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“Sit down and lower your voice.” Tess shot Declan a warning glance. “Don’t test me. Not today.”
“Hey, you two. Stop.” Mark made a time-out signal with his hands. “You’re under tremendous pressure, but your team will need you to model calm, not panic. Everyone wants David back.”
After counting to three in her head, Tess wondered how scandalous it would be to order a vodka tonic so early in the morning. She let out a sharp exhale and turned to Declan. “I understand David’s suffering, because Mark and I endured it ourselves. I won’t sugarcoat it—his life is at risk, and this lead is my best shot at getting him home alive.” Kyle’s words kept echoing in her mind: Don’t trust anyone at Kingsley. “Mark, we need to get going. Declan, feel free to call if you need anything.” Aware of Declan’s narrowed, piercing gaze tracking her, Tess feigned nonchalance and reached for her bag. Although she had committed a lie of omission rather than a falsehood, she was a terrible liar and knew it.
After a speedy exit from the café, she and Mark stopped at the hotel to pick up their suitcases and hail a cab. The morning rush had begun, and London’s streets filled with commuters. Noticing Mark’s perplexed expression, she reached over to squeeze his hand. “Hey, what’s on your mind?”
“Why didn’t you tell Declan about Kyle’s letter? It does seem like you’re shutting him out.” Mark rolled down the cab window, and cold air flowed through the back seat.
“Easy. Declan’s stressed, and telling him terrorists murdered his best friend won’t make it any easier to manage David’s kidnapping. The truth will gut him like it gutted me.” She swiped away a stray tear.
Mark grasped her hand. “I see, but you’ve got to tell him soon. He knows you’re holding something back.” He leaned his head against the headrest and stared at the cab’s ceiling.
“I will. You can’t trick Declan, but you can rely upon his loyalty, or at least I’ve always thought so. He’s whip-smart and can memorize vast amounts of data by osmosis, but sometimes, he lacks filters.” To block the frosty morning air, she wound her cashmere scarf higher on her neck.
The cab hit a speed bump, and Mark turned to face her. “Despite Declan’s lack of filters, I doubt he’d work against you. Did you decide whether you can trust him or not?”
“I believe in Declan, but Kyle said not to trust anyone at Kingsley.” She tapped out a message on her phone. “Okay, I sent Willis our travel plans and asked him to call if there’s any update on David’s whereabouts. We could use good news.”
As she and Mark boarded the flight to Inverness, she wished the disaster would end more than anything. Instead, she was trapped on an out-of-control carousel, spinning faster and faster. Too late to jump off, she had to hang on tight with all her might to not fall off the wild ride and crash. Luck saved her life several times last week, but that luck could also disappear without warning.
A shiver crept up her spine as she peered out the window at the baggage handlers loading the plane. No one beats death 100 percent of the time. No one.
Chapter Fifteen
Truth-Seeking
A couple of hours later, Tess and Mark landed at the Inverness airport in Scotland. The gray, gloomy skies did nothing to assuage her unease about the challenges ahead, and she shivered in her trench coat while waiting for Mark to pick up a rental car.
A small, black German sedan pulled up to the curb and parked. Mark hopped out and opened the passenger door. “Searching the Scottish Highlands for a hacker on the run is the last thing I expected to do this week.”
“You and me both. Hope you’re ready for an adventure.” She tried to sound upbeat, but the mixture of exhaustion and worry had deflated her spirits.
Clutching the steering wheel, Mark exited the airport parking lot and flew over a speed bump before landing hard and merging onto the roadway. “Shout if I veer to the right. Why the British decided to drive on the left is beyond me.”
“Embrace the unexpected but watch for those speed bumps.” Tess tightened her seat belt and consulted her phone to confirm they were headed in the right direction. “Glad you’re driving instead of me. First time in Scotland?”
“Yes, though Bergen’s across the North Sea to the northeast. When Norwegians travel, we prefer warm, cozy places with actual sunlight, rather than dismal northern countries.”
“Sadly, our hacker doesn’t live in a tropical resort with white-sand beaches. This Raven guy better have useful information. I’ve got nothing else.” She drummed her fingers on the dashboard.
“You realize if David’s in danger, you’re not safe either, right?” Mark trained his focus on the twisting road ahead.
She hadn’t. Bracing against a sudden swirl of nausea, she rolled down the passenger window and tilted her head to gulp the fresh air. Wrinkling her brows, she avoided considering the risks. “Thinking of David suffering at the hands of Yuri and Dmitry makes me sick. None of this should have happened.” The car passed through a wooded section with bare trees and piles of brown, yellow, and orange leaves. She touched his arm. “Hey, how are you feeling lately? You seem calmer.”
“My meds kicked in, which helps. No night terrors last night, just bizarre dreams. I’m managing it.” He sprayed the windshield with cleaner, and the wipers slapped back and forth.
“You’ll tell me if I can help you, right?” Whether he’d accept her help was another thing entirely.
“I’m good. I conquered this before, and I’ll do it again.” He peered ahead at the stark, rolling hills. “The other docs in Ukraine called me Dr. Calm, and I intend to earn my nickname back.”
“All I’m saying is, you don’t have to do it alone.” She wanted to be supportive without being pushy, but an edge of defensiveness had crept into his voice.
With the hint of a smile, he offered a slight nod and kept driving.
The text message he received earlier from the stunning redhead bothered her, though she tried not to obsess about it. Nothing he’d shared suggested a lingering love interest in New York, but still, she feared getting her heart trampled. Grilling him about his texts was a nonstarter, and she loathed appearing vulnerable or acting like an insecure high schooler. Chiding herself for worrying, she resolved to stop ruminating.
The road forked, and Mark took the exit on the right. A few blocks up the street, a riverfront hotel appeared. “Destination reached. That’s one win for the day.”
