12. Chapter Twelve
Chapter twelve
Peter
I had finished making a pot of coffee as Quinn walked into the kitchen. “You’re up earlier than I expected.”
She shrugged as she settled onto a dining room chair. “I woke up at my usual time and couldn’t get my thoughts to stop racing. If I have to be awake, I might as well have something comforting to drink.”
I raised an eyebrow at the comment as I pulled a coffee mug out of the cabinet. “Do we need to Edith-ify the coffee?”
Quinn smirked as she shook her head. “No, it’s not quite that dire that I need to spike it this morning. I’m just worried about Lukas.”
We both knew he had an important meeting with Lianne today, but neither of us knew what it was about.
I poured her coffee and added a healthy splash of cinnamon roll coffee creamer before handing it to her. “Want to talk about it?”
She nodded as she took a sip. “He’s still struggling. I thought him being home this time would make things better, but we all saw how that worked out. So much has changed so quickly, he’s at a loss. He’s struggling to catch up and find his place in the new business setup.”
“Catch up on what? I know he’s been in on meetings with the Chicago team.”
Quinn sighed and wrapped her hands around the mug. “Being in some meetings and being there in person are two very different things. You know that.”
I nodded. “True.”
“He’s been spending more time combing through papers with his mom and has been stunned by how much Lianne has already taken care of or made plans for. Not that he should be surprised. His sister doesn’t mess around when it comes to getting shit done. That woman is a powerhouse.”
I smiled. “Like someone else I know.”
Quinn smirked and shook her head before taking another sip of her coffee. “Yeah. I suppose.”
“Being in or attached to the Agosti family isn’t for the faint of heart, Quinn.”
She let out a deep sigh. “No, it’s not, but there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
There was a wistfulness to her words, and I was curious about where her thoughts had gone, especially when she looked out through the living room and stared out the back windows.
Not wanting to interrupt her peace, I slowly drank my coffee, going through some files Lukas had emailed me.
A few minutes later, Quinn looked over at me. “Can you take me to work early, then? I’m going to go nuts sitting around here waiting for him to call.”
“Sure thing.”
A half-hour later, I dropped Quinn off at her office and was making my way to the security room when my phone rang. It was Lukas. “How did the meeting go?”
“Lianne didn’t even tell me she was thinking about it… or ask me if I wanted to fill the spot.”
I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“She’s adding someone else to her team. Another bodyguard.”
“Okay?” When Lianne stepped up, Lukas had worked with Ryan to shuffle team assignments so she would have her own entourage. “Is more coverage for her a bad thing?”
Lukas let out a sigh. “I don’t know.” He paused for a moment before groaning in frustration. “It’s dumb.”
“Tell me, anyway.”
“She didn’t even ask me if I wanted it. Who she should pick. Nothing. Only if I thought it was a good idea after she’d made her decision.”
Did you want her waiting around for you? She’s there, having to make quick decisions all day… and you’re here… not in easy commute range. “Just playing devil’s advocate here, but how could you be on her team if you don’t live nearby?”
“I don’t know. I would have figured something out.”
There was nothing I could say right now that would make this better. “What about Lianne’s choice? Do you approve of them?”
Lukas chuckled. “I fucking love her choice.”
“You going to tell me who it is?” I loved this man like a brother and respected the hell out of him, but right now, I wished he was a bit more forthcoming with information.
“Regina Pennington.”
My eyes went wide at the name. “Blake’s wife? How in the world did that happen?”
“Lianne asked her.” There was a voice in the background, and Lukas sighed. “I have to go. I’ll check in later.”
“Are you going to fill in Quinn?”
“Yeah, she’s my next call.”
I slid my phone back into my pocket and headed to the security office. After a quick conversation with Borce, the lodge’s head of security, I made my way to the kitchen to get coffee and see if there were any fresh scones.
I was not surprised to find Edith there, hard at work. “Good morning.”
The lodge matriarch looked over and smiled as I walked toward her. “Good morning, Peter. Ready for breakfast?”
I grinned. “I won’t say no to your cooking. Don’t tell Ben, but as good of a baker as he is, I’ve really missed your breakfasts.”
“It will be our little secret.” Edith winked at me and then glanced at the clock. “Do you have time for a meeting with me? It may take a while.”
“I do. It’s part of why I came down here.”
She smiled and started loading up food into a to-go container.
“Wait. I’m not eating in here?”
The woman shook her head and finished off the box by adding a scone. “No, for what I need to talk to you about, we need to be in my office… and with the door closed.”
My eyebrows shot up. “No one is allowed to bring food into your office, though.”
A smirk appeared on her face. “Just another loaded secret you’re going to have to keep.”
Once we had settled in, Edith leaned forward on her desk. “So, Lynette tells me you are officially part of Project Hummingbird now.”
Oh shit. We’re having this conversation. Right now.
I nodded. “Yep. I’m happy to help. Lynette mentioned occasionally patrolling a property and dropping off supplies. Is that it? Not that I’m asking for more work, but that seems like too simple of a task.”
Edith smiled warmly at me, like she was extra pleased with my response. But why? “It may look simple, but it is crucial. I cannot stress that enough. Now, I brought supplies to them not too long ago, so your first visit will be a walkabout.”
“Sounds good. How far is this property from here?”
She looked to her right for a moment, her eyes not focusing on anything. “At least thirty to forty-five minutes, pending traffic, weather, and other factors.”
I leaned back in the chair and crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s off the beaten path, then?”
“Very much so. I have GPS coordinates for you for where you can hide your vehicle. Now, I’m going to talk you through what I do and how I do it.
While that doesn’t mean you have to do it that way, it’s the easiest path we’ve found to ensure discretion, while also being able to lose a tail if needed. ”
My eyebrows shot up. “Lose a tail? Are we expecting trouble?”
Edith let out a deep sigh and leaned on her desk a little more. “Honestly? I’m going to err on the side of caution and say yes. You and I both know there’s only one reason why security details get beefed up.”
“The danger level went up.”
She nodded. “Exactly.”
For almost two hours, Edith not only walked me through details about the property, but she also explained the entire, heavily detailed supply drop process.
There were several maps, ranging from topographical to technical, and blueprints and schematics of two buildings.
There was also a small, climate-controlled storage unit in a warehouse in town that a friend of hers filled with whatever was on the supply list she sent them.
Edith gave me the code to get into the building and then the key to get into the unit itself. I was to collect whatever was in there and deliver it to a secret, locked cache hidden in the entrance to an old, abandoned mine shaft.
After collecting whatever was already in there, I was to walk an acre-sized area to check for any signs of other people or damage and get out undetected.
She told me I wouldn’t be allowed to use my phone for anything once off the main road.
It had to at least be in airplane mode, if not off entirely.
Apparently, there had been too close of a call recently, and no one wanted to take any chances.
“I’ll make sure to let Hummingbird know you’ll be the one making the drop so they aren’t alarmed to see you on the cameras.”
“Hummingbird?”
Edith nodded and gave me a soft smile. “The person we are protecting.”
“So, more than a project name. Got it.”
For the hundredth time since Lynette brought me on board, one question kept bouncing around my head.
Who is Hummingbird?