Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Lucas stared at the display screens on the wall of the conference room. They’d been through the security updates, shift changes, and convoy procedures several times over. He should stay focused on it, but the minor tweaks Sergi and Simone continued to review weren’t of interest. They could spend hours on the finer details, as was their job, and while he retained the pertinent information, he let his mind wander.
Only two things held his attention that morning—Ginger and the book. He smiled. He supposed the book should be his priority, but as important as the De f?rste dage was to their success over Lorenzo, and he believed that with his entire being, Ginger had somehow become an integral part of his life.
At first, it had been an instant attraction to the fiery human, who daringly lived life by her own rules and had an insatiable curiosity. From the first day he’d seen her, huddled in her closet, holding a stuffed teddy bear as tears streamed down her face, leaving black smears from her mascara, he’d thought her brave. The apartment that she and Cressa shared had been ransacked, and she’d been interrogated by men who turned out to be thugs working for Underwood, Cressa’s estranged stepfather. When Cressa pulled her out of the closet, he expected Ginger to have a cup of tea and curl up in bed for a day or two.
She did have a cup of tea. Then she wanted to go out and hit the bars. And once her gaze caught his, her demeanor changed, getting that look he’d come to recognize as curiosity. More than that. She wanted to push boundaries, and discovering he was vampire hadn’t fazed her.
In those early days, she might have run from danger, but not before ensuring Cressa or anyone around her got to safety as well. It was one of her stubborn streaks. Once she began defensive training, she blossomed into a fighter. He should have expected it, considering where she and Cressa had lived. The Hollows was one of the poorest and roughest sections of Santiga Bay. Druglords and other hoodlums ran their neighborhood, and for as rough and tough as those men were, they all had a soft spot for Ginger and Cressa. As it turned out, so did most of Devon’s Family.
Lucas worried about Ginger with the coming war. They hadn’t discussed what it meant to the House or vampire society at large. He wasn’t sure himself. Most of it depended on how many allies Devon could bring to his side. The shifters were a huge boon to their efforts. A relationship that had begun with Devon’s father, Guildford, and was cemented with Devon’s friendship with The Wolf, the current alpha of all wolves. But Devon required alliances from strong Houses. Seen from a battlefield perspective, House Trelane had to build an army so large, Lorenzo’s best option was surrender. And that would be a challenging task.
The strategizing required to accomplish something that massive piqued Lucas’s interest. More than that, he wanted to understand what motivated a person to make one choice over another. He chuckled to himself. It would take many decades in Devon’s cadre to learn from a master. And perhaps one day it would make his own decisions easier to make.
His thoughts shifted to the picnic lunch he’d promised Ginger. He’d asked Lucia to pack several of Ginger’s favorite items along with Lucia’s famous raspberry iced tea. He’d gotten up early to prepare their spot by the lake, complete with blankets, a fresh bouquet of jasmine—her favorite, and a cup of duck food. She loved to feed the wildlife.
“Lucas.”
He snapped his head around to find Simone frowning at him. “Sorry. My mind drifted.”
Devon smiled as he slid a pen into his pocket and closed his laptop. “I think we’ve focused on security enough for one morning since it isn’t just Bella drifting off.”
Lucas glanced at Bella, whose head rested on her fist as she stared unblinking at the display.
“These are critical details,” Simone insisted.
“Agreed.” Devon smoothed her ruffled feathers. “But perhaps a better discussion for the three of us. It’s enough for the rest of the cadre to understand the final outcome. We’ve been at it awhile, and I’m satisfied with your plans. I would suggest the ideas you’ve scrapped be considered as backups. We’ll require a constant shifting and rotation of security protocols. I want to keep Lorenzo guessing.”
Simone nodded. “Shall we move on to the personnel assignments?”
Devon stood and stretched his back as he moved to the windows that overlooked the north side of the property. Stately oak trees dotted the landscape along with native brush, grasses, and comfortable modern cabins that housed Family members. “Let’s take a break. I have messages to return. We can meet back here in an hour.”
Lucas stood as the others filed out.
“Lucas, can I have a few minutes?” Devon turned from the window and poured a cup of coffee. He held up the carafe, and Lucas nodded. Devon poured a second mug and took both to a small seating area at the far end of the conference room.
