Chapter 23
Issa would’ve enjoyed the flight if it had been for any other reason. She struggled to get comfortable in the narrow hard seat. Her body was still too lean and got sore from sitting for a long time. Eagle reached out, his palm open. She smiled and slid her hand into his.
To know she wasn’t alone, to know he was there for her, even if only for this trip, gave her immeasurable comfort. She knew he was worried about his friends. He wanted somebody to pound. To blame. So did she. She was terrified of not being in time to save them. She had no way to know what they would find. Part of her knew this could be the end of her young life. At the same time, she wondered how much of any of this her mother knew about. Were there more secrets Issa hadn’t found? Were there more answers her mother had deliberately withheld from her? Had her mother been more involved in either her father’s or her brothers’ deaths?
And why should any of it matter twenty years later? But she knew hatred never rested. It festered deep inside. Sometimes the only way for others to heal was for the truth to come out. She refused to be held accountable for any actions when she’d been a young child. She had struggled enough to heal and to move forward herself, which was a big deal for a six-year-old. She had no idea how her mother had accomplished that.
It had taken a long time for Issa and her mother to even have much of a relationship. Whether that had just been her mother’s reserved nature—or the fact that inside Issa blamed her mother for taking Issa away from everything—Issa didn’t know. It had improved. Not like any normal mother-daughter relationship she’d seen around her, but it had been okay. She leaned her head back and asked quietly, “Do you think my mother knew?”
“She knew more than she told you, but, whether what she knew played a critical role or not, there is no way to know yet.”
She stared out the window at the endless sky beside her. “I wonder if I’ll come for a holiday.”
“I doubt after this you will. Unless you need to come back to heal.”
She shook her head. “I need to heal at home. With the birds. Where my life is.”
“What are you planning on doing for a job when you are strong enough?”
“I’ll apply for grants to do research on endangered species in our area,” she said quietly. “All I’ve ever wanted was to help the birds.”
He squeezed her fingers gently.
“How did you get started with the raptor center?”
“The usual way,” he said. “Somebody brought me an injured bird they thought I could help.”
That startled a laugh out of her. “And, two hundred birds later, you’re still helping out?”
“Two hundred birds later, and now I know how to do it easily.” He cracked a smile.
Just then the pilot’s voice came on, saying they were landing.
She buckled her seat belt and clasped her hands together. “Will they be waiting for us at the airport?”
He never questioned who they were. “Quite likely they will. If not when we first arrive, when we least expect it.”
She took a shaky breath.
“Issa, the truth is, they’re watching us. When they think they can snatch us, they will try.” He again squeezed her hands reassuringly. “If not, I imagine they will wait until we get to your old homestead and just see what it is we’re here for.”
“The trouble is, I don’t even know myself.”
*
With as little as he knew, Eagle would give rein to the fury on the people who’d hurt his friends, but he did his best to hide it from her. He tried not to take his temper out on her. She sat beside him on the plane, her fingers locked together, her knuckles white. He didn’t know if it was the strain of the situation or the pain eating at her, but her face was pale, her lips pinched.
He leaned over and whispered, “Do you need a pain pill?”
She shook her head. “No. I’d like a baseball bat and the men who did this to Panther.”
He sat back in surprise and studied her features. She turned to look at him, and he recognized the glare. She hurt for Panther. She was angry somebody would do something like this to somebody she knew. And, in some way, she was affronted at the human race for being so low. She had a lot to learn about humanity. But she’d had some pretty rough lessons this last month. He was afraid some ugly ones were up ahead too.
As the crowd moved forward, exiting the plane, he tucked her arm into his so he wouldn’t lose her. It would be way too easy to grab her here, move her down the hall out of his sight. He’d have a hell of a time finding out where they’d taken her. He bent down and whispered, “Stay close to me. Hang on to me at all times.”
She gave a hard, jerky nod, not answering verbally. They only had carry-on luggage, so clearing through customs was fast.
Outside, instead of a bright sunny day, they were met by a dark gray fog with a rainy appearance to the sky. She stopped and studied the area, raised her nose and sniffed. “This should feel like coming home in some ways. But it doesn’t,” she admitted.
“No reason you should feel anything here.”
