Chapter 14
“How did you learn how to do this?” Ysabel turned this way and that, looking at herself in the mirror.
“In another life, I studied theater arts,” Harbinger said as he took one of Val’s long red wigs off one of the many mannequin heads holding an array of wigs in every color imaginable.
Ysabel looked up at him. “How did you get into security, then?”
He flipped the wig over and helped her put it on. “I found out I had an affinity for my particular branch of security. Not many do.”
“What branch is that?” she asked as she smoothed the red waves. “I can’t believe I’m under all this.”
“You’re much more beautiful as you, but this will do for today.” Harbinger avoided the question about his branch of security.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Or maybe not. “I’m a troubleshooter. I go in when all other measures have failed, and I work to rectify the problem.”
“Digital?” she asked as she stepped into Val’s white leather pants.
“No. Physical.” He handed her a white silk shirt and a pair of leopard print boots.
“So, like bars on a cell and things like that?” she asked as she dressed.
“Something like that, but my nondisclosure agreement doesn’t let me discuss anything about the particulars.” And taking out the most vile and reprehensible monsters who walked the earth were particulars she didn’t need to hear.
“How do I look?” She stood four inches taller than normal in the boots, and the hair and makeup changed her appearance enough that identifying her would be almost impossible. “Like a redhead.” He walked up and kissed her. “I prefer you without makeup.” He kissed her again. “And clothes.”
She laughed and swatted at him with her hand. “Didn’t I satisfy you this morning?”
“I’ll never have enough of you.” He grabbed her and lowered her into a back-bending dip. She grabbed his shoulders and held on. “I’ve got you. Let go and trust me.” He watched as she relaxed in his arms. Only then did he kiss her until they were both breathless. Then he stood them up and stared at her. “Are you ready?”
She nodded. “With you by my side, I’m ready for anything.” They walked to the front room together. “Did Val say when Smith would be released from the hospital?”
“She said if he wasn’t released by the doctor today, Smith would check himself out against medical advice. I”m not sure Val will allow that, though. They want to make sure he doesn’t develop an infection. There wasn’t too much damage done by the bullet, and they were able to repair the damage to the chest muscle.” Val said the doctor had to do some fancy stitching, but the muscle would heal.
Harbinger put on his suit jacket and pulled his shirt sleeves down. He glanced around the apartment. Val had her keys, and he’d lock the door on the way out. “Remember, when your father is at my apartment, he can’t see you or know you’re there. I won’t be able to get the truth from him if he knows.”
Ysabel sighed, “I hope, here”—she placed her hand on her heart—“that what you believe is wrong.”
Harbinger nodded. “I know you do, and for your sake, I hope I’m wrong, too.” But he wasn’t. The man was involved in a web of crimes and lies. He knew it the same way he knew Ysabel was his. Gut instinct. He’d learned to trust those feelings. They never led him astray.
They left the apartment and walked from the building to the waiting car. They were less than two miles from his apartment. As they pulled up to the building, he saw a new person in position, watching the front door of his building. “Ready?”
“Yes.” She nodded and whispered, “Get out, laugh, and look straight at the guy and then wink at him.” Ysabel spoke even quieter to him even though the privacy shield was up on the limo. “Are you sure that won’t alert him?”
Harbinger smiled at her. “I’m positive. If you aren’t afraid of him seeing you, his natural instinct will be to discount you as a person he’s interested in. It’s human nature. He’s looking for someone else, not a redhead.”
She touched her wig. “I’m ready.”
Harbinger opened the door and exited, extending his hand back for her. Ysabel stepped out gracefully and gave a full throaty laugh. It caught the man’s attention, and he stood away from the building to get a good look at her. Harbinger moved out of the man’s line of sight, and Ysabel turned to look at the posted sentry. She smiled widely and then winked at the posted outlook. The man blinked and turned away. Harbinger hid a smile as he wrapped Ysabel’s hand in the crook of his elbow and escorted her into the building.
They didn’t speak until he unlocked it and walked into his apartment. “That was some show,” Con said from the hallway door.
Ysabel squeaked and jumped at his voice.
“Oh, crap, was I supposed to stay hidden?” Con’s eyes widened as he ping-ponged his stare from Harbinger to Ysabel.
“No. Con, this is Ysabel. Ysabel, this is Con. He’s one of our techies and is helping us figure out who’s involved in your kidnapping.”
