Assassin's Promise, The Red Team Series, Book 5 (15 page)

“Lion, as you know, we took a sample of your DNA a few weeks ago.” Kit looked at him. “We have the results. They aren’t what we’d hoped. We couldn’t identify your father.”

“What does that mean?” Lion asked, glancing from Max to Kit.

“It means your father, King, is either not in the system or has had himself removed from the system,” Kit told him. “And it means we’re back to ground zero in trying to identify him.”

“Lion, let’s go over the things you told me about your childhood and good ol’ King,” Max said.

Lion sent a glance around the table. “I’ve never met him in person.”

“You may have, but without knowing who he was. Let’s start at the beginning.”
 

“My mother is Hope’s mother. She died because of me, as you know.”

Kit shook his head. “She died because King had her killed. Who raised you?”

“I was fostered with a family in the Friendship Community.”

“Did your foster parents ever speak about King?”

“Frequently. He’s someone all of us in the community were taught to revere.”

“And he never made an appearance there?”

Lion was silent. His eyes took on a distant expression. “I believe he did come, when I was young. But I don’t remember him. I left to be with the watchers when I was seven.”

“And did King ever come to the watchers?”

“I think so, but he only interacted with Mr. Holbrook.”

“You said he was revered in the community. Did you worship him?” Kit continued.

“It wasn’t worship, but we all loved him. It was to him we owed our lives.”

“How so?”

“He provided us with our homes, our fields, our community. He kept the outside world out.”

“And you never questioned the sheep-think?”

Lion glared at Kit. “You judge me, but you don’t know me.”

“He’s a kid, Kit,” Greer snapped. “Cut him some slack.”

“He’s a warrior,” Max said, “as lethal as you or I.”

“Whatever his skill set”—Greer looked from Max to Kit—“he’s still just a kid. We’re asking him to remember things that might be painful to him, to question things he may not be ready to look at objectively.”

Kit tossed his pen on the table and leaned back in his seat. “Take it, then.”

“Lion, tell me about the things you do remember. It sounds like King was a legend among your people.”

Lion nodded. “He was. It’s said he has a thousand sons.”

“Did you always know you were one of them?”

“Yes.”

“Are other members of your pride his sons?”

“No.”

“Have you ever met one of these brothers?”

“No.”
 

“Do you know where we could find other prides like yours?”

“Find the other communities that are like the Friendship Community. King owns several of them. Each is watched by a pride. Each is expected to play a different role in the coming Armageddon.”

“And what is your pride’s role in the Armageddon?” Kit asked.

Lion looked around the table. “We’re engineers. We’ve been studying construction and destruction of bridges and waterworks.”

“That was to be your pride’s role in the Armageddon?” Greer asked.

“No. That was for after Armageddon. It’s my pride’s role to return rivers to their natural flow, to recover them from the societies who stole them from nature.”

Max rubbed his forehead. “When is Armageddon going to happen, Lion?”

Lion shook his head. “I haven’t been given any details. My gut says soon.”

“Soon. That’s all you got?” Kit snapped.

“That’s all I know.”

* * *

Lion came out of the hidden staircase in the den, then crossed the room and went directly out the patio doors. He didn’t stop until the sun was on him. Every time he was around Kit, he expected his skin to be peeled from his body. The fight between him and Kit was coming soon. And of course he would lose, because he couldn’t bring further pain to Casey or shame to the warrior who was her father.

It occurred to him that he had nine hundred and ninety-nine brothers, if the legend was true. He wondered who they were, what they were like. How many had survived to adulthood? How many were watchers like him?

A movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Casey was sitting on the rock wall that bordered the steps down to the lower lawn. She wore a T-shirt and shorts. Her blond hair was loose and waved in the breeze. Without intending to, he headed in her direction.
 

At the top step, he paused. “Hello, Casey.”

She looked up at him, then away, then her gaze abruptly shot back to his. She straightened. “Hi.” She looked around—as did he. Kit broke out in hives whenever he was near Casey. And after what had happened back at her camp, Lion couldn’t blame him.

“Do you mind if I sit here for a minute?”

“No. Go right ahead.”

Lion sat on the step. She folded her legs and turned slightly to look at him. His gaze fell to the book she held. “What are you reading?”

