20. Typhon

20

TYPHON

W e had a full week together when our only interruptions from the outside world were when we needed to check in. El called Saint a couple of times, and I checked in with my team via email, relieved to hear everyone was present and accounted for.

Oleander was her usual unpleasant self, but rather than get angry about it, I shrugged my shoulders and let it go. The day would come when she'd be forced to confide her vendetta, even if only after AMPS had been taken down. No amount of prodding or threatening her had worked thus far, so why continue putting energy into something I had no power over? She knew as well as I did that it would take more than this investigation for me to burn her.

The only call I'd made was to Z, and after I had, I regretted it.

"Nemesis has requested I pass on a message to you."

"Don't bother."

"Typhon—"

"Are you aware that she demanded I check in with her? I didn't bother reminding her I didn't answer to her. If the time comes when Coffey suggests I do, I will leave SIS."

"A bit extreme, wouldn't you say?"

"Tell me, would you have jumped if she told you to? You, who is her boss' boss?"

Z sighed. "I was. I'm not any longer. Nemesis works for the UN."

"You didn't answer my question," I pressed.

"It would depend on the situation. At times, I would accept her as my commander, particularly if I'm working on an investigation she owns."

"I am not. I have three Unit-23ers who I have graciously allowed to assist the coalition. That is the extent of my involvement. She has pushed the boundaries of even that by insisting my team report any and all findings to her."

"Typhon, you are my friend and colleague. While I can understand, even empathize with your plight, I ask you to consider the bigger picture. The work of the coalition will not end when they take down AMPS. Human trafficking will not end. The cause is noble and necessary."

"I hear you, Z, and only out of respect for you will I play nicer."

He chuckled. "Glad to hear it. By the way, you sound different. I'm assuming you're in Portugal. If being there brings about this more relaxed version of you, I highly recommend you spend more time there."

Unsure of Eliza's whereabouts, I stepped outside to continue the call. "I'm not here alone, Z."

"I cannot tell you how happy I am to hear it."

"You may not be when you find out who I'm with."

"Go on."

"Does the name Eliza Fox mean anything to you?"

Z didn't speak, but I could hear noise in the background.

"Are you there?"

"I know who she is, Ty, and by God, if your involvement with her has anything to do with your vendetta against Saint…" The volume of his voice increased with each word he spoke.

"Finish your sentence."

"I will never forgive you."

"Your assumption would make me angry except for the fact that I will do anything and everything to protect Eliza from harm. Which means I would never hurt her. I'll tell you the same thing I told Saint. I'm with her despite him, not because of him."

"My apologies," he said.

"Accepted. Although you should've known my motives simply due to the change in my demeanor."

He chuckled. "You're absolutely right, and if you truly care for her in the way you've said, I repeat how happy I am for you."

"Appreciated."

"By the way, the reason Nem wants to meet with you relates to Oleander."

"Interesting, given it was O who issued Nemesis' summons on her behalf."

"Then I suggest you consider the source. Perhaps the demand you thought you heard was more of a request."

I shook my head, not that he could see me. "You're getting soft, old man."

He sighed. "I will own up to it. I'll also admit retirement is looking more attractive with every passing day."

"Could you leave? Truly?" I asked.

"The bureaucracy? Yes. Absolutely. It's the action I've not seen for some time that would be harder to walk away from."

"You could always join the unit."

He laughed. "Be careful, Ty. I might just take you up on it."

After ending the call, I sent a message to Nemesis, saying Z had requested I get in touch with her. She responded almost immediately, asking if I could please come to Shere.

Can't this be handled via video conference? I asked.

It cannot.

I'll get back to you with my schedule.

"I thought I might find you here," I said, walking into the library where El was sitting in the chair closest to the fire, reading.

She held up the book. "Thank you for ordering this for me. I had no idea someone published anything on Michael Beaumont's work, not that it wasn't deserving."

"When we were speaking with him, I remembered my father having a copy and was happy to find it still in print."

"He's had an impressive career."

