The Defender (The Carrier Series Book 2) (18 page)

“Good luck, buddy.” Drew threw me a slap on the back and then
quickly returned to Darcy. I took a long drag from my beer. Liquid courage.

Stop feeling so nervous
, my heart
instructed as I sat down at the table.

Laura spent the first several minutes rambling on about school
in Ireland.

Say something about Ava
, my heart
shouted,
Is she doing alright?
But I played along, trying to be
interested. As she spoke I studied her face. She had many of the same features
that Ava did, but looked completely different at the same time. Visions of Ava
floated above her head as she spoke. I kept in the conversation with my words,
but in my head I was picturing Ava at the table.

“So Nolan, have you talked with my sister lately? I’ve been so
busy since I moved over here that I haven’t had time to call her and she isn’t
returning any of my emails.”

She’s not returning any emails to her sister?

“I figured she was busy studying to get into the School of Ed,
anyway.”

I lowered my voice since I didn’t know who could be listening.
“No. I haven’t talked to her much since I’ve been training for the agency.” I
took a drink from my beer and swallowed a bit too loudly. “But I do know she’s
been busy with school.”

Laura followed suit, lowering her voice almost to a whisper,
too. “Oh right, the real FBI. I know Ava is happy for you being able to go
through training, but I know she misses you terribly while you’re gone.”

“I miss her too, more than she will ever know.” I stared out the
window for a moment while I waited for my heart to stop aching.

“Oh, you are such a sweetheart. I’m so happy my sister found
you. Don’t you go messing it up with her now, you hear?” Then she laughed the
same sweet laugh I heard Ava laugh many times.

Soon I realized it was torture and bliss at the same moment.
Hearing Ava’s voice and seeing her face through Laura’s was both filling my
heart with joy and ripping it apart with hopelessness.

“Since Ava is so busy with school and I don’t want to be a
distraction to her, my cousin Drew and I took a short vacation to Ireland
before we have to return to work.” I turned back toward Drew and Darcy and gave
a wave. They were staring at us and waved awkwardly in return.

“Oh that’s cool! Hey, how long will you be in town? My parents
are flying out to visit in a few days. Apparently my dad’s bank needs him to
set up some new branches in Great Britain, and so my mom took some time off of
school to come with. They thought they’d sneak in a visit with me while they
are overseas. That would be cool if we could all go out to dinner or
something.”

Before I knew what I was saying, I agreed to dinner with Laura
and her parents.

My brain loudly retorted,
What are you thinking? You don’t
have time to be social!

Don’t piss off your potential in-laws
, my heart argued.

Laura’s phone rang on the table so she checked the screen. “Oh
sorry Nolan but I’ve got to run.” Then she looked at me the same way Ava did
when she wanted me to know she was sincere. “It really was great running into
you.”

She dug a pen out of her purse and wrote her number on a napkin
from the table. “Here, give me a call if you want to get together again while
you’re still in town.”

Then she stood up from the table and I did the same. “Since Ava
can’t be here to give you a kiss, I guess you’ll have to settle for one from
another Gardner girl.” For a quick second I thought she was about to lay one
right on my lips, but she leaned forward and kissed me on both cheeks, true
European style.

I took in a whiff of her hair and just about fell over. It
smelled of coconuts—she must use the same shampoo as Ava.

I wished she were Ava. I wanted so badly to have Ava in my arms.
I wanted to be the one to keep her safe from Myers. How could I be so
defenseless in Ireland while she was back in the US unknowingly dodging Myers
and recovering from brain surgery without me?

“Thanks, Laura. I appreciate it.”

Then she turned and left, ringing the little bell above the wooden
door. I stood there, staring out the door’s window, wondering what had just
happened to my heart.

Drew and I had a day to waste while Eneclann did their research.
He attempted to talk me into touring the best attractions in Dublin, but my
heart wasn’t in it. I felt obligated to be back at the hotel continuing my
research, so I faked a headache and sat in the room sipping hot black coffee
and Googling everything I could on the name Myers.

After almost an hour with no avail, I frustratingly shut the
laptop and grunted, throwing my pen and blank pad of paper across the room. I
had found absolutely nothing helpful. Bowman’s suspicion that Myers’s tech crew
blocked content on the web must have been true. I stood up from my chair.

Come on, Nolan. There had to be a way to beat this evil villain
.

I began to pace the room.

How’s Ava doing?
My heart
wondered.
You should call her.

I took my phone and found her name in the contacts. I stared at
the screen, my finger hovering over the send button. I could pretend I was some
survey company just to hear her voice.  

Don’t do it. Focus on Myers.

It took everything in me not to press that damn button, but I
set the phone back down on the dresser and walked to the window. Would I ever
be able to hold her close to me again, or would Myers be able to carry out his
agenda?

“No!” I said aloud to no one. “I will defend her life even if I
die trying.”

The little black fuzzy box sitting on the desk caught my eye. I
packed it in my luggage when I left Milwaukee a few days ago. Not that I
intended to use it, but I couldn’t leave it there. I took the diamond ring and
held it up to the light streaming through the window. The prism sent beautiful
sparkles of color all over the wall.

