by Kells, India
“You did more than that, you built a life and you fought back. You should be proud of yourself.”
Both were silent for a beat.
“Can we keep this between us for now?”
Kingsley nodded and stretched his tall body as much as he could in the small space before checking his phone, obviously sensing she didn’t want to talk about it anymore.
“Nothing from Mercy or the others?”
“Same old, same old. Mercy and James are acting as if they’re searching for something and leading Rutherford’s men all over Miami, making sure they keep them in sight at all times. The rest of the team are still digging. I think solving the next piece of the puzzle falls to us.”
She shot a quick prayer the good lord for the missing puzzle piece to fall into her lap. The riddle her father left her had been cryptic at best. She recognized her great-aunt’s farm and the hazel tree, but what if it wasn’t what her father meant? She shook off the negative thoughts knowing they would do no good.
When she took the turn onto a small dirt road, the sun shone above the trees, and Sydney felt as if a weight had lifted from her shoulders, replaced by a certainty she couldn’t explain. She’d had to come here. It was what her father had wanted her to do.
Swallowing hard when she turned into the entrance, her heart seized when she saw the small cottage and barn. It had never been a big farm, but it had been perfect, and as she looked around she saw it was identical to her memory.
“Breathe, Sydney.”
Kingsley had been looking around, but he must have noticed her becoming overwhelmed as memories and emotions flooded her brain. She took a few deep cleansing breaths that helped her spinning head. She parked near the barn, stepping out of the car slowly.
Kingsley came to her side, took her hand in his, hiding her body with his own as he looked around. Always watching for any threats, his guard never down. A woman appeared at the door to the cottage, wiping her hands on a white dishcloth.
“Let me do the talking,” he murmured.
Before she could say a word, Kingsley the operative was replaced by Kingsley the British gentleman, oozing charm and culture from his pores. And if she wasn’t mistaken, his accent was even thicker, and damn him, even sexier.
As expected, the older woman was under his spell in less than a minute, her pretty face coloring at his attention. Kingsley explained that the previous owner was a member of Sydney’s family and as they were in the area, asked if they could take a quick look around for old time’s sake.
The woman’s face lit. She remembered the previous owner, her own family being part of the county for generations.
For a moment they exchanged pleasantries, and Sydney relaxed a little. Kingsley held most of the conversation and steered the woman a few times when her questions hit a nerve.
After a moment, the woman had to go inside but told them to tour the grounds and take as long as they wished.
Amazed, Sydney turned to Kingsley as they started to walk. “I thought you were going to kiss her hand for a minute there.”
Giving her an innocent look, he shrugged. “Whatever works. We needed access, we got it. And any case, charm is built into my enormous repertoire of skills,” he said with a grin.
“Did Mr. Serious just make a joke?” she asked with a smile that for a second felt strange on her lips. For so long she’d had no reason to smile.
Sydney lifted an eyebrow as he laughed at her words but decided to let it go and focus on why they were there but the deep sound of his laughter left a warm feeling in her chest that scared her as much as it filled her with hope.
As they rounded the barn, her eyes fell on the land before her, and she was wrenched back twenty years. The meadow and the small pond were surrounded by hazel and willow trees. The wind was picking up on this early summer morning making them dance, the water glittering as the ripples played with the sun’s rays.
Letting go of Kingsley’s hand, Sydney tried not to let the tsunami of images of her parents drown her. The faint sound of her father’s deep laugh, and her mother’s honeysuckle perfume came to her on the breeze. Those last moments of innocence were bittersweet but so compelling. She wondered why she had pushed them aside.
As they approached the pond, she saw a couple of ducks lazily swimming together, and it made her smile. How many times had she chased ducks around, the sound of their quacking making her giggle until she lost her breath?
The vision rippled like the pond when Kingsley stepped by her side. “I’m relieved to see you smiling. Finally.”
How could she explain everything she felt by coming here? Focusing on the bad and on survival had been her sole path to keep going. Everything before her life was shattered had been safely put away. Her life had been split in two like the fracture of a rock face after an earthquake, but here today, she felt as if maybe—just maybe—she could knit the pieces back together. The scar would remain, but the gaping wound would be closed. “It’s difficult to remember the good when the bad is the main focus of your life.”
It might have been cryptic, but Kingsley nodded. She knew he didn’t just agree with her, he always seemed to know what she meant. Maybe he had experienced it himself.
They made their way toward the pond, staying close but not touching as they moved under the low trees. So many years had passed since she’d last been there, and the trees had grown.
“Has the place changed much?”
Sydney shook her head. “Not really. But I’m not sure if there are trees missing.” It was a small patch of trees, and when she was little, it had appeared like a vast forest, a place where she could get lost. Now, so many years later, everything looked so small.
“You came here often when you were a kid?”
“Summer vacations mostly. I loved this spot, the pond and the canopy of trees. It looked so magical. I came here and stayed until my mother came to drag me back to eat. I dreamed of fairies in a magical land. I was the only one that could see them, and it amused my dad so much.”
