Lonely. The woman was desperately lonely.
“Do you like to travel alone?”
She seemed surprised that he’d asked a question. Her head tilted forward and she looked at him. “What?”
“Am I not allowed to ask you questions?”
“It’s unusual.”
“Call me unusual, then.”
She smiled then, a genuine smile untouched by cynicism. “Yeah, I like it. I’m not the most social person in the world.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Wow. That bad, huh?”
He shrugged. “You just seem to like your own space. I don’t see you chatting with many strangers like a lot of the tourists do.”
“My own space?” Her smile hinted at some inside joke. “You could call it that. I don’t travel much in cities. They’re very…”
He waited, but she seemed to expect him to interrupt. He didn’t.
Finally, she said, “They’re crowded. Noisy. Too many smells and sounds and sights all crashing together. I don’t like them, usually.”
“Not even Constantinople?”
“You mean Istanbul?”
He grinned. “Are we going there?”
“We better not.” She laughed again. “I’ll have that song stuck in my head for days. But to answer your question, despite the noise and the people and the heat—”
“The heat is something else, isn’t it?”
“No worse than L.A. most summers. Despite all that…” Her eyes drifted toward the water. “I like it here. There’s something about it, isn’t there? It’s…” Her eyes sought his. “Seductive.”
Malachi could feel the tattoos covering his chest pulse. No… Not going there, either.
He straightened and cleared his throat. “It’s a fascinating place. Very complicated history.”
“I can tell.” Her golden-brown eyes seemed to mock him. “Just by looking at it.”
Silence fell between them as she held his stare. The wind picked up, teasing the fine hair at the back of his neck. He saw her glance down at the tattoo work along his collar, but she said nothing. Asked nothing.
“Why are you here?” he asked. “Really?”
“Headaches.” The mask fell over her face. She had answered without thinking. He was betting she didn’t do that often.
“Headaches?”
“The condition I mentioned the other day.” She waved a careless hand. “There’s a doctor here who specializes in it. The appointment last week, remember? I was referred to him. And you don’t need to report that to Carl or my mom.”
“I don’t report on your activities to anyone unless I think there is some aspect of your safety in jeopardy. I’m not a stalker; I’m a guard.”
“Good.”
“Is he helping?”
“The doctor?”
“Yes.”
Her head bobbed back and forth, considering the question. “Maybe. I try not to get my hopes up, you know? I’ve lived with the headaches my whole life.”
Malachi knew all about not getting his hopes up. So why was he having a hard time believing Damien?
“And there is no cure for them?”
“Not that anyone has found. It’s not a tumor or anything. They’re a bit of a mystery.”
As are you, woman. It wasn’t headaches. At least, that wasn’t all of it. He didn’t know exactly what was going on with the interesting American woman, but he was determined to find out.
Malachi said, “It’s better to be cautious, even with doctors. If there is any background information you’d like on this doctor, let me know. I know many people in Istanbul. Maybe some of my friends or associates have gone to him.”
From her expression, she didn’t like that idea. “I’ll keep it in mind. I’m fine for right now.”
“I just wanted to offer.”
“Noted.” She forced a smile. “But not necessary. I’m fine.”
You are anything but fine.
The tour boat was pulling into the dock, and passengers rose to their feet. Ava joined them without a word, leaving Malachi behind to watch her walk down the gangway. Wordlessly, he stood, then followed her at a comfortable distance as she grabbed a fish sandwich from one of the floating restaurants and walked back toward her hotel, lonely and silent in the afternoon crowd.
Malachi strode into the house and straight to the library, not even stopping to rib Maxim about the bottle of beer the younger man was drinking in the kitchen. He’d left Ava exhausted. He was fairly sure she was done for the day, but the tiny tracker he’d slipped in her bag would alert him if she left the perimeter he’d set up around the grounds of the hotel. And if she was done for the day, then he had some questions for Rhys.
“Sadik,” he said when he spied the shorter scribe sitting at his computer. “He’s the doctor she’s seeing. I saw it on the directory at the building we visited. J. Sadik. I need to know everything about him.”
Rhys turned and frowned. “Had a great day, thanks. The air conditioner is fixed, and the activity logs have been updated and sent to Vienna. And I covered your patrol last night. How was the dinner cruise? Was there a show?”
“No dinner. No show. It was hot but informative.” He paused and tried to slow his brain. “Thank you for covering my shift.”
“Well, since you’re on babysitting duty for the mysterious human, we’re all more than happy to pitch in.” Not even Rhys’s polite accent could hide the sarcasm. Malachi knew the others thought he was following a rabbit trail, but he didn’t care.
“Dr. J. Sa—”
“Sadik.” Rhys turned back to the computer. “I heard you the first time. I’m just trying to force you into social niceties you seem to have forgotten living among the barbarians.” Rhys’s fingers began typing rapidly. The three-hundred-year— old scribe had taken to modern information technology like a duck to water. Not all Irin did. Damien still considered anything more advanced than a telegraph suspicious.
“Thank you, Rhys.”
