by Lexi Blake
“Hey, what’s up? I didn’t expect you to call. Isn’t this the big night?”
“What?” Had she told Adam about her date?
“Avery? Shit. Is that you?”
The depths of his betrayal hit her squarely in the gut. Adam had known the number. He hadn’t expected a call from this number because he’d known the man it belonged to had a big night.
Adam knew Liam.
“Avery? Sweetie? Is Lee with you?”
So nice. So caring. “Liam is cleaning up. I’m afraid your little game is up, Adam. I know everything.”
“Holy fucking shit. Avery, I don’t know what’s going on, but wherever you are, stay there. Don’t you dare move. Don’t you leave that club. I will be there in fifteen minutes. I will track you down if you leave, do you understand me? It’s dangerous for you out there on your own.”
She let the phone drop. She had no one else to call. Liam was quite brilliant. He’d seen a lonely woman and managed to give her friends, a lover, everything she could need. Why? She didn’t have any money left. She didn’t have connections.
Except to Thomas. Who did have money. Lots of money.
She ran toward the stairs. She had to get out. She would just leave in her robe and go straight to the police. That was what she would do. She wouldn’t stop for her purse or anything else. She would run until she found a station house, and she would tell them everything.
Except she ran into a brick wall before she could find the lifts. She stopped and stared up into the arctic-blue eyes of Liam’s friend Ian.
“Going somewhere, love? Where’s Lee? You shouldn’t run around without your Dom.”
“Liam O’Donnell can go to hell. I’m sure you’re in on whatever scam he’s running. Get out of my way. I’m not staying here.”
She could have sworn the temperature dropped twenty degrees. The look on Ian’s face could have frozen fire. For the first time she got really scared. She backed up, only to run into a wall of flesh.
“Don’t scare her, Ian. I won’t have it.” Liam’s hand found her wrist, hauling her behind him, putting himself between her and Ian.
“You won’t have it? You won’t fucking have it?” Ian seemed to have developed a hard American accent. Well, naturally. She was surrounded by con men. “Tell me she’s brilliant and she managed to find out your real name on her own.”
“I told her,” Liam replied. “I can’t lie to her anymore, Ian. And I want her out of this op. I’ll take her someplace safe in the morning, and you won’t have to see us again. I know I’m fired.”
“Oh, you’ll be lucky if I just fire you. Get her dressed. I want you both in the conference room in ten minutes. I swear if you take off, I’ll find you both. Do you understand me?” Ian stalked off, his boots ringing in a violent rhythm.
Liam sighed, tugging her close. “That went better than expected. He didn’t kill me. I’m calling it a win.”
She tried to pull away. She hated the fact that all she really wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and pray this was all a bad dream. “Let me go.”
“No. You ran. Now we’ll do this my way.” His hand was gentle on her hair. He smoothed it back. “Come on. We’ll get dressed, and you can meet the team.”
“Team?”
“Yeah. Ian owns McKay-Taggart along with Alex. Eve’s the psychologist. Adam’s the communications guy. Jake is pure muscle. Not a brain in his head. They’ll all watch out for you now.”
“I thought you were taking me someplace safe.” She wouldn’t go. She would still find a way out. She held herself stiffly in his arms, not willing to give an inch. He hugged her. It was even worse since the embrace was sweet and gentle without his former predatory aggressiveness.
“I will if I have to. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. I swear on my life.”
“Well, you’ll excuse me if I don’t believe you since you’ve lied to me about everything else.”
“I won’t lie again. Not ever. Not to you.”
He was still lying. The whole thing was a lie. It was ridiculous. She wasn’t involved in some sort of spy thing. He was playing an angle. “I’d like to get dressed now.”
He nodded, brushing his forehead against hers. “Avery, I’m sorry.”
But he was too late. She followed him down the hall, determined to shut him out forever.
* * * *
Liam stared at Avery, wishing he’d kept his bloody mouth shut. She looked pale, fragile sitting in her chair still staring at the computer screen in front of her.
He should have planned it out. He should have planned exactly what he was going to say, and he should have made sure she couldn’t run until she understood. He should have tied her up, fucked her senseless, told her the truth, and then fucked her some more.
“That was the real live prime minister.” Her mouth moved, but her eyes just sat there like she expected the computer screen to talk back.
Thank god for Damon Knight and his connections. She’d been talking about how they were all a group of con artists trying to take her for god only knew what. Knight had made her believe. She hadn’t believed Liam, but apparently when the prime minister told her something, it was gospel. She believed politicians. She definitely needed a keeper.
“I told you.” Knight was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, but even looking so casual, he still radiated authority. And he’d threatened to take Liam’s head off for what he’d done. The good news was his head was still sitting on his shoulders, and Knight had managed to get the prime minister on a video chat to convince Avery that they were serious. “This is a real operation. It’s important to both our countries.” Knight shut the computer screen and pulled it away. “And now you’re involved in a way I don’t think any of us wanted you to be involved.”
