Dark Warrior Untamed (26 page)

“And that’s a bad thing.” It wasn’t a question.

Grey turned bleak eyes in her direction. “He’s a self-righteous prig, but the bastard served in the SAS. I’m betting he could blow us all to hell and back again without breaking a sweat. Grab your things. We’re going back to Kerry’s.”

R
anulf stood in front of the door to the Thorsens’ private quarters, putting himself between her and any threat that might come her way. Grey couldn’t fault his intentions except that the Viking was also blocking Grey’s access to the Dame. If the berserker thought Grey was the enemy, then there was no hope of him keeping her safe.

“I need to talk to Kerry, Ranulf.”

“No, you don’t. I’ll relay any messages.”

Okay, so that’s the way it was going to be. He fought for control before speaking again. “As Consort, your job may be to support your wife, but it’s sure as hell not to restrict my access to the Dame. Now move out of my way or I’ll move you.” He would, too, no matter the cost.

“You mean you’ll try.” Ranulf widened his stance and clenched his fists.

As tempting as it was to throw a few punches, that wouldn’t get them any closer to finding the real villain in this mess.

Grey tried for diplomatic. “Only a few hours ago we pledged to end this mess together. Now you’re treating me as if I’m the enemy. What happened since
then?”

“We got an interesting e-mail from Adele Harcourt. At her suggestion, we checked your bank records. You’ve been receiving regular payments from her father since you arrived here. We’d initially suspected you came here as a spy, but we were willing to give you a fair chance. Now we know you’ve been in the employ of Lawrence Harcourt. How much have you told him?”

Ranulf’s smile turned nasty as he continued, “I bet you weren’t at all pleased with your partner in crime when it was you who almost got blown to bits the other day. What’s the matter? Did the two of you have some kind of falling out?”

All right, obviously Little Miss Adele has been busy stirring up discord. Clearly, she wanted to turn the Dame against him. The question was why?

“I’ve already told Sandor that I used Harcourt’s interest in Kerry as an excuse to come to Seattle, but I don’t know a damn thing about any payments. I’m guessing the same person who has been manipulating our e-mails has something to do with it. Divide and conquer, and all that. But no matter what you think, I am not now, nor have I ever been, anything but loyal to the Dame of our people.”

His skin burned with the need to strike out at their unseen enemy. “As far as the money goes, you can ask Harcourt about it yourself as soon as I find him. It shouldn’t take long since the bastard is here in town.”

Ranulf sneered. “Yeah, and how long have you known that? Adele’s worried about her father because
he came here to meet
you.”

“The hell he did. I found out he was here thirty minutes ago when a search of his finances showed a ticket to Seattle. I came straight here, stopping only long enough to print out his records in my office. Ask Piper. She was with me at the hotel when I found out.”

If the Dame and her Consort chose not to believe him, there wasn’t much Grey could do about it. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t do his job. He’d prefer not to get physical with Ranulf, but the Viking wasn’t leaving him much choice. It also didn’t help that Piper was already in there with Kerry, so he couldn’t get to her either.

“I repeat, as Chief Talion, I’m requesting an audience with the Grand Dame of our people.” He drew himself up to his full height, his hands flexing with the familiar burn of energy. “Stand aside, Viking, and let me pass.”

Before Ranulf could refuse yet again, the door behind him opened. Kerry didn’t try to push past her husband, probably knowing it wouldn’t do any good.

“Ranulf, let him in. He deserves a chance to defend himself. Other than those two payments, there’s nothing to indicate he’s done anything wrong. Until now we’ve had no reason to doubt him.”

Her husband growled, “That we know of.”

“True, but we won’t learn anything if we don’t let the man explain.”

Finally, Ranulf moved to the side—only far enough to allow Grey to barely squeeze past. Then, of course, the big jerk followed him inside.

Grey had never been invited into the Dame’s personal quarters before. The furniture—obviously chosen for comfort—made it clear that this was where Kerry and Ranulf really lived. She plopped down on the closest chair. Ranulf stood beside her, still looking as if he’d rather be swinging his sword than exchanging words.

“Have a seat, Grey.” Kerry waved him toward the other chairs in the room.

