Aeromancist (SECOND EDITION): Art of Air (7 Forbidden Arts Book 3) Read online

  Lann regarded her, the muscles of his tense shoulders aching. He hoped this was finally going somewhere. “And?”

  “He accessed the gossip columns for a national newspaper in Santiago almost as frequently as he pissed. Made a good job of erasing his presence, but not good enough.”

  “What does that mean?” Lann asked.

  “Does El Día ring a bell?”

  “It’s one of the biggest national newspapers in Chile.” Lann frowned as articles popped up on the 3D hologram, one overlapping the next. It was mainly gossip from the social columns.

  “So?” Lann shrugged. “I attracted some unwelcome attention in Chile.”

  The articles disappeared and a photo replaced them. The head-and-shoulders profile had a blue tint that faded out to be replaced by full color. The attractive face of a brunette stared back at them.

  “All the articles were written by her,” Maya said.

  “Vanessa.” Lann said the name with distaste. “Could she be Richardson’s source?”

  “I’m sure of it,” Maya said. “Why else would he have worked his way through everything she’s ever written with your name in it, and every transcribed interview in which your ass has been mentioned?”

  “He could’ve only been researching Lann,” Clelia said.

  “He also ran security checks on her, and dug deep into her past,” Maya said.

  “Son of a bitch.” Lann rested his palms on the desk. “I should’ve dealt more harshly with her. She made my life hell with her incriminating articles.”

  “What’s her motive?” Joss asked.

  Lann shrugged. “Money? Fame? Maybe Richardson promised her exclusivity on cracking the case.”

  “Jealousy?” Maya asked, her smile smug.

  Lann regarded her for a second. “Maybe.” Vanessa had hit on him, and he’d blown her off.

  “If she’s the source,” Clelia said, “why aren’t there any articles about the info she allegedly leaked to Richardson? Why didn’t she write about Lann landing himself a fertile woman?”

  “She did. She just hasn’t published it yet.” Maya called up another hologram.

  Lann scanned the headline and byline. “Fuck. Not even I had access to this information.”

  “She’s biding her time to publish this,” Maya said.

  Clelia frowned. “So, why hasn’t she?”

  “She must be waiting for proof, or the newspaper could be liable for damages,” Joss said.

  “That’s my guess too.” Maya looked at Lann. “As soon as Richardson blows this open, she’ll have what she needs to bury Lann, and that trail will lead to all of us.”

  “How do you want to deal with this, Josselin?” Clelia asked.

  Joss poured himself coffee from a flask on the desk. “We’ll need to confront her.”

  Lann didn’t like the way this was going. Every time they seemed to make a breakthrough, they only uncovered another layer of deceit.

  “Isn’t there a way of investigating her without her knowledge?” Clelia laid her hand on Joss’ arm. “I’m worried if we alarm her, we’ll also scare her source away, and that’s who we’re really after.”

  “We don’t have time,” Joss said with a regretful expression.

  He was right. They couldn’t waste time with an under-cover operation. Lann considered the options. Finally, he said, “I’ll call her.”

  Joss got to his feet. “I’ll inform Cain. When is a good time?”

  “This afternoon. The midwife is arriving soon. I’d like to meet her before I deal with Vanessa.”

  “Marie-Paul is a wonderful woman,” Clelia said. “I’ve known her all my life. She’s good at her job. You don’t have to worry.”

  “I appreciate that,” Lann said. “What has Richardson been up to during the last few hours?”

  “He returned to the States,” Maya said. “He hasn’t tried to contact Kat, but he did try to track her number.”

  “Did you send him off course?” Lann asked.

  “Of course. He thinks she’s still in Paris.”

  The intercom for the property gates buzzed. Joss pressed his finger on the dial. “Yes?”

  “Marie-Paul.”

  “Come on in.” He pressed the button to open the gates.

  “I’ll go meet her,” Clelia said.

  Lann only nodded tightly.

