44

Landon leaned against the display case watching Piper, the copied sheets of Princess Maksutov’s diary spread out around her, Olga’s diary in hand. She jotted down notes and nibbled her thumbnail intermittingly. He could almost see the wheels spinning.

She was getting close. He recognized that gleam in her eyes. He knew she could do it.

She was an amazing lady.

He swallowed, realizing that was the first he’d thought of Piper as a lady. She’d always been Cole’s baby sister. Now . . .

He raked a hand through his hair. He didn’t want to think about what he saw when he looked at her now. That train of thought would only get him in trouble, and he had enough trouble on his plate. But until Grigor was caught, he wasn’t letting Piper out of his sight.

He shuddered to think of the moment Grigor had held the gun to her head and pulled the trigger. He’d envisioned her shot and out of his life forever. . . .

His stomach lurched, as it had then.

It’d shaken him to the core. He didn’t think he’d ever get that image out of his head. Sweet Piper. Nearly torn from all their lives.

Piper leapt to her feet, papers splaying everywhere. “I’ve got it.”

Cole raced to her side, nearly knocking Landon over in the process. “Where?”

“It’s right here in the last line of Princess Maksutov’s diary. I can’t believe I didn’t see it right off the bat. It’s so clear.”

“What is?” Anxiety saturated Cole’s tone, and Landon couldn’t blame him. The woman he loved was in mortal danger.

Piper cleared her throat and read, “ ‘I will take the secret to my grave.’ ”

Landon thought for a moment. “The orb is buried with the princess!”

“Exactly, and she’s buried in the old Russian cemetery.”

Cole grabbed his coat. “Let’s go.”

Landon clamped a hand on his shoulder. “Not so fast.”

Kayden paused at the door, her eyes rimmed with dark circles. “I don’t feel right leaving.”

Cole squeezed her shoulder. “I know, but Landon’s right. We all need some rest or we won’t be at our best when Bailey needs us most.”

“What if something changes? What if he shows up at the cemetery before nightfall?”

She echoed his own concerns, but he’d chosen to trust Landon.

Landon had never let him down before.

His head was so clouded with worry, he couldn’t trust his instincts, and that left him floundering. Landon had his back. Even during his downward spirals, he had always been there for Cole.

But if Landon was wrong . . .

If anything happened to Bailey . . .

“He won’t show up without the cover of night,” Landon said at Cole’s silence. “He’s too careful. Besides, we’ve got two undercover deputies staked out over there just in case.”

Cole braced his hands on Kayden’s shoulders. She was looking to him, as they all had ever since Mom and Dad passed. He was their guardian, their protector, but he felt utterly helpless. Piper nearly shot before his eyes. Bailey kidnapped. He’d never felt more inept. Now he truly understood what it meant to rely solely on Christ. “You get some rest, Kayden. I need you at your best.”

A weak smile flickered across her lips.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

“I love you, bro.”

His knees nearly gave way. Kayden hadn’t spoken those words in as long as he could remember. He knew she loved him, loved them all, but to hear her say so touched his soul. “I love you too.” He let her step back from the embrace, let her save face as she straightened and cleared her throat to hide the tears threatening to fall. He softly slugged her arm. “Now get out of here.”

She nodded, her eyes expressing gratitude at his accepting her loving gesture without making a fuss over it.

Gage clasped Cole in his arms. “We’ll be back with the equipment before sundown. Try and get some sleep.”

Like that was possible.

He shut the door behind Kayden and Gage and leaned against it, the weariness of it all crushing down on him. “This better work.”

“It will.” Landon steadfastly held his gaze. “We’ll make it work.”

Cole nodded. The plan was solid, but it was the woman he loved whose life was at stake.

“You two get some shut-eye,” Landon said, “I’ll take the first watch.”

“No.” Cole stepped from the door. “I’ll take it. We both know I’ll never sleep.” Not with Bailey out there.

