In a Fix (11 page)

“Get him off the island and to our safe house outside Stockholm without being picked up by the Vikings. If that’s not feasible, learn whatever you can, leave him hidden, and get yourself out. In the meantime, I’ll be checking with some of my contacts here.”

“What about me?” I asked, wondering how I was supposed to fit into all this cloak-and-dagger stuff.

“You stay put until you hear from me,” Mark said. “Once we have Trey back, you can wrap up your job.”

“You expect me to wait around, twiddling my thumbs, while you’re out tracking down my client’s fiancé?”

He cast a wary glance at Thomas. “Since I have no desire to be eviscerated by your brother, wait is exactly what I expect you to do. Thumb twiddling is optional.”

I was about to tell him what he could do with
his
thumbs when Mina’s cell phone rang. I’d kept it with me ever since I’d taken it out of the bungalow right before the explosion. If I wanted to salvage this job, I had to maintain the facade.

“Crap. It’s Dragon Mama,” I said, referring to Trey’s mother. She and Mina were not on the best of terms. Reluctantly, I morphed into my client, wincing as my clothes suddenly pinched. “I have to take this.”

“Mina?” she said before I’d even gotten half my hello out. “Is that you? Where’s Henry? Why isn’t he answering his phone?” Trey’s mother was the only one who called him Henry. He hated it. “Tell me he wasn’t in that explosion I saw on the news. My
baby
! Where is he? Which hospital did they take him to?”

“Calm down, Mrs. Harrison. Trey is fine.”

“His
name
is Henry. That awful nickname makes him sound like something a waiter carries. I did not go through twenty-eight excruciating hours of labor to give birth to a serving piece!”

I winced. I
knew
that. “Um, yes. Henry. Henry is fine. That wasn’t us. It was, uh, the bungalow next door. Tr—Henry has just been busy, um,” I crossed my fingers, “helping people.” What else could I say? If she thought Trey was hurt, nothing would keep her from rushing to his side.

“You’re lying to me—I can tell. Oh, my God! He’s dead. You’re afraid to tell me he’s—”

“NO. He’s great, I swear. Oh, look—here he is now. He just got back.” I covered the mouthpiece and pushed the phone to Mark, whispering wildly, “You have his aura—do something!”

With an I-really-have-better-things-to-do look, Mark slid into Trey’s aura. I held on to him the whole time, leaning in close, trying to hear both sides of the conversation. From what I could make out, Dragon Mama was lobbying for a visit. “How are you, Mother?” Mark said, his cadence perfect. “Yes, I’m fine … no, don’t do that … Mother. Stop. Breathe … I’ll let you know. It may be a while … here, Mina wants to say something.”

I tried to back away, shaking my head madly. He caught me by the wrist, and grinned as he slapped the phone into my hand, dropping Trey’s aura and abandoning me to the verbal mauling of Mina’s future mother-in-law. By the time I hung up I was dazed, confused, and practically anoxic from how tightly my jeans squeezed Mina’s luscious curves. Which no doubt accounted for me promising the Dragon I would personally see to it that Trey would make it home in time for her birthday, whenever the hell that was. I’d have to check Mina’s file.

When I was myself again, and my head cleared, I saw Billy had left. Thomas and Mark had gone back into my office to talk. Their conversation ceased abruptly when I joined them.

Mark spoke first. “I’d better be on my way. Tom, good to see you again. Ciel, I’ll let you know as soon as we recover Trey. Sorry for any inconvenience the Agency may have inadvertently caused you.”

Trying to keep it official now, was he? I don’t
think
so. I planted myself squarely in the doorway. “Thomas, isn’t there something you have to do in your office? Actually, here,” I dug into the front pocket of my hoodie and took out Mina’s ring, “could you keep this in your safe for me? I need to speak to Mark for a minute before he goes.”

With a sympathetic glance at Mark, Thomas said, “Sure. Come on up when you’re done, sis—I’ll take you to lunch later.” I stepped out of the way, briefly, to let him pass, and then blocked the door again so Mark couldn’t escape.

“Look, Ciel,” he began as soon as we were alone, giving me the dove-soft eyes. “I know you don’t like this, but it can’t be helped.”

I resisted the pull. “Mina is my client. Anything that involves her involves me.
You
seem to be under the impression I’m still some sort of kid you can push to the side.”

