by India Kells
Probably sensing that his brother was about to snap, Archer shrugged his shoulders and lifted his hand in appeasement. “You said she left of her own free will. Why?”
Liam didn’t want to think about what happened the night before, her angel face still imprinted in his mind, the feel of her hands making his skin tingle at the memory. He’d rejected her, but only for her own good, she must have seen that. She must’ve seen how much he’d wanted her, the strength and resolve he’d had to summon to walk away from temptation.
“Deva told me she surprised them on the couch last night, and that Liam left soon after.”
Damned Aleksei for exposing him. Liam cringed. “Come on, nothing happened. Credit me with some restraint.”
“With your pants at your knees?”
The smirk on Aleksei’s face was worth a snarl, but it was Archer’s wince that almost set him off.
“For fuck’s sake! I was icing my knee after running away from an attack. Instead of assuming things, did you discover anything about the attack? I know the police were called, but I haven’t had a chance to reach out to anyone yet.”
Archer looked at Aleksei and back at him again. “You’re the one with the connections in the force. Until we find a trustworthy hacker, you’re on your own. Unless you go to the station and try to get information.”
Liam shook his head. “Man, I’m almost over on the dark side as it is. You’re asking me to deny everything I stood against for so long.” His eyes locked with Aleksei. “I know who you are, and I accept it, but...” Liam couldn’t continue. Each word was the truth. The brothers all the same goal, but despite having the will to bring down the man who fathered him, he could only do it within the limits of the law. Maybe Jamieson Finch would die in the end. However, Liam wanted to be sure he had done everything possible to follow the set lines that had allowed him to find peace in his life.
As a unit, Archer and Aleksei came close, reaching out in silent support. Liam still found it unbelievable to have discovered men who weren’t only bonded by blood, but by an unexpected kinship, one they all needed and accepted.
“Okay, man, first things first. We need to find Catriona. Let me call Kai. I know he’s on guard duty at the hospital, watching over Sasha and Oz, but he told me about a friend, a fellow surfer dude of his, who dabbles in computers. Maybe he’s better than a simple nerd. That would remove the responsibility off your shoulders and let you focus on what you’re supposed to do.”
A soft knock came from the door before Deva pushed it open. “Uh, sorry to disturb the knights of the round table, but a kid is playing with the security keypad outside, and as my understanding boyfriend forbids me to have a brain for the time being, I’m here to tell my caveman to go and check it out.”
If not caught in his own storm of emotions, Liam would’ve gladly made fun of his grumpy Russian brother, but now he knew where that protective feeling for a woman came from, as he now had the same urge with Catriona’s safety and well-being. One thing he vowed was as soon as she was back within reach, he wasn’t letting her out of his sight.
“Gimme a minute, guys, while I take care of that punk.”
As both Aleksei and Deva disappeared, Archer turned back to Liam. “Okay. I know you didn’t force yourself on the woman, that’s not you. So what happened?”
“I don’t know, man. I didn’t make a pass at her. I kissed her on the street the day before, but I promised myself I wouldn’t touch her anymore. Last night, after escaping the attack, we returned here, and my knee was hurting so I iced it. Catriona offered herself to me and I pushed her away.”
Archer whistled. “I saw a picture of her, and she’s an angel. You have amazing self-control, brother.”
Shoulders drooping, Liam gave another piece of information. “She’s a novitiate, a nun, Archer. Call me old fashioned, but I can’t touch a nun.”
With a nod, his brother considered his answer. “Well, she’s the one who offered herself. I guess that was her choice. And yours to reject her. After all, if you’re not attracted to her…”
Liam snarled. “She’s temptation incarnate. That’s why I had to leave.”
“If she made the first move, it was her decision.”
He shook his head. “She might have a moment, but I won’t be the one to make her break her vows.”
“Your decision, man, even if I disagree with it. But if she walked out without a word, there had to be a reason.” Archer rounded the table and pointed at the stacks of papers. “This all the information you have on Finch’s finances?”
