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- Herausgeber: Valley Publishing Ltd.
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
The move to a castle is both daunting and exhilarating. Damn sure he has bitten of more than he can handle, Terk asks Charles for help. In turn, Charles brings in an old friend to get the team installed and to get the castle renovated and organized. Going into private business never looked so good or so hard. But, with Levi and Ice joining in the fun, even Bullard helping out, the renovations are in Emmaline’s capable hands, and all is well.
Or is it? When Jonas calls to say there’s a problem, and it’s heading their way, Terk knows the priority is safety and security. But what does that look like with a large group of energy workers? There’s also another side effect of so much energy all in one place—something no one thought about—and something that’s way too late to stop …
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022
Ähnliche
Books in This Series:
Damon’s Deal, Book 1
Wade’s War, Book 2
Gage’s Goal, Book 3
Calum’s Contact, Book 4
Rick’s Road, Book 5
Scott’s Summit, Book 6
Brody’s Beast, Book 7
Terkel’s Twist, Book 8
Terkel’s Triumph, Book 9
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
About This Book
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
Sneak Peek from Radar: Terkel’s Guardian
Sneak Peek from Magnus: Shadow Recon
Author’s Note
Complimentary Download
About the Author
Copyright Page
About This Book
Welcome to a brand-new series from USA Today best-selling author Dale Mayer, where dark-ops SEALs have special senses and skills, needed to solve intrigue, betrayal, and … murder. A series with all the elements you’ve come to love, plus so much more, … including psychics!
The move to a castle is both daunting and exhilarating. Damn sure he has bitten of more than he can handle, Terk asks Charles for help. In turn, Charles brings in an old friend to get the team installed and to get the castle renovated and organized. Going into private business never looked so good or so hard. But, with Levi and Ice joining in the fun, even Bullard helping out, the renovations are in Emmaline’s capable hands, and all is well.
Or is it? When Jonas calls to say there’s a problem, and it’s heading their way, Terk knows the priority is safety and security. But what does that look like with a large group of energy workers? There’s also another side effect of so much energy all in one place—something no one thought about—and something that’s way too late to stop …
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Prologue
Almost one month later, as they landed in London, Celia winced because her lower back and the long flight had not been a good combination.
“You and the babies okay?” Terk murmured as he ushered her toward the big SUV waiting for them.
“Yep.” She yawned heavily. “They’re both more than ready to rest though, and so am I.”
“Lots of rest coming up,”
“We still don’t have a home yet,” she said, looking at him.
“Depends on how you feel about being part of a big compound.”
“Like Ice and Levi’s?”
He chuckled. “Yeah. Something like that.”
As they drove out of town, she thought about a compound and what that would be like as a home, a working home. But when the drive went a little longer than expected, she turned and asked, “Where are we going?”
“Charles suggested a new place as a base. I’ve been there before, but I didn’t realize it was up for sale.”
“What kind of a place is it?”
He looked over at her, as they started to climb a mountain. “How do you feel about something fairly old-fashioned?”
She frowned. “As long as it’s got all the modern amenities—inside plumbing, hot water, electricity, and communications—I don’t hate the idea, especially if it’s got some history and charm.”
He laughed, as they entered through a huge stone wall and a double gate.
She looked at him in shock. “Oh my God. Is this a castle?”
“Kind of.” Terk chuckled. “It looks like it might be big enough for the expanding family.”
“What is there, like twenty of us or something?” she asked.
“So far, nineteen, counting our twins. Plus, we’ll need people to help run the place, like weapons specialists, builders, tech support, culinary staff, housekeeping, gardeners, and whatever else. We’ll need a bunch of staff, unless you’ve got a problem with that.”
She stared at the unfolding landscape, as they drove around and came into full view of the castle, and she was just stunned. “Is that a moat?” she cried out in delight, as the grassy grounds went straight to the water’s edge. She bounced out of the SUV and raced over to the water in an awkwardly pregnant hop.
“I see you approve of it, but I don’t think the twins appreciate the bouncing.”
She laughed, holding her belly. “Is there a pool too?”
“There is a pool. Now, we haven’t finalized any of the legal arrangements yet, but the plan is to spend a few days here, while we think about it.”
“What’s to think about?” she cried out, turning to look at him in shock. “Sign on the dotted line. I think it’s perfect.”
