Page 12 of Centurion

He combed through his hair and packed his bag. He didn’t know if Ronnie would get the clearance to go to London, but he would be ready to go if they sent him alone. Even so, he wouldn’t go willingly without her. Hell, no. He wanted as much time with that bewildering and mystifying woman as he could get. And another kiss.At. The. Minimum. She’d haunted his dreams since she’d flown off that island without him. Damn, he really couldn’t figure out how she could hide so completely from his searches …and know about them … if she did. She could have been saying that to throw him off.

Con stared at himself in the mirror and made a face. No, she wasn’t that type of person. Or at least he didn’t think so, and he was a damn good judge of character.

“Con, your transportation to the airport will be outside in ten minutes. Be ready.” Joseph’s voice grated in his ear. He tapped the earpiece. “Got it.”

He cocked his head at his reflection. “Point in case, I know Joseph is an asshole.” Yeah, he could dial in people pretty well.

Joseph growled, “Watch it. Your mic’s still on, techie boy.”

Con smiled. “Yeah, I know.” He tapped off his comm device, then picked up his suitcase and the backpack for his computer.

Ronnie watchedCon go back to the bedroom and waited until she was sure he wasn’t coming back. She picked up the phone and dialed the numbers she knew by heart. “Hey, sweetie. You’re going to make your father have a stroke.”

“Mom, don’t let him pull me off this case. It’s important.”

Anna sighed. “We’ve discussed it, and I’ve done what I can. I think I’ve managed to grease the wheels for now.”

“Thank you. Now, I need another favor.”

“Gabrielle Jacqueline Xavier, you are about out of favors for the day.” She could see her mom standing with her hand on her hip and a frown on her face.

“It’s for the case.”

“What?”

Oh, she had her mom’s interest. “Sophia invited two people to the party. Those people ended up dead. I need to know who prompted her to invite them. Do you think you can call just tocheck in and see how the gala went since you’re so sorry you and Dad couldn’t make it?”

“Darling, nothing in the world would pull either me or your father to that damn gathering. Talk about a pen full of sheep. All that noise and nothing being said.”

Her mom’s country roots came out all the time when they talked. But her mom was a masterful persuader. Although she and her dad never attended anything where they’d be photographed or identified in the press as the Xaviers, her mom had made the acquaintance of all the power brokers in their realm. Of course, her mom was the highest of those brokers, and people bent over backward to be one of her contacts. There was only one incident of a person trying to use her mom and obtain a photograph of her dad. Her mother’s wrath was far beyond anything she’d ever imagined. Anna Xavier was not a person to fuck with. Full stop.

“I know, but I really need to know who it was, and you can get that information with just a call. She might not even accept Jackie’s call. I mean, she was so rude to Conner last night.”

“Conner?” Her mother’s interest was once again piqued.

“Conner Solomon. O. H. Solomon’s son. He works for Guardian, and we’re on the case together.”

“And he does not know …”

“Mom, really? Do you think I’d say a word? No, he doesn’t, and he won’t.” She huffed out a breath of air. “I know what I can and can’t say.”

“You can date, you know that, right?” her mom asked.

“Right, so Dad can run the guy through the wringer and find him unworthy. No, thank you.”

“He’s just protective.”

“And yet Charley is married to an assassin. And we won’t get into the twins and their dating habits.”

“The boys have settled down … some. And Dan does take care of Charley. He keeps her grounded.”

“And I, as you know, can take care of myself.” She pointed that little fact outagain.

“I know that, honey, and so does your father. I don’t know why you two butt heads all the time. You must have been hit with the same hickory bat or something. You are your father’s daughter. That will never be in debate. Maybe you should let someone else take care of you once in a while.”

“And now, we’re right back to Dad and his inquisitions from hell.” She’d had one boyfriend. One, and her father was not kind to him. Granted, she didn’t know the guy was a felon or that he was after her because she lived in a big house and thought she was his meal ticket. Her father did, though. It was a bloodletting without a drop of blood spilled. Still, her father flayed him into strips with the facts, then escorted him out the door. She was mortified, not for her boyfriend but for her mistake in being interested in him. She’d never make that blunder again. When she fell in love, it would be with someone completely acceptable to her family. She rolled her eyes.As if.She would die an old maid, and she’d come to terms with that.

“It’s about time you were over that incident, don’t you think?”

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