Frailty of Things Read online

  “A friend,” she answered. “I think I need a drink before I go up to my room,” she added. With that implicit command hanging in the air, Kit walked straight into the bar, confident that Garret would follow.

  ***

  An hour and a half and two martinis later, Kit was making her way to her room flanked by her brother and Garret.

  In the hotel bar, Caleb had peppered her with questions, most of which she’d ignored by keeping her nose buried in a Times of London someone else had left behind. Garret had said next to nothing, though toward the end, when it had become clear that Kit wasn’t going to talk, he had told Caleb to back off. It was then that she’d allowed herself to look at him for the first time since they’d sat down. And for a moment, she’d had the strongest urge to crawl into his lap and let him hold her. The look he’d given her in return seemed to say that he’d welcome such a move on her part. But she hadn’t been brave enough. Not with her brother there. Not when she didn’t know why either of them were in London. Not when she didn’t know what she really wanted from Garret.

  And now that she’d spent the last ninety minutes establishing how she was going to address what had happened with Jonathon Parker—in that she was not going to address it at all—what came next would be an interesting test and she knew it. She needed to get rid of both of them before she entered her room.

  She’d been mulling it over since she’d taken the first sip of her dirty gin cocktail and was pretty sure she had a good plan. Getting rid of Garret, who seemed a bit more respectful of her wishes, would be easier; it was her brother she was most concerned about. So she opted to tackle him first.

  “Your key,” her brother demanded as they neared her room.

  “I have it, thanks,” she replied as she pulled out the unremarkable card.

  Caleb let out a breath. “You were shot at today, Kit. You aren’t going to stay alone tonight.”

  “I wasn’t shot at. Someone I happened to be with was shot at. And I am staying alone tonight,” she retorted. “Because, dear brother, I’m still beyond pissed that you’re here following me and haven’t even told me why.”

  It wasn’t exactly a lie. She was curious why he was there, but since she suspected it had something to do with Henry Michaels, a man she wanted to say nothing about, she didn’t actually want to press the issue. But Caleb didn’t know that, and she’d noticed that despite his eagerness to ask her about the man before she’d left for Europe, Caleb hadn’t brought him up since. Of all the questions he’d asked her in the bar, not a single one was about either of the Michaels men. So she hoped that his reticence to talk to her about that and about what he was doing in London would hold him back.

  “I would think it’s obvious why I’m here—I mean, really Kit, how many times have you been shot at?” He crossed his arms and stood beside her door. She didn’t dare slide the key in the lock because she knew he would slip right into the room. She also didn’t bother to point out that he’d followed her to London long before the events of a few hours ago.

  “I told you, I wasn’t shot at. But I am jet lagged and I am annoyed at you. So if you really don’t want me to be alone, leave Garret.”

  Predictably, Caleb snorted, though behind him and out of his sight, a single one of Garret’s eyebrows went up.

  “Well then, that solves that,” she pronounced, gesturing for her brother to step aside. “I don’t want you anywhere near me until tomorrow and then only if you’re willing to talk to me. So, since you won’t let Garret stay with me, I guess I’ll be on my own, thank you very much.”

  Caleb eyed her for a moment, then stepped aside. Easily. Almost too easily. She eyed him right back and motioned with her head for him to step even further away from the door. He rolled his eyes but took three more steps away.

  “I’m not going to rush tackle you, Kit,” he said sarcastically.

  “Forgive me if I don’t trust you when for years you’ve come and gone from my life without so much as a ‘how are you’ and now you want to stayed glued to my side.” She shook her head. “You were following me before Jonathon was shot, which means you’re here for some reason other than to protect me. Sorry, Caleb, I’m sure even you can see how I must feel that you’re here only because you want something from me. And at this point, that’s not a feeling I care to continue to inflict upon myself. So, if you’ll excuse me,” she let her voice trail off, surprised by the sting in her own tone. And judging by Caleb’s reaction, she’d hit a nerve. She hadn’t meant to and honestly hadn’t known that was how she felt until the words had come out. But now that they were out, she could scarcely deny them. There was no other explanation for Caleb sticking so close to her when he’d all but ignored her for years.

