“After Albert shot you, you started coming out of it in fifteen minutes. We were surprised, because what he loaded you with should have kept you down at least an hour. He had to dose you twice more before we could get the plane off the ground. You threw off each dose a lot faster than we expected.”
“How long have I been out?” she asked again.
“Five hours.”
“I’m going to pop his head like a grape,” she snarked without much enthusiasm.
“I’m sure that will be a great comfort to him, dear.”
The door opened. “My ears are burning,” Albert said. “Is she awake?”
“Give me a reason not to beat the crap out of you, Albert,” she snarled.
“My dear, believe me when I say it pained me to do that. My priority is keeping you safe. I will do whatever it takes to accomplish that. I’m not out to win a popularity contest with you.”
“Got that right.”
“You must be hungry, after that display. Would you like something to eat or drink? We have soda, tea, coffee—”
“You are a sucky flight attendant.”
“Quite. I can get you something hot or cold to eat. Sandwich? Soup?”
Robertson glared at her. “Mind your manners, Anastazia.”
“I was the one drugged like a rabid monkey, if you remember.”
“Because you were the one acting like a rabid monkey, dear. Please bring her some soup and a water with lemon,” Robertson told Albert.
“And a vodka,” she said.
Robertson shook his head, overruling her. “No. Not after all those drugs.”
When Albert left, Robertson turned on her and grabbed her arm, shaking her. “Don’t you understand? Someone is after you. This isn’t a game, Taz, and it’s not a traffic ticket you can talk your way out of. They are going to hurt or kill you. Unless you work with Matthias, they will succeed.”
“I don’t like being played.”
“He’s not trying to play you. He’s not trying to get you to sleep with him. He’s trying to make you understand his point of view. He’s worried about you. We all are. We will give our lives to protect you, but you must stop fighting us. We need your help to keep you safe.”
She looked at him, not used to him talking to her with that depth of emotion and concern. The parental bossiness she was used to, but not the worry.
The worry scared her.
“I don’t like being told I can’t leave when I want.”
“And we don’t like telling you that. We want this over quickly so you can resume as normal—”
“Ha!”
“—a life as possible.”
They transferred from the jet in Livingston. The small prop plane landed safely at the Gardiner airstrip. The town was small but active. It was early summer, tourists flocking into Yellowstone through the north entrance at the iconic stone archway.
Robertson and Albert left to make sure their arrangements were complete while Matthias took Anastazia to a small cafe on Park Street, the main strip through town. She promised Robertson she would behave herself and, for the meantime, stop fighting.
If she did, Albert promised not to dart her again.
They sat on the covered patio outside the restaurant. Matthias looked over his sunglasses at her. “Do you trust me?”
“Not really.”
His eyes twinkled. Her heart jumped, betraying her. Why does he have to be so damn handsome?
“You won’t be disappointed,” he promised.
She didn’t respond, which he apparently took as a yes. She still felt pissed off, but she knew he was trying to make amends.
He ordered two buffalo burgers and relaxed in his chair. “I’m sorry your life has been turned upside down.”
“No you’re not.” She was still trying to be mad at him. Make him pay, mentally at least, for everything that happened.
Childish much? Absolutely. She felt it was her prerogative. She never asked to be brought into this.
Matthias smiled. “Taz,” he said, “you had to find out sooner or later. I couldn’t risk you going to a doctor and falling into the government’s hands. When you were young, Robertson took you to our doctors, so there was never any worry.”
“So dramatic.”
“Truthful. If the government got ahold of you, there wouldn’t be much I could do to get you free. I’m powerful and connected, and fifty years ago, hell, even twenty years ago, I could have easily sprung you. But not today, not with all the high-tech security they have.”
“I can’t believe this is happening.”
“I know it takes some getting used to.”
“‘Getting used to?’ Did you learn the art of understatement from Robertson?”
He looked out over the street, his face an impenetrable mask. Yellowstone’s stone arch was visible across the field. “Anastazia, you have no idea. I have buried more friends and loved ones than you could ever imagine.”
It finally struck her he had a history—a long history—that she was not privy to.
How many women? How many children? she thought before she could stop herself.
Matthias smiled, looking wistful and sad. “No children. None that lived. Health care was woefully lacking back then.”
She forced herself to ask. “And the women?”
He slowly nodded. “I had a wife. We married before my family history was revealed to me.” He wouldn’t look at Taz. “She wasn’t of the line. She died during childbirth with our third child. She was only twenty. I was twenty-one. I haven’t married since.”
“But you’re not a hermit.”
“No, I wasn’t.” He looked at her. “Do you really want to do this? Do you really want to go there?”
Did she?
Not really. “I guess not.”
He fiddled with his napkin. “It doesn’t matter who was or wasn’t in my past. Just like it doesn’t matter who’s in your past.”
“But you know who’s in my past.”
“For your information, Robertson didn’t pry. He ensured your safety and maintained his discretion. It’s not like I had your house bugged.”
Ew, creepy!
“Besides,” he continued, ignoring her mental commentary, “while there are men out there who enjoy screwing any woman they can get their hands on, especially when they can have any woman they want, I am not one of those men.”
“Aw, only you could take a potentially sweet comment and turn it totally narcissistic. Any woman you want, huh?”
His voice hardened. “Would you like a demonstration?”
Her heart skipped a beat as heat flooded her face. “You mean, wow me with your undead charms?”
“Don’t call me that. And I wasn’t talking about you.”
Taz’s nerves felt especially out of sorts. Maybe a result of jet lag on top of the effects of the tranquilizers and the stress, but she wanted to bust his balls to Brazil and back for the hell of it.
Because she could.
“Don’t be an asshole, Matthias.”
He leaned forward and took off his sunglasses, squinting a little against the glare, his voice low. “I’m not trying to turn this into a pissing contest, Anastazia. I’m trying to answer your questions.”
“Somehow, you answering my questions always pisses me off.”
“Then quit asking.”
“Right, great way for me to stay in the loop, big guy.”
“You questioned my ability to have any woman I want.” He placed his sunglasses on the table.
Unfortunately, the waitress chose that moment to return with their order. She placed the plates on the table. Before Taz could warn Matthias not to do it, he looked up at the woman and smiled, fixing her with the full force of his deep, blue eyes.
The waitress froze and stared at Matthias. A dreamy smile washed over her face.