“Because we don’t have any proof she’s not in on it,” Ian said as he walked in. He’d changed out of his leathers and wore a dress shirt and slacks. He hadn’t changed his attitude. He still looked like an irritable shark waiting to take a chunk out of anything dumb enough to get close.
“She’s not involved with Molina’s deals.” If there was one thing Liam knew, it was that Avery Charles wouldn’t hurt a fly. If she’d known anything, she would have come forward.
Ian turned on him. “Yeah, I got no proof of that, but I now have to deal with it because apparently your penis took over. Have I told you lately that your penis is a complete dipshit, and it shouldn’t be allowed to make decisions? Did you not get that fucking memo?”
“Must have missed it, boss.” He wasn’t going to let Ian intimidate him. Ian hadn’t had him escorted out of the club and shot. Everything was going to be fine.
“I’m not involved in anything,” Avery said, looking from man to man.
“I know, love,” Liam replied.
“Which is exactly what you would say if you were a counter agent,” Ian shot back, taking the seat across from Avery. He leaned over. “Somehow I don’t think you would just walk in and admit ‘I like money so I sell black market arms to Africa, and I’m trying real hard to get into the Middle East.’ Is that what your Facebook status says?”
Avery shook her head. “I don’t have a Facebook page.”
“There’s your problem. All the best arms dealers are on Facebook.” Ian’s sarcasm seemed never ending.
Liam would be lucky if he didn’t punch his boss tonight. He walked around the conference table and took the seat by Avery. “Sweetheart, no one thinks you’re involved.”
“I think he does. Do I need a lawyer? Can I have my phone back?” She twisted her hands in her lap.
“So you can call Thomas Molina and let him know we’re on to him?” Ian asked.
“Back off, mate,” Liam warned.
Avery took a long breath. “He’s really doing this thing? He’s really letting someone put guns and stuff in our grain shipments?”
For the first time, Liam really understood how hard this was going to be on her. It was just another thing he hadn�
“You tell me what Molina’s putting in those shipments.” Ian was that immovable object science talked about. “Did you know your shipments are weighed when they leave the docks here? MI6 pulled the records. They don’t match what eventually makes it to the refugee camps.”
Her dark hair shook. “A lot of things can happen to grain in transport. Sometimes, if it’s not properly stored, it can rot or rats can get to it either in the boat or in the storage warehouse. We also have a lot of trouble with thieves.”
“Thieves stole seven hundred pounds of grain from last September’s shipment? How about five hundred from December? Did rats eat nine hundred pounds of grain this February? Those are mighty big rats, Miss Charles.” Ian passed her the reports.
Avery sat there staring as though she couldn’t quite comprehend.
“Nothing to say, huh?” Ian asked.
“Stop it or I’ll walk her out of here and I’ll find a barrister.” It was plan B. He didn’t particularly want to follow it since it meant taking her out into the real world, and he was pretty bloody sure she would run at the first opportunity.
The door to the conference room opened, and Eve and Alex stepped in. They were both back in street clothes.
Alex took the seat next to his partner and gave Liam a long smile. “Good for you, man.”
Ian turned. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Hey, I’m a sucker for a happy ending,” Alex said.
“This isn’t a happy ending. This is a nasty, fucked-up ending. This is months’ worth of work down the toilet because Liam over there couldn’t keep his dick from making the decisions.”
“I think it was his heart, man,” Alex shot back, looking at Liam like he was a toddler taking his first steps.
No matter how he felt about Avery, hearing it put like that made him want to vomit. Liam winced. “Jesus, I think I liked it better the way Ian was talking. You’re making me sound like a bloody girl.”
Avery’s hand came out and slapped him across the chest. She gasped. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that.”
Ah, sweet progress. He gripped her hand and brought it to his lips. “Because that’s what a woman does when her man says something stupid. I’m prepared to be smacked on a regular basis, love.”
She pulled her hand out of his, but not before he’d seen her flush. “I’m not your woman.”
She could fight it for now, but she needed him.
Eve sat on the other side of the table. Liam couldn’t help but notice that she was as far from Alex as she could be. She smiled Avery’s way. “I’m so sorry for the deception. We had to be sure you’re not involved. I hope you understand.”
Ian’s hands came up, his head falling back as he groaned in obvious frustration. “Just because Liam’s dick likes her doesn’t mean she’s not guilty. When did Liam freaking O’Donnell become the world’s leading authority on judging people? Can I remind you of a few of the choices his cock has made before? Cindy Lou Waitress from hell? She took a baseball bat to his car because he didn’t call.”
“I never said I would call. I barely knew the girl.”
“Ah, but you fucked her, didn’t you? I believe it was in the back room of a Hooters.”
“Ian, this is unnecessary,” Alex said.
Ian ignored his best friend. “How about the twins you screwed and then found out they were secretly taping you and putting up their sex tapes on the Internet under the heading ‘Hot Badass With Huge Cock’? Were they innocent, too?”
That was just about enough of Ian. Liam felt his fists clench. “I swear to god if you say one more fucking word, I’ll come over the table, Ian. I won’t give a shit that we were friends once.”
