Chapter Thirty-One
Ethan didn’t know how much time had passed. He closed his eyes, kept his mind an empty void, because he couldn’t bear to think about Sadie. He just wanted it all finished.
At the click of heels on tiles, he opened his eyes. Lauren entered, followed by two guards at her shoulder. She came to a halt in front of him, staring down. He’d never prayed in his life before, but he did so now. That something…anything…had gone wrong, that Sadie had escaped.
“It’s done,” Lauren said. “She’s dead.”
The words made it through the fog in his mind, and inside, he screamed.
She reached down, patted his arm, and every muscle in his body locked up tight. “Look on the bright side,” she murmured. “She probably didn’t even wake up. She wouldn’t have felt a thing.”
He was going to kill her. Whatever else he did this day, Lauren would die. No doubt, he’d die along with her. He didn’t care. He’d be doing the world an immeasurable favor. Forcing the grief from his mind, he slowed his breathing. He needed to think straight. He wouldn’t have Sadie die for nothing.
“Where are your new friends?” he asked.
“They left as soon as we got the news. They’ve gone to deal with the rest of your little Tribe.”
They must have flown to Uganda. At least he hadn’t given away the exact location—he didn’t know it. Just the airport. Would they be able to get a fix on Jake and his people from there? He didn’t know. Christ, he needed to get a warning to Jake somehow.
“You can’t do anything about it,” Lauren said. “You don’t know how powerful these people are.”
At least she was only guessing and couldn’t read his mind. Now the other two were gone, he could at least keep his thoughts to himself. “Neither do you.” He studied her for a moment. How much had they revealed? “Do you know where they come from?”
“Of course not. I presume some super-secret government group even we haven’t infiltrated. Don’t worry. I’ll find them as soon as I have the Conclave’s resources behind me. Now it’s time to go.”
The guard unfastened the cuffs from his wrists and ankles. He stood, stretched, rolling his shoulders. Lauren tossed him a bundle of clothes. A black suit, white shirt, and a black tie. He stripped and dressed in the clothes.
It was his father’s funeral. He’d almost forgotten that. So many deaths.
Lauren left him afterward, though the guards stayed in the room. Could he take them? Probably. But after that—what? He had no clue how many people Lauren had here, but he was guessing plenty. His best bet to kill her was the explosive device. He had to bide his time. From the window, he watched the guests arriving, rolling up in their big black cars. He recognized them all. In a way, they were his family. Some were good, others not so good, but all had condoned things beyond acceptability. No one was born with the right to rule. Hereditary power could only be a force for evil. He’d come to see that. Before, he’d been blinded by his own need to discover the truth.
He made to turn away and then went still as a car drove up the drive and halted in front of the house. Fergus climbed out from the driver’s seat and Ethan swore under his breath. Something made the other man look up and they locked eyes.
Stupid bastard. What the hell was he doing here?
He glared and hoped Fergus took it to mean—get the fuck out of here. But he didn’t think so. Fergus gave a slight shake of his head and headed off around the side of the house. Would he have the sense to keep out of Lauren’s way? If he remained in the open, he might stay at liberty until after the service. Lauren wouldn’t want to make a fuss. And afterward…hopefully it wouldn’t matter.
Lauren appeared at the door. “It’s time.”
Ethan followed her out of the house. It was one of those rare days in Scotland when the sun shone, the sky a deep blue that reminded him of Sadie’s eyes. He stood at the entrance to the estate’s small cemetery, shook hands with the people he intended to kill. Fergus came to a halt in front of him.
Ethan took his hand. “Sadie is dead.”
Shock flared across the other man’s face, then sadness. He glanced at Lauren, who stood at Ethan’s side, and Ethan gave a small nod. Fergus moved away without another word, his shoulders tense, hands fisted at his side. Ethan had wanted his friend angry—that way he would make sure he stayed alive, and if Ethan failed, he would find a way to get to Lauren.
He was on autopilot as he stood at his father’s graveside, before the Conclave, and spoke of his father. His gaze kept slipping to the right. His mother’s grave with its ornate marble stone. Had they actually buried someone there or was the grave empty? Did it matter? If he succeeded and destroyed the Conclave, his mother would be safe. Even if she never knew it.
He finished up. “My father was a good man, and he followed his beliefs.”
Which hadn’t always been those of the Concave. After all, he’d let Ethan’s mother go. He stepped aside for the minister to approach the grave. They were lowering the coffin now.
“…we therefore commit his body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust…”
Ethan ignored the drone of the voice and searched the area, found Fergus standing in the shadow of an oak tree, well outside the potential blast zone. Lauren stepped up closer, followed his gaze. “Don’t worry, we’ll pick your friend up afterward. I don’t want to spend my life looking over my shoulder.”
“Fergus is a good man. You could use him.”
“You think he’d ever work for me after I kill you. I’d never trust him. Now, let’s finish this. They’re waiting for you. Get this done, and we can get the hell out of here.”
The minister had finished speaking. Everyone was looking to Ethan, and his eyes skimmed their faces. At least there were no children. Most were Conclave. A few others. The minister. There was always collateral damage. He’d learned to accept that. Now he wished there was some way he could warn the man.
He stepped up to the head of the grave, where the earth was mounded. A smooth shiny pebble lay on the surface and he glanced up straight into Fergus’s eyes, giving a small nod.
Ethan went down on one knee, bent his head as though in prayer. His hand reached out as if to pick up a handful of earth, but slipped his fingers beneath the soil. Found the detonator and closed his fist around it.
He stood up tall, held Fergus’s gaze as his fingers tightened—
“Don’t you goddamn dare press that button.”
The voice sounded from behind him, so familiar that for a second he thought he must have conjured her up.
Sadie.
How?
He whirled around and there she stood, all black leather and attitude, and he could feel an inane grin tugging at his lips. He shook his head. Maybe he was already dead.
“Don’t be an idiot. And drop that detonator—it’s making me nervous.”
He didn’t let go, but turned the device over, found the deactivation switch, and disarmed the explosives, then slipped it in his pocket. Sadie nodded. Then she strode around him and stood staring at Lauren, her eyes narrowed, filled with hatred.
As Lauren opened her mouth, the two guards at her shoulders collapsed to the ground. She closed it again. Looked around her.
Jake stood a little way off, a rifle hung loosely from his hand. Rose at his side, and she waggled her fingers in his direction. Others of the Tribe stood in a circle, guns in their hands, but they made no move to stop the fleeing mourners.
Lauren backed away, but Sadie pulled a pistol out from the back of her jeans, and the other woman went instantly still.
“You shot my fucking dog, you bitch.” Sadie raised the pistol and shot her between the eyes.
Ethan blinked at the loud retort, still trying to get his brain working. She was alive. “How?” he asked.
“Long story,” she said. “But basically, you saved me—thanks for that.” Then she scowled. “Mind you, you wouldn’t have had to save me if you hadn’t goddamned drugged me.” She pointed the gun at his chest. “Don’t ever drug me again.”
He shook his head, his mind still not making sense of this. Then she dropped the pistol and she was in his arms. And nothing else mattered.
She was no longer wearing the reflector device and he let his mind fill with everything he felt, his wonder that she was here when he’d thought her dead, his hopes for the future, all his love.
“I love you, too.”
He kissed her until they both ran out of air. “We saved each other. That means we belong together. A lifetime.”
“Longer.” A slow smile curved her lips. “As many lifetimes as you can take.”