Ysabel smiled shyly at him. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” Con said with a little dip that maybe was supposed to be a bow or something. “I’ve got the comms set up whenever you’re ready to place that call, and I have the equipment I need for the other project.”
Spike yowled and ran toward Ysabel. She dropped to her knees, and the cat literally jumped into her arms. “Spike. I missed you, too.”
Harbinger smiled at the gyrations the cat was going through. He’d felt the same way when he’d first heard Ysabel’s voice in that cavern. Nothing would keep him from her arms. He glanced at Con. “Give me a few minutes,” Harbinger said before guiding Ysabel through to their bedroom.
She walked over to the bed and sat down, still stroking the cat. “It’s so good to be home.” She looked up at him. He walked over and lifted her chin with his finger. “I have many apartments and houses throughout the world. Home is wherever you are.”
“You promised me something when we got here.” Ysabel bit her lip as she tended to do when anxious. He bent down and kissed her before going to the safe in the small closet. Keying in the combination, he opened the door to reveal the black velvet box sitting alone in the safe. He lifted the box and opened the lid. Emeralds surrounded the square-cut diamond. He’d commissioned the ring and had it made just for her.
He walked back to her and dropped in front of her onto one knee. Taking the ring out, he waited for her to remove the ring her mother had given her. He slid it into place and lifted her hand, kissing it. “You took this off once. I won’t survive if you take it off again.”
Ysabel’s eyes flooded with tears, and she once again dropped down with him. “There’s nothing in this world that will tear me away from you again. I am yours. I always will be.”
“And I am yours. Believe in me, Ysabel. Believe in us. No one comes between us.”
“No one. I swear.” She nodded. “I love you, Heath. When I thought I lost you, all I wanted was to tell you that. I love you.”
“And you are my life. My life, Ysabel. Your love is the blood that keeps my heart beating. You are my reason.” He dropped for a kiss, trying to convey the emotions his words couldn’t.
“Ah … H? Did you call Pierre already?” Con called from somewhere in the hall.
Harbinger snapped his head up and looked in the direction of the hall. “No, why?” he called back.
“He’s outside the building and coming in.”
Harbinger stood up. “Your father is here. Please, stay here. Don’t come out. I’ll come back for you when we’re done.” He helped her to her feet.
Ysabel nodded, cradling her hand with the engagement ring. “I’ll take off this makeup and wait for you.”
Harbinger picked up her mother’s ring and headed to the door. “Heath?”
He stopped and looked back at her. “He’s still my father, even if he’s done what you say. I …” She sighed and looked up at him.
“You love him.”
She dipped her head. “I hope it wasn’t him.”
“I know. Wait here.” Harbinger stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind him. He tossed the ring to Con, who was in the hall. A pounding on the door sent Con back to the communications room. Harbinger hit his earpiece three times. “Ready?”
“Yep.” Con’s voice was in his ear. Harbinger strode to the door and opened it just as Pierre tried to land another round of pounding. The man fell into the apartment. Harbinger caught his arm, steadying him. Once again, it looked as if Pierre had lived through hell, unlike his appearance at the business when Harbinger had gone in as someone else.
“She’s missing.” Pierre ran his hands through his hair.
Harbinger glared at the man and crossed his arms. “We’ve established that.”
“No, you don’t understand.”
Harbinger unbuttoned his suit and sat down. “Then explain it to me.”
“I found out where she was being held in the catacombs. She was taken from Corsica and brought here. Held in the catacombs. I sent in some of my men who work security for me at my building with a map indicating her location in the catacombs. When they finally found where she was being held, they didn’t find her; they found a man. The man in the cell was a raging bull of a man who attacked them. They killed him, and not knowing what else to do, they left to go back to the surface and contact me. Only whoever had moved Ysabel out of the cell was coming back, and my men opened fire. Two of my men were hit badly, and a third didn’t make it. But they were able to get out and bring the dead and injured with them.” Pierre sat down and covered his mouth with his hand.
“Holy shit. Smith took down three,” Con whispered.
Harbinger leaned forward and stared at Pierre. “How did you find her location?”
“The catacombs? From the picture they sent of her,” Pierre said dismissively.
“No, you said you sent them in with a map, meaning you knew where she was.” Harbinger stood and slid his hand into his pocket. “I’m through with the lies, Pierre. Come clean about what the hell is going on, or I’m walking.”