“Don’t mention it. Really. What kind of doctor?”
“I don’t know. She says she has headaches.”
“Headaches?” he muttered. “That could by physical, psychological… You have no idea what kind of headaches?”
“She wasn’t exactly forthcoming. She said he was a specialist she was referred to.”
Rhys gave him a quiet “ hmph” and kept typing.
“Where?”
“He’s in the city. Just a few miles from here. She saw him last week after the attack in the alley.”
More typing.
“Sadik? You’re sure of it?”
“Who is he? Yes, I’m sure.” Malachi leaned in, looking over the other man’s shoulder, but nothing on the screen made sense.
“There are a number of Sadiks, but none of them are specialists in anything to do with headaches.” More typing. More muttering. Rhys shook his head. “Nothing in the government system… nothing in private. Here’s one who is a pediatrician. An oncologist?”
“It didn’t sound like cancer.”
“That one is a woman, anyway. She said it was a male?”
“Ava referred to ‘him.’”
More typing. “I’m not finding anything that would match. Not in this part of the city.”
Alarm bells started to go off. “What do you mean? There has to be a record. Maybe he moved his office.”
“I’m not finding anything…” Rhys started typing again. “If he’s practicing anywhere in Turkey, I should be able to find him. He’s not in initial searches. I suppose I can keep looking…”
“Yes,” he said. Then quickly added, “Please.”
“See? You can be taught.”
J. Sadik, who are you?
He patted Rhys’s shoulder. “Thanks for checking. I may have to look in other directions.”
Rhys was still frowning, and Malachi knew the scribe was irritated that he hadn’t been able to find the answers his friend was looking for. “She was in Israel before she c
ame here. Maybe the referral came from a doctor there. I’m going to search her medical records. I’ll see what I can find online.”
For some reason, the idea of Rhys digging into Ava’s background irked him. “Is that necessary?”
“Do you want to find out who this doctor is and why she’s seeing him?”
“Yes.”
“Then why do you care?”
The other man went back to furious typing while Malachi drifted back toward the kitchen. It was a good question.
Why did he care?
Chapter Four
Ava looked up from her tea when she heard the clanging streetcar moving down İstiklal Avenue. She leaned back and watched it. Pedestrians in the crowded Beyoğlu neighborhood moved around the car. Tourists. Locals. Merchants. She was in the heart of Istanbul, but for the first time in her life, the city was… peaceful. The hum of voices had become quieter, easier to ignore. The manic energy that seemed to envelope her most days was absent. Ava felt grounded.
She took a deep breath and had to admit that, for the first time in her life, a doctor’s treatment seemed to be working.
Dr. Sadik’s methods were unusual, to say the least. Holistic in practice, the psychologist had prescribed her a diet of mostly Mediterranean foods and was using a kind of pressure-point massage in addition to talk therapy. She’d been skeptical. But one of his nurses assisted with the massage, and when she’d left the office after the first treatment, Ava had to admit the voices were slightly muffled. She’d felt more focused and relaxed. After a few days, the effects had worn off, but the next appointment showed even more relief. She was going in every three days and was starting to wonder whether she’d ever be able to leave.
Glancing over her shoulder at the man sitting a few tables away, she wondered what her mother would do if she decided to stay. Would she and Carl continue to pay her shadow? Malachi had started following her more closely since the cruise but still kept his distance. He was both the least and the most annoying bodyguard she’d ever had. He was more than discreet and carried himself with a quiet confidence that put her at ease. At the same time, Ava sensed he wanted to come closer—to talk to her, to know her more—but he didn’t. She supposed that was her own fault. It wasn’t his job to keep her company.
Still…
She glanced over her shoulder again. He was sipping tea two tables away from her, lounging in a low chair and pretending to read a paper. Behind his sunglasses, she could see him scanning the street, still vigilant despite the peaceful morning.
Keeping her eyes on him, she spoke in a low voice. “Malachi.”
His eyes zipped immediately to her.
“Yes?”
“You have good hearing.”
“Among other talents.”
She grinned. “Why are you sitting two tables away in an empty café?”
One dark eyebrow lifted. “I believe I was told to keep my distance by a certain prickly photographer.”
“Well, that was before we got to be friends.”
“We’re friends?” There was an amused smile on his lips, and Ava saw the hint of a dimple on his slightly stubbled cheek. He had thick dark hair and would likely have a full beard within days if he didn’t keep clean-shaven. Handsome? Not classically. But the man had definite appeal.
“Of course we’re friends. Do you think I habitually strike up conversations with random men in foreign countries?”
“I wouldn’t even try to guess the answer to that.” He had set the newspaper down and leaned back in the plush chair, bringing the glass of tea to his full lips as she watched him, watching her.
“I don’t. Strike up random conversations, I mean.”
“Is there something you want, Ava?”
She let her eyes wander over him, not caring that he noticed her perusal. “You said you’re from Turkey?”
“Yes.”
