The Guardian (21 page)

Jason was the first to speak as the driver retrieved their bags out of the trunk. “Not bad, huh?”

Anna nodded in approval. “Yeah. It looks like my grandpa had pretty good taste. Wish I’d known about this place before. I might’ve spent some time here.”

“Well, I guess it’s yours now,” said Jason. “You can spend as much time here as you want. Let’s go inside. You got the keys?”

Again Anna nodded her head. “Hale gave them to me when we left the airport. You’d be surprised what all is in that little safe on that plane.”

“I’m sure. Speaking of Hale, where is everybody? Aren’t he and the others staying here with us?”

“No. He said they never stay with us. They have their own place a few blocks away. Don’t worry. He said that he has eyes on us at all times. Apparently I have a ten-person team assigned to me here in London. It’s one of the few cities where I have that privilege. I guess my grandpa stayed here quite a bit. They’re probably watching us right now.”

As they walked into the foyer, Jason let out a low whistle at the same time Anna murmured, “Wow!”

A beautiful crystal chandelier towered over them, glistening with shards of light reflecting off the vaulted marble archway. The foyer had hardwood floors that gave way to hand-cut tile, as the entryway ended with a two-step drop into what looked like a formal living room covered in lush cream carpet. A bookcase took up one wall with a rolling ladder that went back and forth the entire length of the shelves. A dark red leather chair sat along the other wall, while a matching sofa rested comfortably in the middle of the room. There was a fireplace, complete with a black, wrought-iron grate and poker set tipped with gold handles. Above the fireplace hung a painting that Anna recognized.

“How about that?” She pointed at the painting. “I own a Van Gogh.”

After thoroughly checking out the downstairs, they headed upstairs to see what surprises awaited them there. They found two bedrooms, both master suites. Each was decorated differently, but both were equally fit to house royalty. Each had a master bath, complete with whirlpool tub and separate shower, dual vanities, and heated towel racks. And each had beautiful french doors that led out onto a balcony. The views from both balconies were extraordinary. From the east bedroom, you could see the Thames River, the Westminster Abbey Museum, the House of Parliament, and the famous Big Ben. The west bedroom overlooked Victoria Street. In the near distance you could see the beautiful St. James’s Park. A little farther west, and farther off in the distance, stood Buckingham Palace.

After their tour of the flat, Anna and Jason both agreed that there were probably some nicer places they could be stuck in, but it would be hard to find one.

Anna grabbed her bags from Jason and threw them on the bed in the east bedroom and said, “Okay. You can have the Queen and Prince Charles. I’m taking Big Ben.”

“Fine by me,” Jason said. “I just want to take a hot shower and let my muscles relax.”

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Anna said. “I think I’ll take one, too. Why don’t we meet downstairs in, like, fifteen minutes. I’ll show you the scroll.”

“That sounds good,” Jason said. He stood there with his lips drawn and his brows furrowed, as if he was trying to remember something.

“What’s wrong?” Anna asked.

“Well, I just realized something. In all the chaos that we’ve been through today, I just left.” “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I just followed you out of the church in Pau and left. I don’t have anything. No clothes, no toothbrush, no razor, no anything. Just this.” He pointed to the clothes he was wearing.

“This place looks like it’s pretty well lived in. Maybe there are some of Vin’s or my grandpa’s clothes in one of the closets. Let’s look.”

They found a couple of pairs of sweatpants and a few long-sleeved T-shirts. Jason said that he could wear them for the night, but tomorrow they were going to have to go shopping.

“No problem,” she said. “I just happen to know about some really nice places here.”

“How’s that?” Jason asked. “I thought you’d never been here before.”

“Any woman with half a sense of fashion knows about shopping in London.”

“Okay,” he said, smirking. “I’m sorry. I shall never again question your authority on matters of clothing.”

“Good. Then I don’t want to hear any arguing when I pick out some cool outfits for you tomorrow.”

“What’s wrong with the way I’m dressed?” He crossed his arms as if offended, but a tiny wink gave him away.

“Nothing … as long as you don’t mind looking like a schoolteacher.”

“I am a schoolteacher.”

