“Which two birds would those be?”
Grafton’s smile turned sinister. “Cementing a relationship with Al-Qaeda.” At mention of the group that’d carried out so many attacks on Western soil, a cold chill stole up Angel’s spine. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sonya suck in her cheeks in an effort to keep from saying anything. Or else she was simply trying not to scream in horror. “And getting revenge on the people who killed my son,” Grafton added after giving his first mind-melting reason time to sink in.
Grafton enjoyed the dramatic.
“I didn’t know you had a son.” Sonya tried to make her tone curious, but there was no mistaking the tremor in her voice.
Angel’s day, which had started out as a carnival ride of fuckedupery, had suddenly gotten a whole lot worse. From the beginning, the stakes for his mission had been sky-high. Now, they reached all the way into the stratosphere. Al-Qaeda? Seriously? Was Grafton insane?
“Don’t fret about it, my dear.” Grafton smirked. “Nobody knew I had a son.”
Angel and Sonya exchanged glances.
Grafton chuckled. “See? You two thought you had me figured out, didn’t you? But let me assure you, just when you think you’ve peeled the last layer on this onion, you’ll find there are infinite layers left.”
God, the guy truly was the definition of a shitbag. His arrogance and smugness knew no bounds.
“That’s why you’re here,” Sonya said.
“Pardon?”
“On this trip,” she clarified. “You usually let your lackeys do things like this for you, always staying well away from the dirty work. But this is personal.”
Grafton made a face. “You’re quite right, dear Sonya. This is personal. Although, probably not for the reason you think.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I was never very close to my son. For the first five years of his life, I never set eyes on him. Then I rarely saw him except for the occasional holiday when he came home from boarding school. Even after he grew up, we chose to keep our familial ties to the bare minimum.”
“Where was he for the first five years of his life?” Sonya asked.
“It’s a long and sordid tale.” Angel thought Grafton would leave it at that, so he was surprised when Grafton continued. “You see, like my father before me, I traveled to Africa as a young man.” Grafton waved his hand expansively, seeming to relish their curiosity. Particularly Angel’s curiosity since Angel had made it a point to remain studiously indifferent to anything and everything Grafton said. “I met a woman there. A Somali woman. She was so beautiful; I was instantly smitten. Alas, our romance didn’t last.”
“What happened?” Sonya asked.
“It’s simple. The more I got to know her, the less I liked her, and the more her beauty faded in my eyes.”
“What didn’t you like about her?”
Angel didn’t know if Sonya was truly interested in Grafton’s torrid love life, or if she was stalling. With every passing second, they got closer to the time when they’d exit the plane and embark on a journey toward arming Al-Qaeda with a nuclear weapon!
“Like most beautiful women, she was arrogant. And mouthy. There’s nothing more annoying than an arrogant, mouthy bitch. Wouldn’t you agree, Majid?”
Angel didn’t bother answering that ridiculous question. He made sure his expression projected his feelings that Grafton was misogynist prick who would better serve the world by pushing up daisies.
“Anyway…” Grafton waved a hand through the air again, batting away Angel’s unspoken disgust. “Lo and behold, the conniving cunt turned up pregnant.” A terrible look came over Grafton’s face then. “I say ‘conniving’ because I don’t think it was a happy accident. I think…” He shook his head. “No. I know she meant to entrap me, tie me down so I’d spend the rest of my life supporting her and her illegitimate brat.”
Grafton’s smile returned. This time it reminded Angel of a hyena’s. It was full of malevolence, tinged with bloodlust. Over the years, Angel had met many men who smiled like that. Some of them were dead by his own hand, and the darkness inside him longed to put Lord Asad Grafton’s name on that list.
“But she didn’t know who she was bloody well dealing with.” The pride in Grafton’s voice turned Angel’s stomach. “I left that impertinent bitch to fend for herself. Only once the child was five, old enough to go to school, did I offer to bring him to England for an education. Of course, my proposal stipulated she remain in Somalia.”
“Impregnate and vacate.” Angel curled his lip in contempt. “Is that your motto?”
“With her it was.”
“Well, I guess you showed her, didn’t you?” Sonya didn’t bother hiding the derision on her face or the venom in her voice.
Angel fought a grin. He was ridiculously happy to see a hint of the fiery, plucky woman he knew and loved.
