Dead No More

by L. R. Nicolello

  She was irritated that Derek had withheld so much vital information from her, but she was also begrudgingly impressed. Aside from Jackson, she’d never met another operative who matched her in wit, intelligence and spunk. When most backed down, Derek went toe-to-toe with her.

  She loved it.

  He reached for his beer and took a long swig. “As I was saying, when we knew he wouldn’t show, my team left. I couldn’t.”

  Her gaze snapped to his face. “Couldn’t?”

  “I couldn’t tear my eyes away from you, Lil.”

  Vivid memories of their kitchen escapade flashed in her mind. Yeah, she definitely shouldn’t have stopped that kiss. She resisted the urge to lick her lips.

  “You intrigued me. I knew he wasn’t dead. And I knew that you knew he wasn’t dead. You were remarkable.” He flashed Lily a smile, the dimple in his cheek deepening. “If I hadn’t known the play myself, I would have thought it was real when you threw yourself on that coffin.”

  “It was real,” she said in a soft voice. “It wasn’t theatrics.”

  The pain of that moment crashed into her. Jackson had shattered her that day. For better or for worse, she’d walked away from his bogus grave a different woman. No longer the young, naive agent who believed justice always won out.

  In the real world, bastards like Jackson got away with murder, the good guys didn’t win and innocence was stolen. Lily swallowed the memories and shrugged. “I was cussing him out and crying over my broken heart.”

  “Makes sense,” Derek said, nodding. “He was your partner.”

  “He wasn’t just my partner, Derek.” Lily paused for a moment, confused, and stared at the man she was beginning to fall for. He didn’t know. Holy shit. How could he not know?

  She took a deep breath. “Jackson was my fiancé.”

  * * *

  DEREK WENT RIGID. Jackson was her fiancé? Derek hadn’t thought this case could get any more complicated. He’d been wrong.

  “Oh, God.” Her hazel eyes widened, and she clamped her hand over her mouth. “You really didn’t know?”

  No, he hadn’t known. What a nightmare. Derek’s mind went into overdrive. If Jackson had been her fiancé, maybe he’d set up this whole elaborate scheme to get her away from the case, from Rowland—that’s what Derek would have done, maybe. He grit his teeth. No. The director suspected Jackson had gone dark, sent Derek to keep an eye on him, to monitor his movement within ARME.

  “No, I didn’t,” Derek said slowly. “Jackson being your fiancé was something Kennedy failed to mention...that is, if he even knew.” Derek glanced up. “Did he?”

  “Ex-fiancé,” she corrected, eyes still wide. “And yes, Kennedy knew.”

  “Of course he did. Fantastic.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about.” Derek’s mind reeled from the bomb she’d just dropped on him. He didn’t want to focus on Jackson any more than he had to, but Derek was beginning to really hate the bastard.

  Lily sighed and picked at the staple holding the classified file together. “That assignment broke me. Jackson broke me. Not only did he betray me, he betrayed our country. I think that shattered me more than the personal betrayal. I’ve seen enough shit in the world to know that humans can be evil. But my idealistic logic that the good guys always win was blown to kingdom come.”

  “Lil—”

  “No, Derek, the good guys don’t always win. We both know it. If Ben hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have been able to walk away that day.” Lily paused. “I’m sure you saw him cart me off.”

  Yeah, he’d seen, all right. When she’d collapsed over the closed coffin, it took every ounce of willpower he’d had not to blow his cover, to make sure she was okay. Even then, she’d left him mesmerized, wanting more. But it wasn’t his place then, so he’d stayed rooted.

  Derek pressed his lips together and nodded.

  “That wasn’t to add to the dramatic effect.” Lily flicked the staple across the table. “Jackson’s betrayal devastated me. I couldn’t even put one foot in front of the other.”

  She attacked the next staple with a vengeance. “To add insult to injury, I let the sting of his betrayal, and the bureaucratic bullshit that followed, force my hand into giving up the very thing that I loved most—my job.”