  The midwife was a woman with weathered skin and stooped shoulders. Her gray hair was thin, and her body seemed fragile, yet her grip was strong when she shook Lann’s hand in the lounge where he and Katherine waited. Her brown eyes were lively and observant as they swept from Lann to Kat.

  Of course, they’d checked her out to made sure she was safe and trustworthy, but Lann always trusted his gut. The Breton woman seemed like someone who could guard secrets.

  After they’d taken a seat in a sunny spot of the lounge, Marie-Paul turned to Katherine. “You have a lot to learn. First, we’ll do some exercises that will teach your husband to help relax you, and to assist you when the time of birth comes. Then we’ll start preparing you mentally. All of what you’re going to do is completely natural. Knowing what to expect will make it easier. We’ll do some acupuncture to let you get accustomed. I’ll use it to ease the birth pains.”

  Lann was taken aback. He hadn’t expected the old lady to be quite so holistic, maybe even modern, in her approach.

  He took Katherine’s hand and asked respectfully, “For how long have you been doing this?”

  She chuckled. “All of my life. I started when I was sixteen, assisting my mother. I’ve been catching babies for sixty-four years.” She patted his hand. “You don’t have to worry.”

  Katherine cleared her throat. “Madame, you know this is not a normal baby, right?”

  Marie-Paul gave a solemn nod. “Please, call me Marie. That’s what all the villagers call me. And yes, Joss told me about the baby.”

  “So you know what to expect?” Katherine asked pointedly.

  “Yes.” Marie met Katherine’s eyes. “You will die.”

  Lann’s chest constricted. His ribcage became too small for his heart. Breathing hurt. The movement of air around Katherine stilled to a soft vibration, as if her lifeforce was already declining.

  He stroked his thumb over Katherine’s palm and said in a hard voice, “Maybe it isn’t necessary to be quite so direct.”

  Marie turned her wise gaze on him. “Oh, quite the contrary. It’s very much needed. The more you both face it now, the easier it will be to handle reality when the time comes.” She reached across the coffee table and took Katherine’s other hand. Her expression was gentle. “I’m not only going to prepare you for the birth, but also for your departure from this world, and for setting both your husband and your child free when you do so, but more importantly yourself.”

  Katherine’s voice held a small tremor when she asked, “Have you assisted in a birth like this before?”

  Marie was silent for some time. Finally, she said, “Yes. Don’t worry. I have done it. I know what it’s like, and I’ve seen how badly it can go when a mother is ill-prepared.”

  Of course. Lann understood even before Katherine said with surprise, “Who?”

  Marie gave her an incredulous look. “Why, Clelia’s birth, of course. I assisted her mother, Katik.”

  Katherine glanced at him, empathy shining in her blue eyes. “I sometimes forget she grew up here.”

  “So,” Marie said, calling the attention back to herself, “I’m not going to let you go from this life frightened and scared. You will be well prepared, and it will be easier for everyone.”

  Katherine nodded. Lann put his arms around her, pulling her tight. He couldn’t listen to Marie’s talk about death, about losing the woman he loved, but he knew she was right. They had to prepare for the inevitable, no matter how hard it was.

  “We’ll start with some Reiki,” Marie said, “and then breathing exercises. Where are we going to work?”

  Lann got to his feet, pulling Katherine wit
h him. “Clelia prepared a room where we can work undisturbed.”

  They made their way upstairs to a room on the first floor that Clelia had equipped with exercise mats, a bed, a desk, chairs, and plenty of soft cushions on the rugs that covered the floor. The room had a fireplace in addition to the central heating, and Lann was thankful. Inside, he was frozen.

  Chapter 16

  The team, joined by Katherine, gathered in the library after lunch. Lann had tried to convince his obstinate wife to take a nap after their long morning with Marie, but she wanted to be there for the call he was about to make to Vanessa. She was as anxious as he was to learn what they could about Richardson’s source.

  The team sat down around the long table. Katherine took the seat next to him. Equipment took up most of the surface, and monitors were placed on the shelves and mounted on the walls.

  “We really need a room set up for working,” Clelia said to Joss.