"El…I'm sorry to say I need to return to Shere, at least for a day or two."

She closed the book and set it on the coffee table. "No need to be sorry. I was thinking earlier that I'd like to go back to Brighton. The studio is officially mine now, but I'm hoping Michael will agree to tutor me on the use of his equipment."

"Then, the timing is good."

She stood, walked over, and put her arms around my waist. "I've loved every minute we've been here."

As I said on the flight from Gatwick to Algarve, then again later, Eliza and I had shopped both at the resort and in town, buying her things she could keep here. I'd added to her purchases, surprising her with sexy lingerie, which she was happy to model for me, and bikinis she would also put on but refused to venture outside in.

"I hope we can return soon."

I stepped back and looked into her eyes. "Do you?"

She cocked her head. "Does that surprise you?"

I sat down in the chair she'd occupied and pulled her onto my lap. "I assumed you'd want to be in Brighton as much as possible."

El rested her head on my shoulder. "Creativity doesn't come on demand. There are times when the best thing an artist can do is let a piece rest, get a fresh perspective, and when they return to it, they'll better know what it needs."

I nodded. "Your time there will also allow you to see your cousin and his wife."

She kissed my cheek. "Thank you for that, Levi. I appreciate you knowing how important that is to me."

Apart from the night she'd told me what Saint did for her parents, she hadn't spoken of them, yet she'd asked many questions about my family.

"What about visiting London?"

"I should. Now, I regret giving my tenants notice. At least then, I was notified if anything was amiss. Plus, I'll need to figure out what to do about my car."

"Your car?"

"The reason I needed a ride the night Harper had surgery was because the bloody thing wouldn't start."

"You should've told me. I could've arranged for someone to look at it."

She shrugged. "It may be a lost cause. I doubt it would survive many trips back and forth from Brighton."

I raised a brow, and she giggled.

"Yes, my protector, you may assess the decrepit SUV that sits in my garage."

"You can always use my car."

Her eyes opened wide. "I don't think I could drive it. The steering wheel is on the wrong side."

"You're amusing," I said, tickling her until she begged me to stop. I did only because she also begged me to make love to her.

The morning we left, I took El up to the rooftop. It had been too cold and windy to do previously.

"Come over here," I said, leading her to the railing on the side of the house closest to the ocean.

"The view is spectacular."

"It is, but look down."

" Oh! It is a blackbird."

The shape of the overhang on the main floor so closely resembled a bird that the construction workers started calling my house melro—which was the Portuguese word for the bird El mentioned.

I'd arranged for a car for El to be delivered to Brighton as well as a place for us to stay temporarily while she got things settled at her studio.

I'd spent most of the flight worried she might not appreciate my choice of vehicle or the flat I'd let sight unseen. However, my concern about both was for naught.

She'd squealed in delight when we drove up to the flat and I told her the Range Rover in front was hers. She had the same joyous response as we toured the flat that sat two blocks from her studio and fronted the beach.

"Are you sure I haven't overstepped?" I asked.

"Apart from my parents sending me from this boarding school to that, every decision, every responsibility I've ever had has fallen on my shoulders. I appreciate what you've done for me more than you'll ever know."

When I whispered what she could do for me in return, she kissed me passionately and suggested we break in the bed.

We walked to the studio, where Mike was waiting, then I kissed Eliza goodbye and left for Shere, promising to return in time for dinner.

The entire way, I thought about how the last eight days had been the happiest of my life. Leaving El for more than a couple of hours, though, was going to be even more difficult than I'd imagined.

Driving into the estate where the command center had been set up when the coalition was originally formed, I felt tension settle in my shoulders that had been absent while I was in Portugal. How had I lived with it as long as I had? And why, until now, had it seemed normal?

Rather than parking near the main residence, I drove to the cottage where Kima stayed, got out, and knocked on the door.

When she answered, her mood didn't seem any better than when we last spoke.

We embraced, then she flopped on the sofa, reminding me of the fifteen-year-old girl I met all those years ago. "This can't be all about Oleander."

