Page 54 of Fire and Ice

Before Maia could reply, the intercom buzzed and Grace's voice crackled over the speaker, "Jack, I think you need to come up here."

"Were you expecting anybody?" Maia asked.

Jack shook his head and pressed the call button, "Grace, what is it?"

There was a few moments of silence before Grace's voice came over. "Your mother is here."

To be more exact, Jack's parents and Brett were there, including four bodyguards. Maia felt like slinking off into the control room, but Jack dragged her with him up in the elevator, through the study and into the living room where everyone was assembled.

"What are you all doing here?" Jack demanded darkly.

"Really dear, is that anyway to greet your family?" Frances scolded. Jack's mom was a slender, beautiful woman of sixty-three. She had the most amazing brown eyes and her chestnut-colored gray-streaked hair was cut in a stylish bob that made her look younger than her actual age. She was expensively attired in a silk blouse and light wool pants.

Jack advanced to give his mom a peck on the cheek and turned to give a tall, older man, with exactly the same coloring as Jack, a firm handshake. His Dad.

"Maia," Brett exclaimed as he recognized her. "You're Jack's new girl? Well, I'll be damned!"

"You know her?" Frances asked in surprise.

"Of course, she's ..." Brett caught Maia's warning look. "I met her at a couple of fundraisers for green energy."

Jack cocked a brow at his brother's lie and Maia resisted the urge to laugh.

Frances approached her, her eyes misting, "Oh Jack, she's a lovely girl."

I'm going to kill Jack, Maia thought murderously.

Through body language, Maia was able to convey her reluctance to hug Frances as being due to her being sweaty from a workout.

Frances just smiled, squeezed her arm and said, "So happy to meet you dear. I'm Frances and this is my husband Robert."

After all the introductions and greetings had been exchanged, Jack repeated his earlier question.

"Why, we thought we'd drop by and meet Maia since it'll probably take ages for you to introduce us."

"Mom, Maia and I have just started seeing each other," Jack said in exasperation.

Maia's eyes were shooting daggers at Jack, but he ignored her. This pretend-girlfriend thing was getting out of hand.

"And is it even safe for Brett to be traipsing around the East Coast?" Jack argued.

"I am not traipsing," Brett said indignantly. "Try spending one week at that stupid country estate you've installed me in. This," he waved dramatically around him, "is where I should spend my sabbatical."

"Did you clear it with the DA?"

"Not exactly..." Frances said tentatively.

"I can't believe this!" Jack muttered. "Dad, why did you allow this?" Robert McCord gave him a look as ifto say, "Are you kidding me? Try arguing with your mother."

"Never mind," Jack said abruptly and turned to the four men all dressed identically in black t-shirts and cargo-pants. "Are you guys familiar with the layout of this place?"

All four men nodded.

"Grace, sorry to spring this on you," Jack said apologetically to his housekeeper. "Can you prepare the two rooms upstairs for Mom, Dad and Brett, and the additional two rooms down here." Jack turned to the bodyguards. "The four of you will need to share two rooms between you. I presume one or two will be on surveillance at all times?"

The four bodyguards were sub-contractors of AGS, though Maia had never met any of them. The lead on the team was Kane Taylor. The rest of the men were only known as Maddox, Smith and Brody. There was no doubt Jack was going to give Taylor a tongue-lashing for allowing this little excursion into the Outer Banks. The danger was in no way over, not with Reznikov still at large. But no one other than Maia and Viktor was likely to be aware of this.

As Jack spoke to the bodyguards, Maia felt Frances's eyes studying her intently. Damn him for putting her in such an uncomfortable position.

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