Assassin's Promise, The Red Team Series, Book 5 (18 page)

Owen grinned, then cleared his throat and gave her a sober look. “Your dad holds the lives of all of us here in his hands—his entire team and now their wives and girlfriends. And kids, too. There’s a lot at risk. Lion attacked you once—”

“Yes, but we got that all straightened out,” she interrupted him.

“If you’ve already made up your mind about this, why ask me?”

She nodded. “Okay. Go on.”

“Lion’s primary loyalty is to his pride, not the team. Not the team’s loved ones. He’s young. He’s dangerous. And he’s still something of an unknown. As his trustworthiness becomes known, your dad’s comfort level in him will grow. Or not. Until then, your dad can only go on the experience he’s had with Lion, one in which you were exposed to grave danger and Selena was hurt—not something a team lead…or a dad…can easily overlook.”

“Oh.” She straightened in her chair, her eyes focused on nothing while she processed his explanation. After a moment, she nodded. “Okay. Makes sense.” She looked at him. “Will he get over it?”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because I like Lion.”

Owen arched a brow.

“As a friend. A brother. Don’t get creepy.”

Owen smiled. “Give your dad time. And talk to him about it. You should always talk to your parents.”

“Okay.” She got out of her chair and came over to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, Uncle Owen. This was a good talk.”

Owen watched her leave the room, and felt a strange emptiness when she was gone. He’d never had a kid. Nor had anyone ever thought he owned the sun like she did her dad.
 

Chances were pretty damned slim he ever would.

* * *

When Greer and Mr. Haskel returned to the Dunbars’ home, Remi was sitting out front with a glass of water. She smiled at him, smiled as if she were truly a newlywed happy to see her husband.
 

Felt like a fist in his chest, ’cause it was all an act.

Knowing that didn’t keep him from wishing it was real, wishing they had a shot at something. Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket. That basket had a paper bottom. And the eggs were wet.

He disabled his comm unit and shut down transmission from his glasses via his phone app. She lifted her water to him. The water was ice cold. He took a long swallow.
 

“Want more?” she asked.

He lowered the glass and looked at her. Yes, he did. A whole helluva lot more. He set the glass aside and held out his hand.

“Take a walk?” he asked.

She slipped her hand in his. The hand with her fake wedding band. The dream hadn’t quite worn off, and he liked it that way. When they’d moved out of earshot, he told her about the tour. “It’s like the town that time forgot.”

Remi nodded. “But a little too Stepford Wives for me.”

“Not everyone is a happy citizen. The doctor gave me the hairy eyeball.”

“I haven’t met the new doctor. I understand their old one recently passed away.”

“I want to go talk to him later. He mentioned something about new residents. Might help us understand the community’s population anomalies.”

“Good.”

“Anything from the women?”

“They admitted to doing tithes, but downplayed their importance. They said their community has little to do with the WKB. They looked scared as they said it, though.” They’d stopped walking and now stood face to face. “Anyone know Sally?”

“Mr. Haskel didn’t, but he invited me to look for her at supper.”

“I’ll help you.”

Greer touched her cheek. She leaned toward him. He bent forward and closed the distance between them. Her mouth was soft beneath his. He kissed her slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. In this moment, in her space, he felt at home, felt an acceptance he’d never known from another woman.
 

The village was situated around a large center square. Trestle tables were being set up for supper. The sound of preparations filtered into Greer’s mind.

“I brought our packs to the cabin. Let’s go wash up for dinner.” Greer wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She put her arm around his waist. God, he liked that simple touch.
 

The cabin they’d been assigned was no different than many of the others. There was a kitchen area at one end and a sleeping alcove at the other. The windows were open. A soft breeze blew cool alpine air through the house.
 

 
Something about the wood scent of the cabin and all the fresh air made Greer feel alive. He wanted to see Remi naked in the cabin’s soft light. He closed the door behind them, then caught her around the waist in the middle of the room. He smiled as he kissed her, but his smile vanished as his kiss deepened.
 

“We could miss dinner,” he suggested. “Tell them you were working on your notes.”