  Joss smiled at his wife. “Not a bad idea, little witch. Since the castle is going to be our base in France, we may as well do it properly.”

  Maya gave Lann the secure phone and handed around the earpieces. “Ready everyone?”

  “Diverters in place?” Joss asked.

  “If she has a bug on her line,” Maya said, “our satellite will take it on a boogie ride into space and bring it home as dizzy as a record on spin. She’ll never know where the call came from.”

  “Recording’s on,” Clelia said.

  “Good.” Joss gave Lann a signal.

  Lann glanced at Kat briefly before he hit the dial button. The phone rang for a long time without going onto voicemail. Just as he was about to hang up, Vanessa answered.

  “It’s Lann.”

  “Lann, darling,” she drawled, “what a pleasant change from business calls.”

  It worried Lann that she didn’t seem surprised to hear from him. “You’re going to be let down then. This is business.”

  “Really?” Her mock-disappointed tone filled him with ire. “What kind of business could possibly justify this late-night call?”

  “It’s not late for you. We both know it.”

  “All right. I won’t pretend that I was,” her voice turned seductive, “already in bed.”

  Lann glanced at Katherine, but she kept a stoic face. “I assume you know why I’m calling.”

  “To ask me out on a date?”

  “Stop playing games, Vanessa. I’m sure you want to get down to business.”

  “I’d like to get down to a lot of things with you, Lann, but why don’t we start with you telling me why you called.”

  “Let’s start with the incriminating articles you’re publishing about me.”

  She laughed. “Please, give me some credit. Don’t insult my intelligence by treating me like the women you usually date.”

  He clenched his jaw. “Fine. Why are you leaking information to Gideon Richardson?”

  Without bothering to deny the accusation, she said, “Gideon is a means to an end. Of course he doesn’t know the role he’s playing in my scheme. He thinks I just want a headline story.”

  Lann didn’t like what he heard in her voice. For a while, she said nothing. She was going to make him ask, so he gritted his teeth and said, “What do you want?”

  She chuckled. “Your baby.”

  Lann battled to keep an even face as his gaze moved back to Katherine. His wife’s expression showed shock, but not surprise. Katherine had met Vanessa only once when she’d escorted Lann to a Valentine’s ball in Santiago, and the journalist had been a bitch to Kat. He, on the other hand, was thoroughly taken aback. How did Vanessa know about the pregnancy? Not even Richardson did. The possible rewards Vanessa could be after included money, fame, maybe even climbing up her career ladder, but not this.

  “You’re out of your mind,” he said.

  “Oh, stop being melodramatic. I’m not asking to take your child for nothing. I’m offering a fair exchange for something you desperately want.”

  His voice was flat. “I doubt I’ll want anything you have.”

  “Oh dear.” She sighed. “Famous last words. Not even a cure for your beloved Kat?”

  Blood gushed in Lann’s ears. “What did you say?”

  She sighed with feigned impatience. “Pay attention, darling. I know who set you up with Kat, and I know why. I also know the experiment worked, because she’s pregnant. Now, the orchestrator wants to collect his prize—your baby. So, if you want her to live, you’ll have to cut a deal. The baby for her life.”

  From the corner of his eye, Lann saw Katherine’s big eyes trained on him. Joss gestured for him to keep talking.

  “You want our child in exchange for a cure that will save Katherine’s life?” he said.

  “Please, let’s not repeat everything.”

  “You’re working with this orchestrator.”

  “You catch on fast.”

  Lann balled his hands into fists. “What proof do I have that the cure will work?”

  “I’ll provide you with a small sample. It won’t be enough to have an effect, but it will prove my point. Your doctor—Eve, is it?—can verify the probability of success.”

  “Who’s behind this?” he asked. “Who are you working for?”

  Her laugh was husky. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.”

  “You don’t really think I’ll give you my child once he’s born and Katherine is safe?”

  “That’s why you’ll send Kat to a destination that I’ll give you, a safe place, where she’ll have the baby. Once the child is born, we’ll send your precious Kat back to you.”

