Page 131 of The Warrior
Marco wrinkled his nose. “Don’t tell me you’d let her spank you.”
Humor played in Archer’s eyes. “She tried once as retribution for me spanking her, but it was more like a tickle.”
Marco swung his head to Kya with his eyes wide. “For real?”
She ignored him and looked at me. “Is Khan going to send search parties out?”
“He already did. Someone up in Alaska has to know something. Problem is that the locals aren’t talking.”
“Why not?”
“Most of them are weirdos who want to be left in peace. There’s a strong tradition in that part of the country that if you rat on a neighbor you don’t wake up the next day.” I shrugged. “Magni isn’t the only one hiding.”
Archer frowned. “Then Khan could put out a reward. Maybe money would make them more cooperative.”
“I asked about that, but Khan refused. He says that if he spreads the news that Magni is alone, it’ll only make him a target for his enemies.”
“Then what are you going to do?” Kya gave me a worried glance.
I drew in a deep breath and emptied my lungs in a sigh. “There’s not much Icando. Except wait, pray, and distract myself by coming here and working with Pearl on the integration projects.”
“Feel free to repeat the fight session with the girls that you did today. It was empowering for them to see a woman who can fight.” Archer smiled.
I sat up straighter and looked at him. “You mean that?”
“Of course. You’re very good.”
“For a woman,” I added with my eyes narrowed.
“I didn’t say that. For someone who has trained for less than a year, I’m impressed with your skills. You’re fast and precise in your movements. If you want, we could give you more training – expand on the martial arts, you know, and spice it up with some kick-boxing.”
My voice rose to a small shriek. “I would love that!” Mila stirred in my lap from my excitement and Archer, Kya, and Marco smiled.
“Good, I know the perfect teacher for you,” Archer said. “We’ll start tomorrow.”
CHAPTER 34
Return
Magni
My hand stroked my red hybrid when I saw it again. The impressive machine had been designed for me a few years ago and had cost me a fortune.
Getting back in the pilot’s seat was a little bit like coming home. I looked around to make sure everything was just the way I’d left it a month ago.
Firing up the engine, I put it on automatic drone mode with the Gray Mansion as the destination, while I reached for my wristband to see what messages and calls I’d missed.
While muttering curse words to myself, the lines of worry on my forehead grew deeper with every message I read. My month away had left a gigantic mess at home and I had a lot of cleaning up to do. I started by calling up Khan.
“Magni, is that you?” His voice came through loud and clear, sounding frantic.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Tell me where you are.”
“I’m in Alaska, just like I told you I would be.”
“You need to come home, right now!” He sounded desperate. “I’ll give you anything you want, as long as you come back to work.”