“Yes, but you also look like one—which is the problem.” “How is that a problem?”

“Well, I thought missionary schoolteachers were supposed to be adventurous.” “We are.”

“Well, Indiana Jones, you don’t look that adventurous with your black dress pants, red button-down Gap shirt, and Steve Madden loafers.” She motioned with her hand to the clothes he currently had on, and then she folded her arms and waited for a reply.

“I’m going to go take a shower now,” he said, laughing. “I’ll see you in fifteen.” He backed out of the hallway and into the bedroom he was going to be sleeping in. Still staring at Anna, he nodded with a smart-aleck grin and said, “Buh-bye!”

Anna laughed as she heard the
click
of Jason’s door when it shut. She walked into her own bedroom and shut the door. She opened her bag and got a fresh change of clothes. She was going to need to go shopping for herself pretty soon. She was almost out of clean things to wear. Good thing she noticed a washing machine and dryer downstairs. Maybe she could throw a load of clothes in tomorrow before she and Jason went shopping.

She opened the bag that held the scroll and pulled out the box. She lifted the lid and stared down into its contents. Yep. Still there. She left it open as she headed for the shower. She hoped Jason really was good at riddles. Guess she would soon find out.

She was just turning on the water in her shower when she heard the faint ringing of the satellite phone in her purse. She hurried out of the bathroom, grabbed it, and pushed the S
END
button.

“Hello?” she said.

“Hey, Anna. It’s Hale. Just making sure you and Jason got settled in.”

“Yeah. We’re good. I was just getting ready to get cleaned up. We’re going to spend the evening trying to figure out what’s going on with this whole thing. Jason’s in the shower right now.”

“How are you two getting along?”

“I like him, Hale. He’s very sweet. I mean, how many people do you know that would risk their life, like he did, for someone they don’t even know?”

“He’s been chosen for this, Anna. Just like you have been.”

“Yeah, I guess so. It’s just hard to comprehend. You know?”

“It’ll get easier. God will give you a peace about all of this. Soon it will be like you’ve been doing this for years.”

“It already feels like it.”

Hale laughed. “Don’t worry, Anna. This will all calm down. It’s not always like this.”

“Well, just as long as I know you’ve got my back, I think I can handle it.”

“Don’t worry, we do. Your team is already in place. They’ve had you since we left the airport. They’re pretty sure no one’s following you. You should be safe, but don’t be careless. As you well know, things can change pretty quickly around here.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“All right. You two have a good evening. I’ll see you in the morning. I will be bringing the team leader over to meet you. He wants to brief you on how they will be working.”

“That sounds fine, Hale. Just not too early. I think I want to sleep in. I’m pretty exhausted.”

“I know, kiddo. How’s about eleven?”

“That’ll be good. It’ll give us time to get up and eat a good breakfast. We’re going to have a busy day tomorrow.” “Oh yeah? What’s on the agenda?” “Shopping, dude! Shopping!” “Great town for it.”

“Yeah, I know. Besides, Jason doesn’t have anything but the clothes on his back.”

“Did you check the closets? I think there’s some stuff in there. That reminds me. How do you like the place?”

“Are you kidding me? It’s amazing! Did you know there’s a Van Gogh hanging over the fireplace?”

“Your grandpa bought it a few years ago. He said it reminded him of you. Said Van Gogh was your favorite artist.”

Anna was genuinely surprised. “How did he know that?”

“He knew a lot of things about you, Anna. He loved you more than you’ll ever know.”

Anna let the statement hang there for a minute. Once again, she felt cheated out of a life she never knew she had. “Thank you, Hale. Thank you for everything today.”

“Just doing my job. I’ll see you tomorrow. Okay?”

Anna hung up the phone, tossed it on the bed, and headed for the shower. This had been the longest day of her life. And as the thick streams of hot water pounded on her shoulders, she felt the tension of the day start to wash away. She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against the wall. She began to slide down the side of the wall as she thought about everything that had happened today. Her emotions got the better of her, once again, and she let the tears come. She tasted the salt from the tears as the hot water washed them down her face. She cried for a few minutes before she finally stood back up. She placed her hands against the wall and hung her head under the spray to let the hot water massage her neck.

