More Than a Mission (19 page)

E
lizabeth sat on the couch in the hotel room that Aidan's crew used as their base of operations. Not the Leonia Inn as Aidan had mentioned, but the more upscale Lion's Heart Lodge.

A series of tables lined one wall, their surfaces littered with monitors and other surveillance equipment, computers and assorted phones.

Aidan and Lucia were huddled over one computer, intently reviewing something that had been sent to them by Lord Southgate, the Duke of Carrington. The man who would be king now that Prince Reginald was dead. As Aidan bent over the monitor, the holster with his gun dangled between his body and outstretched arm.

A gun.

If she had one in her hands right now, she could see herself killing the man who had hurt Dani. She understood better how her sister had taken a dark path on her way to avenging their parents.

Her sister the assassin. Or so the Lazlo Group claimed.

It had been nearly an hour without word, but she could sense Dani still. It gave her hope that her twin was hanging on.

She rubbed her arms against the chill from the air conditioning in the room. It was set on high, probably to deal with all the equipment within. As she did so, she roused the smell of blood.

Holding her hands out in front of her, she realized her sister's blood still clung to one hand. Glancing downward, she noted it on her shirtfront, as well from when she had cradled Dani in her arms.

“Lizzy?” Aidan questioned and took hold of her bloodstained hand with his own. “I'm sorry. I should have thought to get us cleaned up.”

His hand also bore the remnants of Dani's blood as did his shirt from when he had carried her to the floor. “Thank you,” she said and raked back a lock of his hair with her clean hand.

A puzzled look came to his face. “For what?”

“For keeping your promise. For helping Dani.”

His eyes hardened. “I'm sorry I couldn't stop whoever shot her, Lizzy. But I promise—”

“Don't. Not that I don't want him dead, but…It just brings more death. More violence, doesn't it?”

“Yes. It does,” he said and she could see in his eyes that he was thinking about Mitch.

Mitch, who Dani had said she'd loved. The pieces of part of the puzzle fell into place. “When Dani and I were in Rome, she told me she had met someone special. She was so happy for the first few days.”

“Mitch, as well,” Aidan admitted as he knelt before her.

“Then she came home one night…She was crying. Almost as inconsolable as when our parents had died. I figured Mr. Wonderful had broken it off with her.”

“Maybe he did, but not for the reasons she thought. Maybe he was dead,” he said.

“She loved him,” she said and Aidan inclined his head in agreement.

“I think he loved her, only…The kind of lives we lead don't hold out many promises for happily ever after, Lizzy.”

She hadn't needed him to tell her. Maybe it was his way of reminding her that he, too, had that kind of life. That he was a wanderin' man in a dangerous job who would move on as soon as this assignment was over. A man who one day, might end up like Mitch.

She wouldn't say, like Dani. No, not like Dani. Dani was still alive. Still with her, Lizzy believed with all her heart.

The door opened then and Walker Shaw stepped in, the planes of his face like granite. His blue eyes shuttered until he looked her way and said, “I'm sorry, Ms. Moore.”

They were the last words she heard as Aidan caught her in his arms.

 

A tender touch skimmed the skin along her cheek, rousing her.

She opened her eyes and Aidan was there. “I'm sorry,” he said and once again stroked his finger across her cheek.

Shaking her head, she said, “Dani's not dead.”

“Lizzy—”

“She's not,” she insisted and popped up. She realized someone had changed her shirt and cleaned her hands. It defused the situation immediately. “Did you do this?”

He nodded and took hold of her hand. “Are you okay?”

She would be better if she could see Dani. See for herself that Dani was dead since her twin instinct was telling her otherwise. “I want to see Dani. Say goodbye.”

He rose and held out his hand to help her up. “I'm told that's not possible.”

“Make it possible,” she insisted as she went to his side.

With a nod, he said, “We can talk to Walker about it.”

“Walker? I get the sense the two of you don't get along,” she remarked, recalling the men's earlier confrontations.

Aidan shrugged away her concern. “That's what happens when you put two alpha males to work on the same assignment. He's actually not such a bad guy.”

“Let's hope so.”

She walked out of the bedroom, Aidan following behind her, his hand riding at the small of her back. In the suite outside, Lucia and Walker sat at the monitors once more, but at her approach, they rose.

