Zack entered the foyer of Calum’s mansion. He’d knocked, but since no one had answered, he’d let himself in. He was the last one to arrive because he’d drawn the short straw and was the last to shower. Aaaaaaaaaaand, because he’d been the last, he’d only had cold water and had missed his ride.
Pete, probably because he was too tired, offered Zack the use of his motorcycle.
He followed the voices to an upstairs sitting room. Calum stood by a window, watching a line of pink tinge the horizon, arms crossed. Pete sat on a couch, in Iron Rack’s sweats, one arm over his eyes. Vane sat next to him with his head back.
Cain was sprawled in a club chair with his phone, probably texting Charlotte. Ty was on the floor, leaning against an ottoman, arms crossed. Luke sat at a desk in the corner, writing on a legal pad.
Ty’s sprained ankle and Pete’s gash from a piece of rebar had been the team’s only physical damage. Except for Sarah and Nate, of course.
Pete tossed Zack a bottle of water “Where’s Alex?”
“At the gym. Asleep.”
Kells arrived with Detective Garza. Kells sat in another chair, legs spread, his hands clasped. He hadn’t shaved, and his stubble looked redder than ever.
“How’s Nate?” Pete asked.
Nate and Sarah were being checked out by Doc Bennett and his staff who, apparently, were on 24/7 call for Calum.
Garza answered first. “Nate has bruised ribs, a gunshot graze on his shoulder, and numerous cuts and abrasions.” He glanced at Kells before continuing. “Nate missed an appointment yesterday. Doc Bennett ran some more blood work. That stuff they pumped into Nate in the POW camp was far more powerful than the street stuff he’d been taking. Yet, when the doc took blood an hour ago, the compound in his system had lessened.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Pete finally took the arm off his eyes. They were swollen and bloodshot.
“It means,” Garza added, “that Nate may not regain all of his long-term memories, but with rest and time and an herbal tea he’s been drinking, his seizures and headaches should lessen.”
“Those seizures could be affecting his executive functioning,” Kells said. “It might explain his choices lately.”
“Bullshit,” Pete said.
Every head turned toward Pete. Had Pete just called out Kells? Again?
“Nate might have headaches and seizures,” Pete said, “but he’s not crazy. He saw that hooded man on the isle the other day. He and Sarah were chased through the historic district. Sarah had been kidnapped. You were having them followed. What I don’t get is why you can’t believe him!”
Guilt. Zack watched Kells’s posture straighten while his hands fisted. Did Kells feel guilty over the doomed operation? Because, seriously, it wasn’t any of their faults. Or…Zack’s heart felt like it was turning itself inside out. Did Kells feel guilty because he blamed Nate for the failure? And hated himself for the blame at the same time?
Zack clasped his hands behind his neck. If that was the case, then they were all screwed. Kells was their leader, the man they needed to trust—more than anyone—at this moment.
Before Kells could answer, Nate arrived in jeans and bare feet. Zack was still getting used to Nate’s short hair. Yet it suited him. All of the men stood, with varying versions of “How’s Sarah?”
Ivers came in with a tray of coffee. “Breakfast will be served buffet style in the dining room in ten minutes.”
After everyone took a coffee and thanked Ivers, Nate sat in an armchair.
“Doc Bennett is with Sarah. She suffered mild hypothermia, but her body temp is almost normal. Cassio said her heart stopped, but her EKG is normal. She’s also been vomiting. It’s possible the water she swallowed is making her sick. But with rest and care, she should be okay.”
Zack said a silent prayer of thanks.
“Nate?” Pete asked in his typical straightforward style. “What the fuck?”
Nate’s elbows dug trenches in his thighs as he stared at the blue-and-green Turkish rug on the floor. “Sarah solved the cipher, and we were going to use it as leverage to bargain with the Prince for Jack’s life. Unbeknownst to us, Etienne had a falling-out with Remiel. He and the hooded man—who is a woman named Isabel—decided to trade Sarah, the diary we stole, and Fletcher Ames to the Prince in exchange for asylum. Except the Prince then traded Fletcher Ames to Remiel in exchange for those missiles.”
“So,” Zack said, “Alex was right about the missiles being a commodity to trade instead of a weapon to be used?”
“Yes.”
“The Prince also took out four Russians tonight,” Garza said. “Two in Charleston, two in Savannah.”
“That’s what the Fianna do.” Pete had returned to his position with his arm over his eyes. “Besides recruiting Nate.”
Nate sighed. “Etienne planned to give Sarah’s location to Cassio. But when Cassio decided getting Etienne out of town wasn’t worth the effort, we lost Sarah’s location. Luckily, with Zack, Ty, and Pete’s help, we were able to find her.”
“Except Cassio found Sarah first,” Kells said. “How?”
“On his way to the boat where other warriors were waiting, he saw Isabel—the woman who was trying to save Sarah. I’m not sure why, but Cassio—reluctantly—decided to help.”
“What about Sarah and Jack?” Kells said. “She solved the cipher.”
“The Fianna lifted the bounty on Jack’s life when I joined them. But, apparently, since I’m not mature enough to be recruited yet, I’m returning to the prison hospital until I’m ready.”
Vane waved a hand. “What about Sarah?”
