Page 31 of Beloved Sacrifice

Silence.

“The only person in the whole world who could help me,” he corrected.

“Humph. Damned right.”

“Grandmother, language.”

“How I have such a well-mannered grandchild is beyond me. You get it from Caradoc. I know it.”

Marek doubted that he had any genetic traits from his Welsh grandfather. Marek’s father looked like Masoor, whose features were South Asian but with the lighter coloring of East Asia, due to the fact that Marek’s great-grandfather has been from Pakistan, his great-grandmother from Southern China.

And that was just one side of his complex international family tree.

“I will take that as a compliment, Grandmother.”

“As you should.” She humphed again. “So what do you need to know?”

“I’m looking for a woman.”

“On your own? You’re just going to pick one, like a barbarian?”

Marek slumped in his seat. His grandparents were in a trinity marriage—one that had been arranged for them by the Admiral.

“I’m not looking for a woman for myself. She was kidnapped.”

“That’s better.”

How was that better?

“And she’s in Sussex? Or she’s from Sussex? Either way, poor woman.”

“I believe she’s in Sussex. I’ve traced her this far, but my trail has run cold. I need information from your network.”

“The old biddy brigade? Ha. Sounds good. What do you need to know?”

“The kidnapper is an American. White male, maybe twenties or early thirties, at or over six feet, and he has a lazy eye.”

“That’s it?” Her voice rang with outrage.

“I thought that the eye would be distinctive enough.”

“And you’re sure it’s lazy?”

“The witness said when he looked around, only one eye moved.”

“That could be a lazy eye or a glass eye. That might be something.”

“Thank you, Grandmother.”

“I’ll get my biddies in Sussex on the phone. But when you find her, I expect you to bring her by. If she’s cute and of childbearing age.”

“I’m not going to date her, Grandmother. I’m going to rescue her and get her home to her…family.”

“Humph. Bring her by.”

“Grandmother—”

Click. She’d hung up on him.

Marek hoped his grandmother’s associates would be able to give him a lead on the man, but until he heard back, there were other avenues of investigation he could look into.

He started the car and backed out of the parking lot. He was going to find Rose Hancock today.

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