| |
––––––––
Stephanie pressed the end button and lowered her cell phone, a deep frown on her face. She’d been going back and forth with John’s attorney for the past two days, so when his number showed up on her caller ID, she had answered readily. Now she stared at the wall across from the dining room table, lost in thought. It was awkward enough that John made her the executor of his will over either of his parents. Awkward, but understandable. They accepted her role without much of a fuss, and Stephanie was sensitive to the fact they were still his next of kin. Now, however, the attorney found something else.
Stephanie sighed and set her phone down, stretching and rubbing her eyes. Even after he was gone, John was still being a pain in the ass.
She stood and picked up her empty glass, circling the dining room table to carry it into the kitchen for a refill of water. Blake was taking Buddy for a final lap around the complex before calling it a night. Stephanie glanced out of the kitchen window as she filled her glass from the filtered pitcher in the fridge. She couldn’t see anything in the darkness except her own reflection.
According to the attorney Wayne, John had a safe deposit box. While that was surprising enough, the caveat John had apparently insisted on in his instructions to the attorney was downright bizarre. Stephanie was the only one allowed to access to the box. In the unlikely event she was also deceased, the box could be accessed by only one other. Wayne was reluctant to divulge the name, but when pressed, he admitted it was in the will. When Stephanie read it, she’d find out anyway.
Stephanie replaced the pitcher in the fridge and took a long drink of cold water. John’s alternate for the deposit box was Raven Woods.
Stephanie shook her head and went back to the laptop on the dining room table. She shouldn’t be so surprised, but she was. Stunned was more like it. She and Alina were the only two allowed access to a safe deposit box John kept secret from everyone. She sank back into her chair. If both of them were deceased or otherwise incapacitated, the box was to remain sealed.
“John, what the hell were you up to?” Stephanie muttered, dropping her head into her hands.
Wayne had the key and he was meeting her first thing Monday morning at the bank where the box was located. He’d already called the manager and they would be ready for them.
The front door opened suddenly and Buddy bounded in, followed by Blake. He looked across the room to her and closed the door, flipping the deadbolt into place.
“You ok?” he asked, turning to follow the dog.
Buddy lumbered up to Stephanie and shoved his nose onto her lap, his hind-quarters wiggling as his tail wagged furiously.
“Yeah,” Stephanie sighed, lifting her head from her hands and rubbing Buddy’s head. “I just got off the phone with John’s attorney again.”
“Everything alright?” Blake asked when she didn’t continue.
“I suppose so.” Stephanie watched as he went into the kitchen and heard him open the fridge a second later. “I have to meet him at the bank at nine on Monday. John had a safe deposit box, and his instructions were very clear. I have to open it as soon as possible.”
“Monday?” Blake appeared in the doorway with a beer in his hand. “Can’t it wait until after the funeral?”
“Apparently not.” Stephanie stopped petting Buddy and sat back in her chair. “John wanted it opened without delay, as soon as he died. Unfortunately, Wayne didn’t come across that particular directive until this afternoon. And before you ask, I’m the only one who can open it.”
“I wish I could help you with some of this.” Blake moved toward the living room. “Why don’t you give me a list of things I can pick up on Monday? I can at least run some errands while you’re at the bank. What time is the viewing?”
“Seven.” Stephanie stood up and followed him, dropping onto the couch tiredly as he settled into the recliner. “There actually isn’t much to do. The funeral home is taking care of the flowers and memorial cards, and Joanne is meeting with Father Angelo at the church. She asked if I wanted to come, but I said that’s all her. Angela found a restaurant for the luncheon on Tuesday, so that’s done. Really, I guess all I have to do is go to the bank, and then buy something to wear.”
“See? That all came together quickly and fairly painlessly,” Blake said, sipping his beer. “Have you heard from Alina yet?”
Stephanie glanced at him, surprised.
“Why?”
Blake raised an eyebrow at her reaction.
“You said you hadn’t heard from her, that’s all. What’s wrong?”
Stephanie sighed and leaned her head back on the couch, propping her bare feet up on the coffee table.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I’m just...on edge, I think. I haven’t talked to her, but she texted me about an hour ago. She’s back. Angela was over there today.” She grinned suddenly. “Lina says it might end up being a double funeral.”
Blake grinned.