He had to admit that he thought so too. As he looked around at the grounds, he could envision them all here.
She whispered, “Can we really afford this?”
“We can afford it, especially since the US government has paid for it,” he said, chuckling.
“Considering that they tried to kill us all, and we could have had them caught up in litigation for decades and would have gotten the money anyway,” she murmured, “it’s pretty much all good.”
“Exactly, so, in theory, we’ve just saved them money.” He reached out for her hand. “Come on. Let’s go take a look at our new home.”
Just then the front door opened, and an older man leaned against the door, a gentle smile on his face.
“Charles?” Terk said in delight. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
He nodded, beaming at Terk and Celia. “Not sure how you feel about it, but I thought I’d meet you here and make sure everything was in order.”
The men shook hands, and Terk introduced Celia to Charles. She was immediately drawn to the charming older man. “It’s very nice to meet you, and I hope you’ll stay.” She was filled with joy, as she reached out and hugged him, already enjoying the kind energy of this man.
Charles flushed with pleasure. “How sweet of you. I do have a friend here with me.” Celia watched as an older woman walked—with an obvious limp—toward them along the long central hallway.
As the men stepped away to look at something on the property, the woman approached Celia and smiled, holding out her hand. “Hello, I am Emmeline. Charles and I are old school friends.”
“So nice to meet you. I’m Celia.” She couldn’t take her eyes off the woman, immediately noting that Emmeline was the type who only grew more beautiful with age.
“This is such a beautiful and peaceful place. I already want to visit again,” Emmeline replied.
“Absolutely.” Celia hugged the woman. She looked over at Terk, as he and Charles returned. “I don’t think anybody here will mind, and the place looks to be huge. I hope we can get it.”
“Oh, wait until you see inside it,” Emmaline said. “It’s amazing.”
“Perfect.” Celia beamed. “All I want to do now is explore, and then I want to hit that pool, wherever it is.”
Charles laughed. “It’s being uncovered right now. It should be ready within the hour, so probably about the time the tour is complete,” he said affectionately. “I also took the liberty of having a meal prepared.”
Celia grinned at him. “I knew I liked you already.” She reached out to grab Terk’s hand. “Come on, Terk. Our future is waiting.” The pool is also waiting for us, she whispered in his mind.
What about the twins?
They can handle it. So can we.
Chapter 1
Dr. Philly “Celia” Waterball walked down to the end of the hallway and stared out one of the huge arched windows. Terk’s energy drifting toward her; just moments later she felt Terk’s hands on her shoulders.
“Are you okay?” he murmured against her ear.
She leaned into him. “Better than okay.” She sighed. “This is definitely not where I expected to end up.”
“As long as you’re okay with this as a destination.”
“It would be awfully hard to change it now.” She laughed.
“This would be the time to change it though. The paperwork is just now going through.”
“So how is it we’re living here already then?”
“Because we rented it for a little while to ensure we’ll be okay here. But the paperwork was submitted, based on our intent to purchase.”
“Got it. And, yes, I’m totally okay to stay here.”
“You won’t miss London?”
“If I do, it’s a quick hop away—and the same for the US, though a much longer trip. I really like your friends over there. … And family too,” she added, as an afterthought.
Terk chuckled. “Merk is likely to spend a fair bit of time over here too. We’ve always been close. Our paths diverged in the military, but it’s never been our intent to be separated.”
“No, I’m sure you didn’t.” She stared out at the massive fields surrounding the castle. “What is here, ten acres or something?”
“Closer to twenty-five. I can pull out the specs, if you want to know for sure.”
“No.” She shook her head. “That’s not necessary. I just can’t imagine even having something like this. It seems so vast and yet so perfect.”
He laughed. “You look at it from the picturesque point of view,” he said affectionately. “And I’m looking at it from the standpoint of defense, secrecy, privacy, and all those good things.”
“Of course you are,” she murmured. “And you always will.”
He nodded. “I think at this point, it’s pretty well ingrained in us.”
“Is the whole team okay to live here?”
“Yeah, though, as soon as we can, we’ll seek out opportunities to expand our holdings into neighboring areas, so that we have a continuous supply for expansion,” he murmured.
She twisted to look up at him. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “It’s never a good idea to have everybody in one location. That’s just a standard defense tactic. However, it’s definitely important that everybody still have the same access to security. So, as we expand to the neighboring properties, we’ll add tunnel systems and security between each of the properties.”