“Ms. Moore. I'm sorry for your loss,” Walker offered and Lucia echoed his sentiments.

Elizabeth picked her head up a notch. “I want to see Dani. I want to say goodbye to my sister.”

Walker's gaze skittered from her back to Aidan. “Didn't you tell her?”

“I did, but I can't agree with the decision. Elizabeth should be able to see her sister,” Aidan replied.

“It's not possible,” Lucia jumped in and came to stand before Lizzy. “I know this must be hard—”

“What do you know about how hard this is for me?” Elizabeth snapped. “You tell me my sister's dead, but you won't let me see her body. Won't let me say goodbye.”

Walker also took a step toward her. “Ms. Moore—”

“Save it, Dr. Shaw. If you can't make it happen, get someone on the phone who can.”

Walker looked back toward Aidan, as if to ask him to intercede. But as she risked a glance over her shoulder, Aidan just shrugged at the other man. “She's right on this. We all know it. It's what we'd all want if…”

An uneasy silence followed his words. A silence shattered by the ringing of the phone. Walker was the one who hurried over to pick it up. A one-sided conversation ensued, occasionally punctuated by Walker's yes sirs and no sirs. Finally there appeared to be a break and Walker said, “Mr. Lazlo. Ms. Moore has a request for you.”

There was the static of a reply and then Walker moved to the table holding a speakerphone and hit a button. “Mr. Lazlo?” he said.

A crackle rent the air before a man's resonant voice said, “Ms. Moore. My sympathies are with you at your loss.”

She walked closer to the speaker, leaned toward it so she would be clearly heard. “If you truly meant those words, Mr. Lazlo, you would let me see my sister.”

“Unfortunately, the body—”

“My sister, Mr. Lazlo. Not just a body,” she emphasized, her hands clenched on the surface of the table.

“Of course, Ms. Moore. Your sister. Unfortunately—”

“You're sounding like a broken record, Mr. Lazlo. And so far, I haven't heard a single reason why I can't see Dani one last time.”

Aidan came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Leaning past her, he spoke into the speakerphone. “Corbett, it's not an unreasonable request.”

“Mr. Spaulding. There are some things over which even I have no control,” Lazlo responded, his tone bordering on sympathetic.

“Please, Mr. Lazlo. I'm sure a man with your connections can make the arrangements,” Elizabeth added.

Lazlo stammered for a moment. “Yes, well. Of course, Ms. Moore. I shall endeavor to see about a last visit.”

A last visit.
The words made her knees go weak again, but luckily Aidan was behind her. He eased an arm around her waist and steadied her. “Thank you, Mr. Lazlo.”

The sound of the dial tone filled the room for a second before Walker reached over and cut the connection. As she glanced over at him, he saluted. “Ms. Moore, you've just played one of the world's greatest players. My hat's off to you.”

She was about to respond when a machine on another of the tables began to beep and spit out paper.

Lucia reacted immediately, heading over to pick up the sheet the machine spewed out. Her hands trembled for a moment as she read the document. When she finished she faced them and offered the fax to Walker, who also perused it quickly.

“What is it?” Elizabeth asked, seeing the look on the psychiatrist's face go hard once again.

“It's an advance copy of the
Quiz,
courtesy of Lord Southgate.” He picked up the piece of paper and held it up for them to see.

The headline read: The Prince of Fake: Reginald's False Claim to Throne Revealed.

T
he Lazlo Group clearly had a problem on their hands. A problem that needed their coordination with the royal family as soon as possible.

But she had her own problems, as well.

The restaurant would be in full swing by now, even if it was midweek. Natalie would be crazed, wondering where Elizabeth was, since she had never missed a day without notice. Calls had to be made.

After Aidan had instructed Lucia to print out the entire article and also the materials Lord Southgate had sent over earlier for their review, he turned to her. “I need to deal with this,” he said, his tones apologetic.

“There are things I need to address, as well, Aidan. Arrangements for Dani—”

“Once Corbett tells us we can.”

Anger boiled up inside of her and she moved close. So close her nose brushed the edge of his jaw. “No one decides what to do about Dani except me.”

“Lizzy—”

“No one, Aidan.” Her tone conveyed her emotions quite clearly.