“I can’t wait to meet this Angela,” he said. “Between what you and Michael have said, I’ve got quite a picture in my head.”
“I can guarantee it’s nothing like the original,” Stephanie assured him with a laugh. “She’s pretty special. She suggested brunch tomorrow for Easter. Are you game?”
“I’m always up for food. Do you know me?”
Stephanie got up and headed back into the dining room to get her phone.
“I’ll text her and tell her we’re in,” she said over her shoulder. “Better you get used to her before the viewing.”
“You make it sound like I don’t get along with anyone.”
“Trust me. Angie can try the patience of a saint, and you’re no saint.”
Alina winced involuntarily as she poured hydrogen peroxide onto the seeping wound in her side. She pressed a wad of clean paper towel against it and sighed, glancing at herself in the mirror. It wasn’t easy keeping Angela out of the fitting rooms while she tried on an endless array of clothes, but she’d managed it. She had no choice. There was no good explanation for the bandage on her side; not that Angela would believe, anyway. Alina’s eyes went to the smaller bandage wrapped around her left bicep. That one she hadn’t been able to hide. Luckily, Angela bought her story of flying glass from a shattered window.
Looking at herself, Alina shook her head.
“You’re a mess,” she told her reflection.
The bandage wrapped around her bicep was covering two bullet holes, courtesy of a through-and-through she had received last week in the process of saving a biochemical engineer by the name of Dr. Krupp. Now she was trying to ward off an infection from another one in her side. Any more and she would start looking like Swiss cheese.
Alina lifted up the paper towel and peered down at the hole in her side. It was red, and angry, and hurt like hell. It was starting to close, but it was not happy. Obviously she hadn’t done a good enough job cleaning it out on the airplane. Not surprising, really. She was too busy worrying about Hawk to pay much attention to her own injury.
Tossing the wet towels into the trash can under the sink, she reached for a large, nonstick, gauze bandage and ripped open the packaging. She would give it another day. If the infection got worse, she would have to get it cleaned out professionally. That was something Viper tried to avoid at all costs. Medical professionals meant a trail, and trails were never something people like her wanted to leave behind. She held the bandage against the wound with one hand while she reached for paper medical tape with the other. Hopefully the infection was only superficial and the peroxide would do its thing. If there was any debris, or worse, metal shards inside her, she was out of luck. No amount of home remedy would touch it.
Alina had just finished taping down the bandage when her phone vibrated. Simultaneously, a very loud, high-pitched beep echoed through the house. Her security perimeter was breached. Her brows snapped together in a scowl and she grabbed her phone, swiftly swiping the screen. Viper touched the flashing icon on her phone and pulled up the birds’ eye view of the property. Her eyebrows soared into her forehead when she saw the black Ford F150 entering the dirt drive from the road at the edge of the property.
Alina slid her phone into her back pocket and reached for the tank top she had tossed onto the vanity. Between her arm and her side, she was stiff and sore, and she pulled it over her head with a grimace. Once the bandage at her side was covered with the black shirt, she turned and strode out of the bathroom. As she passed through her bedroom, she glanced at the empty perch in the corner. Raven was out.
Raven was her pet hawk. Or rather, the black hawk that adopted her for his own. When she tried, very responsibly, to leave him in his home environment in South America, Raven had other ideas. He followed her out of the mountains and halfway across the country. When it became clear he had no intention of leaving her, or allowing her to leave him, she conceded. He’d been with her ever since, following her each time she relocated. Now he seemed content to watch over her sixteen-acre property. When she left to travel, he stayed behind. How he knew she was coming back was a mystery she hadn’t been able to solve, but Viper admitted she was always happy to see him when she returned.
Striding down the stairs, her lips curved involuntarily. He was probably in the trees now, watching Michael approach, ready to stop him if he dared get too close to the house without Alina’s permission. People were naturally reluctant to take on a bird of prey when he appeared with his claws and beak ready for business.
Alina reached the bottom of the stairs and went to the front door, throwing back the deadbolt and stepping onto the front porch just as the headlights from Michael’s truck pierced the darkness of the front yard. The dirt driveway that snaked through a quarter mile of pine forest from the road turned into gravel as it broke into the clearing, curving in front of the house before splitting into two. One half curved back towards the road, while the other turned left and ran along the house to the rear. Michael pulled up in front of the porch and rolled his window down.
