The Hidden Truths Series Box Set

by Brittney Sahin

  “Did you sign the contract?” I sputtered.

  “I did.” He brushed past me and entered the living room.

  “Do you think they murdered your father?” I whispered.

  I shouldn’t have asked that.

  He jabbed his hands through his hair, messing it up, and shook his head. “Does it matter?”

  Of course it mattered. How could he ask me that? “Connor, if Declan had anything to do with your dad’s death, how can you join forces with him? Your dad was a horrible man, but he didn’t deserve to die.” I rubbed my arms, not sure what I was attempting, or why.

  The crease in his forehead deepened, and he observed me like he would a hurt animal, whimpering on the ground for help. “Olivia.”

  “If your dad was murdered because of his relations with Reid Enterprises, how do you know that you’re not next?” Okay, so I was breaking the rules, but I had to. “You’re smarter than that.”

  “I thought you wanted me to work with Declan. You’ve been pushing that, right? I mean, sometimes you gave me pause, but for the most part you’ve encouraged me to meet with him.” He stepped around the coffee table and closed in on me. “Am I mistaken?”

  I gritted my teeth and tried to hold back the truth.

  “Liv.”

  My desire to protect him was too strong. “You can’t do this, Connor. Please, don’t do this,” I pleaded, surprised by the desperation in my voice.

  In one quick movement, I was back in Connor’s arms, and he was kissing me. Stealing the breath from me.

  My hands pressed against his chest, and I pulled back to look up at him.

  “I was beginning to worry you didn’t care.” His heart pounded beneath my palms as he stared down at me.

  My head spun as I wondered how much he knew.

  He leaned in and whispered into my ear, “If you go after Konstantin alone, you’re going to get yourself killed.”

  Konstantin. He knew. Oh my God, how did he know? “What are you talking about?”

  “Stop, Liv. Stop lying.” He stepped away from me and walked into my kitchen. I assumed he was getting a drink to cool himself off.

  When he returned with two beers, I took a bottle from him and braced it with both hands like a lifeline.

  “Why didn’t you tell me that the men responsible for Jessie’s death were in league with Declan?” He brought the beer to his lips and crossed the room to the bay window. “Shit, Olivia. Is this really your plan—to infiltrate the Russian mafia? If anyone discovers who you are, you’ll end up in the damn Hudson.”

  Defeated, my eyes widened, and I set the bottle on the coffee table. “How long have you known?”

  “Today. I’ve been trying to put all the pieces together.” He turned to face me. “I think my dad was suspicious of Declan and had his driver look into Reid Enterprises. After my dad opened the safe deposit box, he died, and his driver was killed and dumped in the river. Typical Russian hit.” He blinked a few times as if in disbelief at the sound of his words. “Can you imagine what they’d do to you if they found out who you are?”

  “I can handle myself.” I moved away from him, unable to look at him any longer.

  “Revenge is a dangerous game. I don’t know how you’ve managed to pull this off, or what made you think you could take down Alexander Konstantin, but you can’t do it alone.” Connor’s jaw ticked. He expected to protect me? It was absurd. I’d been dancing around with the idea of how I’d keep him out of jail.

  I twisted back around, my eyes burning, my hands fisting at my sides. “You signed the contract! You made a deal with the bastard. Why?”

  He dragged his hands down his face, holding them at his chin for a moment. “Olivia.” He paused, his eyes on me, “I did it for you.”

  “What?” I blanched. “What are you talking about?”

  Connor took a seat on the couch, set his bottle on the table, and looked up at me. “Declan needed to trust me, so I gave him a reason to. Now he not only trusts me, but he’s set up the meeting with Konstantin.” He rolled his shoulders back, loosening his apparent tension. “If I don’t do the deal with Declan, we won’t be able to capture the SOBs.”

  Oh my God. This was what I had wanted. And I had told Blake that Connor could help us. Thank God he had figured it out for himself.

  Well, some of it.

  Connor still didn’t know who I really worked for. Did it matter? I felt queasy as I contemplated shedding my cover.

