cold and shallow friend, Grace, who didn’t hesitate to jump in his bed despite his obvious interest in her friend. For her part, Grace was a convenient means to an end. He needed a way to keep track of Avery and screwing Grace kept him close to her. He didn’t think Avery knew about his on and off again relationship with Grace. For one thing, Grace wouldn’t mention it to her. As much as Grace pretended to be a good friend to Avery, she seemed to harbor some deep-seated resentment toward her, and he knew that Grace went out of her way to keep her true nature hidden from Avery. Anytime someone showed interest in Avery, Grace was quick to swoop in and redirect the attention to her. He didn’t think Grace did it intentionally, and he wasn’t sure Avery even noticed it or maybe Avery subconsciously liked it. With Grace always demanding the spotlight, Avery could remain hidden in the shadows. Avery’s artlessness prevented her from seeing people’s underlying motives so she probably thought Grace was being a good friend and protecting her. Then again, maybe that was what she wanted people to think.
He shrugged, trying to fight off the unsettling thought and grabbed his phone to call Thomas before he became suspicious. He hesitated over his phone, wondering if he should avoid him for a couple more hours until he had Avery. No, he couldn’t wait. Thomas would be alerted of the exact time his flight landed and then who knew what he would do.
When he heard Thomas answer the phone, he didn’t wait for his greeting. “Flannigan, it is Peter. I’m in Galway. I have some leads on Avery. I don’t have time to meet with the Board this evening, but I’ll touch base in the morning.”
“Do you know her location? Did you make contact with her?”
“No, I haven’t spoken with her, but I have some ideas of where I might find her.”
“Are you at the airport?”
“Yes.”
“Wait there. I’ll send a car for you along with backup.”
Peter slid into the front seat of the black sedan he had rented and leaned against the headrest. “I already rented a car. I’m leaving the airport as we speak. When I find Avery, I don’t want to scare her with a bunch of goons.”
“You may think failure is acceptable, but I’ve put years of hard work into controlling and managing Avery and I’m not about to let you blow it to pieces because you think you have some sort of friendship with the girl. We don’t have time for sentimentality.”
“I know what’s at stake better than you. I’ve spent five years carefully nurturing her, and she never left. You spent thirty minutes with her, and the whole fucking thing is blowing up in our faces.”
“Where is she?” he demanded.
“I imagine she is somewhere in Ireland waiting for me, the white knight, to rescue her from the horrors you and the Fae have forced on her.”
Thomas growled in frustration. “I assume that means she contacted you and told you where to find her.”
“You would be correct to assume something like that,” he said as he started the engine of the rental car and pulled into the night.
“Is she still with her Faerie escort?”
“I doubt it. I think she managed to get rid of him. Otherwise I don’t think she would have arranged to meet me.”
“It could be a trap. You should take me with you. The rest of the Board wouldn’t approve of you going to retrieve her alone.
”
“It’s none of their business, and you know I can’t take you. She would flee the minute she saw you.”
“I could follow you at a discreet distance in case you need me.”
“Don’t worry. I can handle this.”
“If she doesn’t go with you willingly, you need to be prepared to do something about her. You know that don’t you?”
“Of course. I’m not stupid.”
“If it looks as though she’s going to flip sides, you need to kill her. Are you prepared to do that?”
“I want you to stay away from her. If you try to harm her, I will kill you.”
“Isn’t that extreme? You seem too attached to the girl for your own good. I’ll be sure to drop a few hints to the Board about your adolescent infatuation.”
“Sure, you do that, and I’ll be sure to let them know you practically handed the girl over to the Fae on a platter by exhibiting your notorious temper and lack of patience when you succeeded in killing Dierdre and nearly Avery too. We wouldn’t be in this position if you weren’t such a ridiculous ass. I’ve got to go.”
Peter could feel Thomas’s frozen fury emanating through the phone. Peter wasn’t usually so blatantly rude to Thomas, but he knew Thomas’ star was falling, and he wasn’t going to wait around to watch. It was better if he jumped ship now, so he wasn’t tainted by Thomas’ inevitable downfall. Thomas was a liability, and he would make sure the Board agreed.
“Fine, follow your leads,” Thomas replied through clinched teeth. “And I’ll follow mine. My source is infallible. We’ll see who comes out on top this time.”
Peter turned off on his phone and tossed it on the center console. He had plans to make; carefully thought out plans, and he wasn’t sure they included the Board or Thomas. He wouldn’t let anything stop him, and no one would know until it was too late. He was coming to the realization the Foundation had outlived its purpose. What kind of organization would let a wild card like Thomas Flannigan lead them for a decade? Once he had Avery, he didn’t need anybody else. Having her was better than holding a winning lottery ticket.
The minute he reached the front porch of the safe house, Kalen knew she was gone. He went in anyway to check if his instincts were accurate. Balancing a bag of food in one hand and opening the front door with the other, he called her name and paused, listening for any movement or breathing. There was no answer, only silence.
The minute Aerin had mocked him for leaving Avery alone, his intuition told him she would be gone when he came back, but he couldn’t bring himself to rush back to the house. Instead, he pushed the thought out of his mind, giving himself some free time to gather his thoughts, all the while hoping against his gut instinct to the contrary that she would trust him and stay at the safe house.
While she was busy escaping, he sat outside at a café in town, drinking a dark cup of coffee thinking about how he would stay in that house with Avery for an entire night without resuming where they left off earlier. Too bad his broodings were wasted. Avery made him feel exposed in ways he was hard pressed to consider. Watching the vulnerability wash across her face when she was scared or when she talked about Dierdre or Cian made him want to protect her; protect her from the hurt Dierdre and Cian caused with their stupidity, from the parasitic grip of the Foundation, the wild ambitions of the Queen, and even from himself.
