Chapter 81

 

FREI HAD A place about ten miles outside the city. Like Huber’s it had a lot of security and cameras but it was a lot nicer than Huber’s place had been. Frei told us that they used to be stables. I could see the look of interest pique in Renee’s eyes. She loved riding.

Fleming, my mother, and Aunt Bess were waiting for us at the front entrance and Frei let us in through a rustic-looking door. It had a reddish glow to an oak feel. I fought the urge to run my hand over it.

Inside, the floors were a real rich wood with beams cutting into the solid stone walls. She had a huge fireplace, a fluffy rug, and a sofa which was my size. Frei walked over to the wall, touched something and the fire roared into life.

Cool.

“Now we’re somewhere warm, Agent Frei, I’d like to know the real story.” Fleming took up residence in an armchair, crossed her legs, and placed her handbag beside her. She glared at Frei more than she had at Renee.

“You were told it,” Frei answered. Unmoved, bored, her aura wriggling with her wish to find out if Jessie was okay.

I met her eyes and smiled, nodding in the direction I could feel both Stosur and Jessie lurking in. 

Renee had her poker face on. My mother was the same; Aunt Bess too; I was half-ready to go and find Jessie and let the grown-ups talk.

“Aeron.” Fleming turned her gaze to me and I tensed. “How are things outside the institution?”

I opened my mouth to speak.

“Don’t answer that,” Renee muttered, touching my arm.

“Why, does she have something to hide?” Fleming shot a pleasant smile my way. Her voice and tone were gentle but her energy felt like she was ready to throw the glass beside her at me. Why was she mad at me too? I wasn’t gonna marry her.

I lifted my chin. I weren’t ashamed. “I find it hard. Especially when people got issue with me an’ I don’t know why.”

“Do you have an issue with authority?” Her tone was much like Renee’s had been when I first met her, like a shrink. A shrink who was trying to push my buttons.

“I’m vacationing with my bosses, what do you think?” I folded my arms. If she thought she could rile me up, she was gonna be disappointed.

“So I see. Do they take good care of you?” Her tone made it sound like she was asking if they beat me.

“Aeron, you don’t have to humor her.” Renee’s aura was on the defensive. She looked like she’d sock Fleming one just for speaking to me that way. I fought the urge not to grin and poke my tongue out at Fleming. 

“Yup.”

Everybody stared at me.

“I mean, they take me places and show me how to buy stuff. Sometimes they even let me out by myself.” I let out a breath. “You can’t leave folks like me too long though, we tend to wander off.”

Renee blinked at me a few times. She knew I could fire off attitude when I wanted to but maybe it had been a while since she’d seen it. A smile rolled through her aura and she clenched her jaw like she was trying to stop it bursting through.

“Aeron, I’m the head of the internal affairs department. Do you think it’s wise to talk to me with such disrespect?” Fleming had that tone on. Now I knew where Renee had learned it from.

“I thought I didn’t have the ability to think for myself a second ago and now you want an opinion?” I raised my eyebrows as she narrowed her eyes. “Or maybe you just want to quit trying to get me to incriminate Renee so you can get your own back for her breaking your heart?”

Fleming sucked in a breath.

“I flattened the guy who hurt her.” I softened my tone. “Renee got the biggest heart and it ached that she had to do that to you.”

“Aeron,” Renee whispered. “You don’t have to do this.”

I nodded. “I do.” I walked over to Fleming and knelt in front of her. She flinched but I took her hand. “He hurt her so bad that she had to rebuild herself inside an’ out. I watch her cry, I watch her whimper and fight when she sleeps.” I held her gaze, forcing her to listen. “She cared about you so much she didn’t want you to see that.”

The pain glinted in her eyes. I could feel her barriers drop and smiled. “Show her some respect, please. She don’t need to fight you too.”

Fleming’s eyes tracked over my face. “I still have to do my job.”

I nodded. “I ain’t got a lot of an idea ’bout your side of things.” It was best I went with honesty. “I do know that,” Fleming wasn’t allowed to know about military, “Lead Agent Frei is all fit and healthy; Aunt Bess is itching to let the kittens out and feed them; that Renee and I are exhausted and . . . my mom’s ears are itching from flying.” I pulled my hand away and hovered it over her skin. “Your kids are missing you, your husband can’t find the TV remote, and your dogs have found those slippers you tried hiding.”