  “How long have you been plotting? What do you know?”

  I grabbed my drink, allowing the liquid to cool my insides as I swallowed. Holding the bottle to my chest, I studied Connor, wondering what to say. Should I keep the truth buried? Would he be safer in the dark?

  Probably not. He was already a part of this, and now he was offering me a chance to catch everyone. Was it fate that Connor had walked back into my life right when I needed him?

  “Connor.” I took a step closer to the couch, and my eyes drifted to his thighs, the hard muscles evident even beneath the thin black pants he wore. “When Jessie died, I almost died with her. It was too much to handle.”

  He leaned back into the couch, but his face remained expressionless.

  I sank onto the couch next to him but kept a few inches between us. I shifted to face him, but my hands trembled in my lap.

  His hands came down over mine, grounding me. “When the men who killed Jessie were dismissed on some crazy technicality—basically, Konstantin paid someone off—it fired me up.” I shut my eyes, and his grip tightened. “I was so angry. I made it my mission in life to take Konstantin down.”

  “You’re patient. I wouldn’t have been able to wait.” His hand was now on my forearm, and his fingers ran up and down my skin. It was comforting to have someone in my corner, after all this time. Blake and Sean had my back, but this was different. “How does Declan fit into all of this?”

  “I learned of their connection when studying Konstantin. He bailed out Reid Enterprises three years ago. He revived Declan’s businesses, including The Phoenix and The Wynn, Jessie’s club—our club.” My lungs filled with air as I tried to calm myself, but I caught a scent of Connor’s cologne, and it left me lightheaded.

  “And?” His eyes claimed mine.

  “Declan partnered with that Russian fighter John Jackson, who is a member of Konstantin’s close circle of scumbags. Konstantin ponied up money for all of his clubs and restaurants, including the newest one in Vegas. So, I decided to go after Konstantin from a different route, through Declan.”

  “Wow. This is nuts, Liv.” He smoothed a hand across his jaw. “I had my friend Ben look into Declan, but he came up empty.”

  I sorted through the file cabinet of facts that I had tucked away in my brain. “Konstantin is a silent investor in all of Declan’s clubs. Under the table money. The only one on the books is the fighter.” I rolled my neck, tension torturing my body. “There’s a reason why Ben couldn’t find anything. Konstantin keeps his associations under lock and key.”

  “But you figured it out?” His head tilted and brows slanted. “Why’d you keep me in the dark so long?” He removed his hands from me and stood back up.

  “I didn’t know if I could trust you. We weren’t on the best of terms until the other night, so I . . . held back.”

  His shoulder blades pinched together, and he massaged the back of his neck. “You warned me tonight, because—what? We slept together? If we hadn’t, would you have kept me in the dark and let me go down with Declan and Konstantin? Or worse, let me find out when it was too late, when Konstantin had already pegged you . . .”

  I realized it wasn’t rage. He was worried about me. “Connor, I’m so sorry.” At least I was apologizing about something I’d actually done this time.

  Facing me now, there was a familiar glint in his eye. “Let me take care of Declan. And Konstantin. I have a friend in the FBI who came to help me. It’s not an official investigation, but I think it’s safer to take these guys down off the
books.”

  FBI. The three letters I was still keeping from him, and I wasn’t sure why.

  “You never know who Konstantin has in his pocket. Let my friend and I do this. Quit your job. Go somewhere safe until this blows over. I have friends who can protect you.”

  I laughed. Not a real laugh—a sarcastic, are-you-kidding-me, slightly hysterical laugh. I stood up until we were standing just inches apart. “Even if I wanted to run, Konstantin would find me. He’d make me disappear. The only reason I didn’t wind up in the Hudson after Jessie died is because the case never made it to trial. If it had, I would have vanished. You and I both know that.”

  Connor wrapped his large hands over my forearms and leaned in close. “Then what the hell are you thinking, getting involved in this? Do you have a death wish?”

  Yes.

  Maybe.