My heart ached.
Just like the sparkle in her eyes when the
sun hit them just right.

Stop! What are you thinking? Ava doesn’t even know you’re alive
at this point. You could possibly never see her again, let alone be able to
propose marriage to her.

I put the ring back in the box and threw it in my open suitcase
on the floor.

I sat down on the chair again, opened my laptop, and took out a
new document. I labeled it “Ethan Myers.” The cursor sat at the end of the line
blinking at me, waiting for me to write something. But we didn’t have any more
information, and at this point I wasn’t sure we’d ever find any more. I wanted
more than anything to search out whatever I needed to take down Myers, but how
could I advance the next piece in the game when I didn’t even know what game we
were playing?

I snapped the laptop shut again and threw it on the bed. Then I
let out a loud grunt filled with disappointment and defeat, and I kicked the
bed, knocking down the contents of the bedside table. A glass lamp fell to the
floor and broke. I let out another groan, more subdued, and sank to my knees,
head in my hands.

Suddenly a knock on the door broke me from my desperate sense of
failure. I jumped to my feet and went over to the door. Drew and Darcy were
visible from the peephole. Why was she here so early in the morning? Drew moved
in close, placing his hand on her hip and whispering something into her ear,
his cheek intentionally brushing hers. She giggled and hit him playfully on the
shoulder, whispering something in return that I couldn’t make out.

Drew’s attention went back to the door before him. “Nolan? You
okay?” He called from outside my door, knocking again.

I slowly unlocked the door and opened it. “I’m fine, why?”

“We heard a crash.” He plowed past me and surveyed the scene.
“Have you got a girl in here playing naked pillow fight with ya?” His joking
face quickly turned sour when he found the broken lamp. He turned toward me for
an explanation.

“I knocked it off accidentally.”          

Darcy cut in before Drew could shame me. “No problem Nolan.
Don’t worry.” She crossed the room and began to throw pieces into the garbage
can near the desk. Why she was coming to my defense, I had no idea.

“It looks like you really need to get out of here. Darcy
suggested we go take the Guinness factory tour. Why don’t you call up Laura and
have her meet us there?”  

A factory tour? “I don’t know, isn’t there a better way to spend
our time? I don’t want to waste the day knowing I could be researching
somehow.”

“As much as you don’t like it, Nolan, it seems you are somewhat
at a standstill.” Darcy had finished cleaning up the glass from the carpet.
“Come take the tour. If you’re in a better mood, you’ll be able to think more
clearly when we get some relevant information.”

I took a deep breath. “Fine.” Maybe being with Laura would help
my mindset. If not her, then a few pints might do the trick.

Drew and Darcy headed toward the door. “Get yourself together
and meet us in the lobby in twenty minutes.” Then Drew stopped, just before he
left the room, and turned toward me, looking me right in the eye. “We’re gonna
get him, Nolan. No doubt about that.”

“Thanks, Drew.” It was a good thing he had confidence because
mine was as broken as the lamp that had smashed to the floor.

I let the door swing shut, and then entered the bathroom. My cell
vibrated on the bedside table, buzzing the wood. I picked it up—Adam was
calling.

“Adam. How’s my girl?”

“She’s doing well. I’ve been watching her from afar, and she
seems to be able to go about her normal life.”

“Are you confident in that? She just underwent major brain
surgery. Perhaps you’re not watching her closely enough.”

“I’m working on it, Nolan. I can’t just force myself into her
life. I have to ease my way into it. You know, form a friendship with her so
she feels comfortable letting me into her life a little.”

“And how do you plan on forming this friendship with her?” I
picked up some dirty clothes lying around the room and threw them into my open
suitcase.

“Bowman’s nephew is a Theta Sig and he was able to get me into
the fraternity undercover as an exchange student. No one in the frat knows I’m
not really a student except for Bowman’s nephew.”

“Nice cover.” I took a pee and then flushed as I walked out of
the bathroom.

“He made me cut my hair, though. He said I looked too old the
other way.”

“Darn! Those big blond curls looked good on you!” It was a
bold-faced lie. Those curls were nasty.

“Yeah, sure, Hill,” he laughed. “Oh, blimey, I almost forgot,
you’re a computer tech, right?”

“Not really, Drew’s more—”

“I think we’ll have to run a trace on Ava’s cell. I’m concerned
her mother might mention you in casual conversation and trigger a dangerous
flashback within her brain.”

I sat down on the bed. He was right. “When you hang up, call
Bowman right away. We’ll want the agency listening into all of her calls. If
someone she talks to mentions me or anything about last summer, they’ll have to
terminate the call right away.” A tiny stress headache was beginning to form
behind my left eye and I rubbed my skull trying to invite relief. “They’ll have
to scan her emails, too.”

“Right, right. I’ll make sure the agency takes care of that.
Thanks, Nolan.”

Silence followed for a few seconds as I considered what Laura
had said. Maybe the agency was already screening Ava’s emails.

“So, how are things going with you two over in Ireland? Making
any progress?”

“So far it’s been pretty dry.”

“Hang in there. You’ll uncover something soon, I’m quite sure of
it. Well, I better call Agent Bowman. Bye, Nolan.”

