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“Enough.” Juliette’s tone rang with authority. Sebastian and Franco stopped talking. Devon’s hands flexed, curling and uncurling in fists, and Juliette feared the men would wind up in a physical brawl if she didn’t take control of the situation.
“Tasha.” Juliette spoke with cool, measured tones. “I want Rose found and taken alive.”
“I can’t do it,” Tasha said.
Juliette smiled, and some of the tension that hovered between them dissipated. “I didn’t expect you to.”
“Not because I’m pregnant.” Tasha’s eyes narrowed. “You think I can’t do it because I’m pregnant?”
“No, of course not,” Juliette hurried to say.
“Nope,” Sebastian blurted out, holding up his hands.
“Of course not,” Franco stammered.
Tasha looked at each of them, including the silent Devon. “Good.”
“Madre de dios, she’s terrifying,” Franco whispered to Juliette.
“I don’t do K&R,” Tasha continued.
“K&R?” Franco asked.
“Kidnapping and ransom,” Juliette and Sebastian said at the same time. Before she’d been called back to the U.S. to serve as Grand Master, Juliette had been a humanitarian worker. Sebastian had a similar career, but he’d also been an intelligence asset for the CIA. As American aid workers abroad, they’d both been trained on what to do in cases of being kidnapped.
“I asked you to meet me here to see if you have a recommendation?” Juliette had been lucky that they’d been able to have this conversation in person. Tasha happened to be in Boston, attending her husband Marco’s concert.
Marco was one of the world’s most distinguished cellists.
The Trinity Masters was built to shelter not only power, but art and intellect. In peace times, members were identified who were promising musicians, creators, and artists. They were protected and supported by their trinity, a system similar to the arts patronage of the past.
But these were not peace times. The Trinity Masters were at war.
Civil war.
As such, they were on a tight timeline, so this meeting was being held on the run.
“I do. But he’s not a member.” Tasha sipped more tea.
Juliette sighed, resigned. “I’d hoped we could do this from within the organization, but it doesn’t look like that’s possible.”
“No. I’ve never met him, but I’ve heard about him. He’s in the know.”
“What do you mean?” Juliette asked.
“He knows about the Trinity Masters, and the Admiralty.”
Everyone froze. The sound of Tasha setting her cup in its saucer rang like a gunshot.
“The…Admiralty?” Juliette asked.
Franco leaned forward. “What do you know about them? How do you know about them?”
Tasha frowned. “How do I know? I kill people and I know things. That’s what I do.”
“Yep. Terrifying,” Franco muttered.
Tasha shook her head. “The Admiralty operates in Europe. Secret organization, though they have some public faces. Old. What I always heard was, ‘The Admiralty protects the secrets of the old world.’”