She couldn’t remember ever praying by herself. But right now, for the first time, she was about to. She lifted her head up out of the stream of the shower head and closed her eyes.

She told God that she was scared. She told Him that she was willing to take this task that He’d given her. She promised to try to do the best she could with it. And all she asked was that He give her a peace about it. Give her a confidence that she could do it.

As she reached to turn off the water, she felt a heavy, slow wind sweep through the shower. Except it wasn’t cold. It was very warm. And it swirled around her for several seconds. Then, just as suddenly as it came, it was gone. And so was the anxiety. And so was the fear. Anna felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

She thought about Father Vin and smiled. She was genuinely happy that he was no longer stuck here on this earth. And she knew, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that she was the rightful keeper of the scroll. She was filled with a burning desire to solve its mystery. She had been given exactly what she’d asked for.

In a split second, God had answered her prayer. She was a little freaked out at what had just happened, but she had to admit, it was what she asked for. She just didn’t expect something to literally sweep through and take all of her anxiety away. “Wow,” she said, looking around the room. “That was pretty cool!”

T
he evening had settled nicely in the city of romance. Couples strolled the avenues and parks. The lights of the Eiffel Tower could be seen in the distance. The temperature was pleasant for this time of year. And the assassin named Jonathan sat watching it all, nursing his vodka tonic.

Never one to drink regularly—given his job, he needed to stay sharp—he sat in the smoky bar trying to kill the incessant pain that throbbed in his wounded leg. He had found a few painkillers at the doctor’s house in Pau, but they had lasted him only a few hours. And he couldn’t just walk into a drugstore and pick some up without a prescription. So this was the next best thing. Vodka. Cheap vodka at that.

He had left the doctor’s house as quickly as he could, taking care not to be noticed. He called his contact and had the plane waiting for him. He hurried to the airport and climbed aboard the private jet. Without knowing exactly where the girl was headed, he decided to get to the nearest major city he could. Paris.

He did this for three reasons. One, he was vaguely familiar with the city. Two, it was a good place to be—more or less centrally located in Europe—once he found out where the girl had gone. That is, unless she took off halfway around the world.

And three, Remy lived here. He’d have a place to crash. And in the morning, he could get to someone he trusted to take a better look at his leg. As for Dr. Henri Rhette, well, he wouldn’t be seeing any more patients. Ever. He would have to remember to give Dieter a call and thank him for the reference. That would probably be an interesting call.

It was getting late, and Jonathan decided to pay for his drink and leave. He threw a few dollars on the bar counter and nodded to the bartender. The bartender didn’t even ask if Jonathan wanted any change as he walked over and pocketed the bills.

He stood and walked out the front door and across the street to a pay phone. His cell phone battery was about dead, and he needed to save it. He was expecting an important call at any minute. He stepped inside, pulled the glass door shut, retrieved a few coins from his pocket, threw them in the slot, and punched in a number. The phone rang four times before anyone answered.

“Hello?”

“Remy, it’s Jonathan.” “Hey, good-looking. What are you doing?” “I’m in town and need a place to crash. Can you put me up for the night?”

The female voice on the other end of the line drew in a long breath then let it out. “I suppose so. You’re not on the run or anything, are you?”

“No. Just a little banged up. I’m going to need to see someone tomorrow. Your brother still in business?”

“Yes, but it’ll cost you.”

“How much? I don’t have a lot on me right now.” “How bad is it?”

“Not bad. I stitched it up myself. I just want to make sure no infection is going to set in. I’m in the middle of something big, and I need to be operational.”

“Okay. Probably a couple hundred.”

“That I can do. See you in about twenty minutes.”

“You need a ride?”

“No. I’ll take a cab.”

“Okay.”

The line went dead. Jonathan stepped out of the phone booth and hailed the first cab that came by.

He thought about the woman he was going to see. Remy. She was someone he hadn’t been in contact with in more than two years. Like him, she was also a professional. A very good one. But with a different style. She was a gorgeous, fiery redhead with a temper that would rival that of Genghis Khan. She was one of the best. Jonathan had worked with her on several assignments.