“Then you don’t love her!” Pierre yelled at him.
“Believe what you will. Either you stop telling lies, or we’re finished here. I asked for the list, and I asked for proof of life, but you have neither. How do I know you’re not behind all of this?”
“I have proof of life!” Pierre pulled out the cloned phone and waved the picture at him. “It had to have been taken before my men got there.”
Harbinger extended his hand for the phone, but Pierre slid it back into his pocket.
“Asshat doesn’t want him to see it. He put it back in his pocket.” Con’s narration was obviously for others who were listening and watching on his security system.
“I want to see the photo,” Harbinger demanded.
“Why? She isn’t there anymore!” Pierre rasped and sat down in the chair. “She isn’t there.” A tear slid down his cheek.
“How do you know?” Harbinger demanded.
Pierre took the phone out of his pocket and tossed it to Harbinger. “That isn’t Ysabel.”
“Who has her?” Harbinger asked quietly.
Pierre shook his head. The look of guilt dripped from every pour in the man’s body.
“Who are you working with? Who crossed you?” Harbinger screamed and grabbed Pierre by the tie. “For once in your fucking life, tell the truth.”
“She told me she wouldn’t hurt Ysabel.”
He shook the older man. “Who?”
“Nadia.”
After shoving the man backward into the chair, Harbinger lowered and whispered, “You have one chance to explain from the beginning. If you leave anything out, I swear I will strip your skin off your body piece by piece until you die.”
Genuine fear seized the older man. That was an emotion with which Harbinger had an intimate relationship. “You are with the government.”
Harbinger shook his head and, in the deadliest way, spoke in an utterly calm voice, almost too quiet to be heard. “No government can control what I am or what I do. Leave anything out, and no one will find any piece of what remains of you. That I can guarantee.” Harbinger then repeated the threat in flawless French, Russian, and Spanish. In English, he hissed, “No, I do not work for the government, which is why you should be afraid. Talk now and leave nothing out. I will know.”
Pierre swallowed hard. “Abrasha wants me to open four key fobs. The money belonged to people who failed him, and he had them eliminated.”
“Where is the list?”
“There is no list for Abrasha.” The man looked down. “I made a deal with the devil or, in this case, the devil’s daughter.”
“Meaning?”
“Nadia Molchalin approached me after her father demanded I open the fobs.”
He’d circle back to Nadia in a minute. “How can Molchalin demand such a thing from you?”
“We’ve had dealings in the past. If I don’t do as he says, he’ll ensure my prior activities are exposed.”
“Criminal.” He wasn’t surprised. “You haven’t escaped your past, have you?” The man shook his head, and Harbinger continued, “How many times have you worked with Molchalin?”
“Too many to count. His projects are lucrative.” Pierre closed his eyes momentarily. “I was forced the first time. After that …” The man’s eyes misted, and he shrugged.
Pierre was acting again. The fucker wouldn’t learn, would he? Harbinger changed his tactic. “Who’s Nadia Molchalin?”
“His daughter by Léonie.”
“Ysabel’s sister,” Harbinger said.
“Yes. Five years younger,” the older man agreed.
“Why did you send Ysabel to Corsica?”
“I’m owed favors.” The man shrugged. “I didn’t know if Léonie’s rambling letter was true. If she’d stolen information from Abrasha, he would naturally come after me and anyone important to me. It’s his way. Not only the person responsible pays, but his entire family. I’m all Lèonie had outside that relationship. If he thought I was complicit, he would order my family and anyone important to my family killed. Her, you.”
“You didn’t give a flying fuck about me. You saw it as a way of getting me out of her life.”
“What does it matter now? She’s probably dead,” Pierre shot back. Only there were no tears now. Just anger.
A thought struck Harbinger, and he went with it. “Molchalin still doesn’t know Ysabel is his daughter?”
“I don’t think he does, but he might.”
“How did he not know about her before if you worked with him?”
“He knew I had a daughter. I have no pictures, social media, any electronic trail to her.”
“He’s right about that,” Jewell said, momentarily drawing his attention from Pierre. “She was in boarding school, then in the States studying at Juilliard. She has no social media.”
Pierre continued, “Lately, I’m not often of value to him. I’ve never dealt with him in person. By phone or messenger only.”