  I was an FBI agent, but that didn’t mean I was immune to Konstantin. I hadn’t thought about what would happen once I captured him, but now I knew he was making deals with terrorists. Perhaps Homeland and the CIA could put Konstantin in some dark cell and throw away the key. I wanted an island of scorpions, snakes, and other creepy crawly things reserved for him.

  He’d gotten off the hook when he had my sister murdered, but a man who dealt with terrorists? That was treason.

  My lips twitched at the thought.

  “Olivia?” Connor snapped my attention back.

  “What?” I couldn’t help but shriek as I channeled the rage that had curled up inside me for so many long years.

  “I’m not going to lose you again.” The deep timber of his voice shook me.

  It took me a moment to process his words. “You left me, Connor,” I said slowly. “Remember? There’s nothing to lose.” A red hot flare of anger burst through my system, and I stepped back, but he imprisoned me with his gaze.

  His mouth tightened and his breath hitched as the sweet spell of lust blustered down my neck, diving deep into my stomach.

  I almost lost my footing as he came at me full throttle. I stumbled back, and he pinned me against the window with his body. His hands held my face as he pulled my lips against his.

  An intense heat lit my core with the familiar spike of adrenaline.

  He nipped at my lip, pulled back, and his green eyes bore into me. “Do you want me to stop?” he said in a half-groan, half-growl.

  I felt his hard length strained by the fabric of his slacks, and instead of vocalizing my answer, my hand slipped down to touch him. He dropped his hands to hold my waist and leaned into me. He nuzzled my neck as I unzipped his pants and tucked my hand inside, working through the opening of his boxers.

  “Liv.” My name was a moan on his lips as he lightly bit my bare shoulder.

  His hands were on my back now, working fast at my zipper.

  I wasn’t sure how we had ended up here again, but we were both burning with need.

  “The window,” he whispered. “I’d prefer to keep your incredible body to myself.”

  I released my hold, and he fastened his fingers with mine, tugging me to my bedroom. My unzipped dress fell into a puddle at my feet.

  He stood in front of me. “You’re so damn beautiful.”

  I was down to a nude demi bra, panties, and high heels only; my confidence was supercharged beneath his heated gaze. I pushed my thick hair off my shoulders, and it settled at the small of my back.

  He closed the gap between us, and I fisted his shirt with my hand and pulled him to me. The back of my thighs brushed up against my bed, and my lips locked with his for a long kiss.

  He braced me with one hand, and his fingers dipped inside my panties. “You’re still wet,” he said before his lips traveled to my neck. His fingers torched my skin as he graced my sensitive area with slow movements. Gripping his shoulders, I clung to his body, fighting the pull of impending orgasm.

  “Not yet.” A smile teased his lips, and he gently nudged me to have a seat on the bed. I lifted my foot, prepared to remove my heels, but he placed a hand over mine, stopping me. “Keep them on.”

  His heavy-lidded eyes drew me in. My heart fluttered, beating like a bird’s wings against the cage. I wanted to rip my bra and panties from my body and bask beneath his stare. “Fuck me, Connor.”

  He removed his T-shirt, then freed himself of the rest. There was something so raw and carnal about Connor standing naked before me, his cock hard in his hand. “Olivia.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I want to make you mine again.”

  Connor

  “Wh—”

  I didn’t let her finish. I kissed away her words and held her hard against me, needing her more now than ever before.

  The storm of emotions that had funneled inside me, circling round and damn round, making me Goddamn dizzy at times, had been unleashed tonight.

  I. Needed. Her.

  It was as simple as that.

  There was no way I’d run this time. I wouldn’t get it wrong again.

  How had I spent almost ten years hating the one person on earth who knew me better than anyone? I’d been an idiot to think of her as a youthful fling, as a mistake of lust. She was the only woman I’d ever loved.

  My hands wandered over her body before shifting her back onto the bed. I wanted to touch her everywhere, to feel every part of her. The need clawed at me from the inside.

  “Take off your panties and bra.” I stood over her, watching her perfect, tight body obey. Her eyes were focused on my chest, and they barreled down my body and drifted back up again.