  The realization hit her as hard as it seemed to hit him; in an instant, all the fight went out of her and a wave of loss and sadness swept into her soul. Maybe Garret recognized it, or maybe not, but when Caleb made to move toward her as she slid her key in the lock, he put a hand on Caleb’s shoulder, halting him. And Caleb didn’t fight him. She was pretty sure that was a good thing.

  She stepped into her dark room and let the door click shut behind her. Turning to flip the lock and hit the light switch, she let out a deep breath. When she felt more collected she turned. And for the second time that day, barely stifled a scream.

  “Kit?!” Garret’s response was immediate from the other side of the door. She heard him try the handle, then let out a curse. She frowned, it was in Spanish, if she wasn’t mistaken, a language she’d never heard him use before. But his pounding didn’t let her mind absorb the information, and she frantically looked around her room.

  At the two people lounging there.

  One leggy blonde lay on the bed flipping through a magazine, and a dark-haired man sipping a glass of amber liquor relaxed in one of the side chairs. When Garret’s knocking got a bit more insistent, the blonde gestured to the corner of the table, then nodded toward the door. Kit got what she was trying to say.

  “I’m fine, Garret,” she said, turning her head toward the door so her voice would carry. “I just walked into the corner of a table and it hurt like a son-of-a-bitch.”

  “Then let me in to see you,” he demanded. Caleb echoed the sentiment.

  Kit sighed and opened the door but left the top lock on. “See, I’m fine. I’ll probably have a bruise tomorrow, but I’m fine.”

  Both men eyed her suspiciously, but Garret finally stepped back. And then it occurred to her why Caleb had given in so easily a few moments before—because he wasn’t planning on going anywhere anyway. Oh, to be sure, the hotel would kick him out of the hallway eventually, but she didn’t doubt he would be watching the hotel, watching out for her.

  “I’m fine,” she insisted. “And now I’m going to go to bed, so good night gentlemen,” she said, then closed the door with a finality that she felt in her bones.

  Turning back to her guests, she gave them a questioning look. The woman shook her head as she rose silently from the bed and gestured toward the bathroom. Kit got the message and glanced at the man who nodded to both women and waved them into the relative privacy of the attached room.

  When they were both inside, with the door shut, Kit flipped on the water, because that was what she saw people do in spy movies, and faced her visitor. A huge smile broke across her face, the first real one all day.

  “Dani Williamson Fuller,” Kit said. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  CHAPTER 6

  KIT LET DANI engulf her in a huge, warm hug. It felt good to be in the presence of her long-time friend—a woman she both trusted and admired. But it was completely unexpected. The last time they had talked, Dani and her husband, Ty, had just been settling in for a long winter in their hometown of Portland, Maine. TJ, their two year-old son, was just learning to sleep in his big boy bed. And now Dani was here. For her.

  Dani let out a quiet laugh. “Drew did not send us over here just to meet you, so you can stop worrying that you’ve inte
rrupted my life. Not that any visit with you would ever be considered an interruption,” she added.

  Kit studied her friend and saw the honesty in her eyes, which was even more confusing. “Then why are you here? Not that I’m not glad to see you.”

  “Ty and I never really had a honeymoon,” Dani said as she propped herself against the counter. “So we decided to take a couple of weeks away. We spent a week in Greece and just landed in London a few days ago. When Drew called and told me what had happened, he asked if we wouldn’t mind helping out for a few hours. And since I rarely get to see you in person, it was, of course, no question.”

  Kit wasn’t sure what to think of the coincidence, but there was no doubt she was happy to see her friend, so she just smiled.

  “How are you?” Dani asked. “I can’t imagine you’ve ever been shot at before?”

  Kit rolled her eyes. “I was not shot at. Someone I was with was shot at.” She repeated what she’d said to Caleb just a few minutes ago, but Dani waved her off.

  “Whatever. Being anywhere near a live shot can be scary as hell, so how are you?” she pressed.