Time to get down to business. “I understand that Adele Harcourt has e-mailed you, Grand Dame. I regret more than I can say that I didn’t come to you before this about the exact circumstances of my arrival here.”

“Why didn’t you?”

She put a little heat behind the question, the small blast of energy pressing him against the back of the chair. Clearly, Kerry wasn’t as calm as she appeared. But then she’d already been blindsided with one unexpected revelation today.

He considered his choices and settled on blunt. “For this exact reason. I figured if you found out, you wouldn’t trust me. I realize now that I had it backwards. If I had come clean from the beginning, you’d have no reason to doubt me now. I should’ve told you that I was asked to come, not just by Lawrence Harcourt, but by a group of Kyth in the UK. They wanted me to meet you in person and offer my opinion of how suitable you were to replace Grand Dame Judith. You can understand their concern when you were thrust into the job with little warning and no training.”

He shot his cuffs, using the gesture as a distraction. “Your unexpected ascension to the throne sent huge ripples of unrest throughout our kind. Harcourt had hoped that his daughter Adele would be Judith’s heir, and he took it particularly hard.”

Kerry sat forward, gold sparks swirling in her eyes. “Some of the memories I inherited from Judith were muddled. Harcourt and his daughter definitely ring a bell, but the details are vague. Was she really qualified for the position, possessing all the gifts needed to rule?”

Which answer was Kerry hoping for? That there was someone else she could hand off the baton to or that she alone had the ability to serve their people as Grand Dame?

He could only report what he’d heard. “Adele’s repertoire was said to lack several key ingredients, although she tested high in the gifts she did have.”

Kerry’s normally expressive face was remarkably stoic at the moment. “How did she feel about being replaced?”

“We never discussed the matter. She’s always followed her father’s dictates, and he definitely wanted her to take the throne. I met with his cousin Reggie this afternoon, and he confirmed my suspicions about Lawrence.”

Ranulf finally entered the discussion. “Why do you think Adele chose to reveal his unannounced arrival in Seattle? Is she hoping to protect him by giving us a chance to catch the bastard before he does anything else?”

Grey had been wondering about that himself.
“That’s definitely one possibility, but somehow that doesn’t ring true. Maybe she’s in on it with him.”

The Consort’s eyes were finally starting to thaw when he looked in Grey’s direction. “What do we do next?”

“Several things. First of all, I want Sandor and Lena take the three kids out of town until this is settled. That will leave six fewer targets for whoever is behind this.”

Piper joined the conversation. “You must be tired, Grey. Check your math. Two adults and three kids only adds up to five.”

Her smile faded as soon as he looked in her direction. “Oh no, you don’t. I am not being packed off to god knows where right before finals. You have no right to make that decision for me.”

Yes, he damn well did, but he’d save that argument when for when they were alone. He shot her a smile that was all warning and little warmth. “Maybe they’ll let you make up the tests.”

She met him glare for glare. “It’s not happening, so move on.”

They’d see about that. For now, he turned back to Kerry. “Harcourt won’t be able to stay hidden for long. I’m monitoring his phone records and credit cards. Eventually something will pop up, and then we’ll have him.

“Dame Kerry, I ask that you leave town as well. I’d suggest your mountain retreat, because Ranulf’s wards—combined with a team of my Talions—will keep you safe.”

Before she could respond, he looked to Ranulf for support. “Afterward, I’ll bring the Packard back and park it out front.”

“To make it look as if we’re still at home.” Ranulf winced, no doubt already seeing where Grey was headed with this.

“Yes. Then you’ll disguise someone to look like the Dame, and send her back here so it will appear that Kerry returned home without you. If the enemy sees that as a weakness, it might draw them out of hiding.”

Piper butted her pretty nose right back into his business. “I could pretend to be Kerry. Our hair is similar enough in color if I cover up the pink.”

He wanted to argue against it, but she was right. She wasn’t just the best choice, but the only one.

Piper echoed his thoughts. “Who else do you have? Besides, she’s not just Dame to me, Grey. She’s my sister. I will do what it takes to keep her safe.”

