Page 28 of Knight Watch

Before she could say a word, Kingsley the operative was replaced by Kingsley the British gentleman, oozing charm and culture from his pores. And if she wasn’t mistaken, his accent was even thicker, and damn him, even sexier.

As expected, the older woman was under his spell in less than a minute, her pretty face coloring at his attention. Kingsley explained that the previous owner was a member of Sydney’s family and as they were in the area, asked if they could take a quick look around for old time’s sake.

The woman’s face lit. She remembered the previous owner, her own family being part of the county for generations.

For a moment they exchanged pleasantries, and Sydney relaxed a little. Kingsley held most of the conversation and steered the woman a few times when her questions hit a nerve.

After a moment, the woman had to go inside but told them to tour the grounds and take as long as they wished.

Amazed, Sydney turned to Kingsley as they started to walk. “I thought you were going to kiss her hand for a minute there.”

Giving her an innocent look, he shrugged. “Whatever works. We needed access, we got it. And any case, charm is built into my enormous repertoire of skills,” he said with a grin.

“Did Mr. Serious just make a joke?” she asked with a smile that for a second felt strange on her lips. For so long she’d had no reason to smile.

Sydney lifted an eyebrow as he laughed at her words but decided to let it go and focus on why they were there but the deep sound of his laughter left a warm feeling in her chest that scared her as much as it filled her with hope.

As they rounded the barn, her eyes fell on the land before her, and she was wrenched back twenty years. The meadow and the small pond were surrounded by hazel and willow trees. The wind was picking up on this early summer morning making them dance, the water glittering as the ripples played with the sun’s rays.

Letting go of Kingsley’s hand, Sydney tried not to let the tsunami of images of her parents drown her. The faint sound of her father’s deep laugh, and her mother’s honeysuckle perfume came to her on the breeze. Those last moments of innocence were bittersweet but so compelling. She wondered why she had pushed them aside.

As they approached the pond, she saw a couple of ducks lazily swimming together, and it made her smile. How many times had she chased ducks around, the sound of their quacking making her giggle until she lost her breath?

The vision rippled like the pond when Kingsley stepped by her side. “I’m relieved to see you smiling. Finally.”

How could she explain everything she felt by coming here? Focusing on the bad and on survival had been her sole path to keep going. Everything before her life was shattered had been safely put away. Her life had been split in two like the fracture of a rock face after an earthquake, but here today, she felt as if maybe—just maybe—she could knit the pieces back together. The scar would remain, but the gaping wound would be closed. “It’s difficult to remember the good when the bad is the main focus of your life.”

It might have been cryptic, but Kingsley nodded. She knew he didn’t just agree with her, he always seemed to know what she meant. Maybe he had experienced it himself.

They made their way toward the pond, staying close but not touching as they moved under the low trees. So many years had passed since she’d last been there, and the trees had grown.

“Has the place changed much?”

Sydney shook her head. “Not really. But I’m not sure if there are trees missing.” It was a small patch of trees, and when she was little, it had appeared like a vast forest, a place where she could get lost. Now, so many years later, everything looked so small.

“You came here often when you were a kid?”

“Summer vacations mostly. I loved this spot, the pond and the canopy of trees. It looked so magical. I came here and stayed until my mother came to drag me back to eat. I dreamed of fairies in a magical land. I was the only one that could see them, and it amused my dad so much.”

Retracing her childhood games in her mind, she walked around the trunks, her fingertips moving over the rough bark. Weaving in and out for a moment, deeply buried memories emerged like a bud that had been buried by the snow. “I would twirl around the trees, as it was the only way to the fairy kingdom, and I would bring wildflowers to the entrance of their realm.” Saying the words, something clicked in her head, and she headed deeper under the trees, her feet quickening as a fragment of something caught in her brain.

Kingsley rushed after her. “Wait. Where are you going?”

She ignored him and ran until she arrived behind three pine trees where a pile of rocks surged from the earth. Again, it was smaller than the image in her memories but looked similar.

“We never brought anything here. I always played with what was in my imagination. My parents encouraged me. Dad said if I continued talking with the fairies, maybe they would invite me in and let me see their treasure. Maybe that’s why he sent me here.”

Sydney examined the pile of rocks to see if it was possible to move any of them without causing the pile to collapse. Moss and leaves filled most of the cracks, but it appeared that many of the smaller rocks could be shifted. Kingsley fell on his knees beside her and started to discard one rock at a time, careful not to break or damage anything and slipping even deeper into her heart. He searched through all the nooks and crannies.

Sydney was starting to tell herself she was going crazy when something pink caught her eye. “There, do you see it?”

Without a word, Kingsley worked on the left side until a small, metallic box appeared. Part pink, partly covered with rust, she could clearly see the image of a fairy on it.

Taking it in her hands, she shook it lightly, hearing something loose rattle inside. The lock and lid were overtaken with rust, and she had no idea how to get it open.

“Let me.” Kingsley started playing with the lock until it became clear that only force would break it open. He bashed it a few times with a small rock and once it was broken, prized the lid open. Sydney peeked inside to see a chain with a single key attached.

She took it in her hands, and while rust covered the chain, the key was intact and rust free. “Damn it, Dad. I don’t need another riddle!” She’d expected to find an answer, not another clue that required figuring out what they needed to do next.

“It’s okay, we have the key, we’ll figure it out. Let’s head back, we’ve been a long time. Put the key in your pocket. Do you want to keep the box?”

“No. If you don’t mind, let’s put it back under the rubble. Maybe another little girl can come and enjoy it as I did.”

With a smile and a soft look, he did as she asked before dusting himself off and standing.

As they made their way back, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Kingsley pulled it out and glanced at the screen. He pressed a couple of buttons before speaking. “Knight. You’re on speaker, Malco. Sydney is here with me.”

“You have to ditch your phone.”

At the words, Sydney’s stomach turned to ice as she waited for Kingsley to respond.

“What’s going on?”

“They finally made a move on Mercy and James. Don’t worry, everybody is fine, but it means your cover is blown, and they know it was a decoy. In the meantime, Alex and Mason have been following a lead. Rutherford has men trying to mess with our communications. We may still be invisible, but we’re not sure. Ditch your phone and get another one. Once you do, check your emails, a new number will be available to reach the Agency.” There was a hesitation in Malco’s voice, and that didn’t bode well.

“What else?”

There was definite gloom in the man’s voice. “Caitlin was working on the money angle, and she found a new account, a dark one, buried deep. In the last five hours, a lot of money has been transferred into it. From what we understand, that account is used to pay hired hands. And from the amount going to it, Rutherford is hiring a small army. As soon as you get a new phone, we’re coming up with a plan to protect Sydney and bring the bastard down. Get rid of the phone, don’t use anything that could be used to track you, and keep moving. Do it now!”