by Lexi Blake
Avery struggled to keep up, her leg weak under her weight and the speed. She nearly tripped, but Liam kept a hand on her, helping her along. If they could just make it to the elevator. Her heart threatened to pound out of her chest. She could hear the men stalking behind them, but the hallway was long and they were almost there.
Liam’s gun made an appearance. “When we get to the lift, stay behind me.”
The doors were splitting, opening up to reveal their sanctuary.
Liam cursed and stopped, nearly sending her to the ground. His hand circled her wrist.
Two more men walked from the elevator, and one of them was her boss. Thomas Molina was dressed in a well-cut suit, and he wasn’t using his cane or the braces or any implement to aid his walking. He strode forth, and despite the fact that she knew the face, this was a completely different man.
Liam’s head swung back and forth as though he couldn’t figure out which road to hell would take them there the fastest. He covered her body with his own, pushing her back against the wall. “Let the girl go and I’ll give up the gun.”
That didn’t seem like a good idea. “I’m not leaving you.”
“You bloody well will,” Liam whispered her way.
They were trapped, four against one, and Liam was hesitating. She knew why. Her. He was going to die because he wouldn’t risk her getting hurt. She tried to step forward. If Thomas wanted her, then he could have her.
“Thomas, I’ll go with you.” Her voice shook, but there was no way she could just let them shoot Liam.
“Shut up, Avery.” Liam’s focus went to Thomas.
“Yeah, shut the fuck up, darlin’.” Thomas didn’t even sound like Thomas anymore. He sounded an awful lot like Liam. “You’ll come with me, but so will your little boyfriend there. I think we should talk, don’t you, Li?”
“I definitely think we should talk,” Liam said. “But let the girl go. This is between brothers.”
“What?” Avery asked. How was Thomas Liam’s brother?
A wicked smile crossed Thomas’s face. “Figured it out, did ya, brother? I can’t leave the girl now, can I? It’s a pity, you know. We always did like the same type. Boys, let’s take this someplace more private.”
Liam cursed, and a shot rang out, splitting the air around her. The floor thudded as a man went down.
“You get them both alive!” Thomas shouted.
A meaty hand pulled her from Liam, and she felt something sharp go into her neck. Immediately the world became gauzy and unreal. Panic welled. Her vision was losing focus. She watched in horror as Liam began to fight. He moved with such grace, but someone shoved a needle in his arm. Even so, he fired again. She began a long fall to the floor, time slowing. Liam was fighting. There was another shot, but it sounded so far away this time. Liam had two men on him, and she saw a flash of something metal before Liam started to go down. He looked at her, the drug obviously hitting his system, but his hand reached out for hers.
Darkness encroached, the world winking out like a candle being snuffed.
* * * *
Rory O’Donnell looked down at his should-have-been-dust-in-the-grave-by-now brother, a little kernel of satisfaction in his gut. Maybe it was better this way. This time he would kill Liam himself. He would prove that he wasn’t the weak little brother this time. This time, Liam’s eyes would be open, and he would watch as his brother took the victory.
“Angus is dead, boss. What do you want me to do with him?” Colin asked, scratching his head as he looked down at the body.
Good henchmen were so bloody hard to find. By necessity they tended to be incredibly stupid. Malcolm had been smart, but he hadn’t been quick enough to take out Liam. “Put the body in the flat, and we’ll pick it up later. Hurry. I managed to get this floor clear, but my man at the front desk won’t be able to keep them out forever.”
Colin helped Brett drag dead Angus toward the flat where Avery had been staying.
Rory looked down at his brother. He probably should have just killed the bastard, but Rory had plans. His brother was into BDSM. It would be good to see how he liked a little torture. Liam had taken him to his first club. Rory rather thought he’d done it to try to teach him some control and to give him a safe outlet for his sadistic tendencies. He pulled a length of rope from his bag. The trouble was, Rory didn’t want a safe outlet. He wanted to be able to kill the occasional girl just for grins.
Killing a woman was the right of a powerful man. He would take that right with Avery, and he would make his brother watch.