  Pushing back from the table, she went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water.

  His mind raced. Jackson was her fiancé? Ex-fiancé, he reminded himself, and still a traitor.

  “You know, I’ve prayed for a second chance to get back into the game every day since. For someone to toss me a lifeline and rescue me from the pit I’d pitched myself into. I hated that I’d walked, but I didn’t know how to rectify it.” She leaned against the counter and locked eyes with Derek. “Then you came along.”

  Derek lost himself in the endless depths of her exotic eyes. The warm sensation returned, stronger this time. And judging by the way Lily quickly looked away, her face coloring, she felt it, too. He couldn’t help but smile.

  Yes, definitely ex-fiancé.

  Derek cleared his throat. “I didn’t rescue you. From where I’m sitting, you rescued yourself. An opportunity came along and, instead of tucking tail and running, you seized it. No matter how bizarre or unclear the case, you’re the one who stepped in. No one else. I don’t see a broken woman. I see a woman I’d gladly have on my six any time, anywhere, any day.”

  She studied him quietly—oh, to get inside that pretty little head of hers—and then walked across the kitchen, parking on the table just inches in front of Derek. It was a bold gesture, and it invaded his personal space, but apparently she didn’t care.

  “Full disclosure, Derek.”

  “Come on, Lil.” He shook his head and he sagged back in his chair. “You know I can’t promise that.”

  “Yes, you can.” Lily put her hands on either side of his chair and leaned forward, the edge of her tank falling open. An urge to close the gap between them and press his lips to hers hit him. Hard. They were warm and inviting, and oh so close. But judging by the glint in Lily’s eyes, she wanted answers right now, not sex.

  She straightened. “Full disclosure, Derek. Nothing less. You owe me that much. I’m not backing down.”

  “Yes, I can see that.” Damn, this woman was like a dog with a bone right now. There was no way he’d be able to redirect her focus, not this time. “Fine. Full disclosure. I’ll read you in on everything I have. But are you sure you want to do this?”

  She nodded.

  He reached around her, grabbed a thick file and held it up. “Can you honestly handle what’s in this file? Because you’re going to need to compartmentalize whatever emotions it conjures up—and I guarantee you, it will evoke some.”

  She took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. “Yes. Jackson is in my city. He’s connected to ARME, which, by default, means he’s connected to Rowland. We flush Jackson out, unlock and verify the files I found on Rowland today and nail them both.” She smiled, the thrill of the game flashing across her face. “Why not kill two birds with one stone?”

  “And the stone being?” Derek looked up at Lily, and his chest tightened. He didn’t like that ferocious, calculated glint in her eyes.

  She scooted off the table and threw Derek a wicked smile. “Me.”

  “Yeah, I was afraid you were going to say that.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Friday, September 26, 7:00 p.m.

  EXCITED ANTICIPATION HUNG heavy in the air. ARME had transformed one of their two-story labs into a grandiose stage for the unveiling of their newest addition in a long line of state-of-the-art weaponry. Lily was perched high above the mingling throng in a private balcony reserved for ARME’s honored guests, and she searched the crowd, eyes trained for one person: Jackson.
r />   She knew he was there. Could feel him.

  Derek walked up next to her and stared straight ahead. “You looking for Jackson?”

  Lily scanned the crowd below. “I know he’s here.”

  “Probably.” Derek shoved his hands in his pockets. “You doing okay?”

  She took a sip of her champagne and nodded. He didn’t respond, just stood next to her. Heat radiated off him, and the strain in her neck faded. The pressure in her chest eased. His silent presence not only calmed her, but also solidified her resolve to nail Rowland and Jackson.

  She could get used to being on his six.

  And much, much more.

  A commotion to her left captured her attention. Lily turned slightly. A tall, blonde bombshell wrapped in a tight sequined dress entered the room. Her sheer presence demanded the attention of those around her, including Lily. “Whoa.”

