Page 15 of Ride the Whirlwind

The ride back to The Base was made in a comfortable silence, Nicole enjoying Drew's presence, which, strangely enough, gave her strength and confidence. She wasn't intimidated by the massive guards anymore, but rather assured that even if Ron would find her and the kids, he couldn't take them from that place.

Lost in her thoughts, Nicole didn't notice the car stopped, and she flinched violently at the sound of Drew's voice announcing to her they’d arrived at the destination and pointing to the long building painted in a light-green tone, very pleasing to the eye. She climbed out of the vehicle, thanking him for help, and stepped inside the school's main hallway.

It wasn't hard for Nicole to find the principal's office and, after softly knocking twice, a melodious voice invited her inside. The nervousness that took over the woman at the thought of meeting her employer disappeared at the sight of the person behind the desk. They were so ethereally beautiful and fragile that, for a moment, Nicole thought they were a teenager.

With a warm smile, Peyton extended a hand, indicating one of the chairs across the desk. From the first moment the woman touched that delicate hand, she felt the strength and energy radiating from its possessor, and that made her smile internally. As she relaxed into the chair, Nicole was sure she would enjoy working for Peyton Bloom-Hunter.

CHAPTER 12

“Welcome to The Base, Ms. Osborne.” Peyton offered the woman a charming smile. “I've been told your children are also here, so I'll make this as short as I can. I'm also a parent of three, so I understand your situation.”

“Thank you, Principal Bloom-Hunter. Indeed, this is a tough time for my stepson, who needs me almost constantly. When I called you about the job, you said I’d have to find out if a person is dead or alive. Can you tell me more?” Nicole leaned forward, waiting for Peyton's answer.

“About six weeks ago, my cousin's husband, Ardan MacNamara, was accused of killing his biological father and taken into custody by the police. Sometime later, my cousin got permission to visit his husband in prison, but we discovered the correctional facility where Ardan was allegedly kept didn't exist in any official documents. About a week ago, someone who pretended to be from the police called Alasdair and told him his husband is dead. Anyway, none of us bought that bullshit.”

“Why is that? Except for the prison, which doesn't appear in any official documents, I don't see anything suspect. Maybe Mr. MacNamara couldn't cope with the prison life and killed himself or he was the victim of an attack. Unless, of course, there's more of the story...” Nicole frowned, curious to find out the continuation of the story.

Peyton smiled discreetly. “Choosing you from that list of names was one of the best decisions I've made lately. Indeed, after the initial shock finding out about Ardan's death caused, Alasdair wanted to make arrangements to take his husband's body home but was refused.”

“Mm, that is strange.” Nicole paused a little. “Why would they do that? I mean, once they've announced to your cousin his husband's death, they should have released the body, too. By the way, it would be great if I could talk to said cousin. I understand he grieves, but...”

“Sorry I'm late. I had this dream about Ardan, and I fell asleep again, hoping for more,” Alasdair started as soon as he stepped inside Peyton's office. “Oh, dear. You’re already here,” he gasped in shock, seeing Nicole. “Uncle Fabian should also be here any minute. He said he has some business to take care of first.”

“You must be Ardan's husband.” The woman smiled. “I promise I'll do everything in my power to help you find out what really happened there and make those responsible for his death pay. Nicole Osborne, nice to meet you.”

“Alasdair MacNamara-Stark, likewise.” The redhead gently shook the woman's hand. “According to my best friend Peyton here, you are qualified for this job, which involves finding out everything you can about this bogus prison and bringing Ardan home. No, I don't think he's dead, not him. I would have sensed it if he were.”

“My nephew is right,” Fabian, who let himself in, spoke in a low, calm voice. “His husband, who is also my stepson, doesn't give up the fight that easily. Most likely, he's out there, somewhere, hurt and in need of help. Fabian Bloom, at your service,” he slightly bowed.

“Nicole Osborne. Glad to meet you, sir.” The woman offered him a bright smile. “You are a living legend. My uncle Ted used to speak about you with high regard,” she continued, tears glistening in her eyes. “Back to our case, you were mentioning something about a dream when you came in.” She turned to Alasdair.

“My Ardan and I... well...we made love, then the phone buzzed, and it was him telling me that he will be home soon, and he misses me. My husband also told me to take care of our children and sent them his love. That part of the dream was very real. It was my Ardan's sweet voice, the one that spoke to me. It sounded so...natural.”

As Alasdair spoke, Nicole studied the expression on Fabian Bloom's face, surprised by the intense light in his sapphire eyes. No, she thought, that man doesn't believe his stepson is dead. That isn't the look of a defeated, grieving man. He was surely missing the one he considered his flesh and blood, but wasn't grieving him, on the contrary.

The red-haired husband's attitude was pretty much similar, and Nicole could feel the immense love he and Ardan had for each other. Peyton was also convinced that his friend was alive, but, for one reason or another, couldn't get back home. She was determined to help them find him, and, at that point, didn't care about the money anymore.

Ardan. The name took her back to when she was ten and one of her father's business associates, Alexander Kane, who was frequently invited to spend the weekends at the parents' villa. Although she didn't like the man at all, the then-ten-year-old counted the minutes until his next visit because he always brought his adoptive son, whose name was also Ardan.

At first, the well-mannered, quiet fifteen-year-old spent all the time in Nicole's father's library, avoiding the little girl, but then he gradually warmed up to her. In a gentle, melancholic voice, the boy told his friend amazing tales with beautiful, courageous princesses, wise kings, and fearless warriors, making her dream with eyes wide open.

One day, about two years after his first visit, Alexander Kane came without Ardan, claiming the kid died. Nicole hid in her room, crying her little heart away, but then she got over it, or so everyone thought. Ardan's stories inspired her to become a defender of the law, a modern version of the fearless princesses populating that imaginary universe.

Nicole pulled herself from her thoughts and raised her head, offering the other three a tired but bright smile. Suddenly, a name popped into her mind: Matthew Danvers, an undercover CIA agent who helped her with other complicated cases. She was going to call him and ask for some information, to corroborate with the ones she already had. But first, she was going to spend some time with her stepchildren who needed her so much.

**********

“Except for your blood pressure, which is way higher than normal, you are in very good health for someone your age.” Doctor Douglas offered Graeme a half smile. “I should get the blood tests' results in a couple of hours, but I don't expect abnormal values, so let's say you are off the hook for now.” He smiled.

“Good,” the other man returned the smile. “Then give me whatever pills you think work best for the blood pressure problem and let me get back to work. Don't get me wrong, my friend, I'd love to chat with you some more, but...”

“You have pressing matters to attend, things only you can take care of, and so on. I'm familiar with this song, but I don't think I like it,” the doctor tried a joke, but then his voice became serious. “As your doctor and close friend, I advise you to slow down, or else...”

“What? I'll kick the bucket? We all do, but until then, I won't stay arms crossed and watch them stripping my son of what's rightfully his. Anyway, they will be quiet for a while now that they know what I'm capable of.” Graeme sighed in relief, unrolling the sleeves of his white shirt. Speaking of sons...”

“Martens is way better since I brought him to the villa, but you already knew that. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, but I don't appreciate the way you are trying to change the subject. And, by the way, your genius move wasn't so bright. On the contrary, you threatened them, and now they are going to make your life impossible.”

“How's that? Lately, you've become very involved in this business after claiming all your life that you want to stay away from the Mafia world. As your best friend, I'm concerned about this change,” Graeme said in a worried tone.

---