He hummed a little as he bound his brother’s hands behind his back. Liam had always liked a little rope play. Perhaps not like this, but then Liam wasn’t calling the shots now.
He turned his attention to Avery. Sweet, dumb Avery. She was going to wish she was dead before he was done. He would certainly kill her eventually, but she would beg for it first.
Should he rape Avery and kill her in front of Liam? Or rape Avery and then kill Liam?
Choices, choices. It was the kind of thing a man had to rely on instinct to decide. He wasn’t going to make the decision now. He had a couple of hours. He wanted to play.
“You want me to tie the girl up, boss?” Colin asked.
“No. She’s not a threat. I’ll keep her in the car with me. The dose we gave her should keep her out until we can get back to my house. You’ll drop us off, make sure my brother here has a nice seat, and then I expect you to get to the airport and make sure everything is ready. We’re leaving for Dubai tonight.”
He’d already shifted money around. Not all of it, of course, but enough to get by until the Lachlan Bates deal came through, and then he would allow Nelson to get his little business into the Middle East and he would be set. It would be safe to kill Nelson then.
Colin lifted Liam up, tossing him over his shoulder.
“Throw him in the trunk.” He didn’t want to be anywhere near Liam, but Avery was a different story. He lifted her up himself. She wasn’t a lightweight, but then he’d never liked a skinny girl. They died too fast.
She really was quite pretty. It was too bad she turned out to be such a whore.
He sighed and kissed her cheek. She was limp in his arms. She would be a bit of fun before he killed her, a way to pass the time until his flight took off.
He followed his men down the stairs and to the waiting car.
The night had just begun.
Chapter Twenty-One
Liam kept his head down as he came to a bleary consciousness. He wasn’t sure what his insane bastard of a brother had shot him up with, but he would bet it was ketamine. It was what he would have used. It was a veterinary tranquilizer that wasn’t too hard to get if a criminal had the right contacts.
He forced his breathing to stay even, his body to relax. He opened his eyes slightly, thankful he’d let his hair get a bit too long. Carpet was under his feet, and not cheap carpet. It was a rich red and looked to be Oriental. He very carefully tried to move his arms. Rope held him tight. His hands were behind his back, and he seemed to be sitting in a chair. Was anyone behind him? Was it safe to start on the ropes? They were tight, but he could force his hands to work. He just needed to find the knot.
And Avery. He really needed to find Avery. He couldn’t see her from here, and he couldn’t hear her. Was she still out? How much time had passed?
A deep voice filled the room. “I can see you moving, brother. I haven’t completely forgotten my SAS training. You might as well open those eyes wide and see what I have for you.”
Dread curled in his stomach. Was she already dead? If Avery was gone, then he would have one job in the world to do. He would make sure his brother suffered. Then he would find and kill the traitorous Mr. Black, Eli Nelson—whatever he wanted to call himself. He would be dead.
Liam brought his head up, the world spinning just a little. Even as his eyes focused, he could feel the knot. Rory had always been lazy. He’d left the knot where Liam could manipulate it. It wasn’
t a mistake Liam would have made. The pads of his fingers started to work it. “Nelson was a distraction then?”
Rory sat behind a large ornate desk. He’d ditched the contacts, and his deep green eyes showed through. Their mum’s eyes. “He’s my partner. He has been from the beginning. When we realized you and your crew were here, he obligingly provided me with the distraction I needed to take care of you. He’ll take care of your team, of course.”
Would he? Nelson didn’t have the firepower to take care of Ian and certainly not on the streets of London. Nelson was cool as a cucumber. He wouldn’t do a damn thing without planning it out. And why did Rory think Nelson hadn’t known about them? Nelson had sent out his calling card and practically invited them to come to England.
Who was the real distraction?
And where was Avery? He couldn’t just ask the bloody question. Rory was a sadist of the highest order. Liam had tried to curb the tendencies, but he’d failed. If Rory knew how much he loved Avery, it could mean a long, painful night for her.