Casey glanced at her open book, then quickly hid it behind her. “Nothing. Just a book.” Her face was washed with the color of guilt. He grinned at her. Her eyes widened.
 

“I’ve been wanting to apologize about what happened in the woods at your camp. I didn’t mean for the lady warrior to be injured. And I didn’t know how frightened you were.”

“I wasn’t scared.”

He nodded. “I didn’t realize exactly what we were involved in.”

“Is my dad helping you?”

“Your dad would rather gut me than help me, but yes, he is. And I appreciate his help.” He got to his feet. He’d said what he’d been wanting to say. He nodded at her, then started back toward the house. Selena was already halfway across the lawn. She met up with him fast.

“Listen, cat-boy, you don’t need to be prowling around Kit’s kid,” she snapped.

“I wasn’t prowling around anyone. I came to apologize. To her—and you.” The woman wasn’t quite as tall as he was, but she was a little older and had had more years to train. He was tempted to challenge her to see how she fought, but that would doubtless break another rule, and he was walking a fine line as it was.
 

“Yeah, well, you need to find a girl your own age.” The warrior female gestured toward the house. “Shall we?”

Lion looked back at Casey, who was still watching them—hopefully they were out of earshot. “You think I’m interested in Casey?” He couldn’t keep the full horror from his face. “She’s a kid, no different from a boy yet.”

The warrior woman laughed and shook her head. “I got news for you, Lion—girls are born different.”

“She isn’t even old enough to have done her tithe.”

Selena gave him a sharp look. “What tithe?”

Lion stared into her eyes, conflicted about answering her question—or any of those posed by Kit and his fighters. He’d been raised to protect his people. Outsiders knew and understood nothing of the way they lived.
 

He shrugged and faced forward. “It’s a service our young render our community when they first become adults.”

* * *

Mandy walked toward the back of Ivy’s diner. She’d made a lunch date with her to chat about hiring a teacher. They hadn’t gotten much one-on-one time with each other in the last few weeks. With school scheduled to start soon, the time had come to decide what to do—home-school or send their kids to the local public school.

Zavi, at just four years old, was advanced for his age but too young for kindergarten. He needed special attention. Casey, just starting middle school, was attached to her friends; it would be a difficult adjustment for her to leave her regular life and be home-schooled.

 
Ivy smiled at her as she hung up from a phone call. “I’m so glad we made time for us.” She stood up. “I’m afraid to think that we’ve found a new norm, that we’ve gotten used to the strange world we’re living in.”

“I know. I never saw this summer coming, that’s for sure.”

“Where do you want to have lunch? We can eat here or at Mama Rosa’s.” Her eyes sparkled. “Or we can slip down to Cheyenne like a couple of rebels.”

Mandy smiled. “Don’t think I’m up for an adventure. How about Mama Rosa’s?”

“Works for me!”

They waved to Cord Ryker, Ty’s dad, as they passed the kitchen. Out in the sunshine, Mandy felt her cares lift a little. It was nice to have time with her best friend—something they couldn’t easily do at Ty’s house. Ivy linked arms with her, and Mandy smiled.
 

They chose a table toward the back at Mama Rosa’s. After ordering, Ivy leaned forward and looked at her. “Let’s get business out of the way first. What’s your thinking about a tutor for Zavi?”

“He needs one. He’s too young for school, but he needs that intellectual stimulation. His maturity is that of a typical four-year-old, but he’s ahead of the kids his age when you consider his reading level and linguistic skills.”

“Wasn’t Rocco just like him? How did his parents handle his abilities?”

“I asked him about that. He never knew his dad—he took off when Rocco was little. His mom was a cook on the ranch where they lived. The cowhands raised him. His mom would school him for a few hours each day, then he’d go tag along with the men. He learned various dialects of Spanish from the Columbian, Venezuelan, and Mexican hands. No one thought anything of it.”
 

Mandy looked at Ivy. “Are you guys going to leave Casey in school? Or should we be looking for a tutor who can handle the full range of primary to secondary ed?”