  Kit slid her coat off, and in the process, caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. “Geez, I look like hell,” she said, eyeing the dark circles under her eyes.

  “Jet lag, lack of sleep, and stress can do that. Did Drew get you involved in something he shouldn’t have?”

  Kit shook her head as she reached for an elastic band to tie her hair back. Adjusting the temperature of the running water, she avoided Dani’s knowing gaze.

  “He did, didn’t he?” Dani pushed as Kit bent to wash the travel and city grime off her face.

  She didn’t talk as she splashed water on her face, but when she’d finished and Dani had handed her a towel, Kit knew she had to say something. Dani and Drew were like brother and sister, she didn’t want to get Drew in trouble with Dani, but she also didn’t want to hide anything from her friend.

  “Not intentionally, I don’t think,” Kit answered as she patted her face dry.

  “Meaning?” Dani asked as she handed Kit a small bottle of face lotion.

  “Meaning he asked me for a favor, a personal favor. He’s never done that before, and considering everything he’s done for me,” Kit raised her hand to stave off the objection Dani’s lips were already forming and continued. “After everything he’s done for me, I wanted to help him. It’s as simple as that. I knew what he was asking and why. He didn’t hide anything from me,” Kit insisted.

  “But he almost got you shot,” Dani pointed out.

  Kit gave her friend a pointed look. “Gun violence in England is so rare, he never could have suspected this might happen. And before we rat hole on this, let’s just agree to let it go. It happened, it’s over, now what do I do? I assume Drew has some sort of plan for dealing with this?”

  Dani’s big brown eyes studied her for a long moment, and Kit knew her friend was searching for any sign of doubt or fear. Fear she’d find—it was true, it wasn’t every day she was with someone who’d been shot—but she wouldn’t find any doubt. If there was one thing Kit knew how to do, it was move on.

  Finally, Dani nodded in acquiescence. “Once your brother and his colleague stop loitering in the hallway, we’ll get you out of here and somewhere safe.”

  That got Kit’s attention. She flipped the lid of the toilet closed and sat down. “Do you really think I’m in actual danger?” It sounded like a dumb question, considering the events of the day, but there was something about Dani’s tone that made it seem more real than it had felt up until this point.

  Coming to sit on the edge of the tub beside her, Dani gave Kit’s arm a gentle squeeze, just like she had all those years ago when they’d first met and Kit had been a scared little six-year-old shipped off by her dad to some rich-kid summer camp for four weeks. Kit managed a smile at the memory.

  “Who would have thought,” Kit said. “All those years ago when you agreed to be my big sister at camp and shepherd me through my first time away from home, that we would end up like this.”

  Dani rubbed Kit’s arm again, then dropped her hand. “We haven’t ‘ended up’ anywhere, Kit. This isn’t the end to anything. Like so many other events in our lives, it’s a bump. And considering what has gone on in our lives, it’s a relatively minor bump, at that.”

  Kit had to give her that. Between the two of them, they’d make one hell of a made-for-TV movie. She shook her head. “You’re right. It’s the jet lag and the stress. When I think about what happened today, it was scary, but I don’t feel unsafe now. Right now, I just want to get to bed.”

  On cue, Ty poked his head into the bathroom. “Ready?” he asked, directing his question to his wife. “And by the way, Kit, hello to you. You look great. Sorry you got shot at today,” he added.

  Kit thought about pointing out for the umpteenth time that she hadn’t been shot at, but then saw the spark in Ty’s eyes and just shook her head and laughed. “It’s good to see you too, Ty. Dani sent me some pictures of TJ; he’s the spitting image of you.”

  Ty’s mouth split into a grin at the reminder of his son. “I know, right?” He cast a look at Dani, then laughed. “It makes Dani grumpy. She thinks that since she did all the work, he should look at least a little bit like her.”

  “I did carry him for nine months, then breast fed him for a year,” Dani pointed out.

  “Maybe you’ll get lucky next time,” Ty teased, coming over to kiss his wife on the top of her head.

