Chapter 9 - The Foundation Protocol
By November, the iron gates of the Hanover Street house had been replaced with clean, historical bronze panels that remained open during the day. The tourists still walked past to see the old church, but the men in dark overcoats had been moved to the perimeter wall, their weapons hidden beneath the fine wool of their winter jackets.
Maeve stood in the central office of the newly opened Donovan Clinic on Commercial Street, her white director's coat open over a dark gray silk blouse, her hair pinned back with the same diamond comb Rafe had given her during the summer.
The door behind her opened with that slow, authoritative thud she had learned to identify without looking.
Rafe walked into the room, carrying a large cardboard box bearing the stamp of a medical supply house in Zurich. He set it down on her mahogany desk, his gray eyes bright with that slow, dangerous amusement that always appeared when he saw her working the ledger sheets.
"The new pediatric valves arrived from the customs dock," Rafe said, leaning his hip against the edge of the wood frame. "The director in Switzerland wanted to know why a shipping line was ordering sixty sets of micro-catheters."
"I told him we were expanding the ward, Rafe," Maeve said, turning around from the window and crossing her arms over her coat. "The children from the South End ward have been waiting three months for the mapping slots. If your men don't clear the delivery vans by Friday... I’ll have Leo park the limousine across the main pier gate before your morning coffee arrives."
May you like
Rafe reached out, his long fingers catching the tie of her lab coat, pulling her forward until she stood between his knees, her bare feet resting on the fine wool of his trousers. "You're getting very comfortable with my security detail, Mrs. Colazo."
"I learned from the don, Rafe," Maeve whispered, her chin lifting as his mouth lowered to hers, his kiss tasting of cold Atlantic rain, expensive cedarwood, and a future that didn't need a fortress to survive the winter.
