Page 39 of Lies That Bind
“It means before I became your governess, I was training to be a spy. I speak fluent Luskin, and I’m going to get something from this Maxim that will scare him straight. We need to mess with his head, let him know you aren’t weak, and that if he touches your sisters, you will come for his throat while he sleeps.”
I frowned. “Elaine, when I said we needed spies, I didn’t mean you!”
“Why not me?” She put a hand on her hip.
Well, for one she was pushing fifty—but I’d never say that. “If he knows about the triplets, he might recognize you.”
She waved me off. “No one will recognize me. Not even you.”
What?But she looked so determined I didn’t want to say no.
“What about taking a team of?—?”
“No. I must go alone, or it will be suspicious.”
“Elaine, I can count the number of people I care about on one hand,” I told her. “If anything happens to you?—”
“I trust no one else with this. This young generation is too soft to do what needs to be done,” she growled.
Yikes, that sounded like good ol’ Elaine.
“Two days?” I asked her.
She nodded once.
“You’ll take Vespa?”
“I would never leave her,” Elaine confirmed.
Liana was still gone. I wished she was here to counsel me.
I blew out the breath I’d been holding. “Okay. I’ll see you in two days.”
I prayed I wouldn’t regret that.
We both stood there awkwardly, stiffly. I wanted to hug her but wasn’t sure if that was too emotional, especially now that I was empress.
Screw it.
I crossed the space and pulled her into my arms. She was stiff for a half second and then sighed, holding me close. “I never had children because I didn’t want a weakness people could exploit,” she said and pulled back to look at me. “And now I have four.”
“You’re one of the last weaknesses I have left,” I told her. “Don’t get caught and let them use you against me.”
She gave me a wry grin. “Every good spy travels with a cyanide pill in case of capture.”
“Elaine!” I scolded her. She’d better not.
She grinned. “Oh it’s good to be back in action. I’ll see you in two days,” she said and then left the room.
Her age wouldn’t stop her. If anything, she looked refreshed at the thought of sneaking into enemy territory and posing as a Luskin spy. And I just let her go? What was I thinking?
I peered at the letter and I knew.
My sisters. This Maxim a-hole had threatened my sisters. Elaine took their safety as seriously as I did. She wouldn’t let that go unchecked.
I folded the letter and then there was a knock at the door. Commander Ledger was there, this time showered and in Fleet-issued fatigues.
“Colt is back…” he said with an air of wonder in his voice.