She snapped her hand away and stared down at it as if accusing it of being a snitch.

“Do you really want to launch an investigation that’ll take up all your time and mean you don’t see your kids for . . . well . . . months?”

Fleming frowned. “It’s my job.”

“Sure, but everybody is accounted for and you know Renee is okay.” I smiled. “Besides, you really want to explain to your father-in-law why there’s a conflict of interest?”

Fleming’s eyes flicked over in Renee’s direction. I felt everyone in the room take a collective breath. I didn’t know why. I didn’t have a clue what I’d said. Nothing new.

“Don’t make me have to go digging into your team, Agent Frei.”

I stood back as Fleming got to her feet.

Frei said nothing. She looked ready to sleep where she stood.

Fleming scowled and turned to my mother and Aunt Bess. “Lilia, as always, it was both a baffling and an exhausting time being in your company.” She picked up her handbag and pulled out her phone. “I have no idea who you are, Aunt Bess, but I hope you and your kittens are happy.”

She walked over to the carry crate as if she was expecting it to be empty. Two heads popped up and meowed at her as if by request.

She cocked her head. “There really were kittens.” She shook her head and turned to me. “It is . . . strange . . . to meet you, Aeron.”

“Likewise.”

She made a quick call as Renee stood hugging herself in the corner. Fleming strode to the door. Headlights flashed so I guessed Grimes had been waiting.

She pulled open the door and stopped.

Her shoulders rose and fell for a few moments.

She sighed, half-turning to Renee. “I’m glad you are . . . okay.”

Renee nodded. “You too.”

Fleming strode out to the car without so much as looking over her shoulder.

Frei wandered over to the door and shut it. “Nice work, Lorelei.”

“What I do?”

I looked at my mother but she smiled, Aunt Bess beamed, Frei looked, well like she always did and so I turned to Renee.

“There aren’t many people who can convince her to change her mind.” Renee’s voice was quiet, thoughtful. “You were very patient with her.” She met my eyes. “Thank you.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “She loves you. Can’t blame her for that. I’d be mad too.”

Her eyes twinkled and a quiet smile spread across her face. “You would, would you?”

“Sure-as-shoots.” I cleared my throat, wondering why everybody was still grinning at me. “So we eating?”

Frei walked to the coffee table and pulled out all kinds of menus. “They deliver.” She stretched out her back with a shake of her head. “You even fixed the angle of my rib.”

I smiled, my hands throbbing like they used to.

My stomach growled. Now I needed to fix my appetite.

 

LILIA WATCHED BESS fussing over the kittens who purred back at her. She’d always had an affinity with animals, always adored them. She was as big hearted about the people she loved too.

“You really keeping them,” she asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.

“I got plenty of room for them and it’ll be nice to have company.” She waggled her finger under the livelier one’s jaw. He rolled onto his back and sprawled, inviting her to keep going.

“I see you still have your way with men.” Lilia shook her head. “And don’t think I didn’t see you charming that poor boy.”

Bess waved a hand at her. “He’s young enough to be my grandson.”

“You’re not that old, Bess.” She leaned on her fist. Jessie peeked her head around the door. Lilia turned and smiled at her. “Are you hungry?”

Jessie nodded. She looked at Bess and her eyes filled with wonder.

“There’s leftovers.” Lilia got up, happy to do something useful. “I’ll warm them up.”

For all of Jessie’s skills, she was a lot like Aeron. That institutionalized naivety was there to see. Like Aeron, in some ways she was far more mature than could be accounted for by years but in others, she looked no older than Lilia’s own step-daughters.

“You like cats, Mousey,” Bess said, winking at her. She sounded so much like Nan that it was no surprise Jessie cocked her head. “What do you reckon we should call them?”

Jessie tucked her wild brown hair behind her ears and wandered over. She ruffled the livelier kitten’s ears. He rolled so she could fuss him. “Are they boys or girls?”

Bess chuckled. “I ain’t gonna cope with nothin’ frilly whatever they are.”

Jessie smiled. “In that case . . .” She looked at the smaller kitten, asleep over Bess’s arm. “Worthington.” She grinned at the bigger fluffball. “And Samson.”

Bess met Lilia’s eyes as she burst into a chuckle. “Very fitting. The names Renee and Aeron went by when they met Jessie.”

