Chapter 5
Will refused to let me out of his sight or his arm’s reach even after he had cleared the property.
We stood at the water’s edge, the sea soothing me, the waves washing blood off my knees.
Two hundred feet behind us, at the foot of the hill, weatherworn fencing and wild sea oats marked the beach’s entrance. Perched higher with generous space between them, four houses shared the same white cedar shake siding, but each had varied patterns of gray and brown from the coastal winter beatings.
I stretched out my arms, shut my eyes, and inhaled.
Wind gusts whipped my hair around.
Breaking waves rushed in and pushed me back, as if to save me. I whispered back.
“Tell me how to get through this. Tell me how to go on.”
Will came even closer, using his hand on my lower back to guide me away from the water. His touch was warm and strong and filled with energy, like the summer storm soon to hit the beach. His powerful presence tugged at me, drawing me to him.
“Back inside now. We need to talk while Lissie is sleeping.”
Once in the house, we settled in the living room. I pulled my legs under me on the sofa and rested my face against the back cushion. Will sat on the edge and leaned forward. He cocked his head to the side to stare at me while raking his fingers through his hair.
“Ellie, you saw the cross on the floor.”
I closed my eyes, seeing it again, and nodded. They’d made it with my sister’s blood.
“It’s a signature…a calling card.”
I lifted my head and swallowed a ragged breath.
“What? You know who did this?”
“How much do you know about your family’s history?”
“Oh my god! Someone murdered my sister, and that’s what you want to talk about?”
He raised a brow and waited for me to calm down and give him the answer he wanted.
I took in a deep breath. And another.
“My grandparents were English. My great grandfather came to Connecticut before the turn of the twentieth century. I don’t know much more than that.”
“Tell me about your parents.”
I hesitated, then shrugged. I never really knew my parents, only the ghosts they’d left behind for Isabel and me to chase.
“They died together when I was two. Isabel was like six. My grandmother told us they traveled abroad on business, and their plane went down. Gran raised us.”
Will dropped his head for a minute.
“I’m sorry for all the losses you’ve suffered.”
A lump raised at the back of my throat.
They were gone. All of them now.
“What do you know about your last name?”
“It’s a name...just a damn name,” I whispered.
His eyes shifted to the floor. He shook his head, pushing back at his hair, cursing under his breath again. It was his thing, the hair, the cursing, and I couldn’t help but get caught up in it.
When I realized he watched me as I stared at him, I snapped.
“Look, it’s clear how clueless I am about my own family. If you know something that might help me, please, Will, just tell me.”
He took my hand. His eyes hardened.
“Christ, she didn’t tell you any-fucking-thing at all.”
I watched his every move, studied him, studied how his moods shifted fast and without warning. I waited for him to say more while declining another call from Josh.
Will glanced at my phone and then locked his eyes on mine.
“This is going to sound mad, but it is the truth.”
“Just say it,” I demanded.
“Our fathers knew each other, worked together on intelligence missions. At one point, they made a pact between themselves. I’m not sure what my father gained from it, but in the end, my family was sworn to protect you and your sister.”
“What do you mean? My father didn’t work for British intelligence. And who is after us…why do we need to be protected?”
He hesitated, squeezed my hand.
“Protect us from what, Will? Who did this to my sister?”
He nodded.
“Your father did research for the British government. I don’t know why, only that he did. He had a deal with my father to protect you from a small order of extremists who believe families like yours could inspire threats to the Crown. They hire assassins to eliminate those families.”
“What?”
What he’d said, it was impossible, insane even.
I jerked my hand away from him.
“I don’t understand. Eliminate them? This makes no sense. How could my family inspire harm to anyone?”
“People view the heir as incompetent. The thought is that public mood might weaken when he inherits, and a parliamentary referendum could get enacted to appoint a new Head of State.”
“This group is protecting the prince’s interest?”
“Yes.”
“So it’s like political complicity, and that I get. It’s everywhere.”
I swallowed hard.
“But what does it have to do with my family, Will?”
He touched my arm, slid his hand down, and ran his thumb over the veins on my wrist.
“Jesus, you’re delicate.”
I narrowed my eyes.
He straightened his back.
“Please, damn it. I need to know,” I said.
His fingers curled around mine, and he softened his tone.
“Ellie, where do you think parliament might find a replacement?”
I shrugged.
“I don’t know. It’s not my government.”
“They’ll look to families with preferred English bloodlines. The truth your sister never shared with you? Yours is one of them. When your great-grandfather emigrated, he changed his family name. And he did that because he feared his family might be targeted someday, and here we are.”
“What?” I breathed.
“Someone recently discovered your family’s origin and alerted like-minded extremists.”
“And getting to me is the goal.”
“Yes.”
“This is too insane,” I said.
Darkness and anger filled his eyes.
“You must accept the truth to survive it.”
I had an impulsive urge to soothe his anger. I didn’t know why…he’d stolen mine…I should have been the angry one. But I touched his arm anyway, dragging my fingers to his hand.
He stiffened with his gaze locked on my hand.
“I failed you. I should have known. Should have saved her.”
The gruesome image of Isabel filled my head, and I winced in pain. He went on.
“I swear, Ellie. I won’t let that happen to you.”
I shook my head while holding it between my hands.
“This can’t be real.”
He put his arm around my shoulder, waiting a minute before taking me into his arms.
“I’ll never leave here without you again.”
I didn’t understand what that meant. I didn’t care. Because I desperately wanted to stay inside the protection of his strong arms. Nothing I could do would stop the pain or the fear from gripping me, so I shut my eyes and let it burst out from my heart.
She is dead. They are dead.
My body trembled.
They’re gone.
Tears streamed down my face.
I’m alone.
“It’s all right. I’m here,” he said.
Then he pressed me hard against his chest, burying his face in my hair.
“And I’m going to kill every one of those motherfuckers.”