“Fine, but as soon as you come down off the mountain, you’re going back into hiding.” The whole idea made his gut ache. “I’ll also need to pull the Talion guards back, again to weaken the appearance of our defenses. Any suggestions for how to keep the Talions close by while keeping them out of sight at the same time?”

Ranulf looked toward Kerry. When she nodded, he said, “There’s a secret entrance to the house. The guards can come back in that way. As long as they’re
careful, no one outside will know they’re in here. We can slip Piper back out to safety the same way.”

Grey nodded, fighting hard to hide his growing frustration. When had they planned on telling him about the secret entrance? He choked back the urge to read Ranulf the riot act. Now wasn’t the time.

He deliberately met the gaze of each person in the room. “I would suggest that we all be ready to leave first thing in the morning. The earlier, the better.”

As Grey rose to his feet, Ranulf sighed loudly. “Damn, I’m going to miss that car.”

Grey didn’t blame him. The Packard was a classic beauty. He’d almost rather sacrifice his Jaguar. Almost. “I’ll try to keep it safe. For now, I’ll have two of my men go over the car with a fine toothed comb and then stand guard to make sure no one gets close to it during the night.”

But there could be no promises, and they both knew it. Not when the bomber had already declared it a target. If it came down to sacrificing Ranulf’s beloved car in order to keep people safe—and especially the Grand Dame herself—there was no contest.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll get to work.” He bowed to his Dame and then her Consort.

Kerry nodded and stood, her expression solemn. “Grey, as your Dame, I grant you and your men authority to do whatever you deem necessary to stop this threat against our people.”

Then Kerry’s eyes flashed burning hot. “But let me make one thing clear: If that bastard blows up the Packard, it will mean war.”

The meeting broke up after that, and everyone scattered to start their preparations. Piper quickly took her leave of Kerry and Ranulf and headed for her office. No doubt Grey would have something to say about her upcoming role in getting Kerry out of the line of fire. She understood his reluctance, but she was an adult and capable of making her own decisions. Why couldn’t he accept that?

Grey was waiting for her.

As soon as she crossed the threshold, he slammed the door closed behind her. She’d been prepared to be civil, but really, this was just too much.

“Grey Danby! What is your problem?”

“You are.”

He snapped his arms around her as his lips came crushing down on hers before she could protest. His tongue swept into her mouth, stealing her objection and her anger. How was she supposed to think clearly—or at all—when he did that?

She gave herself over to the moment, well aware that Grey wasn’t happy with her. He thought nothing of thrusting himself into potential danger but wouldn’t allow her to make the same decision for herself. Granted, he was the trained warrior, but she had her own vested interest in keeping Kerry safe.

Gradually, Grey eased back, changing the whole tenor of the embrace to one of gentle comfort. How was a woman supposed to stay mad at the man?

“I’m still not going into hiding, Grey.”

The jerk actually laughed, although it had a definite edge to it. “You think I don’t know that? I’m surprised I survived the daggers you shot at me when I dared to suggest it.”

Okay, so that much was settled. “If we’re going to get anywhere with this relationship, you’ve got to stop making decisions without consulting me.”

Some of the humor in his eyes faded. “I don’t have to remind you that I’m the Chief Talion, Piper. It’s my job to protect our people from any threat. That alone would make me want you out of the line of fire.”

He kissed her again, a soft brush of his mouth across hers. “But it’s more than that, and we both know it. Look at Ranulf. He’s going crazy, wanting a hard target that he can fight to protect Kerry. Sandor feels the same about Lena, and we all feel protective about the kids. I can assure you that Sean’s going to be royally pissed about being forced to leave town right when things are going to get interesting around here.”

Another kiss, this time at her temple. “I worry that my focus will be fragmented with both you and Kerry in danger. My honor and my duty demand that I sacrifice everything to keep the Grand Dame safe.”

He studied her face for a few seconds. What was he looking for? Finally, he nodded as if finding an answer to his unspoken question. “The problem is that my heart has a different set of priorities.”

As the meaning of his words sank in, her knees melted. If not for the strength of his arms supporting her, she would have sunk to the floor in a puddle of—what, she didn’t know. How was she supposed to
respond to a statement like that? Especially when she hadn’t yet figured out exactly what she was feeling for him, except that it was good and it was strong.