With a nod, Liam skimmed the folders with his fingertips. “Yeah, it seems Catriona worked on it while I was gone. The papers were disorganized when I left, and she’s put them in some sort of order.”
His brother opened Catriona’s laptop, and after a few keystrokes closed it again. “It’s password protected. I don’t want to push it in case she’s installed some sort of fail-safe.”
“Fail-safe? She’s a financial analyst, I doubt she’s into that sort of thing.”
“Liam, Catriona Walsh is friends with Gabrielle Thorne, uber spy and assassin. I think you should stop seeing the woman as a nun and start considering she’s more than she seems. Stronger, smarter, and more in control of her destiny than you give her credit for. That’s not a wise move, brother.”
He’d be damned if he’d admit Archer may be right. The businessman hadn’t met her, he hadn’t seen the pure shining light of goodness in her.
As Archer started peeking into the files, Liam paced the room, trying to get his thoughts in order. Between his fear of where Catriona might be, his attraction to the woman, and the helplessness he was feeling, he was walking a very thin line.
“Glad to see your knee is better. You’re not limping as badly as before.”
At Archer’s remark, he stopped moving, assessing his body. It was true; as he walked, his leg didn’t pulse with the same pain as before. For so long he’d pushed the agony to the back of his brain so he could function, taking notice of this new level that had changed from pain to annoyance, stunned him.
As he was testing his joint, Archer started examining the files, or more accurately, the top folder, and within a minute, hissed. “You said she was working on the documents while you were gone? I may have found the reason she fled.”
Liam checked the papers Archer had spread on the table. They were copies of bank statements for an offshore bank, one he recognized as a potential place their father may have stashed money, and there were also scribbles from Catriona.
Immediately, his focus went to the amounts and he whistled. “Big money indeed.”
“You’re not looking at the right line. Check the account owner, more precisely, the beneficiary.”
Liam’s eyes widened. “Lazarus King. Fuck me, that’s impossible.”
From how serious his brother looked right now, Archer agreed. “I know it’s impossible. There has to be a mistake. I won’t believe it, man. Fuck it!”
Archer exhaled sharply, went to the wall, and punched it. Liam felt the same. It had been years since Lazarus had found them, one by one, reforming their broken and unlikely family unit, and there had been absolutely no reason to doubt him. Of all the brothers, he’d been one of the most dedicated in stopping Jamieson Finch, especially since he knew firsthand how diabolical and manipulative their father could be.
Archer appeared as lost as he was. “I don’t want to think this is a setup. That we’ve been played. It can’t be.”
They agreed, but this evidence made him uncomfortable. “Oz never directed us or stopped us in any way. He knew we were investigating the financial side.”
His brother agreed, but he didn’t look reassured. “I know. I keep going over it in my head. The only point that reassures me is that even though Oz and Gabrielle are tight, and she recommended Catriona as our financial analyst, that nun of yours bolted when she found that information. Most probably, she thought Lazarus was in on it, thus that we were as well. In her shoe
s, I would’ve fled in an instant, thinking that if she revealed this information, she’d uncover a bigger cover-up by us. I can bet she tried to call Gabrielle to get her feedback, but as she’s unavailable, Catriona did the second-best thing.”
Liam returned to the papers. “I can’t, I won’t believe that Lazarus is in it with Finch. Especially since he was caught in the line of fire and is in a coma because of that.”
Liam locked eyes with Archer. A lot passed between them without a single word.
Deep in cop mode, using all his years of experience, fighting for that logical path that enabled him to close investigations. “We have to go deeper and counter check this information. We gave it to Catriona, vouched for it, but be sure of it. If I had to trust my instincts, I’d say that this may be a decoy. A kind of divide and conquer thing. It wouldn’t be far-fetched with Finch.”
Archer nodded at his conclusion. “We need to find Catriona and have her check the data under that perspective. She never considered that. And we need that hacker now. If Finch is messing with us, I’m not going to play fair with him either, sorry Liam.”
