Page 29 of Power's Fall
“Warrior Scholars?” Dahlia asked.
“I’m part of a sort-of on-call security team within our society.” Montana looked at Dahlia almost apologetically, as she made a frustrated noise. “My roommates and I are all former military men turned academics. We live in Boston and whenever the Grand Master needs someone to handle potentially dangerous situations, she calls on us.”
Dahlia narrowed her eyes. “There’s no reason I would know about things like a joint task force, but why have I never heard of Warrior Scholars?”
“When the Grand Master’s counselors came to me right after I started my doctorate, and asked me if I’d be willing to step in and help whenever she needed someone with my skills, my impression was that this was a new thing. Everyone else seemed to feel the same way.”
“What does your Grand Master do if someone disobeys, or if there is a threat to the society?” Vadisk asked.
“I think she just asks specific members to handle problems that come up,” Montana said.
“The Grand Master’s counselors also do things like warn people who are behaving badly. My mom told me a story she’d heard about that. Years ago, at one of the annual gatherings, someone she’d been recruited with was pulled aside by one of the counselors and warned to stop what they were doing.”
“Annual gatherings? You have parties?” Vadisk’s eye twitched. “That must be a security nightmare.”
Montana reached out, placing his hand on Vadisk’s shoulder with mock solemnity. “I try not to think about it.”
Vadisk stiffened, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. It was an innocuous enough touch, but Montana quickly lowered his arm. “Sorry,” he murmured. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
Both he and Montana scanned the surrounding area, mirror images in concern and paranoia. Even though he didn’t see anything, Vadisk struggled to relax.
“Sounds like you and I have similar roles within our societies,” Montana said. “Though mine is more of a part-time gig.”
“I suppose we do. It never occurred to me that I could do something similar…” Vadisk hadn’t considered the possibility of continuing his job—at least in some fashion—as a security officer in America.
“Listen, I know we’re nowhere near ready to make decisions about our future, but just for fun… Have you ever thought about going to university?” Montana asked, grinning widely. “Because you’d make one hell of a Warrior Scholar.”
ChapterFive
Dahlia ducked under the water, blowing out a stream of bubbles as she sank down, then pushed off the bottom, tipping her head back as she surfaced so her hair wouldn’t be plastered to her face. She folded her arms on the lip of the pool, then hissed and pulled back, splashing some water onto the too-warm stone before resuming her position.
Some instinct made her look up toward the second-floor veranda outside his room. Vadisk was leaning on the stone rail, watching her. With his head bent, his face was in shadow to the point she couldn’t read his expression, but when she pushed back from the side, she could tell he was watching her, tracking her movement.
She’d been hot and sweaty when they came back, and rather than change into her swimsuit, she’d jumped into the pool in her clothes. Swimming in wet attire wasn’t fun, so she’d struggled out of her shirt and pants, now swimming in only her underwear. Though they weren’t more revealing than her bikini, it felt just a little scandalous to be swimming in her bra and panties while her husband watched.
Vadisk straightened, and Dahlia braced her toes on the bottom, holding her breath to see if he’d join her. Vadisk and Montana had opted to go upstairs and shower when they got home, Vadisk gruffly saying he’d wait until Montana was out for safety.
She and Montana had a momentbythe pool last night; maybe she and Vadisk could have a momentinthe pool.
Vadisk braced the heels of his hands on the railing, his massive shoulders bunching, biceps and triceps popping as he leaned forward. Dahlia bobbed in the water, considering her options. One bra strap had already slipped off her shoulder. She could slide the other one off, just to see…
Vadisk’s phone rang. He frowned, tugging it from his pocket and stepping back as he brought it to his ear.
She sank down to her eyeballs in the water in disappointment. Vadisk had been an ass on and off since they’d met, but there were flashes of a dark wildness behind his eyes that she wanted to know more about. Humor she’d seen only briefly but wanted to explore. She had a feeling that with Vadisk, a physical connection would be both easier and faster to forge than an emotional one.
The doorbell chimed, and she looked to the villa, then up at the veranda. Montana was in the shower and Vadisk was on a call. Had either of them heard the bell? She waded to the steps, climbing out and wrapping a towel around herself. Moving into the shade, she stripped out of her wet underwear while watching the bottom of the stairs to see if Vadisk or Montana were coming down to answer the door.
The chime sounded again.
She slipped inside, her feet leaving wet prints on the stone floor. She switched the towel for a shapeless black dress. Maybe if Vadisk came down right now, while she was naked, they could…
She opened the sliding door and tossed the wet towel over a chair outside, tugging her dress into place as the fabric clung to her wet skin.
No Vadisk or Montana, and the doorbell chimed again.
Dahlia moved to the foyer, considering her options. There was no peephole in the door, so no way of knowing who was on the other side.
Footsteps pounded down the stairs. Vadisk leapt down the last three, landing knees bent. She fancifully imagined that the building shook from the impact.