RELENTLESS: An Option Zero Novel

by Christy Reece

  Yesterday, at Eve’s urging, she’d gone online and ordered some clothes. The OZ operative had insisted that she use Eve’s name and credit card so the purchases couldn’t be traced back to Aubrey. She needed everything, including the most basic things like underwear and nightwear. She’d found some lovely things, but they weren’t due to be delivered until tomorrow. She had nothing remotely pretty to wear tonight.

  Shaking her head at the silliness of her thoughts, Aubrey went about getting ready for bed. In the middle of washing her face, she looked in the mirror and thought about what Liam saw when he looked at her. Did she look like he’d pictured her? Did he think she was pretty? Or was he disappointed?

  The thoughts were shallow and not exactly the norm for her, but she couldn’t help herself. Whenever she had pictured Lion, she had thought of him as tall, rugged, and handsome. He had lived up to that fantasy and then some. The arms that had held her were rock hard, and his whole body had felt like solid steel.

  A knock on the bathroom door told her she’d been spending way too much time daydreaming.

  “Be out in a minute.”

  Hurriedly she brushed her teeth and threw on the newest of her pajamas. The light blue color went nicely with her skin tone, but the pattern of pink pigs with wings was a little embarrassing. The pj’s had been a gift from Becca, a nod to one of Aubrey’s favorite sayings, When pigs fly.

  Since she could do nothing about them, she shrugged and opened the door. Liam stood in the middle of the bedroom. He had changed into a pair of sweats, a T-shirt, and he had taken his shoes off.

  “I thought, unless you object, we could both sleep here.” He added with a charming smile no woman in her right mind could resist, “No monkey business, I promise.”

  Gladness soared through her heart. “I would like that.”

  They got into bed as if they’d been sleeping together for years. If anyone on the outside had seen them, they’d likely think that this was beyond strange, but this felt as perfect and right as anything she’d ever done.

  She settled against him and he pulled her even closer.

  “No nightmares tonight.”

  She looked up at him. “You have them, too?”

  “Oh, yeah. About every night. You?”

  “Yes.”

  “Those days are over.”

  “Yes, they are.”

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  She snuggled deeper into his arms. “You can ask me anything.”

  “Do you need to be in a specific place or use special equipment to work on your film?”

  “Just my laptop, for the time being. I have a lot of work to do on the script. Once I start editing, I’ll need some additional equipment. Why?”

  “Come home with me?”

  She didn’t even have to think about it. Home would be wherever this man was. “Yes.”

  He kissed her then. Just a small caress of his mouth on hers but it was wonderful, magical. Perfect.

  Settling into his arms, she whispered, “Tell me a story.”

  “My pleasure.”

  She fell asleep with his voice in her ear and knew she had never felt more safe and secure than she did at that moment.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Cyprus

  Marc Antony Ferante was bored. He had everything he wanted, everything he needed. It wasn’t enough…would never be enough. He was a consumer, a user of all things. Whatever came to mind that he desired, it was his within seconds of having the thought.

  He didn’t consider himself better than anyone else. Truth was, he didn’t consider anyone else at all. They were here for his use, entertainment, enjoyment—whatever he desired—he had people to supply that need night and day.

  He had wealth—in the bank, in stocks, the choicest properties. There was literally nothing in this world that either he didn’t already have or couldn’t get with one command.

  Still he wanted more. A dissatisfaction loomed within him, and he couldn’t put his finger on what that something was. It amused him in a way, because he knew once he decided on what that something was, he would have no trouble obtaining it. He was just that good.

  The phone beside him intoned a delightful tune, one he’d had created just for him. If there was one thing he wanted above all others it was to have what no one else could get.

  Reaching over, he slid a slender finger across the answer icon. “Yes?”

  “The girl dropped the film.”

  A self-satisfied smirk lifted his mouth. “Of course she did.” The little message he’d sent to her house had no doubt scared her silly. People were just so predictable, especially women.

  “You won this round. Doesn’t mean it won’t come back in the future and bite you. You need to be more careful.”

  Ferante rolled his eyes at the overdramatic tone. “You worry too much. She was just some nobody trying to make a name for herself. I knew that once I set my dogs on her, she wouldn’t last. They never do.”

  “Maybe so, but you’re on her radar now. She may talk.”

  “Then we should have disposed of her. That was my suggestion, if you remember.”

  The man sighed. “Yes, I know that, and while it was a good suggestion, I have to weigh many variables before commissioning such things. You only have yourself to be concerned with. I have a responsibility to many.”

  “Of course you do.” Ferante mentally shrugged. Soothing the beast never hurt his cause. Little did the beast know that he was as disposable as everyone else. He was, however, infinitely more useful than most.

  “If she starts talking, we won’t have a choice, though, will we?”

  Another sigh. “No, we won’t.”

  Knowing it was a foregone conclusion at some point, Ferante said, “Let me know when you want that to happen. My man is still in play. His methods are quite unique—he’s the artistic sort and a bit eccentric. However, he does know how to get the job done.”

  “I would like to avoid that, if possible.”