"It isn't."

"What then?"

"Why do I feel like I turn into a teenager whenever I'm around you?"

I laughed out loud and sat beside her. "I was just thinking the same thing."

She slugged my arm. "What's going on with you? You seem different."

"I'm always different around you. I guess you could say I turn into a twenty-two-year-old kid."

Her eyes scrunched, and she studied me. "You were at Casa Melro."

I nodded and squeezed her knee. "I was."

"You're never going to take me there, are you?"

I raised a brow and cocked my head. "I might."

Kima crossed her arms. "Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Typhon? Every other time I've asked, you said you don't take anyone there, ever."

"There's someone I want you to meet."

Her mouth gaped. "Are you serious?"

"About meeting her? Yes." I was also serious about Eliza. The tricky part in introducing the two women was the explanation that would have to go along with it. The reason I was in Kima's life was because her stepfather was killed in the line of duty and, as he lay dying, he'd made me promise to look after her and her mother.

Could I tell the story without El noticing I was leaving out a big part of what had happened? Perhaps while we were with Kima, but would she question me later when we were alone?

If she did, I'd say it was better left in the past, like I had more than once. No good would come of her knowing how Saint had failed his brothers-in-arms that day, and the devastation that came afterwards.

As I'd listened to El talk about the way he was before he met Harper and after, I wondered if he had faced his sins and, when he looked at himself in the mirror, was he troubled by who he saw? To me, he was a murderer. Not only that, but for eleven years, I believed he was also the mole in the unit.

That Z would welcome him back to MI6 and Rile would hire him to work for the Invincibles had to mean I was wrong. They wouldn't risk it, would they?

The more important question was, did they know something I didn't? In the same way Z had said he wouldn't forgive me if he found out I was using Eliza to get to Saint, I wouldn't forgive him if he'd discovered what happened that day and hadn't shared it with me.

"A-a-a-n-d he's back. Phew. I thought the broody guy I've grown to love had turned into a sap."

I nudged her. "You're a brat."

"Only when I'm around you."

I was glad of it. I wanted her to be able to be herself around someone. She didn't see her mum that often, and I wasn't around as much as I would've liked. That she could relax and let her hair down, so to speak, when she was with me made me happy.

"Who is she?"

"Her name is Eliza."

"When did you meet her?"

I cringed, knowing the shit Kima was about to give me. "Ten days ago or so. I've forgotten exactly how long it's been. I'll tell you this, though. I feel like I've known her all my life. She's…" How did I put into words everything El was to me?

When I glanced at Kima, she was brushing away a tear.

" Why are you crying?" I hated it when she did.

"Because you're in love."

I studied her.

"Seriously. I'm happy for you."

I momentarily thought about asking her if there was someone special in her life, but how could there be? She'd been living on this estate for the last six months. Where would she have met anyone?

"Who's that?" I asked when there was a knock at the door. When Kima shrugged, I stood to answer it.

"Typhon, I didn't know you were coming to Shere today," said Hornet. "I mean, I saw your car…"

Why was he stammering? For a moment, I thought he'd come to see Kima, but why would he? As he said, he'd seen my car.

"Nemesis requested a meeting, but I stopped to see Delfino first."

No one I worked with other than Hornet, Rile, and Z knew about my relationship with Kima, and I wanted it kept that way. If asked why she and I so often spoke in private, I'd tell them to fuck themselves. I was the commander of Unit 23—I didn't answer any questions I didn't want to.

My brow furrowed. Why was it I always fell back on my position to defend my desire for privacy? I'd always been this way, long before I took over the unit.

"Was there something you needed?" I barked when Hornet didn't leave.

"Uh, no, sir. Sorry, sir."

"I'll be at the command center in a few minutes."

"Right. Should I let Nemesis know you're here?" Hornet asked.

I glared at him. "Did I order you to do so?"

"No, sir."

"You're dismissed."

"You didn't have to be so mean to him," Kima said once he was gone.

Mean to him? "What are you talking about? I treated him no differently than I always do."

