Page 24 of Edinburgh Escape
“Good,” Ace said. “Given the information Swede found, the Drummonds might have invited her there for nefarious purposes.”
“My thoughts as well. Especially, considering she was the product of an affair between her mother and Lord Drummond.”
“Drummond’s sons might harbor resentment toward Ms. McKendrick.”
“Well, one of them is only five years old, but you’re right. I’ll be with her at all times, monitoring the situation. If anyone show signs of aggression, I’ll get her out.” He couldn’t imagine they’d openly attack Maggie, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
“Roger,” Ace said. “Glad to have you aboard as a Brotherhood Protector. Besides Swede, we have our own technical support, a computer guru here in Zurich. Dmytro is a jack-of-all-trades who has contacts throughout Europe and the UK. You need weapons, he’s the one who can set you up. Air transport? He’s your man. He can fly airplanes and helicopters, or knows people who can do it for him. Ms. Monroe, our blue-haired cyberpunk technophile, can bleed information out of the tightest firewall. Between Swede and my crew here, we’ll have everything you need to know about the members of the Drummond clan. Hopefully, by the end of the day. I’m sending contact information for Atkins, Dmytro and Monroe now.”
“Brilliant.” A text message pinged on Callum’s cell phone. He checked the incoming message and saved the data to his contacts. “Received. I’m not sure how long we’ll be at the estate. If I have it my way, we’ll only be there an hour, at the most.”
“Either way, send us a GPS coordinate,” Ace said. “If you two go missing, we’ll know where to start the search.”
“I don’t plan on going missing, but I’ll send that location in case I need backup.”
“You’re not in Afghanistan, Iraq or Syria battling Taliban or ISIS,” Ace said. “But what you do as a Brotherhood Protector is important and often dangerous. Granted, bodyguard duty isn’t always glamorous and is often boring, but we’ve learned that just when you think it’s easy...it’s not.”
Callum’s lips twisted. He’d already learned that lesson at Maggie’s expense. He wouldn’t be caught off guard again, if he could help it. “Understood.”
“We’re here for you twenty-four-seven. Stay safe. Hammerson out,” Ace said and ended the call.
Callum’s blood heated as movement drew his attention to the kitchen entrance.
Maggie stood there with her hair wrapped in a towel, wearing the short pajama bottoms she’d had on when she’d stepped off the train to find out why they’d stopped mid-journey. Instead of the jacket, she wore the matching top to the shorts in a soft pink.
The pajamas normally wouldn’t be considered sexy, more like something a college coed would wear in a dorm room. To Callum, they left enough to the imagination to set his blood on fire.
“Who’s Hammerson?” she asked, forcing him to drag his gaze from her legs to her makeup-free face with her auburn eyebrows framing her green eyes.
“My boss,” Callum responded. With physical effort, he turned back to the bread and cheese he’d cut and placed them on a plate. “Hungry?”
“Starving,” she said, and crossed the room to take the plate from him and set it on the small table in the corner of the kitchen. “Is there anything to drink?”
Callum opened the fridge and grimaced. “Beer.” He moved the bottles around. “More beer.” In the back, he found another bottle and held it up in triumph. “How are you with sparkling water?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never had it. But I’m sure it’s better than beer before noon. I’d like to have a clear head when I meet Ewan.”
“Sparkling water it is, then.” He grabbed one of the bottles of beer and carried his finds to the table, where he set them down. Then he held out a chair for Maggie.
She slid into the seat, her shorts riding up high enough to reveal more of her thighs.
Callum twisted the top off the bottle of beer and downed a long swallow before sinking into the seat across from Maggie.
She had unscrewed the cap on the water bottle and took a tentative sip. Her lips curved into a smile. “It tickles like a soda without the flavor. I have friends at the school who swear by sparkling water, only they prefer the flavored kind.” She took another sip. “I like it.”
“You and most of the people in the UK and Europe. If you don’t want the bubbles, ask for still water.”
“I’ll remember that.” Maggie plucked a piece of the bread from the plate and laid a slice of cheese on it. “How does Hammerson fit in with Hank?” She bit into the bread and began to chew.
Callum selected a piece of bread and cheese before answering. “As you know, Hank Patterson is the founder of Brotherhood Protectors. Ace Hammerson, a former Navy SEAL, is the leader of the International branch based in Zurich, Switzerland. He approached me after I left the SAS, asking if I would join the Brotherhood Protectors International. Apparently, they’re expanding.”
“They hire people trained and experienced in special forces operations,” Maggie said. “I’ve met quite a few of the members of the team based in Montana. They’re smart, skilled and honorable. I’d trust any one of them with my life.”
“And you can trust me to do my best to keep you safe.”
“I know Swede. He’s got amazing computer skills. If Hammerson’s team is half as good, we’ll know everything there is to know about the Drummonds, down to their shoe size and what they had for dinner the night before.” She grinned. “Well, maybe not what they had for dinner. It’s too bad we won’t have all the intel before we meet with Ewan this afternoon.”
“Can you delay the meeting?” Callum asked.