“But Ysabel would be important to Abrasha. She’s a bargaining chip you’ve had stashed away, isn’t she?”
Pierre just stared at him. The shock on his face was about being found out rather than the idea he’d raised Ysabel just to have security against a murderous bastard. There was no defense the asshole could give.
“That fits Archambeau’s psych profile. Oh, hey in case you want to see it, that came in last night,” Con told him.
“Get more information on the other daughter,” Fury demanded.
Harbinger cracked his neck, wanting everyone to shut up but not being able to say it. “What was Nadia’s deal?”
“We were to split twenty billion in crypto. She’ll provide the fobs.” Pierre shrugged as if it were no big deal.
“How did she find out about Ysabel?”
Again, Pierre shrugged as if the information were inconsequential. “I don’t know. I would guess Léonie, but I don’t know.”
“If Nadia knows Ysabel is her sister it would stand to reason Molchalin knows about her, too.” Harbinger swore softly.
“No. After she was taken, Nadia said she would tell her father about Ysabel if I didn’t crack the codes and surrender all the money.”
“How did she find where Ysabel was hiding?”
“I don’t know!” Pierre whined. The miserable face he made was for impact only. The act was easy to see through now. “Those who knew where she was are my closest allies.”
“Then you have a snake in your midst.” More than one, it would seem. “Why did Nadia take her?”
“As I said, she decided she didn’t want to split the money. She wants it all. She said she would return Ysabel after I deposited the money in the accounts she’ll give me.”
“She wanted you to deposit her father’s money in her account, too?”
“No. She’s not stupid. No one fucks with Abrasha. You wind up dead. I don’t know where Ysabel is. There are almost three hundred kilometers of tunnels under this city. She hates the dark. You have to help me find her.” Pierre rubbed his arms as if he were cold.
Harbinger chuffed a disbelieving huff of air. Ysabel and he had spent hours in the dark admiring the stars and talking. She wasn’t afraid of the dark, or at least she hadn’t been.
“Who’s the woman in the photo?” Harbinger nodded to the phone.
“I don’t know, but I would assume it’s Nadia because she looks similar to Ysabel. I’ve only dealt with her on the phone and through messenger.”
“How did she get you to agree to work with her if you didn’t know her?”
“She had a very interesting calling card.” Pierre sighed. “The arm that was sent to me was from her.”
“Your private detective?”
“Yes, after she contacted me, I wanted to ensure she was who she said she was. I hired this man to confirm it. I’ve been working on gathering the equipment, and people needed to complete the crypto exchange for Abrasha for seven months. The computer requirements to break through such passwords take much red tape and government approval. Ysabel was safe in Corsica when Nadia showed up a month before you came back and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
Con barked out a laugh. “Vito’s line! The Godfather!” Then, hastily added, “Sorry. Sorry.”
Pierre kept talking. “I gave the detective the telephone number from which she’d called me. Four days later, I received his arm via messenger. Then Nadia sent that picture of Ysabel. My favors, it seemed, had run out with the family.”
“We still need the list of whose crypto he’s stealing.” That was Archangel.
“Did Nadia provide you a list of whose crypto she was stealing?”
“I know those names. The fobs from Abrasha will arrive via armed messenger after I tell him I’m ready. The other twenty billion are to be stolen by my operators via a program Nadia will provide that night. She claims it can get into any system. She called it a nutcracker.” Pierre shook his head. “I don’t know how she’ll get to the information. Crypto is held in the securest of digital vaults.”
Harbinger walked over to a table by the wall, opened the drawer, and withdrew a pen and pad of paper. “Write the names down, and don’t forget any.”
“How will this help you find Ysabel?” Pierre stared at the paper when Harbinger dropped the pad in front of him.
“I’ll let you know when you’ve given me the names.” He watched as Pierre wrote in neat block letters a list of seven names. He handed the pad to Harbinger.
“He’s got the list,” Con said, once again narrating the action in the living room as if the others couldn’t see what was going on through his apartment’s security cameras.
“Tell him she’s safe,” Archangel commanded.
Harbinger complied with his directive. “Ysabel is safe.”
Pierre stood up and reached for him. Harbinger slapped the man’s hands away in an instinctive move. Pierre jerked back. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
“What can I do to repay you?” The weight of the world seemed to melt from Pierre’s shoulders. But again, the act was easy to spot.