  He banged a fist on the table. “I’m not sending Katherine anywhere.”

  “Then the deal’s off. I guess it’ll be fun watching Kat die in the pains of childbirth.”

  Lann fumed. “What guarantee do I have that you’ll keep your end of the bargain?”

  “You’ll get her back in one piece.”

  “This is absurd. Impractical. From next week, Katherine won’t even be able to travel any longer.”

  “I know. That’s why you’ll send her tomorrow.”

  His laugh carried his disbelief. “You’re suggesting keeping her from now?”

  “You’ll have her back in five to six months. It’s not so long to wait compared to the rest of your life.”

  Joss spoke into his earpiece. “Tell her you have to consider it.”

  Lann glanced at Katherine’s pale face. “I’ll have to discuss it with my wife.”

  “Wife? That’s a new development.”

  “In the meantime, I want the sample.”

  “Sure,” she said in a syrupy tone. “Still in Paris?”

  Richardson had to have informed her. Were they exchanging information? That wasn’t FBI protocol.

  “Yes, I’m in Paris.”

  “There’s a herbal shop, ten Rue de Chattes. Tomorrow, noon. Ask for a cure for smelly feet.” She snickered. “After you receive my magic potion, you have one hour to make your decision.” She paused. “If you don’t agree to my terms, Kat’s hunting will continue. You know a gift hunter will find her sooner or later.”

  “One hour?” Lann caught Joss’s eye. It would take Bono forty-five minutes just to fly the heli from Paris back to the castle. Joss held up two fingers.

  “Two hours,” Lann said. “My doctor doesn’t work very fast.”

  “Two hours,” Vanessa agreed, “and not a second more. After that, you’ll deliver your sweet little wife. I’ll need your promise that you’ll send her alone, and don’t even think about planting a bug on her or following. We’ll let her die after the birth if you break your promise.”

  “What role does Richardson play in all of this?”

  “Gideon?” She laughed. “Gideon’s just insurance, honey. If you don’t deliver, I’ll cut your operation wide open, throw the juicy bits at Gideon, and expose you for who you are.” She blew a kiss into the line. “Until tomorrow.”

  The line went dead.

&nbs
p; For a few seconds, no one said anything. Lann got to his feet and placed his hands on Katherine’s shoulders. Her muscles were tense. He massaged her gently, trying to think.

  Joss blew out a heavy sigh. “We didn’t get anything from her line. She’s not bugged.”

  “Do you believe her?” Clelia asked.

  Everyone looked at Lann for the answer. “I’ll believe nothing until I see the sample.”

  “We’ll get the sample,” Joss said, “and have Eve test it. Maybe she can replicate it, if it is what Vanessa claims it to be.”

  “If not?” Clelia asked softly.

  Maya pushed her chair away from the table. “The person most affected hasn’t said anything yet.” She looked at Katherine.

  “One thing at a time,” Katherine said. “We first get the cure.”

  Bono and Maya rushed into the castle with the insulation bag they’d picked up in Paris an hour earlier. Eve waited in the door while Kat and everyone else stood one step behind. Clelia gripped Kat’s hand when Maya handed the parcel to the doctor.

  Eve took it wordlessly, and headed for the stairs. When Lann moved to follow, Eve held up a hand. “Give me some space to work.”

  “She’s right,” Joss said. “Let’s go to the library.”

  They stepped into the big room. Joss served drinks and handed Bono a shot of Calvados. “How did it go?”

  “Exactly as planned. Maya went into this freaky herbal store, got the parcel, and walked straight out. No one followed.” His laugh was deep. “She sure was pissed off about having to ask for a stinky feet cure.”

  Lann checked his watch. “We have one hour.”

  For the next fifty minutes, they sat around the fire in silence while they waited for Eve’s verdict. When the doctor finally entered, still wearing her overcoat, she looked tenser than ever. Eve walked to the center of the room, her hands shoved into her pockets.

  “Eve?” Joss said.

  “I think it’ll work.”