“Are you talking to me or you?”
“Both of us,” I say, accepting now that my mind is blocking everything that leads to Garner Neuville. “Obviously my mind thinks I can’t handle the truth, and it’s frustrating.”
She leans on the door frame, studying me for several long moments. “At least if he’s dead, the fear of knowing he’s on this earth is gone.”
“That’s true,” I say. “That’s some closure, and I admit I’m hungry to find that. I wanted to go to Paris and finish it myself. Kayden wasn’t happy with that idea.”
“If he was, I’d personally have to kick his ass, Hawk or no Hawk. You know what Neuville is like.”
“I thought returning to Paris might jog my memory and help me find the necklace.”
“It also could get you killed. But,” she pushes off the frame, her hands settling on her hips, “I do have an idea. I know Paris well. We could print out pictures of Neuville’s neighborhood, and any other area you remember. Maybe they will help.”
“That’s a great idea.”
“We can use Adriel’s office,” she says. “He has a printer.”
“Technically my office now,” I say, joining her and walking down the hallway. “I’m taking over the store now that he’s returning to hunting.”
“That’s a misuse of your talents, as it was his,” she says.
“Kayden isn’t exactly ready for me to dive into hunting, even after Neuville is gone.”
“Yes, well, he’s always believed Niccolo was behind Elizabeth’s and Kevin’s murders.”
“He’s all but admitted it.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Neuville is a crazy person, but make no mistake, Niccolo is an evil bastard. Kevin must have crossed him in some big way, though we’ll probably never know the details.”
“And now there’s Evil Eye.”
“Yes. And it really does work. One thing you’ll learn once you meet all our field Hunters, here and around the world, is that The Underground has the power to destroy empires. And Neuville is just a crazy person. Literally.”
“You know, maybe I could take over dispatching from Matteo,” I suggest. “That’s a safe way to get involved and ease Kayden into the idea of me working with him.”
“That’s also a misuse of your skills. I’ve seen you in action, and heard from others about how you handle yourself in a fight.”
“It would allow me to get to know the Hunters, the types of jobs, and the ins and outs of things. And it seems a misuse of talent to have ‘one of the best hackers on the planet’ being a dispatcher.” I laugh. “His words, not mine.”
She laughs as well. “How could I not know that?”
I make an Italian Stallion joke in French, and she gives me a surprised look. “You speak French.”
“I do,” I say. “I have no idea how I learned it or why, but I remember the language.”
“You think you’re CIA?”
“I really don’t know,” I say, but in my gut, I am certain my connection to the CIA is far greater than just my father. “I think most likely my father taught me the trade, like he did so many other things.”
“Maybe he worked in Paris,” she says. “That would mean he most certainly knew Garner’s parents, and maybe even him.”
“That’s an interesting thought,” I say, “but he’s been dead a long time. It’s not impossible, but I’m doubtful he has any real connection to any of this.” But she’s now got me thinking about my father and his murder. Could that be connected to the French mob? Could I have wanted to go to Paris to follow a lead, and that’s why I jumped on the elopement? Something about this feels more right to me than any other explanation.
“As for you doing the dispatching,” she says, thankfully changing the topic, “think about how that would consume Kayden. He needs to be thinking of the big picture. You’d pull him into the small pictures.”
“Hmmm,” I say, as the door opens. “That’s a good point.” We enter the store to find the lights have remained on, and I punch the button to lower the doors, which is mandatory for security. With the doors down, anyone who gets into the store can’t get to the rest of the castle.
“Now that the meeting is over,” she says, as we walk toward the front of the store, passing glass cases filled with collectibles, “Marabella is out of exile. You think she might be convinced to bring us food? That woman makes the best everything. Her cooking is a guilty pleasure. Well, that and Adriel. It’s a two-for-one when I’m here.”
“I’ll call her, on one condition,” I say. “You have to tell me the real scoop on you and Adriel.”
She laughs. “There’s nothing to tell,” she says, making it clear she’s not going there.
We round the counter to find Matteo sitting behind the small wooden desk, full bookshelves surrounding him, and I feel a little like I’m in a crowded elevator with the three of us in the small space. “We need the printer,” Sasha announces. “You have to find another spot to work.”