Ian growled right back. “I’m trying to help you, asshole. You don’t know a real thing about this woman.”
“Like you tried to help Sean?” Eve asked, her voice a calm note in the storm of anger that swirled around the room.
Ian stopped, his face hardening into stubborn lines. “It’s not the same.”
“It’s exactly the same.” Eve tapped a manila folder on the desk in front of her. “Right down to the profile I did.” She flipped it open and started to read. “’After careful consideration, I would be surprised to discover the subject is involved in anything that would go against her obvious values. It is my judgment that Avery Charles be treated as an innocent asset and all due consideration to keeping her safe should be taken.’ I think I said the same about Grace, and you ignored me. Ian, you are allowing your own history to affect your judgment, and it’s going to cost you another friend if you don’t back off.”
“You have a file on me?” Avery asked.
Ian sat back, quiet for once and willing to let Eve take charge. “I do. I’m a psychologist. I’ve worked for the FBI before. Now I work with these idiots who rarely listen to me. I studied your prior reports. You had a psych evaluation before you were accepted into the medical study that gave you back the use of your legs, and you saw a therapist for years before that to deal with the trauma of the accident.”
“That was supposed to be private.” Avery reached for the file. “Whatever happened to doctor’s confidentiality?”
Eve slid the file to her, a sure sign that she trusted Avery. “I’m so sorry, but MI6 got me the records, and they most likely had the aid and consent of the Agency. This is a very important mission. These are high-grade weapons, and he’s moving more and more of them. If he manages to move into the Middle East, those weapons are going to be turned on American and British troops. They can be used to destabilize whole parts of the world we would rather have calm.”
“So my privacy is being invaded to fight terrorists, is that it?” Avery flipped through the file. Her face flushed.
“Privacy is something no one really has, Miss Charles.” Ian sounded calmer, his eyes steady on Avery. “Privacy is something that’s only granted until it intrudes on someone else’s right to live.”
“You were a crucial piece to this investigation,” Alex continued, his voice softer. “We had to ascertain whether or not you were involved in getting the weapons into the grain shipments. You’re close to Molina.”
“Is there any way this is someone else? Like someone else in the company?” She asked the question in a shaky voice.
Knight slid a black and white photo across the table. “This is your boss with a man named Eli Nelson. Nelson is a rogue CIA agent who by all accounts is rapidly turning into a mover and shaker in the criminal underground. They’ve been meeting regularly since you and the boss got to London.”
“His lunch appointment with a friend.” She sniffled a little, and he wanted so badly to drag her into his arms and hold her tight.
“Avery, anything you can tell us will help. Have you noticed anything at all odd about the UOF? Any weird business practices? Something unusual Molina’s been doing lately?” Alex asked. He seemed intent on playing good cop.
“I don’t think Avery knows anything,” Liam replied quickly. He wasn’t going to have her brought into this. Simon Weston had asked about some files, but he could be fishing. As long as Avery didn’t mention them, he could make a case for taking her out of here, perhaps even back to the States. She would need protection while everything was sorted out. Once he got her back to his place, he could work on reestablishing the relationship, on a proper footing this time.
Crap. He needed a new place. His place was awful. His place consisted of a mattress on the floor, a recliner, and an enormous telly. It would not impress her.
But it might give her something to do. Maybe she would view him as a project. If he could get her involved in fixing up his place, maybe she would start to view it as her place, too.
Or she would burn it down with him in it. He was willing to take the chance as long as he got her out of England and away from Molina and Nelson.
“There are some files I think you should look at,” she said quietly.
“Avery, keep your mouth closed. You are getting out of this,” Liam ordered.
A stubborn look settled on her face. “No. If I’m in it, then I’m in it. If I did anything to help this gunrunning thing, then I have to try to make it right. I have a friend who works at the Fund. I think maybe he’s seeing the same thing I am. There have been several multimillion dollar donors who have been turned down for reasons I don’t understand.”
“Why would a charity turn down money?” Alex asked.
“For any number of reasons.” Eve slipped the file on Avery back into her briefcase as she spoke. “Oftentimes if a charity turns down a donation, it has something to do with the moral view of the donor. A women’s group might turn down a donation that was made by a group of exotic dancers who made the money by providing lap dances or a bikini car wash.”
“That’s stupid. The money is the same, and a lap dance brings joy to the world,” Liam pointed out.
Avery’s hand slapped at his arm. She sighed. “That was an accident.”
As long as she still cared about how she looked when he said something dumb, there was still a chance. “What I meant to say was, isn’t money just money, Eve? From whom I would never accept a lap dance.”
That was better, right?
“I think they would say it’s a question of public impression. They don’t want to run off donors who might be offended. Even if the donation is quite large, it can be smart to keep the smaller, more traditional donors happy because they tend to donate on a yearly basis,” Eve explained.
“Does this have anything to do with Simon’s theory?” Knight turned to Avery. “Simon Weston is my man on the inside. His last report talked about donors and some files he was trying to get from you. Did you get the files for him?”
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