“How did you figure that out?” El asked. Then he looked at her. “Your grandmother was royal? I knew she was a spy, but royalty?”
She shook her head. “Naw. She was knighted by the queen for her service to the crown in MI-6.”
“Are you a lady?”
She snorted. “No. The title doesn’t transfer. And to answer your question, my grandmother had my eyes.”
It’s a blessing and a curse, Delilah. For a spy, they can make you stand out. You can also use them to your advantage. Many people are drawn to originality.
“Not that common,” Ian murmured.
“No, they weren’t,” Sam said.
He studied her. “Who attacked you?”
She shrugged. “Loser. Probably dead now.”
All she knew was that she didn’t want to see that predator again. She put up with a lot of people who would try to kill her or capture her. Predators like the asshole from today needed to suffer.
And yes, she knew how insane that was.
“Someone from your past or your grandmother’s?” Sam asked.
“Good question. I’ve been browbeaten by your son, and he hasn’t let me rest.”
Sam glanced at Ian, and opened his mouth to say something, but Ian beat him to the punch. “I caught you climbing out of the bathroom window.”
“Delilah,” Sam admonished.
Dammit. When Sam used that tone, she felt like her father was disappointed in her. “What?”
“You know you can’t go it alone. You know you need help to figure this out.” If he had yelled at her, it would have hurt less. His quiet tone shimmered with disapproval.
She sighed as the weight of her situation seemed to ground her down. She was feeling pretty tired at the moment, so she leaned back. Her eyelids felt as if they had little mini weights attached to each of her lashes.
“It’s been over a decade, Sam. I still don’t know.”
Then she fell asleep.
After making sure she was resting, then taking her phone and everything else she would need if she fled his house, Ian joined the three men in the living room. He dumped her bag on the coffee table.
“Okay, it’s time to fess up. What is she talking about, Dad?”
His father looked older than he had when he’d arrived. “A little over fourteen years ago, Lila’s parents and brother were murdered. She just happened to have been at a slumber party and had been late coming home, or she would have been dead too.”
“What happened?”
“The house was rigged to blow. Set on a timer.” He sighed. “She was walking down the street when it happened.”
Jenner whistled. “Holy shit. I would be a bit jumpy if I were her too.”
He glanced at El. “You knew?”
“Everyone heard the stories. It was covered up, but you know spies love to gossip. I didn’t know she saw the house go up. I knew her grandmother was MI-6, but I didn’t know she’d been a lady.”
“Judith hated that title. She threatened to fire anyone who used it,” Sam said with a chuckle.
“Did they ever figure out who did it?” Jenner asked.