  Understanding his reasoning but not agreeing with him, Ferante made noises he thought sounded sympathetic. It was tiresome, but sometimes one had to pretend to care. An amusement in its own way, because people were just too stupid to accept that he did not care at all, about anyone but himself. He held regard for no one, not even for this man who’d started him in the business.

  “I’ll call you if anything changes. In the meantime, if you could keep a lower profile, that would be helpful.”

  “I do what I do. People who don’t like it shouldn’t exist.”

  There was the expected shocked silence. He didn’t really understand why there was shock, though. It wasn’t as if he made a secret of how he felt. He prided himself on his openness. He was actually the only authentic person he knew.

  “There are people watching your actions.”

  Ah, yes, the all-powerful people who believed they made the world turn. He didn’t mind doing for them what he did. It was often an entertaining and mutually beneficial arrangement.

  “Rudy, Rudy, Rudy,” Ferante mocked. “Don’t worry so much. I’m not.”

  There was a long pause. Yes, he knew the man hated the shortened name. And that’s exactly why he used it.

  Finally, frustration obvious in his voice, the man said, “Goodbye.”

  Not bothering to end the call—it would end on its own—Ferante drew in a breath of fresh air. The blue of the ocean before him competed for beauty with the crystal-clear sky. It was picture perfect.

  Maybe that was the problem. It was too perfect. He needed to think on that. What could he do to mar perfection? What would be the challenge?

  The solution came like a flash, and he knew exactly what he needed to do.

  Chapter Thirty

  Montana

  OZ Headquarters

  Liam pulled into the drive of OZ and was pleased to see all the cars and SUVs. The gang was all here. He’d asked all operatives to show up for a brief meeting. Every one of them deserved to meet Aubrey a
gain. They had been with him on every mission to find her. They needed a new introduction.

  Aubrey was a little apprehensive, but he knew that would pass. Whether she was ready to accept it or not, they were now her family. No matter what happened between the two of them, OZ would always be there for her.

  What would happen between them was up in the air. Not for him. He had known for years that what he felt for her was more than a need to rescue a woman. In those few days, he had fallen hard. And each time he looked at her now, he fell a little bit further.

  He hadn’t sprung any of that on her. Scaring her off was the last thing he wanted. After all the things that had happened over the last few days she was still feeling a little overwhelmed. They had finally found each other. The other stuff could wait.

  “They’re really all here for me?”

  He grinned at her. She looked as though she were getting ready to face a firing squad.

  “They’re not as scary as they look.”

  “Actually, the only scary one was you.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. That first day, you glared at me.”

  “Yeah…sorry. That was a bad day. I was finally accepting I’d never find you.”

  She shook her head. “I still can’t believe you looked for so long.”

  “I swore to you that I would never give up on you. Can’t believe I almost did.”

  She grabbed his hand from the steering wheel and held it to her face. “Thank you for that. I don’t think even my family would have spent so many years looking. They would have just accepted I was gone.”

  Liam almost groaned at the silken smooth skin against his hand. She was soft and sweet, and he wanted her with a passion he’d only ever read about. Yeah, he’d felt desire. He was human. This went eons beyond desire.

  “You know,” she said conversationally, “if you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to have to kiss you.”

  “Don’t let me stop you.”

  She glanced over at the OZ house. “Think anyone’s looking?”

  “Does it matter?”

  Instead of answering, she unbuckled her seat belt and reached for him. He met her halfway. Sharing their first real kiss in front of OZ seemed right.

  She tasted like springtime, fresh and sweet. He wanted to linger, to savor, but he let her set the pace. The fact that she instigated it meant everything.

  Breathless, she pulled away and smiled. “You taste the way I dreamed you would.”

  “You dreamed of kissing me?”

  “Yes. Is that surprising?”

  “No, since I dreamed of it, too.”

  “Really? You dreamed of kissing you? That’s a little egotistical, isn’t it?”

  He pulled her in for a quick, hard kiss. “You’re a smartass. I like it.”

  She looked at the OZ house again. “I guess we’d better go in.”

  “We don’t have to stay long. We’ll go in and visit. I want to get to my house before it gets too dark.”

  “I can’t wait to see it.”

  Liam smiled to himself. He couldn’t wait either.

  The minute Liam and Aubrey stepped up on the porch, Serena opened the door and then yelled out, “She’s here, guys!”

  Surprised, Aubrey halted. Liam gently nudged her forward. Before she could take a step, Serena grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug. “I’m so glad it’s you!”

  She whispered a soft thank-you in Serena’s ear and got another hug in return. “It was my pleasure.” She stepped back and said, “Come on in. Everyone’s been dying to see you.”

  She walked into the house and was greeted like a long-lost sister, with shouts of welcome and a big hug from Jazz and Xavier.

  Grinning, Jazz said, “Don’t look so surprised. We feel like we’ve known you for years.”

  Apparently sensing that she was feeling a little overwhelmed, Liam threw an arm around her shoulders, and said to the group, “We can’t stay long. Just wanted to say—”

  “But we have champagne!”