Her arms went around his neck. Her little tongue slipped between his lips.
 

“We could, but we’d miss the chance to look for Sally.”

Greer leaned his forehead against hers. His breathing was heavy. His dick was throbbing for her. He remembered he hadn’t cleared the cabin of transmitting devices. He pressed his finger to his lips as he fished his phone from his pocket and swept the cabin with it.
 

“We’re clear.”

“Of course we are. We’re in the nineteenth century.”

Greer shook his head. “The Friends are in bed with WKB. Don’t trust anyone.”

Remi sighed. She went over to a bowl and pitcher, then poured out a small amount of water to rinse her hands with. She used the small bar of soap and rinsed again. Greer did the same. She handed him the linen towel.
 

“I wish this place was real,” she said with a sigh. “I wish there really was a place like this where you could come for a break from reality. Get away from electronics. It’s like being on a frozen lake high in the mountains, where time stands utterly still.”

“Until you see just how thin the ice is. And how deep and dark the winter lake is.”

She gave him a frustrated face. “Remember that thing I said about your reading fairytales to kids? Yeah, that. Do you see danger lurking everywhere?”

“Usually. Because it is. Things here aren’t what they seem.”

 
“Well, on that happy note, let’s go have supper.” She opened the door.
 

Dinner was a communal event. Families set up their own tables and brought their meal to share. Tablecloths, in varying shades of white, were clipped to the trestle tables. Handmade pottery dishes in earth tones helped pin the linens down in the stiff breeze that had come with the evening.

“You cold?” Greer asked Remi.

She smiled at him, which made him glad he asked. “I’m fine now. I might need my jacket later, though.”

“I’ll get it after dinner.”

Greer took a backseat to Remi in conversations as the meal progressed. She was animated and engaged. He was enjoying watching her interact with the Friends. They sat at the Dunbars’ table. While she chatted, he took a video of the gathering…and scanned some of the glasses of the people sitting around them.

Greer looked at the community’s current mayor. Mr. Dunbar had been working in the fields when they arrived. When his wife introduced him, he looked less than pleased that they were there. Greer had thought he was going to send them packing, but Mrs. Dunbar reminded him of their commitment to Remi’s project. Greer had overheard their conversation. Mr. Dunbar’s main objection wasn’t to Remi but to him. He’d seemed unconvinced about their recent nuptials.
 

Did Dunbar know who he was? If so, who had told him?

The families at the tables on either side of theirs seemed a little hushed, as if they were pretending to not listen to the conversations the Dunbars were having with Remi.

Greer wondered if all the families turned out like this on a routine basis or if they’d been ordered to present themselves this evening. He looked around at the gathering. There were several male and female teenagers. Some looked to be middle to older teens. But there were far more children than teenagers.
 

Sally wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
 

When supper was over, the kids cleared the dishes and the men dismantled the trestle tables. In the middle of the busy activity, he looked up and saw the girl he’d seen at Remi’s university.
 

He frowned. Was that one of Remi’s assistants? Had she followed them out here?
 

Greer leaned over to Remi and whispered, “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

He hurried away from the line of tables being broken down. The girl moved between two cabins. He jogged to catch up to her as she went around behind one.

When Greer stepped into the backyard, there was nothing but a fenced-off vegetable patch that still had the desiccated remains of a long-gone garden.

Behind the other cabin was a mountain of firewood. A man was splitting wood. His ax slammed into the wood, cracking a half-log into quarters. He looked at Greer, then set up another half-log and swung hard.

He paused after that piece and stood silently staring at Greer.
 

Greer collected himself in time to not look like a fool. “Did you see a girl come this way?”

“You one of the visitors Mayor Dunbar invited for a stay?”

“I am.”

“Well then, I wouldn’t be chasing women here in our community.”

“I’m not chasing women. I saw a girl I thought I knew. Long blond hair. Jeans. I think her name was Sally?” Of course, none of the females in the community wore jeans, he realized. Maybe this guy didn’t even know what they were.
 

The woodcutter straightened, lowering his ax. “What did you say?” he asked, then glanced behind Greer.