Lucas followed, wondering what type of dressing down he might get for not paying attention. He took the offered mug and sat. “I’m sorry for being distracted during the meeting.”
Devon chuckled. “I was having a hard time paying attention myself. Simone and Sergi can become rather narrowly focused when discussing security. Especially now while we wait for Lorenzo to make a move.”
Lucas relaxed. Not a dressing down then. “I fear it might become difficult to keep Oasis a secret.”
“I do as well, which is why we’re establishing more defense perimeters. Simone has also taken to heart Decker’s suggestion of using rogue shifters. She’s been working with him and Remus on the list of rogues and has interviews set up.”
That surprised him. “Really? I thought she would consider it and then decide against it.”
“After the last mission, I think she’s finally come to trust Remus and his motives. Shifters bring a whole new dimension to security. And, if Lorenzo comes, he won’t be prepared for wolves. With his inability to accept their cunning intelligence, it will take time for him to modify his attacks. Our job will be to stay one step ahead of him and keep him guessing.”
“The rogues should love having the space to run and track. And they won’t be afraid to attack. It’s a perfect solution.”
“I agree. Now, the reason I asked you to stay behind. It’s time to get back to our search for Philipe Renaud and the De f?rste dage .”
Lucas straightened. He’d been planning on asking Devon but had decided to wait until the afternoon battle training. “It’s been on my mind.”
Devon smiled and sipped his coffee as he studied Lucas, almost making him squirm. “No doubt. I should probably include the rest of the cadre in this discussion, but I’d prefer to review the plans one-on-one. We know time is of the essence. While Cressa and I were in San Francisco the last three days, we were able to obtain a passport for her.”
“Passport? You’re leaving the country?”
“I haven’t told the rest of the cadre yet. Cressa will tell Ginger later today. During Lorenzo’s ball, just before the sirens went off, she met with the Oslo twins.”
“They were there?”
Devon nodded. “Apparently, they’ve been getting close to Lorenzo with an interest in current Council matters and word of the Poppy. But who they really work for is House Aramburu.”
“Aramburu? They haven’t been heard from in ages.”
“Yet, it appears they’ve been keeping up on Council politics from their homeland. They’ve extended an invitation, and I’ve accepted.”
Lucas sat back—stunned. House Aramburu was, at one time, an extremely powerful House. From what he’d read, their homeland had been one of the largest among the Houses. But centuries ago, they had shuttered their gates and remained removed from vampire society. There were only rumors as to why.
“When do you leave?”
“In a few days. Security will become tighter during my absence, and we want to keep the fact I’ve left the country a secret. We’ll be traveling on one of Remus’s planes.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“But until then, I’d like to hear your thoughts on the search for Philipe and the book. And this must be done quickly. I want a tentative plan by tomorrow. I understand whatever you come up with needs to remain fluid based on your discoveries, but let’s have a framework to start with. You’ll leave in two days.”
Lucas scratched his chin and stared at his mug of coffee. No time like the present. “About that. I have a special request.”
I strolled the path to the lake, stopping occasionally to smell a flower or watch a bee collect pollen before flying to another bloom. I ran my hands along the tops of the tall grass that was allowed to grow wild.
We’d only been at Oasis for three days, but somehow, the lake had become our special place. It was a peaceful spot several yards from the path. It bordered a tiny cove where the ducks hung out. Sometimes I’d catch a few with their tailfeathers poking straight into the air as they searched for food in the weedy bottom of the shallow water.
I caught the hint of red through the grass. Lucas always brought two blankets. One to lay on and a second one we’d roll into a shared pillow. I hurried my steps when the scent of something grilled tickled my nose. The picnic basket sat in the middle of the blankets, a bouquet of jasmine lying next to it.
Before I reached the blanket, someone grabbed my waist and hauled me behind a tree. I giggled as the manly scent of the woods hit me.
Lucas.
His lips were on mine before I could take another breath. I hugged him tight, reveling in the warmth of his body and the tingling sensation that swarmed over me as his hands roamed freely until they landed on my ass. Then he pressed me against him as his kiss deepened.
When we came up for air, he didn’t release me but held me against the tree.