His heart sunk at the possibility that he may have to step on his principles after all. Commotion came from the hallway, mostly the sound of a young boy cussing and screaming.
On high alert, both Liam and Archer went for their guns when Aleksei pushed the door open, gripping a young black boy by the collar.
“Cary?” Liam holstered back and stepped forward as Deva came into the room. “He’s the one who was playing with our keypad.”
“I wasn’t playing, dumbass. I needed to talk to you, cop, but that goon of yours won’t listen.”
It was clear Aleksei was about to sling the insolent youth against the wall, but Deva gently touching her lover’s shoulder saved the youth’s life.
“He’s my brother, so watch your mouth.”
Cary arched a brow arrogantly at Liam. “Yeah, right. And the other’s your banker?”
Archer opened his mouth, but Aleksei just shook Cary like a potato sack. “You said you needed to speak to the cop about his woman. Or were you just playing games?”
“Hey, stop that, man! I’m not here for you, but her. I saw her go with the woman.”
It was Liam’s turn to grab Cary by the collar. “Catriona? You saw her?”
“Hey, hey, hey! Easy, man! If you want me to talk, I need to breathe.”
Aleksei released his prisoner, and Cary took a few steps from the group, fixing his jacket in the thug-style he wanted to emulate.
“Mind the coat, man. I come in peace. You want to find your girl or what?”
Liam wasn’t ready to completely trust the kid; Finch had coerced many into doing his dirty deeds, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he started using kids. “How do you know we’re looking for her?”
The youngster rolled his eyes. “Come on, man. I saw you and your big gorilla run outside and go to the chapel. I was checking the building when she left.”
“Catriona?”
“Yeah, man. Who else?”
Aleksei growled. “Watch your mouth, kid.”
Cary scowled, but it was clear by his body language he didn’t feel safe. Deva must have seen the same. When Liam put a hand on Cary’s shoulder, she expertly placed herself in front of Alek, wrapping the mad Russian’s arms around her in a sort of hug. “It’s Cary, is it? My name is Deva. We’re worried about our friend. Can you just get to the point and drop the attitude?”
The soft female voice and no-nonsense tone seemed to convince the young man. “I’ve been looking after her.” As soon as the words were out, there was a flicker of emotion on his face. “I had a bad feeling about it, but she didn’t seem scared or panicked when she got in the car. It didn’t leave me, and that’s why I came here. And then I saw your face...”
His voice hitched a little, and Liam gripped his shoulder a little tighter. “Why are you following us? Are you following her?”
He appeared a lot more like a kid now, one who had seen too much, who shouldered too much of a burden for his young age. It was easy for the brothers to recognize, as they’d all experienced it firsthand.
“She was nice to me, didn’t look at me as if I was scum. And there’s something about her that I can’t explain. I had to follow her, to protect her. Do you get that?”
Liam glanced up at Archer, and although he didn’t say a thing, it echoed the conversation he just had with him. There was a thing about Catriona that he couldn’t explain either, that drew him to her like a magnet.
“We get it, and we want to protect her too. But we need to act quickly, Cary.” Archer’s voice cut through the tension, and a quick look between the brothers confirmed to Liam that they believed the young man.
Aleksei kissed Deva’s head before untangling himself from her and standing in front of Cary, his arms crossed. “You better not be playing us, because you’ll regret it, boy.”
Liam kept his hand on Cary and felt him shudder but stand his ground. “Hey, I’m telling the truth. Believe me or fuck you!”
Unmoving, like David facing Goliath, until Aleksei relaxed and gave a nod of approval. “The guy’s legit. What have you got?”
Those words from one of the most dangerous hitmen the mob had, said something. Too bad Cary had no idea whose approval he’d just gained.
Liam brought his attention back to the matter at hand. “Cary, what did you see?”
“I know the neighborhood well, and about a week ago, a new woman came. I thought she was a tourist, but she didn’t act like it, looked around as if examining more than visiting. Catriona left in her car from the chapel. She’s quite old and has bright red hair, you can’t miss her.”
