Page 43 of Six
“But you have family at home, right? Friends, maybe even a girlfriend or a kid?”
He would have smiled if he’d thought she was fishing for information on his life, but what he heard in her voice stopped him.Guiltinfused her every word. She didn’t want to be responsible for taking him away from people he cared about, from his life before this assignment. She didn’t like the idea that he might have to give those things, and those people, up for this assignment that neither of them really understood. She might be a bit brash and tempestuous at times, but she cared. He wanted to think she caredabout him, and she probably did. But he didn’t doubt her current dismay was of a more general sort.
“My parents passed away last year within three months of each other. They were older when they had Isaac and even older when they had me. Their deaths were peaceful, though I’ll admit, it wasn’t the easiest few months. I’m officially an orphan now.” The smile he shot her was intended to be wry, but by the way her eyes softened, he thought it had come across more as sad.
“I have friends, but most are in the army or recently retired, and they’re scattered all over the place. No girlfriend or kids,” he added, hiding the annoyance he felt at her even considering that an option. He never would have done or said the things he’d done and said to her if he had someone else at home.
“Still, you aren’t like me in that I lived in Italy for such a small amount of time. Surely you miss it?”
He considered her question. There were things he did miss, sure. He missed pubs and cobblestoned streets. He missed chip shops and the wry, dry British sense of humor. He missed being able to rely on trains for travel, and he missed being able to pop to places like Paris or Rome for a weekend. But did he really miss it? Did he miss the regimented life he led because of his work? Did he miss the dreary weather and five days of summer they had each year?
It was a complicated question, and in his gut, he knew that for the right reason, he’d be happy to leave it all behind. But that wasn’t something he was going to say to Violetta.
“I missed it until I tasted your flat white. Now I’m good and have no reason to ever go back provided you keep making them for me,” he added with a grin and a wink.
Violetta rolled her eyes but laughed at him. “Maybe I’ll buy you your own machine.”
“I’m positive anything I made wouldn’t be nearly as good. So if you want me to stay, which I know the jury is still out on for you, you will have to keep making me flat whites.”
“You are ridiculous,” she said, but she was still smiling. “And by the way, we’re only fifteen minutes out. Can you check with Cyn on the security at the Newcross house? The driveway is a long one so hopefully they don’t have a gate, but I didn’t ask before we left.”
Gavin started typing out a message as he spoke. “If there is a gate, I bet if you mention Jeremy’s name, we’ll be let through.”
Violetta inclined her head. “Yes, but I’d rather not be lockedinif things go sideways.”
“Fair point. I guess it’s a good thing there’s no gate then,” he said, holding up his phone with Cyn’s reply. Not that Violetta could read it while she was driving.
“Any other details?” she asked.
He read through the message and then through a second one that popped up. “Looks like run-of-the-mill security. They are rich,veryrich by global standards. But not the kind of rich that would make them high value targets, so they seem to be relying on a system alone. A good one and a very high-end one, but just the one.” He paused and considered what he’d said. Violetta, Cyn, Devil, and Nora all came from some of the wealthiest families in their countries; hadn’t they ever worried about kidnappings? Other than their work for their governments, they all led relatively quiet lives. Maybe they’d been out of the country for so long that people had more or less forgotten about them? That thought added another twist to the concept of St. Josue. Not all the girls who were invited to attend came from families like Violetta’s. But for those who did, it had probably been an exceptionally secure place for them to grow up and go to school. And even though they left at eighteen, they’d left with skills that would help protect them.
Hmm, maybe Violetta’s parents had had reasons for agreeing to send her there other than the honor it was to be invited.
“You’re awfully quiet over there,” Violetta said.
“Just woolgathering,” he replied, suddenly grateful for the odd little school tucked up in the mountains of Switzerland that he hadn’t, at first, even believed was a real thing. Unlike the Newcrosses, Violetta, Cyn, Devil, and Norawereextremely high-value targets. Especially as children. That they’d had a chance to grow up relatively free from that worry, and free from constantly having personal bodyguards, must have been a blessing.
She glanced over at him as she flicked her blinker on. He could read the curiosity on her face, but she dropped the topic and nodded to the road. “The driveway is off this road, three hundred meters up.”
They’d done a quick scan of the property using Google Maps, and the house sat on the back side of the one hundred eighty acres the Newcrosses owned. The property started at the road, and a driveway wound through dense woods as it climbed a steep hill before leveling out at an open field. The house was situated in the middle of the field. The grounds behind it rose a touch more before reaching the peak of the mountain, then descended back down the other side.
“There’s been no movement?” Violetta asked, slowing to make the turn onto the driveway.
Gavin shook his head. “None at all according to Cyn.”
They turned onto the drive and about twenty meters in, they passed by a well-hidden—though not hidden enough—sensor. “I know the make and model of this system,” he said. “Julian will know someone is coming, but he won’t know who. Not yet, anyway. According to Cyn, there are cameras, but they are farther up, tucked into the trees right as the woods give way to the clearing.”
Violetta nodded and continued navigating up the drive. Five minutes later, the woods ended abruptly, and they broke into a wide, lush field. The grass was a rich, deep green and May wildflowers dotted the landscape, bringing a shot of color. To their right, a fenced field housed two horses who were lazily grazing away on this picture-perfect day. A small barn could be seen on the other side of the pasture.
Less than a minute later the Newcrosses’ home came into view. For some reason, he’d expected a large New England-style farmhouse, or at least a house that honored that tradition even if newly built. What he had not expected was the Tudor-style behemoth in front of them. Yes, with its multiple peaks, pitched roof, and tower, it was beautiful. And it was definitely large enough to rival some of those in England. But it fit oddly into the landscape. Some houses were built to pay no mind to their surroundings and were unapologetic about the mismatch. This house wasn’t that. It was as if it wanted to fit in, but instead, sat awkwardly on the fringes of acceptance.
“If I ever build a house, remind me not to hire whomever the architect was for this,” Violetta muttered, leaning forward to look at the building as they approached.
“Oh, look, they do have a security guard,” Gavin said, gesturing with his head to the man who’d walked out of the house through a small door on the far left side. “You ready?” he asked, not altogether sure what Violetta was planning other than being direct with Julian.
“I’m ready,” she said. Then, as she rolled her window down to greet the man, she added, “Play along.”
He couldn’t help it, he brushed a finger along her arm and grinned. “Whatever games you want, I’m happy to play.”