“She wants her violin.”
“What?” Her father seemed to stagger momentarily.
“She wants her violin,” Harbinger repeated.
Pierre frowned. “She has it.” That was probably the most honest statement the man had said since he’d walked through the door.
“No, I assure you, she doesn’t. I suggest you check with your friend Nadia.”
“That woman is no friend of mine,” Pierre spat out.
Harbinger lifted an eyebrow. “She’s your business partner.”
“Were you going to tell me Ysabel was safe?”
“Were you going to tell me the truth?” Harbinger countered.
Pierre sneered, which meant he’d probably bent the truth to make it fit his purposes. Whatever, Guardian would validate everything he’d said. Pierre shoved his hands in the pockets of his slacks before asking, “Where is she?”
Harbinger shook his head. “No.”
Pierre reeled back. “What do you mean no? She’s my daughter. I have every right to know where she is.”
“She’s an adult, and in this situation, you’ve divested yourself of any rights. Ysabel is safe, and you are not,” Harbinger clarified. “You have crypto to steal and two deadly Russians waiting for you to do so. You are not safe.”
“I can protect her.” Pierre lifted to his full five foot seven inches and drew back his shoulders.
Harbinger rolled his eyes. A puffer fish trying to make himself bigger, but he would never to be an important person. He was a criminal with the veneer of respectability. Just like the fuckers Harbinger took out for Guardian. A sneer lifted the corner of his lip as he spoke. “Obviously not. The people you hire are amateurs. The people you trust have betrayed you, and the people you do business with are deadly vipers. You’ve been bitten, Pierre. You just don’t realize the venom is running through your veins, and you’re already dead.”
“Yet I’ve been smart enough to amass a fortune. Don’t think for a moment Ysabel will inherit a penny of my money. That’s the only reason you attend to her. She’s no beauty. She has no worth to anyone but me.”
“Right, who will he leave it to, his mistress?” Jewell chuffed. “She’s married with two kids. She could use it.”
Harbinger gave Pierre a deadly smile. “I would love her even if she were penniless. Her beauty is unmatched because of the love and passion that live in her heart and soul and radiate out in the purest form. You’re too blinded by greed to see that. Leave your money to your mistress—the one with two children and a husband.”
Pierre’s eyes grew wide with shock. Harbinger continued, knowing he had the man on the ropes, and suddenly realized what the asshole in front of him was. He was a classic psychopath. Why hadn’t he seen it sooner? Harbinger cocked his head and said, “Ysabel doesn’t need your money. What she needed was your love. But I’m not sure you have any to give.” Which struck a chord deep inside him. The truth resonated with a crystal-clear toll. Pierre had been worried about Ysabel, but not how a father should be … “You didn’t want to be under Abrasha and later Nadia’s thumb. Ysabel was your get-out-of-jail-free card. That’s why you hid her. Not for her safety. You didn’t want us together because I could take her away from you. You used Léonie’s death and Abrasha approaching you for this mission as a reason to split us up. A reason to force her into exile … to keep your bargaining chip safe. You never wanted her, but you used her as window dressing to put a civil veneer on your criminal activities and as a trump card to play if needed.”
“Damn. That’s probably true based on his profile,” Con said in his ear.
Jewell made a sound of agreement.
Pierre snarled, “You don’t know me.”
“Oh, yes, we do,” Jewell said.
“Do not tell him we’re working on the crypto theft,” Archangel directed.
“Oh, but I do know you, Pierre. I also know you’ve written your own destiny.” Harbinger picked up the list and tore off the top page, holding it in his hand.
“What are you going to do with the list?”
“Nothing, right now,” Harbinger said as he pocketed the paper. “This is my insurance policy. I can send it and our conversation today to the police if you do something stupid. You don’t think I was inept enough not to record you, do you? This note is in your handwriting. Your words admitted your crimes. It would seem unusual, don’t you think, that you had a list of the people the money will be stolen from before it happens? You’re going to walk out that door and never come back. If Ysabel wants to talk with you, she can reach out when your little crypto caper is over … if you’re still alive. In the meantime, as a gesture of goodwill, you’ll find and return her violin. Let your daughter think you give a shit about her.”
