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“You literally rolled up the privacy partition when I casually mentioned meeting your mother in passing.”
“Brook, I’d like you to attend the ceremony with me. Nothing else is a matter of consequence.”
“Mothers always matter, and I’m…”
Brook’s voice trailed off as she struggled with stringing the rest of her sentence together.
“The sister of a serial killer?”
“I was going to say that I was in my thirties, but I don’t think your mother would appreciate either fact when it comes to you.”
Graham was in his fifties, though he never really gave their age difference a second thought.
To him, such an insignificant detail didn’t matter in the least.
Had he been wrong?
“My mother knows of you, your past, and that you helped solve her granddaughter’s murder.” Graham wasn’t willing to say any more than that for fear that Brook would turn down his request. Still, he opted to be brutally honest with her. “This ceremony is for Kelsey. You deserve to be there, Brook. I wouldlikefor you to be there.”
Brook settled back in her seat, and Graham was fine with the somewhat comfortable silence as she thought over his request. Her relaxed posture meant that she was giving serious consideration to his request. By the time that Gus had them a few minutes from the airport, she finally gave her answer.
“Yes. I will attend the ceremony with you.” Brook cleared her throat. “With the condition that I meet you inside the venue.”
Graham wasn’t thrilled with the condition, but he understood where it stemmed from. He’d yet to address the fact that her brother was in town. Now was as good a time as any.
“How do you know that Jacob is in town?”
“He sent me a bereavement card with a personal message earlier today. Bit discovered the location where Jacob paid off a courier to deliver it to the office, and I’m inclined to believe it’s him based on the man’s height, weight, and gait. Unfortunately, Jacob is using the cold temperature to his advantage. He wore a heavy jacket, hood, gloves, and made sure his face was covered with a scarf. He faded away into an alleyway without coverage of several exits, and we have no idea where he might be at the moment.”
When the vehicle came to a stop, neither one of them made a move to vacate their seats.
“It might be wise to contact Alex regarding a private detail for your mother.”
Brook’s suggestion might have been her way of giving an explanation for the recent distance between them. At least, that’s how he took her recommendation.
The day that she’d received word that her father had passed away was the same day that she’d canceled their most recent dinner plans. After that, he could count the number of times they’d spoken on the phone. He might have been a bit hasty when it came to his previous assumptions. It wasn’t that she was back to putting up barriers between them. She was doing her best to protect him from more loss in his life.
“I’m about to get on a flight to Somalia. Our military advisors to the UN peacekeepers are doing the best they can to keep faction combatants away from our base of operations over there. My presence means that there is a team of third-party private contractors about to facilitate a raid on enemy forces of a certain warlord. Should the combatants retaliate against—“
“I know where you’re going with this, and it’s not the same.” Brook’s tone had hardened, and those blue eyes of hers once again reminded him of sharp crystal. “Jacob has already given you a warning shot across the bow by casually walking into your home without anyone the wiser. He’s highly intelligent, beyond patient, and acutely cunning in a way that would make Mason Cooper blush.”
Graham gritted his teeth at the mere mention of his daughter’s killer.
Brook had gone right for the jugular.
While he understood her need to do so, he was disappointed that she would assume that he hadn’t already taken precautions. He’d already admitted to himself that the two of them were more alike than they each gave themselves credit for, but their endless cycle of non-communication all but confirmed it.
“My mother has had a full detail of former Special Air Service operators discreetly following her since the day after Jacob walked into my home unannounced and unnoticed.”
Brook’s slight inhalation was audible, but there was also a shift in the air. Some of the tension had been released, and he’d caught her slight nod of approval.
“Well, I’m sure your mother just can’t wait to meet me,” Brook replied wryly.
“Trust me, my mother will surprise you.” Graham reached for Brook’s hand, not surprised when her soft skin was cold to the touch. He stroked his thumb over her knuckles. “I should be back on Friday.”
“Be safe.”
Graham gave her a half smile at the two words that he always said to her before they disconnected their phone calls. The distance that had been between them over the past couple of weeks began to dissipate, and he found himself wishing that he didn’t need to take this flight. Still, he released her hand and opened the car door. They both had executive responsibilities that had the potential to keep others safe from harm.