  Derek chuckled. “I see you’ve spotted Mrs. Elsworth.”

  “That’s Gina Elsworth?” She was everything Lily had expected. Tall. Exquisite. Walking perfection. The woman looked like she belonged on a runway.

  “Don’t let her looks fool you.”

  Lily frowned.

  “Remember. Trophy wife.”

  “I’d hate to hear what you have to say about me.” Lily smirked into her champagne.

  “What? That you’re feisty, stubborn and a genius? Or that you can run circles around any of the operatives I’ve ever worked with? And I’ve worked with the best, mind you. Or that you’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met, the woman I can’t keep my mind off of?”

  Lily choked on the sparkling wine. Trying to appear nonchalant, she swirled the golden liquid and looked over at Derek. “I said I’d hate to hear. That wasn’t an open invitation to let your inner monologue out to play.”

  He leaned in and his breath tickled across her neck. “Wasn’t it, though?”

  She shook her head, suppressing the urge to turn and press her lips to his. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? Someone to protect?”

  “Play nice.” He laughed, then walked away.

  Lily stared after Derek. The longer this case lingered on, the faster her resolve to keep her heart closed to him faded. Past logic and the hopeful future battled within her. She grasped at the unraveling fringes of her determination, but she knew it was futile.

  Every inch of her body wanted to finish what they’d started in the kitchen.

  She was losing the battle against logic very quickly.

  Lily swung her gaze toward Gina, intrigued by the tall beauty who owned the room and captivated its occupants. Could she really be capable of setting Rowland up? Or was she truly the way Derek had often described her? A trophy wife?

  Gina greeted an older couple with a dazzling smile and nodded her head softly before moving on to the next person. As Lily studied her, a peculiar thought scurried across Lily’s mind.

  Could Gina be involved with Rowland?

  Lily wouldn’t put it past him to have charmed his way into Gina’s bed. Despite his savage background, he was gorgeous, his personality hypnotic.

  Making a mental note to ask Derek, Lily turned her attention to the swirl of people below her. The air was electrified. She spotted Rowland mingling with the guests and raised her glass in acknowledgment.

  He saw her and made his way up the curved staircase to her right to join her, wrapping his arm around her waist and tucking her into his side.

  The intimate gesture caught her off guard. “Don’t you look handsome tonight.”

  “Are you all right?”

  “Of course.” She frowned and did a mental check of the past five minutes. What could she have possibly done to warrant that question? “Why do you ask?”

  “Just making sure the help is minding his place,” Rowland answered, his voice hard as steel.

  Lily’s blood ran cold. Derek. The last thing she wanted was for him to be the focus of Rowland’s psychotic attention. Whatever was happening between her and Derek needed to stop, before it got them both killed.

  She glanced up at Rowland and forced a smiled to her lips. “He was just answering a question I had about the facility.”

  “I see.” The green in Rowland’s eyes turned black, and his hand tightened on her waist. “In the future, let me be the one to answer your questions.”

  “Of course. The excitement of the evening must have gone to my head.”

  He tilted her chin up and looked down at her. “Meet me tomorrow, and I’ll take you on a private tour of the facility.”

  It wasn’t an invitation. Lily’s heart hammered against her chest. “That would be lovely.”

  He bent his head low, crushing his lips to hers. There was nothing gentle or loving about his kiss. It was demanding. Dangerous. Possessive. Pulling back, he gave her a measured look, then turned on his heel and left her.

  Lily grabbed her flute of champagne and brought the sparkling liquid to her lips. A small tremor caused the bubbles to dance wildly within the crystal flute. She quickly lowered her hand, rested the trembling glass against the railing. Her heart skipped and fluttered.

  He’d just claimed her.

  Lily commanded her heart to calm, and spied Gina making her way toward the balcony where Lily was perched.

  “I see Rowland has you under his spell.”

  “Mrs. Elsworth.” Lily smiled. “You look exquisite tonight.”