“Wow, that is more elaborate than I expected. Does everybody on the team really want to set up a new company?”
Terk nodded again. “I think everybody realizes we’re uniquely prepared for this, and who else understands us except for the rest of the team? Plus, the rest of the world doesn’t really care or even know we exist.”
“No, I’m sure they don’t. Although, in fairness, how could they? This is just so far beyond what is normal.”
“Yet it’s definitely normal for us and for you.” He tapped gently on her chin. “Remember?”
She chuckled. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think this was ever possible.”
“Sometimes you’ve got to let dreams just happen on their own. Don’t try to manufacture anything. Just sit back, and let it happen.”
“And I love that theory, but, after my divorce and years of thinking I would always be alone, and alone with my abilities as well”—she shook her head—“it’s hard to see how it’s even possible.”
“Ah, that’s okay. Just leave it to us. We’ll get you where you want to be.”
“I’m already exactly where I want to be,” she murmured, linking her arms around his, as they wrapped around her belly from behind. “There’s just so much to be done, even to get set up.”
“That’s why I’m wondering if you want to go somewhere else, until the birth, so you’re not part of all this chaos.”
“No, I’m fine.” She smiled. “And I know you’re just trying to protect me, but I don’t think there’s any more danger, is there?”
“Would like to think not. I mean, obviously an awful lot still needs to be dealt with on many levels, but we’re on it. Yet, because so many different elements were involved in trying to eliminate my team, I’m not sure I can ever be 100 percent positive.”
“That’ll always bother you, won’t it?”
He nodded calmly. “Sure it will, as it’ll be something that I’ll always keep in mind and look for opportunities to do something about.”
“You keep it in mind, but don’t worry because we’re just fine.” She patted her belly again.
“Good, still there’s been no progress on tracking down whether or not there are other eggs.”
“God, I hope not,” she murmured.
“It’ll be something we may never get final answers on,” he added cautiously.
She realized just how much that bothered him and that he was afraid it would bother her as well. She nodded slowly. “I get that, and I think we have no choice but to go on faith that, if more show up, we’ll deal with it then.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I sure as heck wasn’t expecting this problem.”
“Neither was I. Imagine how I felt.” She gave a nervous laugh.
“I can’t even begin to imagine that. It must have been a frightening shock.”
“Absolutely, but a lot of good came from all this, so it’s hard to get too angry.”
“That’s a hell of a reason for finding forgiveness.”
“Sometimes we must forgive because anything else would drive us too crazy. Forgiveness is not for them. It’s for us.”
“Agreed,” he murmured, “and you’re a very smart cookie.”
She chuckled at that. “I don’t know about the smart cookie remark. I’m just somebody who loves you.”
“And I love you.”
They stood in a sweet silence for several moments, and then he said, “Anytime you want to go lie down, we do have some more furniture moved in. And we have multiple trucks coming over the next few days.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, things are a little sparse at the moment, and that’s fine. I’m not breakable.”
“You are breakable but hopefully not that breakable.”
“I’m perfectly okay to rest on what we have.”
“That’s good, and I know Charles is hiring us some staff.”
“Have you considered trying to get Charles to stay?”
“I think he probably will stay close by, but I don’t think he wants to live on the compound.”
“Is there a particular reason for that?”
“I’m not sure if there is or not,” Terk murmured, “except we have an awful lot of people in our growing team. He’s getting older, and I think he’s just used to having his own space. Plus, he has an agreement with MI6, and I don’t think he wants anything to jeopardize that or his own work.”
“I can understand that too,” she noted. “He is a lovely man.”
“He is.” Terk chuckled. “I don’t think he’d have a problem being a godfather.”
She smiled. “I already told him that our kids have no living grandparents, so we needed somebody nearby. I think he was tickled pink.”
“I can tell you, without a doubt, that he was definitely tickled pink. He has a granddaughter he loves dearly but, so far, no great-grandkids.” Terkel hugged her gently. “Many of us have availed ourselves of his skills and abilities and connections over the years,” he shared. “Charles is a guy who tends to pop up in situations when you least expect it. Levi’s team has been over here many times as well.”
“Can I assume that, over time, I’ll get to meet all these people?”
