by Lexi Blake
“I’ve got a bullet wound that proves you’re wrong, and Kayla Summers still has problems taking baths.” Ezra’s voice had gone arctic. “You know he had her waterboarded, right? He did it so she would tell him how to get into The Garden. He wanted to steal one of the Lost Boys and do god knows what to him.”
“She wasn’t working for the Agency,” Kim replied. “And there was nothing about that in his report.”
“Surprise, he lies.” Ezra’s mouth had turned down. “Stop trying to justify Levi’s actions. Or just come out and tell me you’re working with him.”
“I’m not.” Kim’s hands had fisted. “I was only saying he’s been careful up to now and I don’t understand what he’s doing. Why would he out Ariel? Everyone already knows.”
“Robert didn’t.” She hadn’t talked to Kim about what had happened.
Kim sighed. “Of course he didn’t. You wouldn’t want him to worry about divided loyalties. There’s a reason we work in secret. I will definitely report Levi to the Agency for outing you. Those files are classified. It’s a gross violation of his job.”
“He’ll have someone cover it up for him,” Ezra said. “And the only person who can confirm it was Levi is Robert, who we rather want to keep out of the Agency’s clutches.”
“No, that’s the thing.” Kim sounded hopeful again. “The tide’s turning and that’s probably why Levi’s getting desperate. He got the notes Dr. McDonald left in Colorado, but the formulary wasn’t in them. He understands the basic protocols but without the formulary, there’s not a lot he can do. I think he’s put his whole career on the line to deliver this to his people. The heat is on now, and if he doesn’t find something soon, they’ll have to let him go.”
“You mean fire him?” Ariel asked.
“Or worse.” The smile was back on Ezra’s face. “The group he’s working for is very aware of what could happen if it got out that they’ve been trying to gain access to highly unethical medical research. The easy play is to say they knew nothing about it and Levi was acting as a rogue agent. It’s the way the game goes and Levi knows it. You’re right. He is getting desperate.”
“And a desperate man is a dangerous man,” Ariel pointed out.
“I have to ask, why would Robert or any of the men be shocked that Ariel used to work intelligence?” Peter stopped at the light. “Almost all of the company’s employees used to work for some form of intelligence agency.”
“Robert has an emotional attachment to Ariel that comes from her ability to empathize,” Kim began.
“Yeah, it’s got nothing to do with her boobs.” The eyeroll from Ezra was implicit. She didn’t need to see it to know it was there.
“Beck.” Kim could still sound like an embarrassed wife. “Though they are nice. Have you shown them to Robert lately? It could be the distraction you need.”
“Could we stop talking about my breasts?” She needed to steer the conversation back to the professional. “What Kim is trying to say is I’ve forged meaningful ties with these men on the basis of therapy. They trust me. I didn’t tell them I used to work for one of the agencies that’s very interested in them. I certainly haven’t told them I’m still in touch with the same agency. It’s going to cause trouble.”
“Yet you didn’t stop him from looking at the files.” Now Ezra took off the shades and turned to look back at her. “I could have ordered him to give it up. He told us flat out what he had. He didn’t have to keep it.”
“And that would have made things worse.” She’d sat up all night thinking about it. Even after she’d seen him with Emily, she’d wondered if he was awake and reading through every bloody thing she’d ever done. “It’s better to get it out in the open. Let’s hope Levi gave him the real files and not something he’s doctored. Reality is bad enough.”
“You were working in the best interests of your country. Hell, in the best interests of the world.” Kim put a hand on her arm. “You did nothing you should be ashamed of. Lives were saved. He’s going to see that.”
She shook off the thought. “It doesn’t matter. Robert has other things to worry about now. And we’ve got to figure out if we should take the risk and try breaking into Kronberg to see if there really is proof of who all worked with McDonald. That could be leverage.”
“That could be everything,” Kim corrected. “It could be exactly what I need to give my boss the broom he’ll use to clean up the Agency, and then Levi won’t have any power at all. We can work toward getting the men pardoned. If that file exists, it could give them all their lives back.”
Ezra’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t expect us to do all the work and hand over the prize to you.”
“You can’t do anything with it. I can. It’s not like I wouldn’t give you a copy. And honestly, I expect you to come in with me. We can show my boss together,” Kim offered.
Ezra stared at his ex. “Somehow I don’t think the president is going to want a disgraced CIA agent in his office.”
“You won’t be disgraced when I’m done,” Kim promised.
Ariel noted she hadn’t argued about who her boss was. “None of this is meaningful if we can’t find that file. Do we think Veronica Croft might be the key?”
Ezra sat back again and shook his head. “She’s the key to who Tucker used to be. We can’t think that means she knows about Kronberg’s internal processes. According to Rebecca she was an intern. I seriously doubt she knew what McDonald was doing if Rebecca didn’t. We still need to look for her, but I think we should shift our immediate focus to the potential list of people who actively knew what McDonald was up to.”
“And we need to figure out who the hell Emily Seeger is.” That was Ariel’s focus. What would she do if Robert decided to go home with the woman? She knew it wouldn’t be for anything beyond a curiosity about his past, but after the night before she couldn’t trust him to be alone with her. Something was off. Maybe she was simply being jealous, but there had been something threatening about the woman the night before.