“I understand. I'll do what I can. In the meantime—”

“I need to call Nat. She's probably frantic by now.”

Aidan gave a resigned nod. “You'll need to stay here until we know more about Dani's assailant. For now, we should keep any information regarding Dani's death to ourselves.”

She walked over to a phone and dialed the restaurant. When the hostess answered, she asked for Natalie.

“Lizzy Bee! Thank God. We were so worried about you,” Natalie immediately said as she answered.

“I'm okay, Nat, but Dani…She's been hurt. Bad. I'll need to stay with her for a little while so please close the restaurant for a few days,” she explained, all the time looking at Aidan to make sure she didn't give out any more information than was necessary.

“Will she be okay?” Natalie asked and tears came to Lizzy's eyes.

She bit back the tears, but her voice was tight as she answered. “I'm not sure, Nat. I'll keep you posted.”

“Lizzy. If you need anything, absolutely anything—”

“I know, Nat. Please tell Kate and Samantha. I'll keep you posted, okay?” she said, but didn't wait for an answer as the tears came more furiously.

Aidan reached out and pulled her into his embrace. “You need to get some rest, Lizzy.”

“I'm not sure I can,” she mumbled against his chest.

He tightened his hold and rubbed one hand up and down her back in a soothing gesture. As he did so, he called out, “Guys, I just need some time.”

“Aidan,” she protested, but he silenced her by gently placing a finger against her lips.

“Don't argue on this, Lizzy. The next few days may be rough. You need to be ready to deal with them.”

With that, he slipped his hands to her shoulders and applied light pressure, guiding her in the direction of the room she had been in earlier. Once inside, he led her to the bed and made her climb in. As he tucked the sheets in around her, she laid her head on the pillow and smelled his scent.

“Is this your room?”

He confirmed it with a shrug. “Is that a problem?”

“No. Thank you.”

It was so awkward between them when just last night…

“Was any of it true? The army? The moving around?” she asked, peering up at him as he stood by the side of the bed.

He stroked her hair. “It was all true, Lizzy.”

She looked away to the edge of the sheet, afraid to ask about the rest. About his feelings for her. Despite that, he must have known what she was thinking.

“Lizzy. What happened…it was real. I never meant to hurt you. Believe that, please.”

If she'd had any doubts, they vanished in that moment. The sincerity in his voice quashed any qualms about his true feelings. “I believe you, Aidan. But it doesn't change anything does it?”

His lips thinned into a harsh line. “No. It doesn't. I'll go and let you rest now.”

He pushed away from the bed. She didn't look up until she heard the solid thunk of the door closing.

Then and only then did she give in to the tears she had been holding back. Tears for her sister and the man she'd loved. Tears for herself, selfish as they were.

 

Aidan heard her sobs even through the thick wood of the door. It made him want to return to the room and comfort her, only that would be a bad move all around.

Lizzy was strong. She would deal with whatever came in the days ahead. Without him.

He forced his attentions to the mission that still needed to be completed. Lucia and Walker were sitting around the coffee table in the middle of the suite, reviewing the assorted papers sent to them today.

When he approached, Lucia handed him a set to peruse and he plopped down on the sofa and got to work.

The news article from the
Quiz
detailed how Prince Reginald was not the biological son of King Weston and the queen. But other than going into detail about the DNA tests that had proven it, the story was basically a rehash of past speculation about the prince's recreational habits and the possible suspects in his killing. The
Quiz
even went so far as to bring up the months-old speculation that it was quite convenient that Lord Southgate, the next in line, had immediately stepped in and married the prince's betrothed.

Aidan tossed it aside, finding nothing of interest in the article other than the claims regarding Reginald's paternity. Dani had mentioned the same assertion.

He tossed that out for consideration by his colleagues. “The Sparrow indicated that the man who had hired her claimed to be doing it so that the true prince might inherit the throne.”

“Who hired her?” Lucia asked.

“He said his name was Donovan,” he advised, earning the interest of both his colleagues. “Yeah, I thought the same thing. Nikolas Donovan and his Union for Democracy are making trouble and the Sparrow's employer has the same name.”

“Could be someone wants to cause trouble for Donovan, as well,” Walker tossed out.

“Could be. If you discredit Donovan and the Union for Democracy, the royals get a free pass to choose whomever they want to be king,” Lucia hypothesized.