"When are you leaving?" she snapped.

My eyes opened wide. "Now?"

"No, I mean after your meeting. Are you sticking around?"

I hadn't planned on it, but on previous visits, I'd managed to sneak Kima away for dinner.

"Let's see how it goes, then I'll let you know."

She slumped against the sofa.

"Isn't there anything you could be doing?"

Kima's eyes met mine. "No one is doing anything. Poseidon is always off with Oleander, and I'm the only other person here from the Maltese task force."

I didn't ask where Fucile and Sognatrice were. They both worked for AISE—Italy's intelligence agency—and like Oleander, Hornet, and Verity, they were on loan to the coalition on an as-needed basis.

"What do you mean when you say Poseidon is always off with Oleander?"

"I heard they bought a house together."

"We'll talk later, Kima." I stormed out the door, not because I was angry about O moving in with Poseidon, but because I was beginning to feel like an old man who was left out of the loop with everything.

I was thirty-three fucking years old. Twenty years Z's junior and four years younger than Rile. Was this how they felt?

By the time I stalked into the command center, I had no doubt Nemesis would regret asking me to come here.

"What is this about?" I barked at her without bothering to say hello.

Her eyes widened but only momentarily. "Come with me," she said, picking up several files and storming past me and into the library. When I followed, she slammed the door behind me. "Typhon?—"

I held up my hand. "I apologize."

Her mouth gaped. "What did you say?"

"My foul mood has little to do with you."

She folded her arms and smirked. "Little as opposed to nothing?"

"How old are you?" I'd probably read it in a brief somewhere, but I didn't bother retaining shit like that.

"Thirty-one."

"When I took over the unit, I was sure my days of playing nursemaid to MI6 agents were over. My team was supposed to be different."

She motioned to a chair, and we both sat. "Can you imagine how I feel? I have bloody task force commanders who behave like teenagers half the time."

I smiled. "We're not so different."

She leaned back in her chair. "I've never thought we were."

"I did," I muttered.

"Yes, you've made that perfectly clear." She sat up straight and opened one of the files she'd brought in with her, then set it aside. I watched as she opened three more and did the same thing with them.

"How do you ever find anything?" I asked.

She leveled the worst glare I'd seen from her yet at me. "Don't you start," she seethed.

I held up both hands in surrender. "Let me know when you're ready. I'll be over here, taking a nap." I clasped my hands behind my head and closed my eyes. Seconds later, one of her files hit me in the chest, and I laughed.

"You got me. Now, tell me why I'm here."

"I want to talk to you about the Sicilians and the Calabrians."

I groaned. "What about them?"

"I've picked up chatter about both building up their trafficking efforts. Human trafficking, that is. Guns and drugs appear to be old news these days."

This wasn't news to me. There was a big difference between increasing their efforts and becoming major players. They'd barely dipped their toe in the water. What I wanted to know more was how Nemesis knew I had anything to do with either organization.

"What do you want from me?" I snapped, barely containing my temper.

"My apologies. I thought you, meaning Unit 23, may have heard something."

"We haven't. This meeting is over." I stormed out of the room, then out of the command center.

"Typhon?" I heard Hornet shout when I was halfway to my car.

"What?"

"Kima asked me to let you know she went into town with some of the other women."

I spun around on him and, when he got close enough, grabbed him by the collar. " Kima asked you to let me know?"

"Typhon, what the fuck ?"

I let him go and pushed him hard enough he almost fell to the ground. "Is that how you speak to your CO?" I shouted.

He stood his ground as if he was daring me to come after him.

"Stay away from Delfino. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir," he spat.

If I had better control of my temper, I would've lit into him. However, as angry as I was, I knew it was best to walk away.

I got in the car and checked the time. I hadn't been away from Eliza two hours, and I felt myself slipping back into the person I used to see in the mirror every day. I didn't like it.

Before getting on the road, I pulled out my mobile and rang Z. "We need to talk. Where are you?"

"In my office."

"I'm on my way."