“I do wish youwould have told me,” I said, breaking our embrace. “You could have trusted me.”
“My secrecywasn’t due to lack of trust. I simply needed a little time to evaluate Vivian withoutoutside interference. I needed to make sure she was trustworthy and not inleague with her husband. Lennox’s presence would have interfered with myevaluation. Besides, if Vivian wasn’t safe, the last thing I’d want to do issubject Lennox to more trauma.”
“And who gotthem here?” I asked.
“Who do youthink?”
“Uncle Dalton,”I deduced.
“Aye.”
Dalton was mymother’s brother and also mate to Andi, one of the oracles who now sat on theCouncil. He was FBI, well, now a consultant more or less, and had been Colton’spartner before Colton came to work for us.
“But why bringthem here in the first place?” I pressed.
“To keep themsafe,” my father said. “Lennox’s family is now our family, despite bloodlines.I was compelled to reach out to Vivian the moment Lennox arrived here. Ibelieve the Fates have brought us all together to stop Gavin Trask.”
I nodded. “Andwe will.”
“There’s onemore thing you should know.”
“What’s that?”
“We found outwho it was that supplied Trask’s men with our ammunition and helped them slipour security.”
I frowned.“Who?”
“His name wasKarl Wilson. He was the newest member of Cole’s team. He told us that Trask hireda mercenary by the name of Kirkland to help him execute his operation, and thathe reached out to him two months ago offering him one hundred thousand dollarsif he’d help.”
“You said hewasCole’s newest guy.”
“Aye. Alasdairtook him into custody the night of the failed attack.” My father ran a handover his beard. “Wilson’s been in a cell inside our detention center. Well, upuntil last night when he hung himself.”
I shook my headletting out a long exhale. “How’s Cole?”
“He tried toresign.”
“You’re joking.What did you say?”
“I told him he’dhave to fail a lot harder than that to get on my bad side, and that I’d needhis help to find Trask.”
“I wish I knewwhere he was,” I said.
“A man with hiskind of resources could be anywhere,” my father said.
“I know where heis.”
I spun around tosee Vivian peeking into the room, my mother following. She’d obviously been theone to encourage her to interrupt our conversation.
Vivian loweredher head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard you talking aboutmy husband.”
“You think youknow where he is?” my father asked.
Vivian nodded.“But you’ll never be able to get to him.”
“We’ll see aboutthat,” I said.
* * *