Emily wasn’t going to go away until she got what she wanted, and what she wanted was Robert. She’d been very concerned about his memory. Of course she would be, but she kept harping over the chances of him getting it back. Rebecca was probably being deluged with questions at this very moment.
“Well, she’s not afraid of Dante, that’s for sure.” Peter turned again, finding one of the main streets in town. It would take them the few miles to the club.
“Why would you say that?” Ariel had been curious about how the afternoon had gone between the two of them. She’d expected they wouldn’t speak at all. Dante rarely talked. He was the most introverted of all of the men.
“I think she should be very afraid of Dante. Every woman should be.” Ezra crossed one leg over the other. “I did not think it was a good idea to leave him behind, but he insisted he wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want to go out. Not that he would let Rebecca examine him.”
“I always glance at the security tapes in the mornings,” Peter explained. “Something tripped the one in the yard yesterday afternoon. I thought it was probably one of them sitting outside for a bit. I noticed Tucker seems to enjoy being outside. But it was the two of them. Ms. Seeger went out first and then Dante followed her. They seemed to have some kind of argument, but I guess they worked it out because they were perfectly pleasant to each other this morning before we left.”
Why on earth would those two have been fighting? “You got the argument on tape?”
“Yes, most of it. They went back inside after a bit. But it did not turn violent.” Peter slowed as they approached a red light. “I would have come straight to you if that had happened. It seemed more like Ms. Seeger was upset and Dante was trying to calm her down. Given what had happened earlier that day, it seemed a reasonable response. I would have been upset if I’d learned my husband had come back from the dead.”
“But Dante wouldn’t care enough to comfort anyone,” Ezra pointed out as the van came to a stop.
“It’s not in his nature. Do you have access to the camera feed on your phone?”
“Sure. Though my tablet will show it better.” Peter reached in the console between the front seats and pulled out a tablet. He opened the cover and used his thumb to activate the device. “It’s under the security app. It’s the last segment I watched. I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was important.”
“I would very much like to see it.” She would be able to tell a lot about how Emily reacted when she wasn’t around. “Does it have sound?”
“No. I’m sorry. It’s video only. I got out of this game a long time ago. The system is only there for basic security. Because of the club, I like to know who is coming to either door.” Peter handed over the tablet as the light turned green and he started down the street again.
“Solo, if you don’t mind.” Ezra passed it off. “One of Solo’s many talents is the ability to read lips.”
“Hey, it’s come in handy over the years. I don’t speak all the fancy languages you do.” Kim pressed play on the recording and leaned in so Ariel could see.
On the screen Emily strode out into the yard, a hand on her head. She wasn’t angry. Her body language told Ariel something else was present. “She’s afraid.”
“Wait for it,” Peter promised. “She is not afraid for long.”
Emily wiped tears from her face and then took a long breath.
That was when Dante walked out.
“He’s telling her to stay calm.” Kim’s eyes were intent on the screen. “He says we’ll know something’s wrong if she doesn’t stay calm and think about every single word coming out of her mouth.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Ezra’s whole body had gone tight. “What would be wrong?”
Ariel looked back to the screen in time to see the moment Emily went from afraid to angry. She turned to Dante and pointed a finger at him.
And what Solo said next made her heart race.
“We have to get back,” Ariel said.
Robert was in danger. More danger than she could have imagined.
Chapter Fourteen
Robert took a long breath and wished he was a more paranoid person. He didn’t simply strap on a weapon after he rolled out of bed and went looking for coffee, but Dante did.
Dante, who wasn’t one of them. Dante, who’d lied the whole time.
Owen had his hands up. “Hey, mate. There’s no reason to get violent. No one else here has a weapon.”
“Oh, there are more weapons than mere guns,” Dante said bitterly. “You will use everything you can against me now.”
“I certainly will.” Sasha’s stare could have burned a hole through Dante. “He is the traitor. He’s working with Levi Green. You bastard. I thought you were my brother. I thought you were the only one I could trust.”
This could get bad fast if he didn’t do something. The ramifications of Dante’s betrayal would have to wait. He needed them all alive at the end of this. “Hey, you worked for McDonald? She wasn’t any nicer to you than she was the rest of us. When Taggart came through you had two choices. You could out yourself and go to jail or come with us. I understand that.”
He would kill the bastard, but he understood the choice Dante had made.
“He lied to us?” Tucker had put the coffee mug down.
He wasn’t carrying either. None of them were. If Sasha had a piece on him, it would have shown up by now. Instead his hands were in fists, and Robert wasn’t entirely certain he wasn’t about to launch himself bodily at Dante.
“He lies about everything it seems,” Sasha said between gritted teeth.
“You’re one to talk,” Dante bit out. “Sasha has been with me this whole time. You think I’m the only one who has betrayed you? He’s been talking to Levi Green, too.”
“Because I thought he was the best move for us to make. Because I thought he would clear our names and get us out of limbo,” Sasha argued. “He says he has a cure. He can give it to us and I can get my life back. A life you helped her take.”
