7. Chapter Seven
Chapter seven
“Need I remind you,” Noble’s mother was saying, “the last time you left me alone with this mutt, I was nearly incinerated by a sociopath.”
They stood in the galley of the Yeoman. The ship rolled gently at anchor. Gadsden, a Czechoslovakian wolfhound, sat at Noble’s heel, his long pink tongue lolling out of one side of his mouth. The dog’s tail flopped lazily back and forth, whacking against the hardwood deck.
Outside the sun was high overhead and a breeze, smelling strongly of seaweed, whistled in around the port windows. The ocean breeze was the only thing keeping the galley from turning into a sweatbox.
Noble reached down to scratch Gadsden behind the ears. “Don’t be ridiculous,” Noble said. “You’re exaggerating. He wasn’t a sociopath. Just your garden variety killer for hire. Sociopaths are much worse.”
Mary Elise Noble was at the sink, up to her forearms in soapy water.
The dishes weren’t dirty, not really. But they weren’t up to mom’s standards.
She’d gone to work on them right away. She rinsed a plastic plate—ceramic tended to break aboard ships—and she stuck it in a strainer.
She wore a light blue cotton dress, with a heavy knit shawl over her shoulders.
She was small and frail with varicose veins in her forearms and legs.
Her white hair was thin and held in place with blue plastic clips.
But looks could be deceiving. Mary Elise had survived cancer, and an honest to God hitman, hell-bent on cold blooded murder.
She gave him a sidelong look and asked, “How long will you be gone this time?”
“Just a—”
“Just a couple days,” Mary Elise finished for him. “That’s what you said last time. And need I remind you how that turned out.”
“This time is different.” Noble ruffled Gadsden’s fur, then leaned his hips against the little kitchen counter, crossing his arms over his chest. His bags were already packed and he’d dressed in a button down with corduroy slacks and a good pair of hiking boots.
His flight left Tampa International in a little over two hours.
He sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he’d done his best to comb back his long hair.
The hair was a source of contention between him and mom.
“I’m just doing a quick favor for Burke. You know Burke. He’s good people.”
She made a small noise in her throat. “That rascal. What’s he want?”
Burke had been with mom when the hitman attacked.
They had narrowly escaped the encounter and since then, he and mom had kept in touch.
Any time he’d call on the phone, Mary Elise would refer to him as that guy who almost got me killed.
Burke in return referred to her as that tough old biddy.
Noble knew for a fact they were working together to keep tabs on him.
Noble grinned. “Wants me to check on a couple friends of his. They’re on their second honeymoon, and Burke just wants to make sure everything is okay.”
“Bill and Milena,” mom said. “So you’re headed off to Serbia.”
Arms still crossed over his chest, Noble wagged a finger at her. “I don’t like that you know that.”
“There’s a lot I know that you think I don’t know.”
Noble narrowed his eyes. He’d have to have a talk with Burke about passing mission sensitive information to his mother.
“You know,” Mary Elise said, “If you had a normal job, I’m sure Samantha would say yes to a wedding ring.”
“If I had a normal job, I’d have never met Samantha,” Noble countered. He made a second mental note. Tell Burke to stop blabbing about my relationship with my mother. “And she doesn’t exactly have a normal job herself.”
Mom finished the last of the already clean dishes and flapped a towel at him. “She works at a desk. How dangerous could it be?”
“How much do you and Burke talk?” Noble asked.
“He calls more often than you,” she said, and gave him a heavy handed look.
Noble opened his mouth to reply, took mental stock of how often he called his mother, which wasn’t nearly often enough, and decided to shelve any further complaints. “I’ll be back in a couple days. And I’m sure Burke will keep you well apprised of my situation. You’ll be alright here with Gadsden?”
She eyed the dog.
Gadsden lifted one paw. It was his way of saying; I’ve been cooped up on this boat too long. Wanna go for a walk?
“Long as he doesn’t jerk me right off my feet and break a hip.” She turned back to Jake. “Can I pray over you before you go?”
“I’ll take all the prayers I can get.”