He motioned toward the side of the airport where the rental vehicles were. He walked over, recognizing the profile of someone leaning casually against the gate. As they got closer, Hawk turned and walked to a rental car, opened the driver’s door and unlocked the rest.
Eagle opened the rear passenger door and told Issa, “Get in. I’ll sit in the back with you.”
She looked at the driver and back at Eagle and got in without a word. As soon as they were buckled in, Hawk pulled the vehicle out of the airport. In a low voice, Eagle asked, “Any word?”
Hawk shook his head. “You?” He glanced in the rearview mirror to catch Eagle’s gaze.
Eagle shook his head. “No, nothing.”
“Back to her property then?”
Eagle nodded. “Yes. What does the lay of the land look like?”
“Remote, craggy, a smugglers’ paradise,” he said too succinctly. “Not much has changed from when she lived there as a child.”
“The house is still there?” she asked in astonishment.
Eagle turned to look at her. “Is there any reason why the house wouldn’t be there?”
She shrugged. “For some reason I assumed it was gone. It’s not my house. It was my father’s house.” She leaned forward. “I’m Issa, by the way.”
He tilted his hat with two fingers. “Nice to meet you. I’m Hawk.”
Eagle watched the interchange quietly. He knew Panther and Tiger had approved of Issa. But Hawk in his own way just gave his approval too.
She whispered, “Are you sure it’s safe?”
“Safe in what way?” Eagle asked. “Safe as in, can we trust him? Safe as in, to go to your old house?”
She glared at him. “Of course it’s safe to trust Hawk. He’s our friend, but is it safe to bring him into this mess?” she asked. “Panther and Tiger are in trouble because of me. I don’t want anybody else to get hurt.”
Hawk snorted in the front seat. Eagle studied her quietly, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “All three men would be gratified to hear you say that. And they’d also be incredibly insulted if you tried to stop them from going for the action.”
She sat back. “You know that whole alpha-male thing can only go so far. They’ve got Panther. Remember—I want a baseball bat and also a chance at those who hurt him too.”
Eagle chuckled. “I forgot you’re such a spitfire. You were broken when I found you. That personality of yours wasn’t shining through. But I have to admit, these last few days …”
She glared at him. “I didn’t know if it was safe to be around you either. From the moment I woke up, I was figuring out how to escape. It didn’t take me long to understand that not only could I trust you but you aren’t like anybody else I know.” She shrugged. “Of course Gray worried me.”
Eagle settled back. “Right, his accent. Gray is harmless.”
“Is he though?” Hawk asked from the front seat. “He might stitch a mean seam, but it sure hurts.”
“That’s true for anyone who wouldn’t take painkillers.”
“You promised me bourbon. Who knew the stuff you had was weak as shit. I felt every stitch he put in me.”
Eagle shook his head, a smile on his face. “Those were the good old days.”
“You know what good old days are?” Issa asked beside him. “I used to think my life came in parts. Part five was when I woke up in your house. But somehow it switched into part six. Part six is whatever nightmare this is.”
He turned to study her. “That’s an odd way to look at your life.”
“My life has had very clear stop and start times. That’s all I meant by it.”
“Just so long as part seven is good, none of what happens in part six will ultimately matter.”
“It will matter if somebody gets hurt.” She shook her head and wouldn’t continue.
He gently tucked her up close to him.
They pulled into the small town. Memories stirred in the deep recesses of her mind. She sat up and looked around. “Shouldn’t people be on the roads?”
“It’s seven in the evening here. People are at home or at the pub—where we have rooms for the night.”
“Are we going there now?”
Hawk shook his head. “No. We’re taking a rendezvous down to the address on your mom’s letter. Your old home.”
She winced. “I really wish that woman was alive and here right now.”
“In fact, her death is likely what precipitated all this,” Eagle said.
She twisted in her seat to better look at him. “What are you talking about?”
“Just think about it. Everything was going along like normal until she died.”
“Yes, but how would anybody know?” She stared at him, confusion in her eyes. “Everybody here in Ireland probably thought she was already dead.”
“You don’t know what she might have set up,” Eagle said. “She was married to a smuggler for a long time. She was heavily involved in that side of the business. She might have had other dealings you are unaware of. Other connections she kept in touch with.”