Page 45 of Cuckoo (Kindred)

Past for Cuckoo, present for her, but Zara wasn’t in the mood to rise to the bait. “What are you talking about?”

“I want you to come in. Meet with me.”

“Meet with you?” Zara asked, surprised by Cuckoo’s stern tone. “At CI?”

“Why not? It’s a safe space for you, if you’re afraid of me.”

Narrowing her eyes in a glare, Zara was glad of the opportunity to vent her current frustration. “I’m not afraid. Just don’t see why I should take the time out my life for that place or for you when I’m no longer on payroll.”

Cuckoo returned to doing the sexy thing. “Trust me, you want to come to this meeting.”

It was probably engrained in Cuckoo to flirt and seduce, she used her allure to her advantage. Shame for her that Zara was immune. “I don’t think I do,” Zara said, glancing at the door, wishing one of the men would come back so they could get on with tracing Kahlil. “I’m busy today, getting my nails done, you know.”

“Be here at noon. The future of the world may depend on it.”

The line died before she could get in another word. She threw the phone down on the couch and shot to her feet. “Damnit!” she shouted in the same second there was a knock at the door.

Hurrying over, she pulled it open and grabbed hold of Tuck to pull him inside. “Something wrong?” he asked her.

She took the tray of coffee and the bag of food away from him. “You have to go after Raven.”

“Where did he go?” Tuck asked, switching from jovial to serious in a heartbeat.

“Kahlil went out,” she said, stepping aside to let him rush across the room. “Two guys came and took him, said they were going on a trip.”

Tuck began to pack everything up, and she fizzed with the need for him to hurry up. “Will you please go after him, you’ll have him on GPS, right?”

“I have him,” he said. Taking his phone from his pocket, he typed on it while the laptop they’d been using for audio surveillance shutdown. “We can’t leave evidence here. I’m not leaving the kit and I have to take you home first.”

“I can pack everything away,” she said.

He stood straight. “You have to stage the place. The room’s still ours, and we might need to come back if Kahlil does.”

“I will,” she said, witnessing his conflict.

“What about Caine? What if he’s lurking?”

She didn’t know he knew about that, but it was probable that the men had spoken into the night while she slept. “Caine approaches me at night. I will deal with this place and go back to the manor, I swear to you.”

“Ok,” he said, grabbing up the bag with Maverick in it. He’d leave her alone but wouldn’t risk abandoning Brodie’s first love. If she wasn’t so worried about her love, she might laugh at his innate priorities.

“Hurry,” she said, holding the door open. “Swift, come on, you know, be quick like the name.”

“Straight back to the manor,” he said. Striding over, he ducked to kiss her cheek. “And if you need me, call.”

She nodded and gave him a nudge out the door. With two men out there to worry about, she should probably be twice as concerned. Instead, her panic halved. They would look after each other, and that made her feel better about their safety.

Facing the room, she took in the view. Stage the place to look like there had been a party, then get home to the manor to tame her hair before she had to face Cuckoo. Cake.

FOURTEEN

Bringing their things back to the manor gave her something to do that didn’t involve worrying about Brodie and Tuck. It also prevented her from thinking too much about what Cuckoo might want from her. Zara didn’t see Zave at the manor, but she didn’t seek him out either. If Brodie or Tuck had gotten a reprieve from what they were doing, they no doubt would have clued their teammate into what was going on, if he needed to know. Given that he was hardly a Chatty Kathy, Zara couldn’t be bothered trying to force a conversation that would just be awkward for both of them.

Zave was a world-class mind, she’d seen evidence of that herself in the gadgets she was given on a regular basis. Zave was the one responsible for building the Kindred tech that got them out of jam after jam, so she was grateful for him. There was no alternative; they needed him. But the guy still made her uncomfortable. It would just come off as peculiar if she made a point of trying to hang out with him while no one else was present.

She made a note to ask Bess how she managed to live with the guy. Thad had his own place and his own job, so Bess and Zave had to spend most of their time alone in the manor that matched Brodie’s. It was probable that the kind, warm woman left the master of the manor alone as Zara had chosen to do. Despite what might be considered negative opinions, Zara did respect Zave. One of the most positive things about his character was his refusal to make himself out to be something he wasn’t.

Zave didn’t put on false airs or make bullshit conversation. If he had something to say, he said it. If he had nothing to say, he stayed quiet. Her awkwardness came from his unvarnished manner. He was never mean, though some might consider him rude. But Zara liked knowing he would never present himself in a lie, even if he did do stoic better than anyone else she’d known.

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