“She died.” Nate’s voice became softer than slippers on carpet. “When Cassio rescued her from the hide site, he had to do CPR to get her heart started. Technically, since she died once for solving the cipher, she fulfilled the terms of the contract and will be allowed to live her second chance.”
“Jeez, Nate,” Cain said, throwing his phone onto the pillow next to him. “How did you find her? That cemetery wasn’t just dark as shit, it was freakin’ huuuuuuuge.”
Nate let Zack tell the story about polar coordinates and Thomas the Compass Rose.
When Zack finished, Ty added, “We did math. Hard math.”
“Did Etienne kill those bankers from Charleston?” Luke asked.
“I know Etienne killed the banker found on the Isle of Grace. And that he was involved in the O’Malley Pub murders.”
“Fuck me,” Cain said. “The O’Malley Pub murders made national news.”
Nate nodded. “That was Etienne’s operation until it was interrupted by Sarah’s father Joe Munro and Detective Waring. They, in turn, were interrupted by the Fianna. As far as the murdered banker in Charleston who was found with my medal? All I know is that it was a Remiel kill. I’m just not sure which of Remiel’s minions did the deed.”
Calum finally turned to face them all. “What’s happening out on the isle now?”
“To make everything look legit, Jimmy called in the SPD,” Garza said. “Jimmy also told me that when Etienne doesn’t show tomorrow, his brothers will search for him.”
“What about Etienne’s body?” Zack asked.
“We moved Etienne next to the two Russians Pete, Zack, and Ty killed.” Garza crossed his arms and looked away. “Did you know there are boars on the isle?”
“Are you saying”—Zack swallowed hard—“that the boars, uh—”
“We have feral hogs in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. They do the same thing. They clean up. Even if they don’t finish, it’ll be clear to the investigators that the Russians—and Etienne—were eaten by wild animals. There’s nothing left to investigate.”
“Their weapons? And other evidence of a gunfight?” Kells asked.
Zack tried not to laugh. That question was classic Kells.
“Jimmy and I cleared the scenes as best we could in the dark. It’s pouring out there now, and that should muck things up. The cemetery is large, and since we moved Etienne’s body, no one will know where he was shot. Even if Etienne’s brothers find his body, and other evidence, it will look like the Russians killed him. Luckily, thanks to Nate, we have Etienne’s weapon. That will prove he murdered that banker on the isle.”
“Are you the lead on the case?” Calum asked Garza.
“Yes. I’m confident that, in a few days, the investigation out there will wrap up. I also got a call from Maurice, the auction manager. He dropped the assault charges against Nate. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you, Calum?”
Calum smiled at Nate. “Possibly.”
“Detective,” Kells said, “will Detective Waring still want to talk to Nate about the Charleston murder victim?”
“He was killed the same way as the one out on the isle. Even though we can’t ID an actual killer, I’m sure we can tie Etienne to that death as well. Like Nate said, even if Etienne didn’t do it, it was still a Remiel kill. And while it’s true that Detective Waring knows too much about Nate, that’ll make it easier for him to believe that Nate lost his medal in a POW camp.” Garza gripped Nate’s shoulder. “I’ll call Detective Waring tomorrow and take care of it.”
Zack scoffed silently. That victim had been Allison’s husband, and Zack’s emotions were still in free fall.
“Waring won’t let this go,” Kells said.
“I’ll talk to Waring,” Garza replied in a firm voice that said no contradictions allowed. “My worry is Remiel’s next move. Does anyone have any idea about that?”
“All I know,” Pete said from beneath his arm, “is that Sarah went all in on solving that cipher, even when everyone told her not to, and gave us a win. By knowing how to find those hide sites, she’s taken them out of play for both the Prince and Remiel.”
The men murmured their agreement and their admiration until Zack said, “The murdered man in Charleston is Stuart Pinckney.”
It took Kells a minute, but when his eyes widened, it was clear he’d made the connection. And then the rest of the male choir chimed in with questions and concerns.
But Nate was the one who put a hand on Zack’s shoulder. “Allison’s husband?”
“Yes.”
“Is that a problem?” Garza asked the room.
“I don’t know,” Kells said to Zack. “Is it?”
“No. But I’d like permission to check on her.”
Kells nodded. “No physical contact. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.” It was more than he could’ve hoped for.
“You can take my bike,” Pete said. “Just don’t get a ticket.”
The doctor poked his head in. “Nate? Sarah’s awake.”
Nate left, and the rest of the men stretched and moved, all of them—except for Kells and Calum—talking about breakfast.
“We should eat and return to the gym,” Vane said in that all-knowing way of his. “We’ve got a lot to do today.”
As the men left, Luke handed Zack the legal pad he’d been writing on. “Remember you asked me to talk to Charlotte and Abigail about the night of the ambush? They called me because neither wanted to send anything by email. I wrote down what they said. I hope it helps.”
“Thanks.”
“Oh, and Vane contacted you-know-who.” Luke looked behind him. Kells was still talking to Calum. “She said she’d be in touch.”
Vane talked to Kells’s wife Katherine? “In touch with you?”
“No. With you.” Luke left the room, shaking his head.
Wonderful.
“Zack?” Kells came over. “I need an executive officer.”
XO? The air rushed out of Zack’s lungs, and he gripped the chair next to him. “Why?”
“Because in six hours, two MPs are picking Nate up and taking him to Maine. He’s returning to the prison hospital.”