“You worked with him on the op that nearly got me killed.” It wasn’t a question. Liam knew the answer, but he needed to keep his brother talking. He had to get out of the ropes and figure out where Avery was and if he could save her.
“I did. Nelson contacted me. He saw my potential. He also saw a chance to take over a very lucrative arms dealing market. There was no uranium. That was all a ruse to get Leonov to bite. Nelson came across Leonov and found out about the bonds. Ten million easily transportable dollars, but he couldn’t get close. Somehow Taggart heard the stories and started the op before Nelson could get everything in place.”
“So Nelson sent along a very handy distraction.” Ian’s wife had been a means to an end.
Rory shrugged. “I wasn’t involved in that part of the business. I just know Nelson took over at the right time, and we got the bonds. Nelson then killed Leonov and together we took over his business. Leonov had a nice contact list going, but we decided we could do better.”
His brother, the entrepreneur. “And you became Thomas Molina.”
A satisfied smile lit Rory’s face. “The trouble is transporting the bloody weapons. So many checks these days, but everyone wants to help poor, starving children. We just needed a well-respected charity to be willing to help stow away our weapons.”
Where the hell was Avery? Despite the sedatives still in his veins, he could feel his heart rate speeding up. What the bloody hell had Rory done with Avery? What pain had she already been put through? Just let her be alive. He’d help her heal. He’d be with her. He’d hold her and love her and put her back together. She just had to be alive.
And he was losing it. Calm. Cool. Unemotional. He had to stay professional or they would both be dead. And Rory seemed to want to talk. Liam’s shoulder was killing him, but he forced his fingers to work without moving his arms. The knot was right there. There was a game they played at Sanctum. Tie up the Dom and see who was best at getting out. Ian was the Rope King, but Liam had come in a close second.
Weapons. He’d been talking about the weapons and the charity. He stared at his brother. Only the eyes were still the same. “How much surgery did it take?”
Lips that weren’t his own tugged up on Rory’s altered face. “Quite a bit. I was out of pocket for almost a year. I had multiple surgeries and made a careful study of Thomas Molina. Nelson had identified Molina as the perfect target. He formed a sort of friendship with Brian Molina.”
Brian Molina had been an addict. Liam could guess just what kind of friendship Nelson had formed. “He became Brian’s dealer?”
“Nelson knows many people, and Brian was easy to control as long as he got his fix. Brian kept an eye on his brother while I was preparing for my role and then he coached me on his brother’s history and mannerisms. I couldn’t simply appear one day. I had to make connections. I had to take my time. The fact that he was perfectly terrified of leaving his house, and he hated talking to people on anything but his computer made it easy. Even after Brian and I took over the fund, I had to keep him around for a bit and bide my time.”
“You killed them both?” It was a dumb question, but it kept him talking.
“Absolutely.” Rory was nearly purring. “I obviously needed Molina dead in order to take his place, and Brian had outlived his usefulness once I was set up as his brother. I couldn’t have him hanging around. After all, he wanted some of my money.”
“I bet Nelson wants more.”
The first crack appeared, a frown that covered Rory’s face. “I’m in control of this business. I have all the power. Eli Nelson is simply the man who gave me my start.”
“Yes, brother, he’s such a philanthropist. He just looks for little criminals with hope in their eyes and plucks them from obscurity and sets them up because he’s got such a big heart.” Pain flared in his arm, but he’d slid his pinky finger under the knot. Patience. Gain purchase and work the rope.
Ian had taught him this. Ian, the asshole. Ian, who had been more of a brother to him than the man in front of him. Ian had taught him, and Jake had practiced with him. Adam had sat in the background drinking beer and making sarcastic comments while Sean had timed them. His real brothers were still here with him. The skills they had taught him would come through in the end.
“I can handle Nelson,” Rory said, his fingers tapping impatiently along the desk.
“I doubt it. If he put you in a position, it was so he could use you and perhaps get rid of you when he decides to take over. Nelson lost his big payday. My boss took it away from him a couple of months back. He can’t go back to the Agency. He needs cash, and he likely needs it bad. Did you spend all the bond money on the surgeries?"