  Then, wearing only her heels, she was propped up on her elbows, waiting for me.

  I touched her ankle and leaned in over her, tracing my fingers up her legs before grasping her hips. She gasped as I flipped her over and onto her stomach.

  Her back arched and her firm, perfect ass called out to me. “Fuck.” I got into the bed next to her, running my hand down her back. Then my hands slipped under her and to her deliciously wet center.

  I repositioned myself so that my mouth could find where my hand had been.

  She was gripping the comforter; her face buried as she jerked and started to move in rhythm with my flickering tongue.

  She rocked into her release, and I savored the moment before gently rolling her back over. Her pink nipples were erect; my body was hard and aching for her.

  “My turn.” She started to sit up, but I shook my head and motioned for her to lie back down.

  “I’m not nearly through yet. I plan on making you come until you’re begging for me to stop.” I knelt over her once again, teasing her nipple with one hand while sucking the other.

  Her hand tore through my hair, and wild Olivia was back again, writhing beneath me.

  An hour later, her sweet voice filled my ears as we both lay, breathless, on our backs. “You’ve gotten better with age.”

  I glanced over at her out of the corner of my eye. “So I didn’t do it for you back then, huh?” I joked.

  “You didn’t do number five on the menu, then,” she teased, and her eyes lit as her lips curved into a mischievous smile.

  Italy. God love her. “Men get better with age. Women, on the other hand . . .”

  She slapped my chest. “Don’t you dare finish.”

  I smoothed a hand over my jaw and pinched my brows together. “Be careful.”

  “What? Why?”

  I reached for her hand and slid it beneath the covers. “Your bossiness turns me on.”

  “Do your batteries ever run out?” Her fingers traveled up to my chest, and I pressed my palm over her hand.

  “I hope not. I need the energy to keep up with you.”

  “I learned from the best.”

  My jaw tightened, and I couldn’t help but grimace. Ten years of absence meant other men had the chance to—stop! I left her. I was the idiot.

  I’d hoped to wait until the Declan issue was resolved, but we were getting so close. We had to discuss why I left, because I knew—hoped—that I’d been wrong.
/>
  But if I was wrong, how could an apology ever make up for it?

  “Olivia, I want to talk about the baby.” Silence greeted me. “Olivia?”

  A light sound escaped from her nose. She was sleeping.

  I squeezed my eyes shut, wondering how we would face the harsh light of the day. Would I be able to convince her that she was in way over her head with Declan and Konstantin?

  Not when she’d spent nine years masterminding this plan to take down the Russian king of New York.

  If my plan worked, though, it would all be over soon.

  And if it didn’t work, well, we might all end up dead.

  I tried sleeping, but the stress and worry ate at me, keeping my eyelids parted for the few hours until dawn. I brushed my lips over her shoulder and pulled her close to me.

  “Mm. Connor.” Her eyes slowly opened, and she blinked a few times. “You’re still here.”

  “Of course I’m still here.”

  “So it wasn’t a dream?” Her eyes closed and she pulled tight against me, her cheek pressing against my chest.

  “The sex?” I laughed.

  “No.” She forced her eyes back open. “The part where you know the truth? You know who I am.”

  I kissed the top of her head. “I know, Liv. And I’m going to help you. Don’t worry.”

  Before she could respond, she jolted at what sounded like an animal dying from the other room.

  “What the hell is that?”

  She scowled. “It’s the sound I assigned to Declan on my phone for when he texts me. High-pitched and annoying.” She shifted away from me, pushed off the covers, and got up out of bed. “Wonder what he wants this early.”

  I watched her walk naked, her long tan legs carrying her to the other room. Not a hint of modesty. What a woman.

  “What is it?” I stood up when she came back into the room, her face long and concern pinching the corners of her eyes.

  “He needs to see me.”

  “No,” I snapped.

  She set her phone on top of her dresser and opened a drawer. I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she stepped into a pair of pink silk underwear.

  I just wanted to take them back off, pull her into bed, and pretend we were the only people who existed.