Greer turned to see Mayor Dunbar coming along behind him. Greer smiled a welcome, then fell into benign chitchat as they headed back toward the dining tables. Greer looked back at the woodcutter, who was watching him with feral intensity.
 

When they reached the table, the women turned to them. Greer smiled at Remi. “Take a walk with me? It’s not often we get to enjoy a quiet sunset. I found the perfect hill while on my tour with Mr. Haskel earlier.”

“No, I need to help with cleanup duties,” Remi said.

“Nonsense. You go with your husband,” Mrs. Haskel insisted. “No place in the world has sunsets like ours.”

Remi stood and reached for his hand. “Well then, lead on.”

“Where are we really going?” Remi asked when they’d gone a little way down the road.

“To see the doctor. I want to know what was up with him earlier.”
 

“Why did you run off after dinner?”

Greer looked down at her, then away, wondering if what he was about to say sounded crazy. “I saw a blond who might have been Sally. Or someone who looked like her—I didn’t see her face.” In fact, he never saw the girl’s face. Her hair was always in the way, or her back was to him. “Do you have a female assistant or intern?” he asked, watching her. “I thought I saw her at the university, too.”

She shook her head. “Only Clancy, my teaching assistant. Were you able to talk to her?”

“No. She was gone before I could catch up with her.”

“Well, if she is Sally, then at least you know she hasn’t disappeared. She’s here and safe.”

Greer said nothing, convinced of no such thing. How had Sally gotten down to Remi’s university? What was she mixed up in?
 

They walked the remainder of the way to the infirmary in silence. Dusk was gathering, casting brilliant colors across the sky. Greer picked up the pace, knowing how the village shut down at night. He didn’t want to miss this chance to talk to the doctor without one of the other villagers curtailing their conversation.
 

The infirmary was a long building made of rough-hewn logs, like most of the other cabins. This one looked like it might have once been a bunkhouse for ranch hands. The front door was ajar. Greer knocked and pushed the door open a little farther.
 

Motioning to Remi to wait outside, he stepped into the shadowy interior. To the right was a small waiting room with two wooden benches. To the left, a room that looked like a surgery room. Down the hallway were two more rooms—another surgery and a kitchen. Beyond that was the patient area.
 

Greer got a glimpse of several cots, three with patients who were resting somewhat uncomfortably. He wondered if the other two patients had the same ailment that Mrs. Bennett had.
 

“Can I help you?” Dr. Robinson came out of the kitchen. He looked beyond Greer, out the main door. “You came unescorted?”

Greer nodded. “I wanted my wife, Dr. Remington Chase, to meet you.” He led the way out of the infirmary and made the introductions.

“Since when does the WKB hire sociologists?” Dr. Robinson asked.

“What makes you think we’re from the WKB?”

“You have the same pugnacious stance. And the WKB are the only outsiders allowed here.”

“My wife is from the University of Wyoming. I’m just here to make sure she comes home safely. A place frequented by the WKB isn’t a safe place.”

The doctor searched Greer’s eyes. Something shifted in his posture.

“And I’m looking for a girl named Sally.”

The doctor’s full attention sharpened on him. “How do you know Sally?”

“She tried to commit a crime while under the influence of drugs. My friends and I took her to a hospital. Her parents, who were from here, retrieved her.”

Dr. Robinson sat on a bench in front of the clinic, dropping as if his legs wouldn’t hold him.

“You know her, don’t you?” Greer asked.

He didn’t respond. “Where is she?”

“I just saw her—” Greer frowned. He had, hadn’t he?

Remi sat on the bench next to the doctor. She touched his arm. “Talk to us.”

Dr. Robinson lifted his head. His gaze was haunted. “I haven’t seen her in almost two months. She left to do her tithe and never came back. So many of them don’t anymore.”

“What are these ‘tithes’?” Greer asked.

“Each young adult, when he or she or their family decide that it’s time for them to go out on their own, renders a service to the community. The young who have a skill important to the community are exempted from tithing. As an apprentice to the doctor, I was exempted, so I don’t know much about them. The tasks are secret, never to be spoken of.”