“You’re a long way from home, gunny,” Alina greeted him, stepping off the porch and up to the truck.
“Depends on which way you look at it,” Michael answered with a grin. “I’m closer to Brooklyn here than in DC.”
“True enough.” Alina studied him through the open window for a long moment. “Is that where you’re heading?”
“Not yet.”
“I didn’t think so,” Alina said, smiling faintly. “Pull around. I’ll meet you back there.”
She turned to go back into the house as he rolled forward and took the left turn at the split. Viper frowned as she went down the hallway. First Angela, now Michael. All she wanted to do was get her armory restocked and loaded, ready for the war she knew was coming, and find the bastard responsible for killing John and putting a bullet in her and Hawk.
What she did not want to do was play happy neighbors with old friends who insisted on dropping in unexpectedly, and at the worst possible times.
Alina let out a heavy sigh as she crossed to the sliding doors leading to the deck. Unfortunately, the moment she decided to buy this house in her home state of New Jersey, she had opened herself up to this. There was no getting away from any of them now. They knew where she lived and clearly had no compunction about showing up unannounced. Viper had known this from the beginning, which was why all of their cars and electronics had been adjusted to leave no GPS evidence of their location. Once they crossed the three-mile perimeter around her property, they were effectively off-grid and untraceable. While that kept Viper’s location secure, it didn’t do much to prevent them from dropping in at all hours.
Stepping onto the deck, Alina watched as Michael climbed out of his truck and started across the lawn toward the house. Out of nowhere, a huge black shadow swooped down from the trees. Alina grinned as Michael let out a curse and ducked instinctively as deadly claws passed within inches of his head. After buzzing Michael in warning, Raven glided toward the deck, his black wings outstretched majestically and his eyes locked on Alina’s face. She held out her arm and he landed on it gently.
“Can’t you stop him from doing that?!” Michael demanded from the safety of the grass, straightening up and glaring at them. “He knows me!”
“That doesn’t mean he trusts you,” she retorted, smiling as Raven turned his head to stare coolly at Michael. “If it’s any consolation, he does the same thing to Damon. If he wanted to attack either of you, he wouldn’t miss.”
“At least I know it’s not just me,” Michael muttered, somewhat mollified. “Is it safe to come closer?”
“Yes.”
Raven watched as Michael moved cautiously toward the deck. After watching him intently for a moment, he turned on his mistresses’ arm and stepped onto the railing encircling the deck. As Michael set his foot onto the first step, Raven stretched his wings. Michael froze.
“Raven, stop teasing him,” Alina admonished with a laugh as the hawk finished stretching and settled down on the railing. He glanced at her innocently. “He won’t bother you,” she assured Michael, the grin still on her face.
He eyed the bird warily as he continued onto the deck, finally relaxing when Raven turned his attention to the trees beyond the lawn, effectively ignoring them.
“Why can’t you have a dog or a cat, like other people?” he demanded, following Alina to the sliding door.
“How boring,” she retorted. “Where’s the fun in that?”
She slid the door open and stood aside so he could enter the house before glancing swiftly around the dark yard. Raven was settled in, watchful on the banister, and Alina turned to follow Michael into the house, sliding the door closed behind her.
“So what brings you up from DC?” she asked, walking around him and heading past the black marble-topped bar into the large kitchen.
“Blake,” said Michael, walking to the bar and sliding onto a bar stool.
Alina glanced at him, one eyebrow raised.
“Blake?”
“He’s staying with Stephanie. He’s working out of the Philly office for a few days while the dust settles at home. He thought it would be better if he left town while they figured out who planted the drugs in his closet and his boss agreed.”
Alina studied him silently for a moment, then turned to the fridge.
“Beer?”
“Thanks.”
Michael watched as she opened the stainless steel refrigerator, resisting the sudden and almost uncontrollable urge to cross himself. She didn’t believe him. Not by a flicker of an eyelash did she show even an ounce of disbelief, but Michael was getting to know her mask well. Viper didn’t have to show disbelief. The mask was proof of it.
He exhaled silently. Damon better be right. If she wasn’t willing to play along to find out what he was up to, he would be on his way back to DC within the hour, and how would he explain that to the SEAL?
“Angela said he was staying with Stephanie,” said Alina, closing the fridge and walking over to hand him a bottle of Yuengling Lager. “Are you going to play chaperone?”