Bess shifted back and pointed to the seat beside her. “If you ain’t got allergies, I could use a hand keeping them quiet.”

Jessie took a seat and happily started fussing. Lilia kept feeling for any show of wheezing. She doubted Jessie had ever seen cats before let alone knew if she could tolerate them.

“Will I go back to the base now?” she asked in a such a quiet mumble that Bess waggled her finger in her ear.

“Yes, I’ll take you back with me.” She knew Aeron, Renee, and Frei would remain here. There was still work to be done.

“Do you think . . . ?” Jessie bit her lip. “I’m lucky that she came to get us out.”

The unspoken question hung there. Frei wandered into the room. Even after a shower and food, she looked drained. “Your things will be moved to my quarters.”

Jessie snapped her head up, her eyes filled with hope. “I can’t leave the others. We’re like family.”

Frei sighed. “Which is why you’ll all be enlisted in the academy and I’ll take responsibility for you all.”

Lilia focused on mixing up a plate of food, heating it, and testing it to stop herself from embracing Frei. She’d come such a long way since that closed off, beaten young woman who had strolled into her office with Renee.

“You will?” She heard the chair scrape back and turned to see Jessie fling her arms around Frei’s midriff and burrow in. She watched the ice in Frei’s eyes melt as she returned the hug.

Lilia heard a sniffle and Bess blew her nose in her hanky while Samson, the kitten, swiped for it.

Frei cleared her throat as Lilia placed Jessie’s food on the table. Jessie took the plate and eyed Frei as if waiting for an order.

“I’m your . . . mother,” Frei whispered, pulling up Jessie’s chin by her finger. “I don’t own you. You don’t have to ask.”

Jessie nodded. Lilia could see that it didn’t register. It would take a good while to ease her from that routine. Jessie kept her eyes on the plate, still waiting, until Frei sighed.

“Go on, eat.” She watched Jessie hurry off. Lilia didn’t have a clue where. Frei met her eyes. “Her room. Unless eating with other slaves, they have to eat in their rooms.”

“It takes love and patience but she’ll get there,” Lilia said, taking a seat next to Bess.

“I hope so.” Frei stood in the middle of the kitchen, silent, staring into space.

“Bess and I will take her back. I’ll have to be at the base while you deal with things here anyway.”

Frei met her eyes. “I can’t expect you to do that. You need to be with—”

“He did just fine without me if you hadn’t noticed. Besides, I have my spies to keep an eye on him.” She grinned at Bess.

“And how is the grumpy old bat?” Bess muttered. “Still angry she lost her marbles?”

Lilia shook her head. “You know, Aeron used to torment her. I’d keep an eye on her and wonder at how much she replayed your duel with Aunt Gertie’s mother.” She chuckled. Aunt Gertie was technically a cousin but everyone older was always aunt. Nan had insisted on it.

“I knew she was a good ’un.” Bess grinned.

Lilia could feel Frei watching. She could feel that ache she knew so well. She and Bess were close, even though the age gap was big. They had memories together and Lilia had grown up watching her sister, learning from her, loving her. Then she’d left to “pursue a career in art.”

“You need us out of the way so we’ll leave as soon as Jessie is ready.” Lilia shook a thousand memories free. “Bess will drop us at the airport before she drives home.”

Frei dipped her blonde eyebrows. “Drive?”

Bess nodded. “Kittens. Besides, I prefer the road, less hard on my ears.”

Frei walked over to the corkboard on the wall, slid it across, and pulled out a set of keys. “Then it’s best they ride in style.”

Bess raised her eyebrows. “I don’t think I can afford to touch those keys, kid, let alone put claws on the seat.”

“It’s a gift.” She placed them on the table next to the kitten who swiped for her hand. She dodged it and ruffled the fur on his head before he could react.

“I can’t accept it. That’s a lot of paychecks I ain’t gettin’ no more.” Bess shook her head. Lilia had tried giving her financial help, the family had money, but she’d given up her claim and would always tell her that she could do just fine by herself.

“Then, it’s payment for the freelance work you did for me.” Frei hardened her gaze. “And an order.”

Bess cocked her head, scrutinizing Frei. Lilia had seen her prickly side when it came to being given orders once or twice. “You got it, kid.”

Lilia let out the breath she’d been holding and smiled. If that wasn’t the Lorelei seal of approval, she didn’t know what was.