She gave him a mischievous smile and swam away.
On the third day he did not wait for her to arrive. When he reached the same spot, he anchored the boat and stripped down to his briefs. Then he dove into the water. He swam in large, arching circles—a search pattern—trying to see into the deep waters.
She was underneath him, watching, curious and delighted with this human she had caught. He was hers. She didn’t tell the other mermaids about him, because she didn’t want to share.
Only when he began to tire did she swim up to greet him, thumping his legs with her tail and flicking her hair over her shoulder. He laughed, the sound rusty from disuse.
Weeks passed. Months.
He began to wonder if he loved her, and if she could love him back. Most days the mermaid would come play with him. On some days she would not, and he began to grow resentful of whatever business kept her away those times.
In his small crofter’s hut, he began to build a net, the largest one he’d ever made.
When it was finished he hauled it onto his boat and threw it into the water. He caught her. He caught her, and this time, he didn’t immediately let her go. In that moment it ceased being a game. That is where the love story ends and the real story begins.
* * *
The knock comes two hours after Elijah and Josh leave. I’ve been scribbling in my notebook ever since they left. My new story idea has cramped my hand. It’s been a long time since I wrote about mermaids. Not since my first published book. It must be the seaside setting that’s inspired me to write about what creatures inhabit it.
I’m only halfway curious when I hear voices downstairs. There are occasional deliveries of food from the local merchants.
Liam appears in the doorway, and I know something is wrong.
His green eyes appear dark, and though it’s an expression I’ve never seen on his face before, he’s worried. He gives me a curt nod in greeting. “The lieutenant colonel is here. The man Elijah is supposed to be meeting. I called him, but it’ll be another two hours before they make it back.”
A sense of surrealness washes over me. I know my blood is pounding, but everything is happening in slow motion. The sun seems brighter, the details on the terrace sharper. Leaves that had only been green are now vibrant. The sound of waves rushes in my ears. “What does he want?”
“He wants to talk to you. I would tell him to go fuck himself… but he has an arrest warrant for you from the AISE. The Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Esterna. We’re in their country. They have jurisdiction.”
My voice turns into a squeak. “They’re going to arrest me?”
There’s a telling pause. “No, but it would be hard to stop them. Easier to give in to the lieutenant colonel’s demands. He claims that if he talks to you, only talks, he won’t make the arrest.”
“He wants to talk to me?”
“Most likely he’s going to ask you about the diamonds. That’s what he really wants. Well, he wants Elijah, too, but I think at this point he’d settle for the diamonds.”
Panic makes my throat tight. “We don’t have them anymore.”
Liam’s green eyes look so much like Elijah’s, it makes me ache. “Be honest with him. He would spot a lie anyway. Once he knows that Taggart has the diamonds, he can try going after him. If he has AISE in his pocket, he might even get them back.”
“Do I have to do this?” Part of me is terrified to face the man that even makes Elijah blink, despite all his muscles and confidence. The other part of me is curious to know who this man is and what sort of hold he has over the man I’ve come to love. It’s more than just the coercion. There’s some strange bond between these two men. It keeps Elijah tethered more than any bounty on my head. Even his brothers haven’t managed to break that hold.
Liam shakes his head. “There’s a chopper about a thirty-minute drive from here. We can slip out the back with London and be off the ground before they can stop us. But…”
“But we’d be running from the authorities.”
“It wouldn’t look good.”
“Would you get in trouble?”
“I’m more concerned for Elijah. We’d have to leave him here until we could get an extraction team. He can take care of himself, though. And Josh is with him.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
Liam can’t entirely hide his relief. “I’ll be in the room with you. And we have our security team stationed at the door and outside. He can’t hurt you.”
I suspect that isn’t quite true. This lieutenant colonel has taken on almost mythical proportions. It feels like almost anything is possible, but maybe it’s good that I get to talk to him. I might uncover what hold he has on Elijah. I might learn how to break it. “I should talk to him alone. You can wait outside the room.”
Liam raises his eyebrows. “Are you sure?”
“No, but I have a feeling he would insist on it even if I didn’t.”
Liam studies me. After a long moment his lips curve up. “You’re good for Elijah,” he says, and before I can process that statement or respond, he’s gone.
I close the notebook where I’d been writing and set it aside.
Then I stand and pace in the few moments left that I have alone. The second-floor landing opens to a small balcony. Wrought iron furniture. Ivy on the walls. It’s a picturesque setting. The beauty doesn’t match the conversation I’m about to have. Because unlike Liam, I don’t think the lieutenant colonel will be satisfied with diamonds.
Liam appears at the door again, this time preceding a man of middle age. He’s not wearing a military uniform. Instead he’s in a black suit, but it’s clear from his bearing and his haircut that he’s army. His skin has a splotchy redness that makes him look perpetually angry. He smiles, and my skin crawls. I would look away if we passed on the street. Now I force myself to meet his pale, watery eyes. “Lieutenant Colonel Jefferson,” I say, holding out my hand.
He grasps my hand with a sweaty palm. “I see my reputation precedes me. Don’t tell me that our dear Elijah has been sharing classified information.”
The implied threat makes me flush. “Of course not.”
He gestures to the small wrought iron table and its two chairs. “Please. Sit. It’s such beautiful weather. We can have some lemonade.” He gives Liam a significant glance. “Perhaps you can get it for us.”
Liam gives me a hard look. “I’ll be right outside the door if you need me.”
I nod, even though the taste of fear is metallic in my mouth. I’m in the room with a sociopath. That much is clear to me from even the few words we exchanged. There’s something reptilian and flat about his eyes. This is the man who Elijah reported to. This is the man he served.
When we’re alone, the lieutenant colonel settles into one of the seats. I’m more slow to occupy the other one, perching on the edge as if I need to bolt.
He gives me a frank assessment. “Pretty, but I don’t understand the fascination.”
Indignation rises in my chest, but I force it down. I return his assessment with one of my own, taking in his florid face down to his scuffed dress shoes. “Powerful, but not nearly important enough to control Elijah North.”