Retracing her childhood games in her mind, she walked around the trunks, her fingertips moving over the rough bark. Weaving in and out for a moment, deeply buried memories emerged like a bud that had been buried by the snow. “I would twirl around the trees, as it was the only way to the fairy kingdom, and I would bring wildflowers to the entrance of their realm.” Saying the words, something clicked in her head, and she headed deeper under the trees, her feet quickening as a fragment of something caught in her brain.
Kingsley rushed after her. “Wait. Where are you going?”
She ignored him and ran until she arrived behind three pine trees where a pile of rocks surged from the earth. Again, it was smaller than the image in her memories but looked similar.
“We never brought anything here. I always played with what was in my imagination. My parents encouraged me. Dad said if I continued talking with the fairies, maybe they would invite me in and let me see their treasure. Maybe that’s why he sent me here.”
Sydney examined the pile of rocks to see if it was possible to move any of them without causing the pile to collapse. Moss and leaves filled most of the cracks, but it appeared that many of the smaller rocks could be shifted. Kingsley fell on his knees beside her and started to discard one rock at a time, careful not to break or damage anything and slipping even deeper into her heart. He searched through all the nooks and crannies.
Sydney was starting to tell herself she was going crazy when something pink caught her eye. “There, do you see it?”
Without a word, Kingsley worked on the left side until a small, metallic box appeared. Part pink, partly covered with rust, she could clearly see the image of a fairy on it.
Taking it in her hands, she shook it lightly, hearing something loose rattle inside. The lock and lid were overtaken with rust, and she had no idea how to get it open.
“Let me.” Kingsley started playing with the lock until it became clear that only force would break it open. He bashed it a few
times with a small rock and once it was broken, prized the lid open. Sydney peeked inside to see a chain with a single key attached.
She took it in her hands, and while rust covered the chain, the key was intact and rust free. “Damn it, Dad. I don’t need another riddle!” She’d expected to find an answer, not another clue that required figuring out what they needed to do next.
“It’s okay, we have the key, we’ll figure it out. Let’s head back, we’ve been a long time. Put the key in your pocket. Do you want to keep the box?”
“No. If you don’t mind, let’s put it back under the rubble. Maybe another little girl can come and enjoy it as I did.”
With a smile and a soft look, he did as she asked before dusting himself off and standing.
As they made their way back, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Kingsley pulled it out and glanced at the screen. He pressed a couple of buttons before speaking. “Knight. You’re on speaker, Malco. Sydney is here with me.”
“You have to ditch your phone.”
At the words, Sydney’s stomach turned to ice as she waited for Kingsley to respond.
“What’s going on?”
“They finally made a move on Mercy and James. Don’t worry, everybody is fine, but it means your cover is blown, and they know it was a decoy. In the meantime, Alex and Mason have been following a lead. Rutherford has men trying to mess with our communications. We may still be invisible, but we’re not sure. Ditch your phone and get another one. Once you do, check your emails, a new number will be available to reach the Agency.” There was a hesitation in Malco’s voice, and that didn’t bode well.
“What else?”
There was definite gloom in the man’s voice. “Caitlin was working on the money angle, and she found a new account, a dark one, buried deep. In the last five hours, a lot of money has been transferred into it. From what we understand, that account is used to pay hired hands. And from the amount going to it, Rutherford is hiring a small army. As soon as you get a new phone, we’re coming up with a plan to protect Sydney and bring the bastard down. Get rid of the phone, don’t use anything that could be used to track you, and keep moving. Do it now!”
Chapter Thirteen
Kingsley grabbed Sydney’s hand and dragged her to the car. “We need to move.”
He slammed the door shut and rounded the hood before strapping in and gunning the engine. They were five miles down the road when he took the battery out of his phone with his teeth and chucked the phone under the wheels of an oncoming truck.
He glanced at Sydney who was worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, her face paler than it was before the call. Without thinking he reached for her hand and clasped it tightly in his, resting it on his thigh while he drove. “It’ll be okay, Sydney. I won’t let him get to you. We’ll protect you I promise.” He gave her hand a brief squeeze trying to reassure her.
She looked at him then, her big blue eyes haunted with fear but underneath that fear was the fragile bloom of trust he was winning from her. It made him feel like he had won the lottery.
“I know, I just—” She stopped as if trying to gather her thoughts. “I had forgotten the fear for a moment. It’s funny, I hadn’t realized how much it weighed me down until I didn’t feel it for a few hours.” She looked out of the window, avoiding his eyes.
“One day you’ll live free, Sydney.” He vowed she would because he would see to it that she did. They drove for an hour, her hand still in his, his thigh tingling from the light touch.
“So what happens now?”
“Now we find a place to stay. I’m going to contact the team as soon as I can find somewhere with free internet or a phone I can use. There’s a town five clicks over that should be big enough to have something. We can stop and eat too. You must be starving?”
“A little.” She was biting her lip again, and it made his dick twitch. Adjusting how he was sitting was not an option, so he just thought of the dance steps to the foxtrot which his mother had made him learn when he was ten years old.
