Chapter Ninety #2
I wasn’t discussing my son with her or anyone else except Isla, but especially not her. Maila didn’t hold the same contempt for the Vice Admiral that I did. She didn’t know everything he’d done to keep Lincoln from me, and she never would. Digitally, I’d buried my son’s past.
“What do you need, Maila?” I wanted this conversation over before Lincoln got back.
My sister glanced at Isla, then looked to me. “Adam and I would like to purchase the property in Cap d’Antibes.”
“No.” Absolutely not.
Maila started in on her campaign. “It’s where our parents met, and I understand that you hold no fondness for our father, but—”
“It’s also where Isla and I met. It’s not for sale.” I didn’t care if we never went there again, I wasn’t selling. I’d hand over the estate to Paragon Ops as a safe house before I sold the property.
My intruse looked between me and my sister. “I’ll grab those drinks now.” She took off.
“You don’t use the house,” Maila argued.
“You don’t know what I do.”
Her lips thinned.
I didn’t give a damn if she was fighting for patience or having a meltdown. We weren’t kids anymore. I wasn’t going to appease shit. “We done?”
She studied me a beat. “You found the property, purchased and renovated it. Then you went there every year on the anniversary of your death. If you didn’t do that for me, then why?”
Unbelievable. “I’m going to assume, for your sake, that the complete obtuseness of that question wasn’t coming from solipsistic concern.
Second, I’m also going to assume that you can intellectually discern that ownership of the property now and my previous annual excursions there on a specific date are not mutually exclusive.
Third, attempting to dredge up history doesn’t help or exonerate anyone.
November, Alpha, your own digging—wherever you’re sourcing your intel from—stop.
Put the past where it belongs and graciously accept Isla’s hospitality or leave.
I’m done maneuvering around your victimization game, Maila. ”
“I am not a victim.”
“Then you don’t need to act like one.”
Gaze locked and loaded, Alpha stepped out of the house with Lincoln on his six and was at Maila’s side in a heartbeat. “Problem?” He cupped her nape.
My son flanked me.
“Ask your wife.” I wasn’t going to rehash it.
Alpha’s SEAL stare held. “I’m asking you.”
“About what, exactly? If you can purchase my property in France? Or why your wife is angry I won’t sell?”
Trefor, to his credit, exhaled. “We’ll discuss this another time.”
“No, we won’t. And don’t try to handle me, Alpha,” I warned.
“Don’t be an asshole to my wife, and I won’t have to. That said, I’m sure you can understand your sister doesn’t have the benefit of remembering your mother. She’d like to spend some time at the estate.”
“Then ask to use it, not buy it.”
“The purchase offer was my idea. Don’t take that out on Maila,” Alpha warned.
Christ. “Are we done with this bullshit now?” I got it.
They were pissed I’d never told them I was alive.
We all had to live with the consequences of the Vice Admiral’s actions, but if they wanted to fucking tally slights, then Lincoln trumped us all.
I was done dealing with any more tension over it.
They either moved on from the past, or I’d move on from them.
“None of us can change the past. My son is here. Isla cooked. We have right now. We good?”
Alpha tipped his chin. “Yes.”
“May we please use the estate next month?” Clasping her hands, Maila asked with all the formality of a stranger.
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
My intruse appeared with a cheerful smile. “Drinks are here!”
We each grabbed a glass of her homemade lemonade that she’d added fresh pineapple chunks to. Then Isla steered everyone toward the appetizers.
Lincoln took a seat in front of them. The women loitered nearby, but Alpha held back.
The former Team leader casually took a swallow of his drink. Then, “You sent me the anonymous text when Maila was taken.”
I didn’t deny it. I drank lemonade.
“Thank you for looking out for Maila when I didn’t.” Alpha turned toward me. “I’ll accept your joint venture offer on one condition.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“It’s exactly that—joint. No duplicity or deception.”
I held out my hand. “Deal.”
“I mean it,” Alpha warned.
“I’m shaking on it.” He knew my word was good if I offered it.
We shook.
“Are you two done kissing and making up over there?” my little intruse called. “Because you’re going to miss out on my charcuterie board.”
For a single beat, I had a full circle moment. South Florida backyard barbecue. Hanging out with my best friend and my sister. Only now, I had Isla and Lincoln, and it was immeasurably better.
I glanced at Alpha. “Ever think we’d be here?”
“Alive past thirty or at a fifty-million-dollar oceanfront estate with a recent fifteen-million renovation and security retrofit, all paid for in cash?”
Fucker had done his homework. “Either. Both.”
His gaze locked on my sister, Alpha shook his head once. “Negative.” He spared me a glance. “One question, though.”
“Shoot.”
“How did you get past Legend King?”
So Alpha knew about Legend’s and his father’s proclamation, which meant he knew who Isla was all along. I replayed that conversation with November in AES’s garage a month ago. “You knew Isla was his sister.”
I didn’t phrase it as a question, but Alpha tipped his chin. “As soon as I saw her walk off your yacht in Tenerife, I recognized her from a previous encounter.”
Okay, what the fuck? “When?”
“Long story short, it was after your funeral. Zulu and I were still on leave when Legend approached. He said he needed to get to California STAT. Asked Zulu to first chair. Offered him a small fortune. Said he didn’t have the type rating for the jet he’d rented.
Zulu agreed, but only if I came. Legend said no.
Zulu stood his ground. A half hour later, we were in the air.
Seven hours after that, we touched down in Nor Cal along the Lost Coast. A young Isla was walking across the apron with a backpack when we landed.
Legend rushed to intercept her. They argued.
She got into a Piper Cub with someone. Legend watched them take off, then returned to the jet.
We flew back to Virginia. Legend never said who the girl was. ”
I did the math. That must’ve been when Isla left home at sixteen. “Does Isla know? Did she see you or Zulu?”
“Negative to both.”
“When did you put it together?”
“After Tenerife. Ran her through facial rec. As I’m sure you know, there’s next to nothing on her.
I had my suspicions who she was, but we didn’t find confirmation, so I moved on.
November didn’t. A couple weeks later, he’d discovered some medical records and left the intel on our servers. I saw them and made the connection.”
Jesus. “November’s good.” Finding the intel in the first place was one thing, but leaving it where Alpha would find it played both sides of the fence.
“So is Cypher. They each have their specialties, though.”
“The two of them together will be interesting.”
Alpha let out a rare, albeit ironic, laugh. “We may live to regret this merger.”
“Joint venture,” I corrected, nodding toward our women. “But I think we have a bigger problem.” My little intruse was grinning, and my sister looked like the cat that got the canary.
“Guess what?” Isla asked with a glint of mischief in her eye.
Tapping out of that trap, I took a swallow of my drink.
Alpha fell for it. “What?”
Isla put her arm around Maila’s shoulders. “We’re all going on vacation together next month. In France!”
“Christ,” Alpha muttered under his breath.
“Not happening,” I said even lower.
“I can figure out which plane we should take,” Lincoln added excitedly.
My little intruse gave me the hand sign for I love you.
I signed back. Infinity.