Rory shrugged, a negligent move Liam remembered from their childhood. “Ten million doesn’t go as far as you think it would. The surgeries cost money, setting up the infrastructure of the business costs money. The bonds went fast. That’s why we had to use Molina. I could easily take over his income and his trust fund, though some of it is tied up legally. I’ve been slowly shifting money to other accounts. When I leave here tonight, I’ll have millions at my fingertips.”
“How are you going to explain Avery’s death?”
“That is a problem, actually. Maybe I won’t kill her. Maybe I’ll take her with me to Dubai and marry her. We’ll spend plenty of time in Africa and the Middle East. Lots of bad things happen there.” He chuckled a little. “Actually, I could make some cash off the little cow. I’ll put a good insurance policy in place and then get her killed. Yeah, I like it. Thanks, brother.”
Rage churned in his gut. If his brother put a hand on Avery, he would cut Rory’s bloody balls off and shove them down his throat. He would tear him limb from limb. But she was alive. She was fucking alive.
“Do whatever you want with the girl. I don’t care.”
A long sigh filled the room. “Oh, Liam, really? I listened in while you fucked the bitch. Avery, dear, why don’t you come in?”
A door opened and one of Rory’s thugs shoved Avery inside. She’d changed or been forced to. She was wearing a long white gown, silky and lovely. It showed off her figure to beautiful advantage, and it made her look a little like a bride on her wedding night.
The only problem was she was his bride, and Rory was going to try to take her.
Avery stumbled, her leg giving way beneath her. She hit the carpet, her body crumpling. He wanted to howl. His woman. His to protect and he couldn’t get to her because he was bloody tied up. He was impotent and useless, and she was going to pay the price.
“Ah, look, the little cripple seems to have lost her footing. It’s all right, dear. I don’t need you for your grace.” Rory pushed his chair back, standing up. “Colin, you may leave us. Go and watch the door. We’ll be leaving in an hour or so, and we might have a guest with us. I haven’t decided yet.”
The massive thug nodded and walked out, closing the door behind him.
Perfect. Just him and his brothe
r and the rope that bound him.
Avery was on the floor. Her face turned up, so gorgeous, so vulnerable. “Li.”
Rory chuckled. “Lee? Oh, dear, do you even know his real name?”
Liam waited, praying she would follow along.
Avery turned from him to his brother. “He’s Lee Donnelly.”
Good girl. A fierce pride threatened to take over. He had no doubt she had been calling out for Liam, not Lee.
Rory rolled his eyes and got to one knee. Condescension dripped from his mouth. “His name is Liam O’Donnell, you dumb bitch. He’s my brother.”
“I don’t understand any of this. I thought Brian was your brother. Why are you walking so well now?” She turned back to him, playing her part beautifully. Or was she? He hadn’t told her his suspicions. Was she shocked that his brother was an arms dealer? Would it affect the way she saw him? “Is it true? Did you lie to me?”
“You were a means to an end, love.” She was the reason he was breathing, but he couldn’t let his brother know.
“Was she?” Rory asked.
It was time to act a little and to lean on what his brother knew about him. “Please. Do you really think she’s me type, Ror? I like ‘em a little prettier than that.”
Rory shoved a hand into her hair and forced her face up. Liam could see the pain in her eyes. Fuck, he was going to make his brother pay. “I don’t know. She’s quite pretty in a very innocent ‘I never had a cock up me ass’ way. Don’t you think? Of course, appearances can be deceiving.”
He pulled Avery up by her hair, using her weight against her. The little moan of pain that came out of her mouth hit his soul.
“Stop!” Avery struggled, her feet kicking, trying to find the ground.
And Liam had to pretend not to care. If he gave in, even for an instant, Avery would hurt in ways she couldn’t imagine. He knew he was likely giving up any hope of a future with her, but he would do anything to save her. “She’s got a nice tight ass, brother. You should try it.”