“If it was evening, I’d have you stripped before you whispered my name.”
“Why would we wait for evening?” I teased.
His brows wiggled. “You are daring, Miss Morrison.” He stole another kiss.
“Everyone’s in meetings or training. Who’s to see?”
He chuckled and stepped back, pulling me with him. “Security is doing sweeps through the entire property. Not that I mind, but word will get back to Simone.”
I sighed. “She really needs a date.”
This time his laughter filled the air. “Come on, before the brie gets cold. The insulated container won’t keep it warm and gooey for long.”
The fact he said “gooey” made me gooey inside. I don’t think he’d ever used the word before he met me.
We ate the brie with rosemary crackers, sipped raspberry iced tea, and shared a grilled roast beef sandwich stuffed with sauteed veggies. Then we lay on the blanket, our heads on our makeshift pillow, holding hands, and staring at the cloudless blue sky as birds twittered around us.
After ten minutes, he sprang up. “I almost forgot.” He scrounged in the picnic basket and tossed me a small plastic container.
I popped the lid, already knowing what was inside. Sure enough—duck food.
I laughed and jumped up. “Let’s go.”
He sighed, but he was grinning when he chased after me. We sat on a patch of grass while I tossed pellets to the ducks, who devoured them within seconds.
“Devon and I spoke this afternoon.”
I threw a few pellets to a duck who wasn’t getting his fair share. “Oh.” I tried to keep my voice light. I knew what was coming, though I’d hoped for more time before he left, but he was obsessed with tracking down the book. “How long will you be gone?”
He glanced at me, then took a handful of pellets and tossed them one by one into the water. The ducks paddled furiously as they tried to gobble each one up before another duck got to it.
“You always seem to know everything happening in the Family. Did Cressa say something?”
“She didn’t have to. I know how important the book is.”
He slid an arm around my waist, and I leaned my head against his shoulder. “Devon and I spoke about the book this morning. We reviewed the locations of all the Renaud libraries and annexes in the States and came up with a short list of which ones should be visited. A handful are close to some of Philipe’s known contacts.”
“That makes sense he’d have friends near the libraries. Will you try to reach out to them?”
“I’d be foolish not to, assuming they’re willing to talk to me.”
I laughed, but it came out strangled. “Who wouldn’t want to talk to you? You’re kind of irresistible.”
He released the container from my tight grip and put the lid on. Then he turned me to him. Our eyes met, and I did my best not to tear up. It wasn’t just that he was leaving. He’d left on other assignments since we’d been seeing each other. But Lorenzo was out there. He had to know Devon would be sending someone to the libraries.
“You’re not going alone, are you? The partner requirement is in play when one of the Family is traveling, right?”
“It is.” He glanced over my shoulder, and I couldn’t begin to imagine what he was thinking—or not telling me. “I thought maybe you’d be my partner.”
I stared at him and tugged at my right ear. I couldn’t have possibly heard that correctly. “I don’t understand.”
He grinned, and a lock of blond hair fell over his forehead. “Now, I always thought you were smarter than that.”
I gave him a soft punch. “I’m smarter than you know.”
“Yes, you are. So, are you up to being my bodyguard?”
I shook my head, wishing it was that easy. “Devon wouldn’t allow it.”
“He’s fine with it. But he wants you in extended training sessions until we leave in two days.”
I studied him, waiting for the punchline. This had to be a joke. But I couldn’t read past that stoic vamp look that was better than any poker face. “Why would he think I was the right person for this?”
“Because Sergi and Simone said you were ready.”
Now the tears came, and he pulled me to him. I had no words—other than Sergi and Simone must have been smoking something. He kissed me and wiped the tears away with a thumb.
I went rigid, and his eye quirked. “What?”
“I kind of worked out a trade with Anna.” I explained the deal I made with her as a way to make friends.
“That’s perfect. We can work her into one of your training sessions. If she’s going to delve into the history books, ask her to give you the detailed background of House Renaud and House Aramburu.”
“Why those two?”
He shook his head. “I’ve already said enough. Fresh ears. I want you to learn from the books, which is the way Anna teaches. We can compare notes on our way to Boston.”
“Boston?”
“I hope you like lobster and clam chowder.”