I hung up and stared at my reflection in the mirror for a while.
My mind placed a very beautiful brown-haired woman kneeling on the bed behind
me. She ran her arms down the front of my chest and sensually kissed my neck.
It was so real I could smell her scent lingering under my nose. I closed my
eyes, taking in a deep breath, and then raised my hands to grab the ones
resting on my chest, but nothing was there. My daydream quickly ended as
reality set in around me.

I opened my eyes and picked up my phone, letting out a loud
sigh. I found Laura’s number in my contacts and stared at the phone for a
while, grabbing some courage deep within me.

One hour later, Drew, Darcy, Laura, and I stood at the bottom of
an escalator in the atrium of the Guinness storehouse. The world’s largest pint
glass rose up through the floors to the top of the building. Our tour guide, a
local gal named Bridget, met us at the bottom and spouted out facts about one
of the world’s most favorite stout beers.

“Let’s take the escalator to the second floor to begin your
journey through the history of Guinness. Follow me, please.”

“Thanks for texting, Nolan,” Laura said as we rode up the
escalator. “I’m glad I had my afternoon free. This is awesome!” She craned her
neck to see through the space in the middle of the building. Laura looked
pretty with her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail and a dark green scarf
nesting around her neck. She was wearing a tan jacket and jeans with tastefully
furry brown boots.

“I don’t think I’ve asked you, what are you studying while you
are here in Ireland?”

“Russian Literature.”

“Russian Lit? Why would—?” She cut me off, laughing.

“No, of course not!” Her laugh was identical to Ava’s. “I’m
studying stage management and technical theater.”

“Really?” I liked how she teased me, just like Ava used to.

“Yes, really!” She furrowed her brow at me. “Does it not sound
like something I would do?”

“No, no. It’s just a career I don’t hear too much about. I’m
guessing you’re interested in working backstage on a Broadway production?”

“Yeah, something like that.” We were almost to the top of the
escalator. “I love theater, but I don’t have the talent or the guts to get up
in front of a crowd. I find the inner workings of the backstage just as
satisfying.”

Ava would have no problem singing in front of a crowd. Her
confidence in that category was unwavering.

“There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into a musical
production—the audience usually has no idea.”

We stepped off the escalator and assembled into a small group by
a sign titled
Arthur Guinness, 1759, St. James Gate, Dublin.
A handsome
old-time photograph of Mr. Guinness himself hung underneath.

After a quick explanation of who Mr. Guinness was and how he
bought his brewery, the tour guide sent us through the four floors of exhibits,
and we learned many facts about the history of this two-hundred-year-old stout
beer.

The tour ended on the top floor of the factory at The Gravity
Bar, a three-hundred-sixty-degree room high above Dublin with floor to ceiling
windows facing a gorgeous view of the city. A handsome, circular bar occupied
the center of the room complete with a Guinness tap every few feet. We learned
how to pour a perfect Guinness from a master barman, and then sat down at a
table on the south side of the building.

“To life!” Laura raised her glass in the air.

“To life!” the rest of us echoed as we clinked our glasses.

Laura took a good chug of her beer and almost spit it out in
Drew’s face. “Oh my God! That is disgusting!”

The rest of us laughed as she took a napkin and tried to vigorously
rub the beer residue from her tongue.

“Oh, come on, it’s delicious!” Drew replied and I agreed.

Darcy took another sip, “I guess it’s an acquired taste.” She
closed her eyes and made a quiet mmm sound. “Reminds me of Mama and Papa.”

“Maybe you need another taste. Send it down the hatch one more
time!” Drew pushed the glass closer to Laura’s fingers, and we all laughed.

“Oh, jeez.” Laura picked up the pint and drank the whole glass,
pounding her fist down on the table, eyes shut tight. Then she slammed the
glass onto the tabletop, let out a loud belch, and groaned.

I patted her on the back. “You’re a good sport, Laura.” She
looked like she might vomit on the table. “Perhaps you need a more mature
tongue. Mine adores Guinness completely.”

“Then bring me another!” she called. “Maybe I need a few to
really form my opinion.”

Drew smiled and went to the bar to buy Laura another. Darcy and
Laura chatted a little about Dublin, Laura asking the local for some advice on
the best places to eat, shop, and visit. When Drew returned, Laura chugged half
the beer, scrunched up her faced a moaned.

She pushed her glass toward me, “Here, you drink the rest. I
can’t do it.” I pulled her glass over to stand next to mine. “I’m going to hit
the ladies room. Do you have to go, Darcy?”

“Sure,” Darcy replied.

As the women got up I excused myself too, and headed past the
bar over to a secluded section on the other side of the room. I wanted to look
out the windows and be with alone with my thoughts.

The view of the city’s skyline went clear out to the Dublin
Mountains bordering the town. I could see Phoenix Park to the west, one of
Dublin’s largest public park areas, and the rolling Irish Sea to the east.
Printed on the glass window every few feet was a list of points of interest visible
from that vantage point. Poking up throughout the red and grey brick rooftops
were spires of cathedrals and castle bell towers.