Free Sin and Sacrifice by Danielle Bourdon

ask?
    “ To do just what they're
doing. Planting doubts, forcing you to stay tense and worried,”
Rhett said, spelling it out for her.
    “ Well, that's just
lovely.” Evelyn maneuvered through the menus until she found the
one she wanted. “We'll see how they like being blocked.”
    Rhett and Christian gave
her understanding glances.
    After turning the phone
off, she made her excuses and disappeared into her room. Determined
to get some rest, she kicked back a shot of bourbon from an array
of tiny bottles left on the dresser and stretched out on the bed.
Rest didn't consist of sleep—she couldn't after the text
message—but she did make plans for their stop in Crete on the way
to Cairo. She would have an hour to find access to an unmonitored
laptop and check the email account to see if any of the girls had
left messages. They weren't responding by phone, which could mean a
number of things, but there was a much greater likelihood that
they'd found a way to leave a note for her there. It was the
contact center of last resort and one they all knew to use in
extreme circumstances.
    If they were all okay,
Evelyn planned to depart the agents' company in Cairo and go her
own way. She couldn't rely on their help forever and the sooner she
began the changes required to disappear from the Templar's radar,
the better.
     
     
    The Old Venetian Harbor in
the port of Heraklion buzzed with brisk business. Boats motored
slowly by, coming and going, while Aristo guided the yacht into a
waiting berth. Other boats bobbed in their slips and people milled
around the marina, each on their own agenda. The morning sun,
bright and rising in the sky, spilled warm rays that Evelyn tipped
her face into when she stepped out on deck. All her belongings were
in the pockets of her jeans rather than in her purse so that she
didn't give her intentions away.
    Crete had always been a
favorite place to visit and vacation for the sisters. Evelyn found
it mildly ironic that she was here when she hadn't planned to be,
without her siblings, in the company of government agents. With
effort she steered her thoughts away from Galiana and surveyed the
bustling activity on the docks. She wondered if the Templars knew
she was here, and whether they were watching her even now. It made
her plans for the day riskier after the text but she was set on her
course.
    Aristo disembarked with a
promise to be back in one hour exactly. Something about refueling
and restocking the yacht for the second leg across the
Mediterranean.
    Rhett appeared from inside
with a tray in his hands. He looked like he'd been awake all night
with his heavy layer of whiskers and wrinkled jeans. Despite that,
the smile he gave her lacked weariness that she could see. Under
the glow of the sun he seemed golden, from his skin to his hair,
and she would have never guessed he'd suffered any kind of injury
by his confident posture.
    Setting the tray on a table
under the shade of a blue and white striped umbrella, he glanced
her way.
    “ Lunch. Hope you like
chicken salad,” he said.
    Surprised, Evelyn walked
over to inspect the bowl and the food. The lettuce looked fresh.
Grilled chicken lay in strips over the top with several cherry
tomatoes sitting to the side. Rhett's talents ran beyond his
commendable ability as an agent.
    Meeting his gaze, she said,
“You didn't have to do that, but thanks. You're not
eating?”
    Having lunch with Rhett
might have been appealing if she didn't have something she needed
to do. He gave her an out a moment later and she hid her relief
behind a neutral facade.
    “ No. Christian's on the
phone with our boss and I'm heading in to take a
shower.”
    “ You didn't get any sleep
last night, did you?”
    “ I will after we set sail
and get out into the open water again.”
    “ How's your wound?” She
squinted at his side.
    “ It's just a scratch and
already on the mend. Your face and hands look a lot better than
they did yesterday,” he pointed out.
    Evelyn