He stepped closer, invading my space, but I held my ground, putting a hand on his chest to stop him. I wasn’t going to let him crowd me out of his way that easily. He stared intently at my face for several seconds before his eyes took on a look I’d never seen before, at least not directed at me.
Hot
. Leaning in close enough for me to feel the warmth of his body and his breath on my neck, he said, “Is that what you were trying to prove last night, Howdy? That you’re not a kid anymore?”

I sagged against the doorframe, my mind spinning like an anemic hamster in a rusty wheel at the reminder of my drunken kiss … and at his closeness.

Don’t pass out, don’t pass out, don’t …

He continued speaking, softly, his words tickling my ear. “Maybe Scotch isn’t your drink.”

I cleared my throat, dragging myself back from the brink of idiothood. “So next time I’ll have bourbon,” I said, keeping my voice jaunty in spite of my nerves. His laugh came in a short burst, like I’d surprised it out of him. I thought for a second he’d move his lips closer to mine—he was staring at my mouth—and felt my eyes get big in spite of my bravado. Flirting with him wasn’t nearly as easy sober. But he just took a deep breath, pulled me away from the door, and left me standing there, wobbly.

“Later, Howdy.”

Later? As in “see ya later, kid”? Or was he promising something more? When my head stopped whirling at the prospect, I realized I was still firmly in possession of the piece of my mind I’d been planning to give him. And he was doing exactly what he intended all along: leaving me with my brother.

Goddamn stupid hormones.

*   *   *

If I had to wait out the Trey-saving mission, I figured I might as well do it where I could be more useful. With Mina. Keeping an eye on her, just in case … Okay, so I was still feeling kind of edgy about that laptop. But first I wanted to make sure I’d done everything I could to help locate that fiancé I guaranteed her. Finding the guy was kind of crucial to my career cred, after all. You have to look at the big picture if you’re going to succeed in the business world.

Alone in my office, I dug back into my files to see if we’d overlooked anything—anything at all—that might be helpful in the hunt. Some tiny clue to where he might be hiding from the Vikings. The first thing that struck my eye, about as pleasantly as an errant squirt from a grapefruit, was Trey’s mother’s birthday: tomorrow.

Crap
. I could’ve sworn I had at least a few weeks—enough time to be certain it wouldn’t be my problem. And here I’d practically taken a blood oath on the head of Mina’s firstborn child that Trey would be there to watch his mother blow out her candles. (Ha. Dragon Mama could probably
light
the candles with her breath.)

No avoiding it. Before I went to hang with Mina, I’d have to fix things with Trey’s mother. I locked up my office, and ditched Thomas with a promise to connect with him later. It wasn’t a complete lie, since I’d already established through my earlier interaction with Mark that “later” was an inherently ambiguous word. I didn’t like deceiving my brother, but I had no choice. He wouldn’t like what I was about to do. It would worry him, and worrying him wouldn’t be nice, would it?

Honestly, sometimes I’m such a considerate sister I surprise even myself.

My condo was still a mess. I ignored it and went straight to the closet in the guest room, where I dug through Billy’s stash of clothing until I found some things I thought would suit, and put them on.

Time for a test run.

After saying a brief prayer the aura wouldn’t prove to be as twitchy as Benjamin’s, I closed my eyes and searched my mind for the residual energy I’d absorbed while holding on to Mark during his brief talk with Trey’s mother. Sure, it was a secondhand aura—I had yet to meet the real Trey—but between the little I’d intentionally taken then, and any I’d absorbed from my exposure to the aura through both Mark and Billy in the Bahamas, I thought I could pull it off.

When I opened my eyes and looked in the mirror I was rewarded with the sight of the gorgeous, non-Chiclets smile. Maybe not perfect, but close enough for horseshoes or hand grenades. And hopefully dragons.

Chapter 10

La Guardia was bustling when I landed, but at least I didn’t have to retrieve any suitcases from baggage claim, Trey’s luggage having been blown into nonexistence. All I had was a small carry-on bag I’d borrowed from Billy’s extensive stash of aura accessories to hold the few essentials Trey would have replaced before this short trip home.

On the way to the taxi stand I was intercepted by an age-defying platinum blonde who might as well have been wearing an “Ice Queen” name tag. She had a hint of a smile, but that was probably because her latest facelift was still pulling a little tight. Trey’s mother.