  A beautiful older woman rolled a trolley out of the kitchen filled with glasses, ice buckets, and two large bottles of champagne. Though Aubrey had not met Rose Wilson, she instantly recognized her as the woman Liam had told her was the one person OZ could not function without.

  Rose stopped in the middle of the room and put her hands on her hips. “Oh, Liam, she’s just as pretty as you described her.” Walking around the cart, she came toward Aubrey with outstretched arms. “Welcome home, my dear.”

  More than a little emotional at the enthusiastic and warm welcome, Aubrey accepted the hug from Rose. The moment she stepped back from the hug, Liam tugged her back against his chest and whispered in her ear, “We don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”

  She glanced around at all the smiling faces, and moisture blurred her vision. These people had risked their lives to find her. They had been there for Liam in his darkest moments. Supporting him, loving him. They were his family. There was no way she could brush this off as if it meant nothing.

  Instead of answering him, she swung her gaze around to take in everyone and said, “Thank you so much for what you did, for what you do.”

  A champagne glass appeared in her hand. The room went quiet and Aubrey looked up to see Asher Drake standing in the middle of the room. “You’ll have to forgive our enthusiasm, Aubrey. We don’t get many days like this.” He raised his champagne glass. “Here’s to Aubrey, a woman of courage and grace. And to Liam, the man who refused to give up on her.”

  Liam followed Ash. Before he could take a second sip of champagne, Ash had caught his eye and nodded toward his office. He’d left Aubrey in the capable hands of Rose. Thankfully, she’d gotten over her initial uncertainty and seemed to be enjoying herself. He would spend a few moments getting Ash caught up, and then he was taking Aubrey home.

  Ash closed the door and headed to his desk. “Have a seat.”

  “Something going on?”

  “Yeah…maybe. I may have a location on Drury for you soon. You still interested?”

  The thought of leaving Aubrey so soon after finding her created a hollow feeling in his chest. But he owed this to Myron.

  “Where’s your intel coming from?”

  “Our old friend Omar Schrader.”

  A former weapons broker, Omar Schrader had become a CI for OZ. After the initial shock of realizing his previous job had ended and that if he went back to it, he’d end up in prison, Omar had accepted his new role with amazing aplomb.

  “Don’t tell me Drury’s involved in weapons trafficking, too?”

  “Apparently he’s in dire need of cash.”

  That wasn’t surprising. The bastard enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, and few things were off the table for him. Drury had no ethics. Mix that with a need for fast cash, and he was the devil incarnate.

  “What intel do you have?”

  “Omar thinks he’s still in Colombia. Seems a group of militia have hired him to find them a cache of assault rifles. He contacted Omar.”

  “They set up a meet?”

  “Not yet. Omar’s been communicating with a middleman. Ronnie Wiggins.”

  Liam huffed a humorless laugh. “Yeah, he’s been an on-again, off-again sidekick of Drury’s for years. I kept hoping they’d end up killing each other, but no such luck.”

  “I’d like to keep Omar away from the fray. Word gets around he ratted out Drury, he’s a dead man.”

  “Just get me a location for Wiggins, I’ll handle the rest.”

  “Good enough.” His mouth went from his normal businesslike grim to a slight smile. “How’s it feel to have found her?”

  “Like a thousand-pound weight is off my shoulders. Truth is, I’m still reeling.”

  “Yeah, modern-day miracles are rare, but I’d say this comes as close as I’ve seen. You guys been able to talk about what happened to her?”

  “Not yet. I want to give her some time before I start with the questions.”

 
“I’d like her to spend some time with Serena. Share any other intel she’s got on Ferante. She might feel more comfortable talking to a woman about Syria, too.”

  Liam nodded. “Good point.” He stood and headed to the door. “You need me for anything, you know where I am.”

  “Yeah,” Ash said. “And, Liam?”

  He stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

  “You’re going to have to let go of the guilt.”

  He didn’t need to ask Ash what he was talking about. The same guilt had been eating at him for years. Aubrey had been tortured because of him. The sounds of her pain and terror were ingrained in his memory like the foulest of smells. It reeked within his insides, and nothing and no one was going to be able to lessen the stench. Yes, they had found each other, and yes he would spend the rest of his life making it up to her for what she had endured, but no way in hell would he ever overcome the guilt of not being able to prevent her pain.

  Unable to give Ash the answer he wanted, Liam turned and walked out the door.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Speechless, Aubrey stepped out of Liam’s SUV and stared at the log home in front of her. She was beyond stunned. It was her house…her dream house.

  Now she knew why she had detected a hint of nervousness from him when they’d left OZ headquarters. Liam had built this for her. She had described to him in detail the mountain home she dreamed of owning someday. And this was exactly what she had envisioned.

  This told her all she needed to know. Doubts and fears subsided. During those long days in darkness, she had found her light, and so had Liam.

  “It’s perfect,” she breathed softly.

  “My memory might have been faulty on a few things, but I think I was able to get the gist of it. I had to fill in a few gaps with things I thought worked, but if there’s something you don’t like, we can change it.”

  “It’s perfect. Just as I pictured it.” Turning away from the house, she faced him. “Why, Liam? Why did you do this?”