“So why don’t you stop following me and just show me around?” She surprised herself with the question. Usually she never asked for company. Prolonged contact of any kind could become maddening. But the treatments had calmed her mind, making the soothing resonance he exuded even more appealing. For the first time in her life, the thought of spending the day with a man was attractive, not overwhelming. “I’m bored by myself.”
He put down his glass of tea, almost scowling. “I’m not paid to be your tour guide.”
The disappointment was quick and sharp. “Fine.”
She spun around and turned her back to him, resisting the urge to get up and flee. It would be humiliating for him to see how his rejection had affected her. Besides, he’d just follow her anyway. She picked up her tea with tense fingers and sipped, grabbing a book out of her bag. She briefly debated taking out her small camera and capturing pedestrian traffic, but she’d been trying to take a day off from work and enjoy her newfound calm.
After a few minutes, Ava heard him rise and approach. She gritted her teeth and kept her eyes on her guidebook.
Damn, damn, damn. He’d rebuffed her. The least he could do was pretend to ignore her existence.
No, instead he was sitting down across from her, all six feet and something; his long legs slid under the table, unavoidably brushing against her own. She refused to move.
“Ava.”
“What?”
“My apologies. That was rude.”
“Yes, it was.”
She was still staring at her book. He continued to sit across from her silently. His inner voice took on an amused tone that made her scowl.
“Ava?”
“I’m reading.”
“That’s impressive.”
She rolled her eyes and finally looked up. “What? Reading?”
He tried to control the smile, but the dimple gave him away. “Reading upside down. I can do it as well, but it took many years of study.”
Her cheeks burning, she set down the book. “What do you want?”
Malachi was still wearing sunglasses, but she caught the quick glance he gave her. It wasn’t clinical.
So, not indifferent, after all.
Feeling slightly smug, she said, “Well?”
“You asked me to show you around the city. I would be happy to do that.”
“Maybe I should just hire someone.”
Oh, he didn’t like that. She could tell by the tightening in his jaw and the way his voice changed. “You could. But, as you pointed out, I am local, and I know the city well. I am already guarding you. It would make the job more…”
“Friendly?”
The dimple was back. “Yes.”
“Fine.” She picked up her book, flipping it right side up. “I guess so.”
“You guess so?” His eyebrows furrowed together. “That’s not very friendly. Didn’t you just say we were friends?”
“Well, that was before you pissed me off, Mal.”
“Mal?” He sneered. “My name is not Mal.”
Ava cheered internally, pleased to have found something so convenient to annoy him with. “Oh, it can be.”
“When I piss you off?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Are you always like this? I think I should be warned ahead of time if we’re going to be… friends.”
“Like what?”
“Irritable and moody.”
She looked up in mock indignation. “This is me in a good mood, Mal.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head, but the telltale dimple gave away his amusement, and his inner voice was practically laughing.
“Fine. Put down the guidebook. You don’t need it anymore.”
“It’s a good one, though. And I like learning about the history of the places I visit.”
“Trust me, I know the history.” She looked up, skeptical, but his voice was confident, bordering on smug.
“So you’re a historian as well as a bodyguard?”
“Something like that.”
The way his lip curled made her want to bite it. He must have caught her look, because the
corner of his mouth turned up even more.
“Trust me, Ava.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “With me, no guidebook is necessary. I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”
It was cool and quiet; the echoes of people in the cistern melded together with the whispering voices, creating a mesh of quiet noise Ava glided on in the darkness. Beneath the bustle of the streets above, the Basilica Cistern stretched hundreds of yards into the black underground. Held up by endless marble pillars and dotted by gold lights, the shallow water rested, and Ava watched shadow fish dart over the flash of coins visitors had thrown in its depths.
Malachi followed her, letting her take in the grandeur of the vast room before he spoke in a quiet voice.
“Some people call it the Underground Palace. It’s the largest of the ancient cisterns in Constantinople, originally built by Constantine, then rebuilt by the Emperor Justinian in the sixth century. There are hundreds of cisterns beneath the city, but this one…” His voice held a note of awe. “It is the largest. It fed the palace itself.”
Ava was at a loss. “It’s…”
Stunning.
Eerie.
Otherworldly.
“It’s beautiful,” she finally said.
“It is that,” Malachi said softly. “The city cisterns were fed from aqueducts the Romans built. Some still lead back to their water source or have tunnels leading between them. During its use, the water would have been far higher. Over our heads.” They strolled along the raised platform, damp with water dripping from the domed ceiling above. “Modern Istanbul holds pieces of Greece, Rome, the Byzantines, the Ottomans. New conquerors, new rulers, new buildings. Still the same city, just with a different face. The bones remain the same.”
“Archaeologists must have a field day here.”
He nodded. “There’s much to discover still. Istanbul is a puzzle, and I doubt all her secrets will ever be revealed.”
“I don’t think I want them to be,” she whispered. “I like the mystery. I love this place, this Underground Palace.”
Malachi’s eyes took on a distant stare. “It’s set apart. Another world, almost.” He walked to the edge of the platform, looking out over the dark water. “There are many places like this in the city. Places where the present and the past seem to coexist at once. As if they live next to each other, only a ripple away.”