“Fuck, I’ve seen her. She was there when I went to the chapel with Catriona. The woman came and talked to her. I didn’t think much of it, and she sat with her back to me, I didn’t see her face, only the back of her head.”
“That doesn’t help us at all. An old woman with red hair.” Archer shook his head, which seemed to insult young Cary.
“I’m not stupid. I got a picture of the car.” And to prove it, he produced his phone to show them. Liam checked and saw the image was blurry, but with some help, there may be a way to make it more focused. He could’ve taken the photo and have one of his colleagues play with it, but he knew that time was of the essence.
“Alek, send the photo to Kai and have him contact his friend and have him find all he can on that woman.”
“You’re sure, Liam?”
At Archer’s question, Liam knew he was about to step over to the dark side. “Do it. And we’ll see for ourselves if Catriona is safe.”
“I’m going too.”
The men turned to Cary, who braced himself as if to fight them all. Immediately, Aleksei, Deva, and Archer spoke, giving different reasons to prevent Cary from going anywhere.
Liam saw the kid becoming more and more defensive and about to blow up, so he faced him. “You can come, but only if you stay by my side and obey my orders. Understood?”
Cary obviously hated the thought of obeying anyone, but his desire to help Catriona overruled everything else, so he nodded.
Liam preferred to have him close, even if his brothers looked at him as if he were insane. But as time passed, he needed all the help he could get.
Chapter Thirteen
Everything was so normal that it made her tick. What was wrong with her? Catriona wasn’t overly obsessive, but the last few days had shaken her on so many levels, it was as if she’d lost her inner compass and imagined what wasn’t there.
When they entered the house, Hazel hadn’t stopped smiling. The house was precisely as Catriona had imagined it, full of frills, potted plants, and doilies, even smelling of apple pie.
In the living room, the main sofa was covered with a colorful quilt, and she saw knitting needles and wool in a basket by the fireplace.
All Catriona wanted was a single moment of peace and quiet to gather her thoughts, but her hostess had oth
er ideas. After dropping her bag in the charming guest room, Hazel had guided her through the little house, offering information on every tidbit of artwork she’d ever done. Only then did Hazel gave her some breathing space, telling her she was popping out to get something for their dinner, and Catriona sighed in relief, caught in a gnawing headache.
As silence returned, her inner dialog picked up, bombarding her with everything she wasn’t ready to analyze about Jamieson Finch’s sons, and especially if she’d been played or not, or almost trapped by their design. It had been tempting to look at her phone, but for now, she preferred to leave it off, making any sort of tracking impossible. She wasn’t a fool and knew the brothers would have the means and resources to find her, and that was why she needed more time to set her thoughts straight.
With a deep breath, Catriona closed her eyes and joined her hands. If anything could help, it was emptying her mind in prayer, wishing for guidance and enlightenment.
For the first time in her life, serenity evaded her, making it a battle to even calm her heart and breathing. So much had happened in the last 48 hours, her body wouldn’t let her brain calm and take the lead.
That’s when she heard the first banging sound. Her eyes shot open. The sun was slowly dropping over the horizon, but with the snow, the light was still bright. The space was open, so it would’ve been evident if the noise sounded from the front door. A glance confirmed nobody had knocked.
For the longest moment, she waited for another hit, but nothing came. Just as she returned within herself, grabbing at a sense of peace, the knocking repeated, fainter this time, followed by a sort of scraping sound. Silence returned, but there was no way Catriona could pray or sit still now. Heart pumping, she pushed to her feet, trying to guess if the sound was from within the house or close by, when the front door opened. A scream caught in her throat until she saw Hazel coming in, arms loaded with bags.
“Goodness! You scared the living daylights out of me!”
In response, Hazel giggled, closing the door with the heel of her boot. “You’re jumpy, my child. I didn’t mean to surprise you. I thought that thumping my boots in the entrance was loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.”