Driving into the town of Sweeting was an experience he hadn’t had before and not one he would forget. It had a diner, bed and breakfast, a bank, a row of shops, and a library. But what made it a feast for the eyes was the Danish-inspired architecture. Each building was clad in black wood and painted a bright color. Sydney’s reaction had been one of awe, her body leaning forward in the seat. Kingsley was relieved to see her smile, even if it was tentative.
“This place is amazing.” Her face shone with wonder as she looked at the houses and then him. “Have you been here before?”
“No, but I read it was on this route and thought it might be a fun place to stop, even if only for a few hours.” He gave her a small grin that was at odds with how he felt. He didn’t feel like grinning, he felt like bundling Sydney up and catching the first flight to the UK where he could hide her properly. But that wasn’t an option, so he opted for making her smile instead.
“Thank you, Kingsley.” She gave him a soft smile that made his chest ache.
He didn’t speak but tilted his head to acknowledge her instead. Parking on the street outside the bank with the orange facade so at odds with the old institution, Kingsley left the vehicle and crossed in front to open the door for Sydney. She carefully tucked the key from the rusty box into her pocket on the inside of her jacket.
Offering her his hand, he was pleased when she took it. “Let’s find somewhere with internet access, contact Malco, and then grab some food. We don’t know when we’ll get the chance to stop again.”
She left her hand in his as they walked down the sidewalk. To anyone looking at them, they were just another couple out shopping. He wondered at the picture they made, her so fair and delicate, him dark and bearded, more like a mountain man than prince charming. He smiled as a woman with a stroller passed them. It seemed friendly here, like a place you would move to raise a family.
His turn of thought almost had Kingsley stopping short. What was he doing thinking of raising families and coupledom? He was here to do a job—to protect Sydney and unmask Rutherford for the piece of shit he was. He didn’t remove his hand though, reasoning that it was to comfort her. Deep down though, where desire was starting to flicker from a spark into a raging fire, he knew Sydney could very well be the one he had never known he was looking for.
The library had been closed for lunch when they’d arrived, so they had gone to the diner to get food. After loading up on burgers and fries, they grabbed some soft drinks for the car and headed back to the library.
Kingsley crossed the road, body alert for threats as he watched for any sign that Rutherford or his men had caught up to them and found nothing to give him pause. Sydney had been quiet over lunch, reflective, stuck in her head. He needed to get her out of it.
“So, any ideas about the key?”
He watched her face scrunch up adorably as she looked at him and considered his words. “I’ve been thinking about that. I know in my heart Dad left the key for me to find, but I can’t help thinking we missed something. That maybe there was another clue we missed.”
“But the original clue definitely pointed to your aunt’s old place,” he replied as they moved up the steps of blue Danish style building.
“I know, and that part was right, but a key with no markings? That’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack. He would have left more.” She sounded more animated now, her hands moving as she spoke. She stopped him with her hands on his forearm before they walked inside and pulled him to the side, making his mouth twitch. “What if there are more clues back at my aunt’s house? What if we missed something in our haste to get out of there?”
“That’s a lot of what-ifs,” he said cautiously. He didn’t want to disregard what she was saying but to go back was a bad idea.
“I know, but it’s there. I know it. I can feel it in my gut.”
She was almost dancing with excitement and he took a minute to think, while she watched him with anticipation. Her face wa
s alive, more alive than he had seen it and she was beautiful, so beautiful it hurt to look at her. He found himself nodding even though he knew in his gut it was a mistake—it was too dangerous. She had him by the short and curlies, and he had no clue how or when it had happened.
“How about this,” he said thinking fast. “We speak to the team and if they agree, we go back tonight and see what else we can find.”
“Okay, yes, let’s do that.” She smiled as she slipped her hand into his and guided him toward the desk at the front of the library. Kingsley smiled back and shook his head. What the fuck was happening to him?
After being shown to the surprisingly high-tech computer station, he logged onto Forget-me-Not Flowers and requested delivery of four red roses at eight that day and hit send. Sitting back he waited for a chat box to appear. The method of dark emergency communication had been Cain Davies’ idea. As an ATF agent, he had used a similar system when he went undercover.
He sat forward when a chat box popped up.
Candy: Hello, how may we help you?
Customer: I need to arrange for four red roses to be delivered to my girlfriend.
Candy: I can help you with that. Please confirm the time of delivery and if you would like them to include a gift card.
Customer: 8 pm for delivery to the address stated on the form. Please include a card with the words from your loving boyfriend. I’m happy to pay if there’s any last-minute delivery fee incurred.
Candy: That is all set up for you. If you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. Enjoy your day.
Sydney had sat next to him silently, her mouth agape as he used the secret code to talk with the team, now she turned to him with a question in her eyes. “What in the heck was all that about?”
“Not here. Let’s go look for a place to buy a new phone, and I’ll explain as we walk.” Kingsley led her outside, his hand on her elbow as he did.