Ivy drew a long breath. “It was a fight, but Kit and I have decided to keep her in the local middle school. For now. Provided she’s safe there and her being there doesn’t cause a safety issue for the other students. I’ll drop her off and pick her up. So I think, for now at least, you should find a teacher who can focus on Zavi’s special needs.”

“Will you help me cull through the applications and interview the applicants? I have no experience with that. And I’m wanting someone who can be both tutor and nanny. Don’t know yet if that’s going to be one person or two.”

“I’m an old hand at selecting staff. I’d be happy to help.”

Their lunch was served. Mandy had a Caesar salad, and Ivy had chicken parmigiana. “How’s Rocco doing? He seemed good at Ty and Eden’s wedding.” She grinned at Mandy. “Handled your belly dancing way better than I expected.”

Mandy looked over at her friend, and slowly shook her head. “I don’t know. I really don’t. Sometimes he’s so far away.”

“I’m here for you, you know, if you ever want to talk.”

Mandy pressed her lips together as she considered her friend. “Thanks. I don’t feel as if I have anyone I can talk to.” When Ivy looked a question at her, she said, “You’re married to his boss.”

“I’m married to his
friend
—and your
brother
. We both want you and Rocco to be well and happy.” Ivy reached over to take her hand. “Look, we have to be there for each other. Our lives are not in any way normal. I promise not to pass along to Kit anything you tell me about Rocco, unless you specifically ask me to. I’m worried about you. And I’m your friend.”

Mandy’s eyes filled with tears. She blinked to clear Ivy’s wavering image. “Thanks, Iv. I need you to be there for me.”

“And I am.”

Chapter Fourteen

Remi stared at the email from Clancy Weston. The questions he was asking were jarring—ones he shouldn’t know to ask. Dr. Zimmers had probably filled him in. There was just something in the way he asked if she was going to park her work with the Friendship Community for good.

“…The university isn’t going to offer you a sabbatical. If you don’t come back, they’ll fire you. I’m worried about you. There are other groups to work on, you know. You have other studies in flight. Focus on them. Sometimes, you have to do what’s good for you. You have to keep yourself safe…”

“Remi?” It wasn’t until Greer had called her twice that he caught her attention. “Doc?” She looked up, her mind still ensnared by her assistant’s cryptic email. “Everything all right?”

“Yeah.”

Greer looked around. “What are you doing in here?”

“Mandy felt it was a better place to concentrate. She was right.”

“Owen has the things you requested ready for us. Let’s have lunch, then pack up and head out.”

Remi blinked, trying to clear her free-floating concerns from her mind. She put her laptop away. “Can I leave my things in here?”

A corner of Greer’s mouth lifted in a one-sided smile. “You suddenly trust us?” Her hesitation was his answer. His face hardened. “Remember, I already have a mirror image of your laptop. If someone takes your laptop, I’ll rebuild it for you.”
 

“It’s not that.”

Greer frowned. “What else is eating at you?”

She shook her head. “Just an email from my assistant warning me about losing my job if I don’t stop my research.”

“Are you going to?”

Remi couldn’t keep the wince from her face. “I can’t.” She was driven to do what she did. She could no more stop than she could make rivers flow up mountains. She shook her head. “I can’t.”

He held her gaze. “Look, how would they know if you continued to prepare your work for publication, as long as you don’t publish anything? There’s no reason you have to lose your forward momentum.”

Remi looked at him. “You’ve heard of ‘publish or perish’? Well, it’s a real thing. At least for an assistant professor in my field.”

“So do what you have to do. Then do what you want to do. Make it happen.”

Remi slowly smiled. The world seemed so simple from Greer’s eyes. She nodded.

“You’re okay for how long? A few days? A week? When does the semester begin?”

“I have a couple weeks before I have to be back at the university.”

“We won’t be with the Friends that long. And if you have to go back to work before we’ve put this to bed, you can crash here, help us on weekends.”

“Is Owen going to tell the university I’ve gone back to the Friends?”

“I don’t see why he would, but I can warn him.”

“All right.” Remi followed him down the long hall into the living room and up the steps into the dining room. Lunch was another selection of buffet options. The meal was as chaotic as breakfast. People came in, made a sandwich, and left. Others sat at the table. Owen, the team’s boss, made a salad and took it someplace else.