  “You aren’t—” Kit didn’t even get to finish the question before Dani started shaking her head.

  “No, I’m not pregnant.”

  “Not that we know of,” Ty added. Dani elbowed him in the hip then turned back to Kit.

  “We’re thinking we might try for another,” she said. “It was part of the reason we wanted to take this trip now. We figured if we ever wanted to spend some time alone, we should do it before we start trying for another and life becomes engulfed by two kids.”

  Kit smiled. “Whether TJ gets a sibling or not, you guys are great parents.”

  Dani and Ty both smiled. “Thanks,” Dani said. “It isn’t always easy, but between our families we have great support.”

  And that they both knew how fragile life could be was something they didn’t say. They didn’t need to, not to Kit, who knew all about both their pasts. At the age of thirteen, Dani had witnessed her parents’ murders and then, years later, she’d almost lost Ty when he’d gone after the man who had killed them. Ty had been caught in the cross fire during the mission and had been presumed dead. He’d missed nearly all of Dani’s pregnancy while recovering in the jungles of Africa before finally making it back to the States just before their son was born.

  Knowing they were putting their much-deserved vacation together on hold for her, Kit took a deep breath. “So tell me then, what’s the plan?”

  ***

  Stretched out on a bed three floors above Kit’s room, Garret gazed up at the ceiling. He and Caleb had left the hallway outside Kit’s room when it had become clear that one guest or another was going to report them. He’d then taken a shift keeping an eye on the most common exits, first sitting in the bar with a view of the elevator and stairwell, then moving to the street with a view of the main door as the night wore on and the bar closed. Caleb had gone off to only god knew where, but had returned at about three in the morning to relieve him.

  It was close to five and he still hadn’t slept a wink. Garret didn’t like leaving Kit one bit. And he didn’t like their makeshift surveillance of her either. There were a hundred and one ways someone could slip into her room outside of their surveillance. Actually, by his count, there were one hundred and twenty-seven ways.

  But he hadn’t seen her leave, nor had he seen anyone who raised the hair on the back of his neck while in the bar. And once he’d moved to the street, he’d actually caught a glimpse of her silhouette as she’d moved toward the bathroom and flicked on a light. It wasn’t m
uch, but that small sighting had soothed some of his nerves.

  Rubbing a hand over his face, he tried to will himself to sleep. But the events and the conversations of the day before were still bouncing around his head like a coked-up jackrabbit. He didn’t believe for a second that she was involved in what Caleb was concerned that she might be involved in. But then again, she’d been seen with two spooks and been shot at. And she seemed to have taken it all in stride. Of course, Kit wasn’t really the type to wallow in hysterics. She’d been frightened after the shooting, he’d seen that, but she’d pushed it aside and bandaged Jonathon up. When he’d sat with her at the bar afterward, he’d noticed that her hands shook as she’d raised her drink. But her voice had been strong—soft, but strong.

  So if she wasn’t involved in whatever it was Caleb thought she might be involved in, why had she reacted to the name from her past in the way she had, and why was she so comfortable around spies?

  He had no idea what was going on in her head or her life because five months ago he hadn’t stuck around to find out. A rueful bark of laughter escaped his lungs as he thought about that and the pain he’d heard in her voice when she’d accused Caleb of following her and only sticking around because he needed something from her. He couldn’t help but wonder just how many people there were out there using Kit for their own purposes. Caleb was one, to be sure—he thought she had information he might need. And Garret would wager that whatever circumstances had brought Kit to cross paths with Jonathon Parker involved someone using her for their own reasons as well.

  And then there was her job. Her agent used her and made money off of her. He knew from his conversations with Kit five months ago that she wouldn’t characterize her relationship with her agent that way, but the long and short of it was that whether the woman was a true friend to Kit or not, she only made money when Kit did.

  And then there was him. Was he just one of many who looked at Kit as a means to an end? He tried to look at things objectively but not surprisingly, he came up short. He could see how Kit might see it that way. He could see how she might resent his waltzing back into her life and looking to pick up where they left off.