Adverse Possession (The Anna Albertini Files #3) - Rebecca Zanetti Page 0,110
looked over my head at Saber, who sat against a tree with a burning piece of wood next to him. “Told you there’d be other explosives.”
Saber grinned.
I shook out my legs because I could. “Barensky got away.”
Aiden tightened his hold. “I know. We’ll get him. There’s a net around town, and we have blockades up. I’ve got you.”
I mulled over the entire situation while being held safely by my badass. “He thinks the Queen is dead,” I murmured, playing through the chess game in my head.
Aiden leaned back, his expression alert. “True. What’s your point?”
I rubbed more dirt off my neck. “The Queen is the protector. In chess, when the Queen is no longer on the board, every piece is in danger, especially the opposing King, which would be you. It’s king against king, and you’ve lost too many pieces. It’s the time for checkmate. You’re about to be vulnerable, and he knows exactly where you’re supposed to be tomorrow.”
A slow smile tipped Aiden’s lips. “You’re right. You’re a genius, Angel.”
Chapter 41
I hunkered down in Aiden’s truck, partially hidden behind a sweeping oak tree. The rain had softened to a light patter but bruised, and swollen clouds still covered the moon, giving us perfect darkness. “We’ve been here for two hours,” I murmured.
“Stakeouts aren’t fun,” he said, peering through his binoculars. “There’s probably something wrong with me, but I’ve always found cemeteries at night to be peaceful. Even comforting.”
“There’s definitely something wrong with you.” I reached into the potato chip bag for more chips. It was odd, but I was comfortable wherever we were, so long as we were together. What was it with Aiden? There was something just so solid and tough about him, and yet, he had a great brain. More than that, he trusted my brain. I liked that. A lot. “What if I was wrong about Barensky?”
Aiden took a drink of his soda. “Then we’ll figure out another way to get him.”
I looked out at the different shapes, all marking graves. Round gravestones, square ones, even a few spherical ones. A huge gravestone across the cemetery held a cross up to the darkened sky. I guess it was peaceful. The quiet was calming, even with the rain. I yawned and tried to keep my buzz of excitement going, but it had been a long day. My leg still felt the bomb strapped to it, even though that had been hours ago.
He took another drink. “It’s against protocol to have you here, so remember your promise. No matter what happens, you stay in the truck until I signal otherwise. Got it?”
“Yep.” I’d had enough excitement for one day and had absolutely no trouble staying in the warm truck and out of the rain. The chips were the good barbecue kind, too.
Aiden’s phone dinged, and he handed it over to me so I could field a phone call from my sister, Donna. The family was trying to keep my involvement in the earlier explosion a secret, but soon word would be out. The next article from Jolene would be landing, no doubt. Hopefully she would at least double-check her facts this time and not make things up.
Donna sighed. “Why are you still with Aiden? I thought the three of us were going to have a sister’s night. Tessa is already asleep on my sofa.”
I grinned. “It’s hard to keep her awake unless we’re doing something. We’re still here. Let’s do a sister’s night next weekend.”
“I got the scoop on Bud from Cal Carisea, who works in the courthouse. Bud is definitely married, and his wife is a spitfire who’s now in town. I’m hoping we get to meet her,” Donna said.
“Me, too,” I agreed. “Sorry he’s married, though.”
“I’m not. It’s a good thing. We can’t be with a guy who’s scared of our family.” Donna sounded cheerful about it.
Good. She was right, too. Family was always around.
“Are you sure you’re safe?” she asked.
“Yeah.” For now, Barensky didn’t know I was alive, and I was fine with that. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Bye.”
She said ‘bye’ and hung up.
For now, I needed to say a couple of things to Aiden. “With us scrambling all day, I didn’t get a chance to thank you for staying with me and diffusing the bomb earlier. I’ve never seen anybody be so calm in a situation like that,” I murmured.
“It’s my job to stay calm in situations like that.” Aiden lowered the binoculars and stared out the side window.