Emily was standing across from him and she’d gone still. He held out a hand, trying to get her to move behind him, but she was watching Dante with wide eyes.
God, he was glad Ariel wasn’t here. He would be so worried about her because there was no way she hid behind him. Ariel would be out there trying to solve the problem. And if she couldn’t solve it with words, she would solve it another way.
He glanced around briefly, looking for any kind of weapon.
“Owen, move out of my way,” Dante said. “I’m leaving. If any of you tries to stop me, I’ll kill you.”
“Just go.” Not that he would actually allow it to happen. Dante knew things. Things they needed to know. He wasn’t about to let him walk away, but they were at a disadvantage. Sure they had Dante outnumbered, but the room wasn’t large enough for any of them to maneuver their way behind him, and Dante had that gun. If one of them rushed the man, a brother was going down.
That wasn’t going to happen on his watch.
“Just go? I’m not letting this fucker go. Do you know the things he did to me? I could forgive it because we were all under McDonald’s boot, except he was getting a fucking paycheck.” Sasha’s hands were shaking.
“You’re not so innocent, Sasha. Move, Owen, or I’ll shoot you. Get over there next to Tucker.” Dante moved in tandem with Owen, sliding closer to the door as Owen moved away from it. “Think about it. Think about how Sasha has been trying to manipulate you all. Wasn’t he the one who encouraged you to talk to Levi Green the other day? Sasha is as bad as I am.”
“Sasha wasn’t the one who worked for the doctor who tortured us.” Tucker’s eyes had gone bright. “Sasha didn’t pretend to be one of us. Sasha didn’t report back to McDonald.”
Dante chuckled. “No, Sasha is the one who got his memory wiped time and time again because he was too stupid to realize every time he talked to his ‘friend’ about how he was starting to remember, I would tell McDonald. I got a bonus every time I caught one of you starting to remember.”
“Tucker, stay calm. Don’t forget, we have a civilian here.” He might not think he was her husband, but he didn’t want to be the reason Emily got shot.
Emily finally looked at him, her eyes widening. “Yes, we should all stay calm.”
Calm. The word coming from her mouth sparked something deep inside him. She’d wanted him to stay calm that day, too. She’d begged him.
You don’t understand, Russ. It’s a good thing. She’s trying to make a breakthrough. It’s only some people who don’t matter. Do you know how much money we’ve made? We need it. I did it for our future.
Their future. God, it hit him like a sledgehammer.
He caught her gaze. “You worked with her, too.”
All the blood left Emily’s face and she went a ghostly pale. “What are you talking about? Russell, stay calm. I think he just wants to get away. Let him go and then we’ll be okay.”
“Did you sell me to her?” The memory was vague, a hint of what had happened. He questioned it, but didn’t force it. He wasn’t questioning the memory. He was questioning her.
“What are you saying, Rob?” Tucker asked.
“Owen, if you reach for your cell phone again, I’ll shoot you.” Dante reminded them all that he was the snake in their midst.
Owen’s hands came up.
But his had gone down that day years ago. His had gone around her throat. He’d reached for her even as the drugs had kicked in. He’d fought through them because destroying her had been the only thing that mattered.
It had never been McDonald in his dreams. It had always been her. Emily was the woman from his nightmares.
“So you’ve finally figured it out?” Dante’s laugh was cold. “I can tell you my sphincter has been clenched since the moment that bitch walked in the room. I was certain you would remember that your dear wife was the one who sold you to McDonald.”
“I didn’t sell him,” Emily said between clenched
teeth. “Or at least I didn’t mean to. He found out what I’d been doing.”
Yes. The vision of a laptop screen floated through his head. He’d found the proof on her laptop and asked her about it. “I was investigating you. I got onto your computer.”
Her whole demeanor changed, and he realized he was finally seeing the real Emily. “You were a self-righteous moron. Do you have any idea how much that money was going to change our lives? But no. You had to play the good guy. Good guys finish last in our world. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
The memories banged through his head like buckshot caught in a ricochet. He couldn’t catch them.
Standing proud with his men. These were his men, his first team. He wouldn’t let them down.
Sitting in the sun with his face turned up. It was his day off and he was out in the world. If only his brother could see him now. Tim would love this, but he was stuck in school. He was so damn smart.
Kissing Emily. It would be all right. She’d convinced him that getting married was the smart thing to do. He had never felt that crazy rush his mom had told him love felt like, but he liked Emily. It was comfortable. If only she got along with his brother…
His brother. The face was right there.
Something hard smacked him right in the arm. Pain flared and he looked to see Tucker standing beside him. “Don’t you fucking leave us right now.”
He forced down the bile that threatened.
“No, please do that sad-sack thing where you whine and cry and can’t quite remember.” Emily had moved closer to Dante. She frowned his way. “I was out of all this. When McDonald died, I was supposed to be safe.”
“And I wasn’t supposed to be left behind, stuck in this stupid role she put me in,” Dante shot back. “We don’t get a choice in this. I told you it was probably time to run. They’re closing in on her whole network. Do you have the gun I gave you?”
Naturally all the bad guys were prepared, and the good guys were armed with coffee mugs and cereal bowls.