“Absolutely. You’ll probably spend more time with them than you ever wanted.”
“Right,” she said, “but one of the first things we need is kitchen staff because there’ll be a lot of people to feed here.”
“I think Mariana wants domain over that.”
“And I’m totally okay giving it to her, but she will need lots of help. And, if I could have a room for my research and lab work, then that would make me happy too.”
He chuckled. “There are lot of rooms in this place.”
“And I can see that. However, by the time you have it all planned out—with an armory, a weight room, a control room, a panic room, and all that defense-related allotment, not to mention the living quarters, there won’t be as much extra space as I thought.” She hesitated and then asked, “Will we also have a jail?”
He stiffened ever-so-slightly and then nodded. “Yeah. We really have to, just from a safety point of view.”
“Fine,” she said, with a heavy sigh.
“On that note,” he murmured, “Levi and the team are coming over to help us get things set up.”
“Oh, wow. That’s really nice of them.”
“It’s what we do. I heard rumblings that Bullard may even come at some point.”
She shook her head. “Aren’t you all competing for the same business though?”
“No,” he said, “we’re all in complementary businesses, and each of us has our own skill sets and specialties. And let’s face it. Some of our skills are ones that we learned from each other.”
“Ah,” she murmured. “So, in a way, they could also be people who would want your skills.”
“Absolutely. Even if they don’t necessarily know it yet.” He chuckled.
“Business,” she remarked, with a smile and a shake of her head. “I love it.”
“Good, because there will be a lot of business going on here.”
“I really like that whole big conference room yet dining room scenario that Ice has going. It was family-friendly, yet still worked from a business perspective.”
“It does, and I like that too,” Terk agreed. “We’ll figure out something similar. I’m just not sure how to make it happen here.”
“That,” she said, with a laugh, “is because this place is huge.”
“It is, but we’ll get there. Everybody seems to be pretty excited about it. The electronic security equipment and battery backups, and even solar panels as a further backup, have been ordered. A start, at least. As soon as we can get everything connected and online, I know things will feel better.”
“It’s funny. That’s one of the last things I’m worried about,” she murmured.
“I’m surprised, what with your research and interest in energy workers. Maybe you are nesting, as the literature speaks of, in the last trimester, readying for the twins. The rest of us will get it set up, as everybody’s work is dependent on being connected and able to communicate and access data globally. We feel a certain amount of anxiety, until everything is back up and running again.”
She nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. I also need to find a doctor and take care of a few things baby-wise. I haven’t been for a medical checkup yet, beyond what Ice did at the compound. I probably should see an obstetrician.”
“That’s not a bad idea, if that’s what you want to do,” he murmured.
She looked up at him. “And I figured you’d expect me to go.”
“I’m totally out of my element here. I only know what little I’ve read online and will trust that you know what you need to do. I’m completely in the dark when it comes to pregnancy and delivery.”
“You and me both. But just to make sure we’ve got somebody to call on in case there’s ever a problem, I figured I should probably find someone local.”
“Anytime you want to go into town or to visit somebody,” he said, “let me know, and I’ll make sure we have a driver for you.”
“And if it’s to do with the pregnancy, will you come?” she asked, a note of challenge in her voice. Yet even as she said it, she was unsure why she was even testing him.
“If it’s something you want me to attend, then I’ll come,” he stated. “If you’ll just test out a doctor to see if you feel comfortable with him or her, I’m okay with leaving that up to you. Anytime you want me with you, then I’ll come with you. However, I trust your intuition. Anytime you want my support, then I’m there.” He gave her a gentle hug, soon hearing raised voices downstairs. “I’d better go see what’s going on.” And, with that, he dropped a kiss on her temple and let his hands fall away, as he headed to the stairs.
She turned around to watch as he disappeared, wondering if she should follow.
“One of the things I’d like to see maybe down the road,” she muttered, “is an elevator.” It would be good for her to keep using the stairs while she was pregnant. However, as she got further along, it would be kind of a pain to go up and down all these stairs all the time. And this castle had what? Four stories aboveground? And the ground floor itself seemed to be twenty feet tall. She hoped all the other floors weren’t like that but wasn’t sure, as she hadn’t made her way to the top floor yet. As a matter of fact, she hadn’t made her way very far at all, either inside the castle or out on the property itself, and so much was out there yet to explore. She turned to head to her room, contemplating maybe a nap or at least doing some research, then realized—until communication systems were connected—she was in the same boat as everybody else, and she would have to wait to get information.
