blanket of damp. The slate-colored sky exactly matched the weathered stone of the ancient building. As abbeys went, this particular one wasn’t much to look at. Part of the exterior had crumbled, and it was more of a ruin now than an actual building.
But the sense of age …
Natalie wasn’t a mystical-minded person, not in the slightest. But the energy of this place, the eerie invocation of timeless power, made her hesitate. She felt as though she were actually intruding, as though her very practical feet should not tread on this hallowed ground.
If Sean sensed the same, he gave no sign.
Keeping close to the crumbling wall, they moved toward the old cemetery on the hill. They were to meet their contact near an ancient crypt hidden behind several immense oaks.
A tingle on her left hand had her glancing down. The wedding ring Sean had given her—the woven band of silver she’d never taken off or switched to her right hand as widows were supposed to do—had grown hot. The ring was old; it had once belonged to Sean’s grandmother. Sean had always called the Celtic design “fairy metal.” He’d teased Natalie, telling her his grandmother claimed to have found the ring in an enchanted circle, left for her by her fey lover.
The way it responded to this place, Natalie could actually believe the story.
“You never took it off.” Sean’s quiet voice, raspy with pain, broke into her musings.
“No.” For a sharp instant, she was glad the sight of her wedding ring had hurt him. He had no idea how much she’d suffered, believing him dead. Or how much she continued to suffer, now that she knew the truth.
But then, he apparently had never realized how much she’d loved him.
He’d stopped moving forward. Though he still hugged the wall, he watched her, waiting for her to tell him more.
Instead of answering, she brushed past him, taking the lead.
The open space between the end of the building and the beginning of the cemetery would be where they were most exposed. Crouching low, Natalie ran. After a muffled curse, Sean followed, awkward in his heavy cast.
Several large trees by the wrought-iron gate provided a shelter of sorts. Natalie slipped behind one and Sean took another. Though there was no breeze, the gate was open, as if their contact had left it so when he’d passed there before them.
“Ready?” Low-voiced, Sean stood poised to move.
With a jerky nod, Natalie answered. She’d let him take the lead again—for now. At least this way she could cover his back if need be.
The old stone crypt was in the farthest corner of the ancient graveyard. They kept as close as they could to the larger monuments and statues, using them as granite shields.
When they were halfway across the cemetery, the crypt exploded.
Chapter 4
Natalie jumped on Sean, pushing him to the ground.
“Stay down,” she growled.
Though he narrowed his eyes, he did as she asked. In the past, he’d led and she’d always followed. No more. Still, with his muscular body pinned beneath her, she was suddenly hyperconscious of their positions.
Thoughts like that in times like this would get them both killed.
“Come on.” She yanked his arm. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
“Get off me so I can move.” His voice sounded strangled. Whether from arousal or from annoyance that she’d taken the lead, she couldn’t tell.
She scooted down the length of him, purely for revenge, then got to her knees. “We’d better stay low. Come on.”
Making sure he was following her, she crawled to the nearest section of iron fence. “Corbett’s man is dead.”
“We’ll mourn him later.” He paused, catching his breath. “I’m thinking he took the code with him.”
“Lost in the explosion, no doubt. But they’ll check to make sure.” She glanced over her shoulder. “We’re going to make a run for the car.”
“Right.” His tone was dry.
Too late, she remembered his walking cast. “Can you do it with that thing on?”
“Yes.” Again, her assuming the leadership position seemed to bother him. But, unlike the Sean she’d once known, this Sean clenched his jaw and said nothing else.
She didn’t have time to reflect on what that meant.
“You go first.”
He shot her a go-to-hell look. “Why?”
“In case you can’t get over the fence on your own. I can help you.”
Without another word he got to his feet and hobbled to the next statue. At this rate, they’d be there all day.
Somehow, Sean managed to climb over the fence unassisted and without getting shot. Natalie could only hope their luck would hold.
In the meantime, she needed to take steps to make sure she wasn’t recognized again.
When they reached the car, she went to the passenger side. She’d let him drive. She’d learned a long time ago how to pick her battles.
Natalie kept a sharp lookout for any hint they might be being followed, but not a single car made the same turns.
“Are they playing with us?” she wondered out loud.
“Could be. They have to know their rigged explosion was a failure. We’re not dead. Maybe they want us alive.”
“For what reason?”
“The code. Could it be possible that damn code is more important than any of us realizes?” Intent on the road, his expression gave away none of his thoughts.
“Surely they know their own code.” She heaved a sigh, wishing she could still rest her head on his shoulder as she’d done in the old days.
“Unless it’s not theirs.”
Natalie stared. “What do you mean?”
“Think about it. Why would the Hungarian be so eager to get some old, coded message away from you? Whatever information it contained, he could simply change.”
“But if it belonged to someone else—”
“Like one of his enemies.”
“Who would be foolish enough to go up against someone so powerful?”
Sean smiled wryly. “The Hungarian has a lot of enemies. Maybe a bunch of them got together to plan something.”
“Wouldn’t we know? I mean, both SIS and the Lazlo Group