  “Thank you. Please, call me Gina.” Her lips curled, but the smile never reached her stunning emerald eyes. “You look beautiful, as well.”

  If the woman standing in front of Lily, openly assessing her, only knew what lay beneath her mile-high makeup. It had taken forever to cover the gash on her forehead, compliments of Jackson, and she’d finally resorted to styling her hair in such a way as to hide the remnants. Lily tipped her head down, then fingered the diamonds floating around her neck. “I hope it’s not too much.”

  “It’s not. It’s perfect. You must have quite the stylist.”

  Lily combed the room for Derek and smiled inwardly when she found him. Yes, I do. He’d blown into her loft again with another assortment of stunning, expensive gowns. All of which had high backs. When she’d questioned him, he’d shrugged and said he noticed she liked that style.

  “Oh.” Gina turned and faced the stage below them. “Here we go.”

  Rowland and John walked onto the platform together and stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the podium. Weariness etched around John’s eyes, the strain pulling at his handsome features catching Lily by surprise. A smile was fastened to his face, but the edge illuminated in his eyes betrayed him.

  “Ladies and gentlemen.” Rowland’s deep, velvety words rolled through the quiet crowd.

  Lily glanced at Gina. Why was Rowland addressing the crowd instead of John? The blonde woman stared straight ahead, lifted her champagne to her lips, calmly took a sip.

  “Fine people of Omaha, thank you for honoring us with your presence tonight. A night that will prove to be the grandest moment in ARME’s long and glorious history.”

  Deafening applause urged Rowland to continue.

  He glanced up and caught Lily’s eye. She nodded at him and smiled.

  “Tonight—with the backing of our own government—we unveil the first long-distance, multitarget missile ever to be produced in this majestic world.”

  Lily stiffened. She had a hard time swallowing the fact that some bureaucratic talking head, who had most likely never seen a day of combat, had actually signed off on the development of this missile. It was insane.

  Rowland glanced over at John. “Anything you would like to add?”

  John and Rowland eyed each other like two peacocks competing for a mate. Neither moved. Neither blinked. Finally, John plucked the microphone from Rowland’s hands. />
  “Thank you, Rowland. I believe I do have something to add. People of Omaha and the world, I promise you this.” John scanned the crowd. “We at ARME Industries are committed to building weapons that protect humanity from any evil—foreign or domestic—that might arise to threaten our way of life, our survival.”

  Support resounded throughout the crowd.

  Gina’s back straightened just a fraction. A tight smile tugged at her lips.

  “We’re committed to truth and equality. We build weapons not to arm those who wish to bring harm to us or our partners, but to aid our brave defenders all over the world with the equipment they need to accomplish the task at hand—freedom for every man, woman and child...”

  Another roar of approval swept through the throngs of people below them. Lily studied Rowland closely. He’d perfected his poker face. She got nothing. Again. Damn that man.

  “And if we ever veer from that commitment, I promise you this.” John glanced up to the balcony. Gina stared down at him until he looked away. “We will close our doors for good.”

  Silence blanketed the crowd. Lily peeked at Gina and caught the slight tick in her jaw. What the hell was that about?

  Rowland stepped up and put his hand on John’s shoulder. “Always the champion of the people. John Elsworth, ladies and gentlemen, president and CEO of ARME Industries.”

  Rowland clapped his hands together. The stunned crowd followed his lead. Lily glanced over at Gina. She gripped her glass hard, her knuckles slowly turning white. The tops of her ears were pink. Lily frowned.

  Who was Gina so pissed at? Rowland or John?

  “And without further ado,” Rowland said, “the first long-distance, multitarget missile.”

  The thick red fabric was pulled away from the display, revealing a small warhead perched on a bed of black velvet. The missile was smaller than Lily had imagined it would be, but she didn’t doubt its destructive ability.

  Gina stepped closer to Lily and leaned in. “Rowland is quite the man, isn’t he, Addison?” Her tone was venomous.