Pierre stared at him for a long moment before turning and walking out the door. The click of the latch echoed through the living room. Harbinger followed him and locked the deadbolt. The son of a bitch. How did he tell Ysabel her father was a psychopath?
“Ah, dude. Check the hallway.” Con’s voice carried to him through the earpiece.
Harbinger turned and walked to the wall. On the other side, Ysabel sat on the floor at the end of the hallway. Spike was curled up on her lap. Wiping at tears, she glanced up at him. “That was hard to hear.” She tried to laugh.
Harbinger tapped his earpiece into listen mode as he sat down beside her. “I’m sorry you heard it.”
“I’m not.” She sniffed and leaned into his shoulder. “I wouldn’t have believed it in my heart if I hadn’t.” She stroked the cat as tears dripped onto her hand. “He’s in trouble.”
“He is.” Harbinger could only agree with her.
“Are you going to help him?” She glanced up at him quickly.
Did he want to? No. Would Guardian save the man from himself? Probably. Especially because her father had information about crimes committed by Abrasha. “Right now, I don’t know what my company will do regarding your father. That’s above my pay grade. What I do know is your safety is my primary concern.”
She sighed, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He half-listened as Con explained what was happening to the others who didn’t have this video feed. The hallway and the bedrooms were not covered by the camera. His private areas were not open for anyone’s viewing. “How much did you hear?”
She shrugged. “I came out about the time you asked him why he sent me to Corsica. I took off my makeup and changed. Then I wanted to hear. I know I should’ve stayed in the bedroom, but … He’s not a good man, is he?”
“I don’t think so, no,” Harbinger admitted.
Ysabel was silent for a long time. Then she asked, “Are they going to kill him?” She sniffed and moved closer to him when Spike decided he wanted to leave.
Harbinger dropped his chin to the top of her head. “He’s survived this long. That proves he’s not as limited as I implied to him. I don’t know the people he’s aligned with, but my company does. They’re criminals and have a violent background.” And that was putting it mildly.
He felt her head nod under his chin. She asked, “Would you hate it if we didn’t live in Paris? Or, for that matter, France?”
“Not at all. We can live anywhere.” He’d be happy to be rid of the memories of the last eight months and live on with fresh memories and happier times.
“I’d like to go back to America. I had several job offers from the philharmonics and orchestras on the East Coast over the years.”
“Then America it is.”
“When?”
“As soon as I can arrange it with my bosses.” They could get the hell out of dodge and leave that mess to someone else. “I like living in Europe, but if you have opportunities in America, then we’ll go back. My team is there, and we’ll have their support.”
“I could look for other jobs?” She held up her hand. “I don’t want you to be upset by moving.”
“Upset?” Harbinger smiled. “Never. I’m an American, and I love my country. Moving home will not be a hardship. I’ll still have to travel for work, but where I am isn’t important. It’s where we are that matters. Nothing else.” He kissed the top of her head and felt her relax. They rested like that for a moment.
Ysabel whispered, “Who’s Nadia?”
“Your sister.” He wouldn’t lie to her.
She looked up at him—the makeup he’d used to conceal her identity was gone. Instead, the light scattering of freckles bridged her nose. She was so beautiful. How her father couldn’t see her beauty and worth was impossible to comprehend.
“Sister?”
“Yes, five years younger.”
“They kept her, but not me.” Ysabel cocked her head and closed her eyes. She drew a deep breath in and let it out slowly. “That hurts, and yet I’m glad she gave me up. I don’t think growing up with her would’ve been the best environment for me.”
Harbinger nodded and stroked her arm where his hand rested. “If things had been different, we might not have met.”
When she shivered, he tightened his hold on her. “I don’t ever want to imagine a world where you’re not here with me.”
“Neither do I.”
“H, the bosses want a word.” Con’s voice came through his device loud and clear.
“The bosses want to talk to me,” he relayed.
“I’ll make lunch,” Ysabel said as he stood and helped her up from the floor. “Is Con staying here?”
“If she’s fixing food, you can’t kick me out.”
Harbinger rolled his eyes and tapped his earpiece. Then he turned and looked at the almost microscopic camera at the top of the door. “Stop eavesdropping.”
“But, dude, I’m famished.”
Harbinger turned his back on the camera. “He’s staying in the guest room, and yes, he’s hungry.”
Ysabel managed a smile. “I’ll make extra then.” She toed up and kissed him. “I love you.”