Adverse Possession (The Anna Albertini Files #3) - Rebecca Zanetti Page 0,36

called out, still sounding amused. Well, kind of.

We got settled inside the cottage with me on the sofa and Aiden on the adjacent chair.

Tessa put a hand-crocheted blanket over me and glanced at her watch. “I have a shift in thirty minutes but can cancel it.”

“No.” I plucked a loose string. “I’m okay. Just field calls for me for a little while until I get my phone back, would you? With the family?”

She leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I already have been. Mom and Dad agreed to stay in Silverville for the night at least. I had to promise you were coming to the family barbecue on Sunday to even get that much from them. I’ll take care of the rest of the family and bring you over something to eat after my shift. Don’t argue.” She patted Aiden on the shoulder as she walked to the door. “Whatever is going on with those women needs to stop, Aiden.”

“Affirmative,” he said, his gaze not leaving me.

Tessa left and I cuddled beneath the blanket. “What’s going on?”

He shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I’m finding out.” As if on cue, his phone buzzed and he lifted it to his ear. “Devlin. Hi, Saber. What did you find out?” As he listened, his eyes darkened. “Okay. Make it very clear that Anna is off limits and that I am not happy. Don’t be gentle.” He hung up.

I swallowed. “What did Saber say?”

“The two women in the truck are old ladies of two of the still remaining Lorde’s members. They’re low in the organization and thus weren’t swept up in either of the raids. Both morons but good for numbers at the moment since I need numbers of members to be interesting to Barensky. Sasha convinced the other women she was still with me, and they were trying to show loyalty by coming after you. Maybe help their men rise in the club since they don’t know that most of us are undercover at this point.”

I blew out air. “Please tell me this is your last undercover Op as the president of the Lorde’s motorcycle club.”

“I promise. Chances are the cover sucks, and it’s just going to get me shot,” he muttered. “We’re doing a deep dive with everyone who might know about my affiliation with the ATF before proceeding. I did wear the jacket when we busted that fringe gun group, but we put them all in prison. I’m somewhat certain.”

Well, that didn’t sound great. “My whole family knows.”

“I’m aware,” he said. “I’ve already reached out to your dad, and he’s spreading the word to keep it quiet. It’s doubtful a bomb-making terrorist has any ties to your family or will run across anybody, but I think your dad can give everyone a heads-up not to talk about me. It’s a risk I have to take.”

“Why?” My head hurt and my ribs ached, and I needed him in one piece.

He leaned over and pulled the blanket more firmly over my injured side. “When Barensky has been hired for a job, that job happens. Sasha was good at undercover, and her intel was always solid. So this bombing will happen whether or not the Lordes are the pawns or not.”

I tried to stay in the moment. “Pawns?”

“Yeah.” Aiden kicked off his boots. “Barensky, the nut job, looks at every campaign as a game of chess. He’s hired by the King and uses pawns to position the bomb or bombs.”

“He’s the Queen?” I asked.

“No. He’s the chess master. The Queen is the mark or victim, the knights the bombs, the rooks the obstacles. Years ago, the FBI had him in custody, and he was interviewed by a couple of shrinks to determine if he was sane enough for trial. I’ve been going through those notes again.” Aiden rolled his neck and it popped.

I winced. Ouch. “What about the bishops? They’re the only chess piece you haven’t mentioned.”

“They’re the unknowns, according to Barensky,” Aiden said. “He factors unknowns into every campaign.”

My mind was slushy, but I tried to keep up. “Did he win at trial?”

“No. He escaped during transport, and we never caught him again. I came close and managed to take down the operation he’d created, but we didn’t get him last time.” A muscle ticked in Aiden’s jaw.

“Did Sasha have any idea who hired Barensky to create bombs this time?”

“No. The man has built explosives for anybody with enough money for the last fifty years. He’s willing to build explosive devices