Her phone rang just then, and she looked down to check her Caller ID. “Hello, Ice,” she said cheerfully. “How are things in your corner of the world?”
“My corner is not bad,” she said, with a smile in her voice. “How about yours?”
“Chaos,” she replied. “Absolute chaos, but that’s okay. We’re making progress.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Are you getting furniture and all that yet?”
“I think, from the sounds of things down below, a big truck may have just arrived.”
“That’s good news. I was calling, wondering if you were looking for somebody to take care of the housework over there.”
“Yes, but I have no idea what that’ll look like just yet, especially given Terk’s focus on security.”
“Okay, I talked to Charles about it, and I’ve given him a few names of vetted local folks.”
“Oh, we’ll need more than a little bit of help. I know Mariana wants to run the kitchen, but we need to hire some help for her too.”
“If she’s half as good a cook as they all say she is, then you’re better off to leave that with her. I don’t know what I’d do without Alfred and Bailey.”
“I’m happy to have Mariana take that on,” Celia stated, chuckling. “That is definitely not my domain. I don’t mind managing the rest of house or the finances, but I wouldn’t have a clue how to cook for a group like this.”
“What you were versus what you’ll become will redefine everything really. Once those kids start rolling through your world, things will change quickly.” At that, Ice burst out laughing. “You’re going to have so much fun.”
“Honestly, it’s been a pretty huge change already, without any of that.”
“And it will just keep right on changing too,” Ice noted, and together the two women shared a laugh and a story or two. Then Ice said, “I’ll let you go, Celia. I just wanted to check in with you to make sure you’re doing okay over there.”
“It’s all good.” She still had a smile on her face when she hung up. Ice was just that kind of a person. Always concerned, always there to help. And Celia really appreciated it. They’d become close in the time that she’d stayed with her on the Houston compound, had grown closer after some of the mysteries of the attack on Terk’s team and Celia had been unraveled, and since then, Ice and Celia had become good friends.
Who would have known that was something Celia would ever crave? She hadn’t had a whole lot of female companionship over the years, and it wasn’t something that she’d ever thought of as a loss. However, now she realized what a loss it really was and looked forward to making friends with some of the women here.
Celia wasn’t even sure how it would work herself, even with her energy working skills, but she was more than willing to do whatever they needed to make it happen. No doubt that some adjustments would be needed, because some people had abilities that gave them extra access to thought processes, and that was something they would try and set some ground rules for.
Celia couldn’t believe that she was even thinking about things like that, but, as it crossed her mind, she realized she was probably the best person to sit down and to do that. So, with her laptop in hand, she headed over to the room she and Terk were currently occupying. A small table was at the far end, and she sat down there and started writing out a preliminary list. If nothing else, it would be important for the sake of everybody’s sanity for them all to know how to navigate the uncharted waters of this living-together scenario, especially with all these advanced energy workers.
Establishing boundaries, so each person knew the lines they could and could not cross, would be a challenge in itself, because everybody’s abilities here were quite new and still evolving. Thus some had no idea what they were supposed to do yet. And, as their abilities continued to grow and change in the future, the boundaries would need to be fluid as well.
It was very exciting and different, and Celia found herself really looking forward to making it work. She hadn’t even imagined that something like this was possible, but she felt like she was here among friends and with people who were more like her than anyone else she’d ever been around. And that, in itself, was worth so much.
It was also pretty odd to think that so many people had these special abilities, although she had hunted high and low to find anybody. Kind of like Terk had himself, although he clearly had been more successful. Whoever would have thought that she would stumble into a dozen, if not more, already? And, as she knew from her own research, these numbers would just increase, as everybody started to learn to do more. Their energy would attract more people of the same ilk, as they continued to develop themselves. It was an exciting time, and Celia couldn’t be happier.
And, with that, she bent down to her list once again.
*
As Terk walked into the massive open area—what looked like the original medieval living room, with a hearth for the fireplace in the front—the space was currently filled with boxes. Several of Terk’s team walked toward him, big grins on their faces. “Now what?” Terk asked, with an eye roll.
“Oh, that was nothing.” Wade chuckled. “We’re just never sure whether we’re supposed to disturb you or not.”