The sun had already set, and the inside of the house was dark except for the dying embers in the fireplace casting a faint glow across the floor. He cautiously walked toward the back door to check the handle and lock. There wasn’t any sign of forced entry. There was no noticeable blood or any sign of a struggle. His coat, the one that he left with her for her comfort, was gone. Apparently, she had gone through all the drawers in the kitchen. It looked like she searched the entire house. He wondered what she thought she was going to find—a weapon, food or information?
Maybe she hadn’t severed her ties with the Foundation after all, and she was using him. She could be a Foundation operative looking for information that would lead her to the hiding place of the Treasures. Obviously, she would do almost anything to get information for her precious Foundation, including provoking him in an alley or using her lips to lull him into leaving her alone at the safe house. No, she was just like another treacherous woman he knew—
Kalen checked his ranting mid thought, frustrated he would let his experiences with that woman color his judgment of Avery. Without thought, he’d been convicting her with someone else’s acts. Instead, he focused on Avery and remembered the fear in her eyes when Flannigan’s operatives pulled a gun on them, the trusting way she slept next to him under the Arch, and the courage she had in openly sparing with him. She wasn’t in league with them—not yet anyway, and probably never willingly.
When his mind cleared, he realized she had left the house of her own accord. If the Foundation had found her, she wouldn’t have had time to take his jacket, and there probably would be some sign of forced entry. Either she was hiding nearby, or she was wandering around Tuam if she found her way there. She had her wallet, so she could check into a hotel or make a phone call.
Remembering her cell phone, he patted his pocket. He found one phone — his. Cursing, he realized he’d put her phone down when he bent to start a fire. He hoped she heeded his warning not to turn on the phone or contact anyone until she understood everyone’s motives, but deep down he knew she had ignored everything he said. He almost wished he could wash his hands of the entire mission, but calling the Queen and telling her he couldn’t handle Avery wasn’t an option. No, he had to find her before anyone realized she was missing.
He went through every room of the house, wiping down every surface, erasing any evidence he and Avery were there. If the Foundation found the safe house, or worse, if Avery told them where it was, he didn’t want them to find anything useful. He could justify burning the house down. The Queen wouldn’t care about losing the place, but the fire might call attention to the house, and that was something the Queen would care about. It was smarter to leave the house without a scrap of evidence it was occupied recently, no matter how temporary that occupation was.
When he was done, he walked out the front door into the cold night air, and he was immediately reminded of the loss of his jacket. He walked the perimeter of the property looking for any clues indicating where Avery went. At the back corner of the property, one of the branches was freshly broken, and when he bent to examine it more closely, he found a couple strands of blonde hair intertwined in the branches. He focused on the hair and used his senses to recreate her flight. He knew without a doubt that she was headed to the town center.
Walking back to the front of the house, he looked around to make sure he was alone then sifted to his new destination. A minute later, he stood on High Street in front of Georghegans Pub and Niteclub. That was one good thing about losing Avery. Now he didn’t need to pretend to be human and call a taxi or walk into town. Avery, on the other hand, would be fortunate to make it here by nightfall if she walked the entire way.
Concentrating on their mental connection, he hoped she was too focused on her escape to shield her thoughts. He needed to locate her quickly and, this time, he wouldn’t let her out of his sight until she was safe at the compound.
Thomas tapped his fingers on his desk, his jaw rigid, waiting for his source to email him with an update. Peter landed at least an hour ago and was probably on his way to finding Avery while he sat around twiddling his thumbs waiting for his insider to respond. The woman sure picked a poor time to be nonresponsive. He needed information fast if he wanted to find Avery first.
When he found the white, crisp envelope stuffed inside the Foundation’s front door without anything written on it as he left one afternoon almost a week ago, he almost dropped in the trash. Instead, he stuffed it into the pocket of his overcoat. The envelope remained in his pocket, untouched the entire day until it fell out while he was checking his coat at a restaurant. The hoste
ss handed it to him, and he started to tell her to throw it away when he checked the impulse. It was almost as if the envelope had a will of its own, and it was determined to make him look inside. When he opened it later that night in his car, he found a letter from a source who called herself “Leanan” claiming she had inside information about Avery and the Fae.
Despite the letter’s instructions that all information would be transmitted via email, he demanded to meet in person because he was leery of exchanging information electronically. There was no way he was going to let someone blindly feed him information. It could be a trap. Leanan quickly shot down his request arguing that if he wanted to work with her, email was the only avenue available to them. In addition, she demanded a mutual exchange of information. He didn’t like being told what to do and he sure as hell didn’t like another person dictating the terms of the exchange. Incensed, he told her to screw off, and she threatened to take her information elsewhere. He wanted her to demonstrate her information was legitimate before he committed. Again she refused. In the end, his greed got the best of him, and he agreed to her terms knowing he could share or not share as he deemed in his best interest. She would never know if he were withholding information, so it didn’t matter what he agreed to do.
Most of the initial information Leanan provided was stuff he could have gotten from Peter if he tried. That changed when Avery disappeared after he killed Dierdre. He was desperate to find her and bring her back to the Foundation before the Fae located her. His source had been oddly quiet and then, without warning, she dropped the tip about Avery being at the Spanish Arch with that Fae bastard. He hoped that she came through again. Just when he was about to send another email to his source, his computer signaled he had a new message. He quickly leaned over his keyboard to read it.