Michael grinned, taking the beer.
“Hardly. He asked me to get some information for him, and given the currently unsecured state of my phone, I had no choice but to drive up to give it to him.”
Alina studied him impassively for a long moment before turning to get a wine glass out of the cabinet over the counter.
“It’s late to be driving back to DC,” she said over her shoulder. “Where are you staying?”
“Here?” Michael asked with a grin. “If you’re not comfortable with that, I can get a hotel room. I’d planned to go to Brooklyn tomorrow for Easter with my folks anyway, so I just came up early. But if you’d rather I didn’t stay here...”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Alina, setting the wine glass on the bar. “You know my spare room is always open to you.”
She circled the bar and went into the adjoining dining room to get a bottle of red wine from the wine rack. Michael breathed a silent sigh of relief. He was through the door, at least.
“I appreciate it,” he said. “Any word on John’s funeral?”
Alina carried a bottle and corkscrew back to the bar.
“The viewing is Monday night and funeral is on Tuesday,” she said shortly, cutting the foil off the wine bottle. “Stephanie was able to pull it together quickly once the Feds released his body.”
Michael watched as she uncorked the bottle and poured a glass of wine. No more information was forthcoming and he frowned.
“How are you holding up?” he finally asked.
Dark, emotionless brown eyes met his.
“I’m fine. Come into the living room. It’s more comfortable.”
Michael picked up his beer, following her into the living room. When she headed for the recliner, he settled himself on the sofa.
“Tell me something,” she said as she made herself comfortable. “What do you remember about Jordan Murphy?”
Michael stared at her.
“Jordan Murphy?”
“Yes. He was in your company when you and Dave were in Iraq.”
Michael thought for a moment, bringing to mind a hazy image of an average guy with dark hair and possibly glasses.
“Did he have glasses?” he asked. “Dark hair?”
“Yes.”
“Not much,” Michael said slowly, his brows creased in thought. “He acted as an interpreter on occasion, I remember that. I think his mother was an Iraqi immigrant. I never paid much attention to him, to be honest. Dave might have. I seem to remember they were hanging out a lot before...”
His voice trailed off and Alina raised an eyebrow.
“Before he took a bullet through his helmet?” she prompted.
Michael glanced at her.
“Well, yeah. Why do you ask? How do you know him?”
“I don’t.” Alina sipped her wine. “I came across his name recently. Do you know what he did after Iraq?”
“No clue,” Michael shrugged. “A lot of guys discharged after that deployment and I didn’t keep up with half of them.”
“He and Dave were close?”
Michael sipped his beer, leaning back on the couch and casting his mind back twelve years.
“Not especially,” he said slowly. “Dave only got friendly with him in the last couple weeks before he died. Jordan was kind of a loner, if I remember correctly. I think that’s why I don’t remember much about him. He tended to keep to himself.”
“Any idea why Dave suddenly got chummy with him?”
Michael shook his head.
“Not the faintest. Knowing your brother, he probably felt sorry for him. Or maybe they discovered something in common. Who knows.” Michael looked at her. “Why the interest?”
Alina was silent for a long moment, sipping her wine.
“Just curious,” she finally said, smiling sheepishly. “I came across the name and started to wonder about Dave and his buddies. That’s all.”
Michael crooked an eyebrow skeptically, but let it go.
“The viewing is Monday night?” he asked instead, turning the conversation back to John.
“Yes.”
“Mind if I come back after Easter dinner and pay my respects?”
Alina looked at him in surprise.
“Of course not.”
Michael nodded.
“I didn’t know him well, but I liked him,” he said. “How’s Stephanie?”
“I don’t know. I texted her earlier, but I haven’t seen her yet.”
“It’s got to be tough for her, losing her partner,” Michael said, shaking his head. “Especially one she knew most of her life. Is she back to work yet?”
“Not yet. At least, not officially.” Alina set her empty wine glass down on the coffee table. “If you’re staying for the viewing, you might as well stay for the funeral. Did you bring your laptop?”
Michael nodded.
“Good. You can work on Trasker while you’re here.” Alina stood up and her lips curved into that smile that never quite reached her eyes. “You won’t find a more secure place to work. You might as well make the most of it.”
Michael watched as she picked up her glass and carried it into the kitchen. He stood and followed with his empty bottle.
He was in.