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Kayla burrowed deeperinto the veranda’s lounge chair and readjusted her cashmere sweater against the evening chill. She smoothed a hand over Crispy’s soft back, igniting the feline’s internal motor.

After her conversation with the ladies, Kayla was escorted to a beautifully appointed guest room on the first floor by Henri, the Amazon-like woman who took care of the house and gardens, showed her.

The calming scents of jasmine and vanilla from a trio of candles inside drifted through the screen door, but Kayla wasn’t ready to give up the ghost yet.

Staring at the clear night sky, she noted the constellations Orion and Big Dipper. She couldn’t identify any of the others, astronomy not being her strong suit, but she found a strange comfort in the stars. Their familiarity, their consistency, their brightness.

Movement to her left had her upright in a split second. She grasped the edge of the chair, her heart in her throat. An image of her Glock nestled in her handbag on the bed flashed through her mind.

Crispy jerked away, shot toward the narrow opening in the screen door, and disappeared. Evidently her guard cat’s territorial instincts had yet to kick in.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Ash said, slowing his approach. “Would you rather be left alone?”

She settled back, unaccountably happy to see him. “No, please sit with me. I feel like I’m going to burst from my skin.”

He eased his large frame onto the adjacent lounger. Rather than lie back, he sat facing her, a troubled expression on his handsome face.

“I understand the feeling.” He reached for her hand, where it still gripped the lounger’s frame. “The ladies took good care of you?”

She nodded. “They’re a formidable bunch.”

The deep lines in his forehead softened. “They are.”

Several seconds passed, and she watched burrows return to his forehead.

“What’s wrong?”

His free hand covered their clasped hands and his gaze fell to the mound of digits. A low, hard thud of anxiety reverberated in her chest, and she found herself sitting up again and turning to face him.

“What is it?”

The audible click of his swallow confirmed her fear. He had more unwelcome news and didn’t want to or didn’t know how to tell her.

”It’s okay, Ash. You can tell me.” This time she swallowed hard. “No matter how terrible the information.”

Five, four, three, two?—

“Rohan figured out who hired Seb Grimball to kill the governor.”

“Who?” she whispered, hoping Mason’s accusation about Service was wrong.

“A company called Gradient Enterprises.”

Kayla released a pent-up breath and she nearly collapsed against the weight of her relief. But then a pinprick of memory caught her attention, blossomed into a fully-realized conversation.

With Sybil.

About her son.