Page 32 of The Hijack

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THE BOAT DOCKED IN a private cove on one of the many islands that made up the nation of Fiji. The island was so small I could see the curve of the land around the harbor we sailed into. As hiding places went, it was a good one.

Theo hopped down once the boat kissed the dock, securing the hull. A gruff-looking man in his early thirties was there waiting for us. He extended a metal plank up to the ship without being asked. The plank came with a railing and was designed to help people move in a dignified way from the ship to the shore.

I watched as Theo’s grandmother disembarked, using the railing for balance. The bodyguard ignored Theo’s attempts to intervene and held his hand out to guide her onto the pier. He turned his back to me, not caring if I managed the transition safely. By the way he moved, without waiting for instructions, I guessed he had been with Gretchen a long time.

Theo waited for me, holding out a hand to help me down. I took it. I had nothing to prove by refusing his assistance, and that last jump from the plank to the dock was a little unsteady. Theo glanced at me, and I could see worry in his eyes. I knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t concerned about his grandmother’s home or her bodyguard or gardener, whatever function the new arrival served. Theo was worried about me and our relationship.

I’d shut him out the night before after spending so much time learning about his family history. It wasn’t that I questioned Gretchen’s motives. Of course she cared for her grandson. I just felt that it was a little too convenient, her showing up the way she did. If she wasn’t monitoring communications every day, there was no way she would have picked up on our story. And if she wasn’t following our story carefully, she could have easily missed picking up on the fact that I was with Linc.

I was willing to allow that Lukas would be so interested, but Theo’s grandmother threw me for a loop. I needed some space to consider what that meant for the mission—and for us as a couple.

My own parents had passed away long before I began training at Abernathy’s estate. Lukas and Z were the only family I had left. And while I might lose track of them from time to time, I felt like I could trust their motivations. Gretchen Aldora was a wild card. What made her even more dangerous was that Theo stood in the way.

If things got hectic and Gretchen became a liability, we couldn’t abandon her or interrogate her. We would have to accept whatever curve balls she threw our way simply because she had given birth to Theo’s mother. That kind of baked-in loyalty was disturbing as far as I was concerned. I was far more comfortable putting my eggs in Theo’s basket. At least I’d had a chance to vet him.

I smiled at Theo in a way I hoped was reassuring. He was sweet and let the matter drop. We were at that point in our relationship where words weren’t always necessary. I hoped he could appreciate that I was giving his grandmother the benefit of the doubt. Her history was murky and her alliances unclear.

“This is my villa,” Gretchen said from the edge of the dock.

I looked up to follow her gaze, spotting a delightful little cabin tucked into an overgrown hillside. The place looked spectacular. The view was impressive. I was overwhelmed by another bout of jealousy. It seemed like Gretchen Aldora had everything a retired spy could ask for. She’d bowed out gracefully, secured a small fortune for herself, and was spending it anonymously in paradise.

I squeezed Theo’s hand, causing him to look up in surprise. Giving him a genuine smile, I hoped to convey that this was the kind of place I could see us retreating to after our work with Dark Sparrow was through. I could sunbathe on the private beach while he tinkered in the garage or vice versa. It would be a picturesque retreat from the world and all its problems, a welcome refuge for two weary spies.

“If you see anyone on this island, my cover story is that I’m a writer of some renown. Everyone knows I’m using an alias, but they think it’s because I don’t want to be recognized for my work.” She tossed the information over her shoulder as she mounted a short set of stairs up to the house.

“What type of books do you write?” I asked, testing the cover story.

“Children’s books,” she said. “One in particular you would know.”

“Which one?” Theo asked, playing along.

“If I told you that, I would have to kill you,” Gretchen joked.

The man beside her opened the door, helping her inside. It seemed like she was all steel and bullets when she was with us in the boat, but the moment this handyman showed up, she was as delicate as lace. I wondered if her companion knew about her secret identity. After a moment of mulling it over, I decided that he probably did. She wouldn’t trust him otherwise.

“Hello, I’m Clark.” I introduced myself to the man.

“George,” the man replied, extending his hand as was the American custom.

“Stop giving George the third degree,” Theo’s grandmother said, hanging up her scarf and slipping out of her shoes. “He’s been with me for years, and you can trust him.”

George straightened, giving me a stoic look. He was the kind of person I could easily see on the battlefield and at home doing both ordinary and extraordinary things. He presented a new dimension to the problem of Nana, one that I still hadn’t put to rest.

“Come inside,” Nana said, waving us in.

I followed Theo up into the living room, at once reminded of the place in the Alps where we had shared a few precious moments before being so rudely interrupted. It seemed that Theo and his grandmother shared an architectural aesthetic.

The kitchen was open concept and gazed out over the living room, where a massive wall of windows exposed the beauty of the island. I had no words for the joy that sprang up deep in my heart. It seemed like I wasn’t quite jaded enough to ignore the majesty of nature.

“This is a lovely home,” I said, drifting into the living room, where I sat down like a woman in a trance.

Theo followed his nana into the kitchen, where she began preparing a meal. I barely heard her removing something from the refrigerator and sticking it in the oven. She was just like everyone’s grandmother, it seemed. She was prepared to host her grandchildren whenever they might arrive.

I found myself wishing that I had a grandmother. That kind of ordinary family situation had always eluded me. I’d thought I was content running around the world, stirring things up, taking bad guys down. But in this quiet island retreat, I found myself wondering what life would have been like if things were different.

Theo and Gretchen joined me on the sofa. Theo handed me a glass of white wine, and though I usually didn’t like to drink early in the morning, I felt relaxed enough to allow myself one drink. The alcohol settled in with a vengeance, only proving that I was beyond exhausted. While I’d slept with Theo on the boat out at sea, that was long ago. We’d remained vigilant throughout the night, while Theo’s grandmother slept below deck.