“It’s my shift. I’ve got to coordinate everything for tonight.” Landon grabbed his cell, brooking no argument. “Go. You’re no good to Bailey exhausted.”

Cole sighed. “Fine.” No sense arguing. “I’ll see you in a few.” He strode to the stairs and paused at the creak of the bottom step, remembering how Bailey’s eyes had lit when she discovered Agnes’s hollow hiding spot. He had to get her back. He’d be half a man without her. “If any word comes . . .”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

Cole tapped the banister and looked at Piper still seated on the couch. “You gonna rest?”

“Yeah, I’ll be up soon. Just gonna grab a cup of tea first.”

“All right, you take Bay’s room. I’ll bunk on the couch.”

Piper gave a sleepy smile. “Gotcha.”

He climbed the remainder of the stairs to the living quarters Agnes and Bailey had shared. A galley-style kitchenette ran along the north wall. A simple sink, dorm-size fridge, and a couple cupboards . . . more a wet bar to supplement the full kitchen downstairs than a kitchen in its own right. The table and chairs sat nearby, a half-finished puzzle of Big Ben on top of it. He wondered if Bailey was working it or if it’d been Agnes before her demise.

A brown tweed sofa, seventies in style and softened with age, sat in the center of the room—sheets, blankets, and a pillow piled on it. An older TV on an equally old TV cart sat against the tiny wall separating the two bedrooms.

Agnes’s appeared untouched since Bailey’s arrival, and he had no desire to disturb that. Bailey’s room looked equally untouched, and he wondered why. Why had she opted to sleep on the couch instead?

He kicked off his shoes and lay back on the sofa. He rolled on his side and inhaled the scent of Bailey from the pillow.

Lord, I can’t do this. Not without you. I see that so clearly now. But through you I can do all things. Please strengthen me and please protect Bailey. Let her feel your abiding presence. She must be so scared.

I know I’m terrified.

Piper tapped the empty mug in her hand.

“You’d better head up now,” Landon said, wondering why she was stalling.

She stood slowly, her hair tousled from leaning against the couch for hours. She looked sleepy, sweet, and sexy.

Piper, sexy? I’m losing my mind.

Maybe he needed some shut-eye after all.

“What about you?” she asked, her voice a soft purr that tickled his ears.

“I . . .” He cleared his throat.

“Hmm?” She glided toward him, her scent of honeysuckle growing tantalizingly stronger, closer. What on earth was wrong with him? This was Piper. Annoying, busybody Piper.

Obviously he was overworked, exhausted, and clearly still in shock from seeing her nearly killed. When everything went back to normal, so would he. He just had to ignore the feelings, the extremely unwanted urges to be near her, to pull her close.

“Landon?”

“Sorry. What was the question?” He was behaving like an idiot. Embarrassment and anger mixed through him.

“When are you going to rest?”

He thumbed through the stack of papers nearest him. “I’ll grab some later.”

She crossed her arms, the stubborn set of her jaw returning. “We both know you won’t.”

“There’s a lot to do. I can sleep tomorrow.” He moved for his coffee cup.

She intercepted his path. “You never look after yourself, do you? You’re too busy worrying about us.” She tilted her head, a lock of her auburn hair sliding across her brow. “You know, you aren’t nearly as annoying and gruff as you let on.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “I have my moments.”

I have my moments? What was he going for . . . cute?

“Yes, you do.”

He’d never seen her look at him like that before.

No. His head was playing tricks on him. He was tired, distracted, coming off an adrenaline high. “You . . .” He cleared his throat, the words feeling thick. “You’d better get up there.”

She nodded. “Thanks for being such a good friend to Cole.” She slipped the loose strand of hair behind her ear, sweeping her gaze down before bringing it back to his eyes. “He really needs you now.” She rose on her tiptoes and planted a feather-soft kiss to his cheek.

He stood stock-still as she climbed the stairs, terrified to move . . . his cheek, his entire body, aflame.