“The royals being Lord Southgate.” Aidan picked up the faxed copy of the
Quiz
article. “Pretty much says the same in this tabloid.”

“So far they've gotten more information than we have,” Walker said irately before flipping through the other papers that had been sent over earlier. “Not to mention that after weeks of trying to open this vault—”

“All you get is a fingerprint and a lock of hair once you break in. Is Xander working on it already?” Aidan asked.

Lucia nodded. “He thinks he'll have an answer for us in the morning.”

Tired and frustrated, Aidan tossed the papers onto the coffee table. “I'm calling it a night, then. We'll pick up where we left off in the morning?”

Walker rose and stretched his long frame. “Let's all get some rest. I think that when this story hits the stands tomorrow, we'll need all the energy we've got.”

With a wave at his two colleagues, Aidan walked to the door to his room, but hesitated at the entrance. Pressing his ear to the wood, he listened intently.

Silence.

He breathed a cowardly sigh of relief. He didn't think he had the strength to deal with her tears. But he couldn't leave her alone, either.

Entering, he trod softly so as not to wake her. She was asleep on her back and snoring. It yanked a smile to his face as it brought a recollection of their one and only night together.

He pictured himself sleeping with her again. Making love with her.

She stirred and caught him spying on her. He hoped his emotions weren't obvious.

“Did Mr. Lazlo call about Dani?” she asked and sat up.

He walked over to the bed and settled himself beside her. “Not yet.”

With a slow nod, she leaned back against the wooden headboard and crossed her arms. “I can feel her still. I know that you say she's dead, but…she's still here with me.”

He pointed to a spot right above his heart. “It's because Dani will always be with you. In here.”

Lizzy peered at him. She wondered who stayed in his heart. Whether she might be there. “Is Mitch there with you?”

“Sometimes,” he admitted immediately.

“That's good,” she said.

A furrow appeared between his brows as he mused about her statement. “Why?”

“Because I don't like to think of you being alone,” she confessed.

He closed his eyes, shook his head and expelled a harsh breath. When he opened them, the look in his eyes was intense. Devouring. There was no denying what he wanted any more than she could deny she wanted the same.

“If we do this tonight—”

“It will be for all the wrong reasons, wouldn't it?” she finished for him.

“I think I should leave, Lizzy,” he said and rose from the bed, but she reached out and grabbed hold of his arm.

“I don't want to be alone tonight, Aidan. I just want you to…Just hold me.”

He obviously couldn't resist her plea. He toed off his sneakers, slipped onto the bed beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

She went willingly, settling into his side, one hand laid over his heart. He placed his hand over hers, rubbed it as if to warm it. Not that he could. A deep chill had established its hold over her core earlier—when she had heard Walker say Dani was dead.

“I feel…cold inside. Numb,” she admitted.

“It'll go away,” he replied and rubbed a little harder.

“When?” she wondered aloud and snuggled closer, the warmth of his body calling to her.

He sighed heavily. “When Mitch was killed…It took a while.”

Nodding, she eased back a bit so she could examine his face. There was a closed look about it. His jaw was set tightly and his eyes were hard. Frigid. Like the ice of an arctic glacier. She knew then that the cold…the pain it represented…never really went away.

“I won't believe she's dead until I see her, Aidan. Until I can hold her hand one last time. Kiss her goodbye so she knows someone cared.”

He cursed before gripping her arms tightly, so tightly she suspected she would have bruises in the morning. “She knows you cared, Lizzy. You were with her when…She knows, damn it.”

Somehow she knew his anger was about more. She reached up and caressed his cheek. Ran her finger along his lips before inching up slowly and brushing a kiss there. “Mitch knew it also, Aidan.”

He expelled a harsh breath and cursed again. “Close your eyes, Lizzy. Try to get some rest.”

She inclined her head in agreement, but kissed him again lightly before relaxing against him and shutting her eyes.

He moved his hand to the small of her back, slipped it beneath the hem of her shirt, as if needing the contact with her skin.

She welcomed it, craving his touch. Wanting to feel anything besides the numbness inside.

“Aidan?” she said and glanced up at him.

“What is it, Lizzy?” he asked and cupped her cheek with his free hand.

“I don't care that it's for all the wrong reasons.”