She rushed to my side. “Henry! Let me look at you. Are you all right? You scared me to death.”

“Happy Birthday, Mother. You look younger every year.” I kissed her taut cheek and gave her a brief hug, just as Trey would have. I’d reread my files on the plane, trying to pack in every bit of info about him Mina had provided. “But you didn’t have to come to the airport.”

“Don’t be silly,” she said, preening under my flattery. “I have the limo. Why wouldn’t I come?”

“Fine then,” I said, hitting her with the non-Chiclets. “And thank you.”

“Where’s Mina? I thought surely she’d be with you—the pair of you are joined at the hip these days. Unless you’ve had a falling out?” Hope gleamed in her eyes.

“Mina flew straight home to reassure her parents.”

“I see. She didn’t think it was important to stop here on the way and wish me a happy birthday herself … well, never you mind. I’m sure your thoughtfulness will rub off on her eventually. If you’re together long enough.”

Trey wasn’t an eye-roller, so I suppressed
that
urge. But I was seriously starting to question Mina’s judgment about marrying into this family. Sure, Trey was wonderful enough, but geez, think of the holidays. There wasn’t enough Valium in the world to make sharing a turkey with this woman bearable.

On the up side, I sensed repeat business in my future.

The limo looked just like the one in Mina’s dossier. Once we were settled in the backseat, I tried my best to be the kind of son I knew Trey was. “So, Mother, how have you been? Busy as ever with the girls?” The “girls” were the doyennes of one of the most exclusive country clubs in Connecticut, where the Harrisons kept their country home. Trey’s parents divided their time between there and a penthouse near Central Park.

“Not so busy that I don’t have time to miss my only son horribly,” she said, with what I’m sure she thought was a pretty pout.

Before I had to fish out the appropriate response, a small crackle indicated the intercom had connected. “Will we be making any stops before going home, ma’am?” the driver inquired, sounding suitably obsequious.

“No, Lars. Straight home.”

I tensed. “Lars? What happened to Joe?”

“The stupid man had an accident last night—a car accident. Can you imagine? He’s supposed to be a professional driver.”

“Is he all right?” I asked.

“Oh, he’ll be fine. He won’t be driving for a while, though, so the limo people sent Lars to fill in. I only hope he can find his way around town—I certainly don’t want to waste my time giving directions to every place I go.”

I stared at the back of the chauffeur’s head through the glass barrier. The man wasn’t especially fair-haired. He hadn’t spoken or done anything to draw attention to himself when he’d put my bag in the trunk, but the name was enough to make me wonder. The more I wondered, the more I worried about Mina.

At the next stoplight, I caught the chauffeur staring at me via the rearview mirror. I didn’t like the look in his eye. It was … smug, somehow, like he knew something I didn’t.

That was it. I was heading to the lake house asap. But I couldn’t leave Trey, and by proxy Mina, holding a relationship time bomb with Dragon Mama either. Somehow I had to leave this woman smiling when I left. But how? Hmm …

“Mother, since we’re already out, how about I take my best girl out for a birthday lunch? Bouley okay?” I said, naming her favorite (exceedingly expensive) French restaurant.

“
Darling!
That would be marvelous! Wait until I tell the girls—oh, I know! I should ask them to join us. They
love
you. This is going to be so much fun! You are the best son
ever
.”

Geez. Dragon Mama
and
the girls? Guess it was true what they said. No freaking good deed goes unpunished.

*   *   *

The impromptu birthday party went amazingly well, if I do say so myself. We’d stopped off at the Harrison home, so I could make a quick change into the casual-elegant clothing Dragon Mama required of her escort, while she marshaled her ranks. Nothing tickled her more than a chance to show off how much her only son adored her. She even managed to keep her Mina attacks to a minimum. Plus, all the commotion helped disguise the fact that I was rather shaky on the more minute details of Trey’s behavior, never having spent time around the actual guy.

Four hours of being giggled and cooed over by the Ladies Who Lunch was enough to make me look back fondly on my time in the rum warehouse with the spiders. But at least Trey made such a superb showing (smiling and nodding helps a lot in these situations) that Dragon Mama wasn’t even too bent out of shape when he got a “business text,” and had to beg off dinner later. The things I do for my clients.