“Good. First, were you working with anyone on this?”
“No.”
“Did you kill Tarasov’s man in the alley?”
Lying was second nature, and a denial was right there on the tip of her tongue. But she was tired of lying. Tired of hiding.
She believed him when he said he would check everything she told him, and didn’t doubt that he would find out the truth anyway. More than that, Kiyomi and the others said she could trust him. “He came after me, not the other way around.”
“Did you kill him?” he repeated.
“Yes. In self-defense. I was on my way out of the area when it happened.”
He nodded, his expression thawing slightly, and she got the sense that she had just passed a critical test. As if he’d already known all of it before he’d asked. “So you were there while Kiyomi’s part of the op was happening.”
“For a while.” It didn’t surprise her that he was considered a legend in his field. Even with all her training and experience, she couldn’t read him or figure out what was going on in his head.
“You can fill in the details later when you and I meet with my MI5 contacts—and yeah, that’s happening. If you’re wanting to go straight and get your life back like the others, then you’re going to have to play by the rules now.”
She didn’t like it, was naturally suspicious of others and especially people who worked for the government, but she understood. Besides, Rycroft was semi-retired and trying to get out. There was no reason for him to try to screw her. “Okay.”
“It’s going to take me a while to dig up your records, if they still exist, so it’ll be way easier if you just tell me what I need to know. Are you still a US citizen?”
“My citizenship as Julia was never revoked, but technically she’s dead and I never got around to getting a US passport for my new identity.”
“I’ll handle it.” He folded his arms across his wide chest. “How did this whole thing unfold from your end?”
That was a loaded question. One that could potentially get her into a lot of trouble.
“Bear in mind, it’s not possible to shock me at this point. Not after dealing with the rest of you for this long. So whatever you need to say, just say it.”
Dredging up everything about her past was the last thing she wanted to do. It had to happen, though, so doing it here and now would allow her to get everything out into the open and hopefully allow her the fresh start she was dying for. “How much do you know about my past?”
“Not nearly enough. So enlighten me.”
She ran through it quickly in as straight forward a manner as possible, starting with just before the disaster with Zoya and Hannah, and ending with the Tarasov op. When she finished, Rycroft sat in silence for a few moments, silver eyes assessing her.
“That everything?”
“Yes.” The details she’d left out didn’t matter and could be filled in later. He had everything he needed about her now.
He inclined his head, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “All right. Thank you, Ivy.” He rose and held out his hand. They shook. He didn’t let go, his grip firm as his gaze bored into hers. “I’m warning you now, don’t run. I can’t help you if you do.”
“I won’t.” Not when Tarasov was in custody and she’d finally been reunited with Kiyomi. “I’m done running.”
“Good.” He released her. “I’ll be in touch within the next day or so. Gotta get two Valkyries home to their families first.” He turned and strode out.
Ivy watched him go, a poignant smile spreading across her face. Weird as it seemed, she felt like she might have just found an ally in Alex Rycroft.
Chapter Twenty-Four
How long was this going to go on for?
Trinity popped out of the chair again and began pacing the length of the waiting room, unable to bear it.
“You’re gonna put a hole in the carpet,” Brody mumbled from the chair he was slumped in, ball cap pulled low over his eyes.
“It’s like time’s moving backward,” she muttered, rolling her head around to ease the tight muscles in her neck and shoulders. It had been two days since she’d slept. She was tired and restless and edgy as hell, and the waiting was killing her.
Everything since leaving Laidlaw Hall with Briar and Rycroft was a blur. As soon as she’d been let off the plane, she’d hoisted her carry-on luggage and run through the airport, cleared customs and jumped straight into a taxi to come here. The labor was now well into hour nineteen, and Trinity was scared something was wrong.
“Come sit down. Better yet, come curl up here next to me and get some sleep.”
“Can’t. Need to move.” The waiting and not knowing was torture. So many things could go wrong.
Not to mention the legal issues, and the potential consequences for her involvement in the Tarasov op were still up in the air. Rycroft had promised to make sure it didn’t affect the adoption, but he could only do so much.
Brody sighed, stood up and grabbed her around the waist, hauling her back to the chair while ignoring her protests. “Just shh for a minute,” he told her, pulling her into his lap and holding her securely.
She remained stiff for a few moments, then gradually melted. He had to be anxious too, and here he was trying to soothe her.
“That’s better.” He stroked her hair, kissed her forehead. “It’s you and me, Trin, no matter what happens. We’re our own family. And everything’s going to be okay.”
She cuddled close, drinking up his love and comfort. “I’m glad you finally gave in and married me,” she teased. They both knew it was the other way around.
He snorted. “Brat.”
The door opened. She jumped up like she’d been launched off Brody’s lap by a catapult, heart tripping as she stared at the nurse. “What’s happened?”
The nurse smiled. “Congratulations, Mom and Dad.”
Trinity clapped a hand over her mouth, a high-pitched sound coming out. Brody was beside her in an instant, hooking his arm around her shoulders. “He’s here?”
She beamed at them. “Yes. Are you ready to meet him?”
Trinity followed her into the hall, clutching Brody’s hand. This was happening. After all these years, all the sadness and heartbreak, she was about to be a mother and hold her child for the first time.
“Oh my God, oh my God,” she whispered, barely able to hold it together.
Brody squeezed her hand, his excitement palpable.
A door down the hallway opened and a doctor stepped out holding a precious, blanket-wrapped bundle in her arms. “Mr. and Mrs. Colebrook, I’d like you to meet your son.”
Tears flooded Trinity’s eyes. She might have run the last few yards, she wasn’t sure, but her outstretched arms were already reaching out for the baby when she stopped in front of the doctor.
A moment later her newborn son was carefully transferred to her arms.
Trinity stared down at his pink, scrunched face, struck by how tiny he was and blinking furiously to see him through the rush of tears. “Oh my God, Brody…”
He chuckled and stepped up close behind her, reaching out one big hand to touch their son’s forehead. “He’s a good looking kid.”