by Lexi Blake
“Hello, Beck.” She picked the chair furthest from him because his eyes were already staring a hole through her. He was dressed in what she thought of as his uniform. Dark shirt, pressed slacks. She couldn’t see his feet, but she knew he would be wearing comfortable loafers. No brand names. He didn’t care about anything but functionality. His new boss, on the other hand, was quite fashionable. Damon Knight looked like he could be in a James Bond film. He was wearing a dapper three-piece suit, his hair slicked back, and when his arm moved she caught sight of a Cartier watch. “Damon, it’s good to see you.”
“And you, Solo.” Damon sat back as though waiting for the sparks to fly. “I want to say thank you for everything you did for the lads. I suspect you’re the only reason we’re here today, too. I appreciate it all.”
At least one person appreciated her. No. That wasn’t fair, and she wasn’t going to give into pessimism. Ian Taggart had called her, too. He’d thanked her and told her if she ever needed a job, she would be welcome in Dallas. It was a tempting offer, but she couldn’t do it. “I’m glad it worked out. But I’ve got to admit they’ve been stonewalling me about that drive. I tried to go back to DC to help analyze the data and I was told to stay here in London to liaise with MI6. I think someone convinced the big bosses that I’m too close to the subject. I have to wonder if that was you, Beck.”
She called him Beck because he’d told her it didn’t sound right when she called him Ezra. They’d been in the English countryside, and for a moment she’d thought that they might still have a spark between them.
Then he’d chosen his job over her. Like she’d been forced to do. She didn’t blame him. He’d needed to get Tucker and Levi Green to Paris, and she would never have allowed him to do that. So he’d started a fight knowing damn well as long as he was paying her any kind of attention she wouldn’t notice Tucker slipping away with the prisoner she’d vowed to guard.
Everything Ari had said sat on her chest. Being around her hurt him, hurt her. He wasn’t ever going to forgive her, and if he found out the truth, well, he might take their fight to an actual physical level.
At this point, they’d been divorced for far longer than they’d been married. Why couldn’t she move on?
He frowned her way. “No. Why would I try to put you on the outside? We kind of need you on the inside. Are you telling me you haven’t seen the report?”
He had needed her. She should remember that. She’d gone into this mission working for very powerful people—the president and his closest advisors. President Zack Hayes had been working around certain forces in the CIA, and that had given her leeway the Lost Boys had needed quite badly.
It was the only reason Beck had been willing to put up with her. Now that she’d done her job, those same CIA bosses who would have made things hard had taken over the case. At least she thought they had. She’d been sidelined, and that worried her.
Not that she would show Beck and Damon.
Damon’s focus lasered in on her. “Who is running the op now?”
She shrugged. “No idea. I suppose it’s one of the big guys. I’ll find out when they walk through the door.”
Then she would know where her place was. She would know if she’d traded every bit of her position at the Agency to help a man who couldn’t stand to be in the same room with her. She’d known the big bosses would be upset that she’d gone straight to the president, but she’d hoped once they got the real data, the true story, she’d be vindicated.
The truth was she’d started down this path to get closer to Beck, but she’d continued because she’d come to care about those men—Jax, Owen, Robert, Tucker, and Sasha. She’d done the best she could, and she feared she was about to be demoted for it.
“Kim, whose name is on that list?” Beck’s voice had gone low and he glanced back at the door like he was afraid of who would walk through it.
She knew that tone. It was the tone Beck used right before the bullets started flying. It was his instincts kicking in. “What do you mean?”
She was watching Beck’s ridiculously handsome face when she heard the doors open and saw his eyes flare in obvious shock. Her gut tightened and she turned. Her breath caught in her chest because the last person she’d expected to see strode confidently through the door.
Of course the reason he was the last person she’d expected was the fact that the last time she’d seen Levi Green he’d been in custody. He was supposed to be in a holding cell somewhere until the bosses decided how to punish him.
Levi Green. He’d been her “friend” once. He’d been someone she’d trusted, and he’d turned on her. He’d become obsessed with her. She was a possession in his eyes, a trophy to be claimed, and he didn’t like the fact that she’d rejected his romantic interest.
Her mind started to whirl with the possibilities. He was leading the small group. She recognized some of them, and they were strictly muscle. Levi was obviously in charge, so things had changed, and this was exactly why she’d been sidelined.
Levi was dressed in a dark, three-piece suit, his hair tumbling over his brow in a way that looked casual but had likely taken him an hour and plenty of hair gel to achieve. He was wearing thousand-dollar loafers and a tie that probably cost more than everything Beck was wearing combined.
He was dressed to be seen, dressed to impress. She’d seen him dress for a date less carefully than he was now. Levi was all about image, and that suit screamed power. He wasn’t in a cell anymore.
He was in charge and something had gone so very wrong.
Oh, god. Her brain went over everything that had happened in the last few weeks. They’d discovered Levi had been working with Tucker all those years ago, that he’d been attempting to find out who was in league with McDonald even before they’d known how bad her experiments were. He’d connected McDonald to the shadowy group known as The Collective and used Tucker’s need to find his brother to convince him to go undercover and get him the data he needed to prove his theories. Tucker had lost the data and they hadn’t found it until a few weeks before. Solo had been the one to turn it over, but she hadn’t been able to look at what was on the thumb drive.
What was on that drive? What had she turned over?
God, had she betrayed Beck again?
Levi stopped at the head of the conference table, the arrogant look on his face telling her he was about to do something terrible. “Hello, all. It’s so good to be back.”
Had Levi set up a long line of dominoes all those years ago? Was this why he hadn’t admitted he knew Tucker? She could see him putting Beck’s name on that list. It would be a plant. It would be why he’d done everything he’d done. So he could take down the man he hated. So he could punish her for not being able to love him. “What are you doing here? Why have you been released?”
He should be sitting in a cell at Langley, answering question after question about the things he’d done, the missions he’d fucked with for his own ambition.
“My darling, not only have I been released, I’m back to my full duties, and unfortunately the first is a bit distasteful.” Each word that came from his mouth was a silky threat. He was enjoying every minute of this. His head turned slightly to speak to the armed guard he’d brought with him. This had all been a setup, and MI6 had been in on it. “Gentlemen, it’s time.”
Beck was on his feet, his shoulders squared, and for a moment she wondered if this was how he died. Would she watch him get gunned down here and now because he wasn’t about to let Levi take him into custody? Her whole body tensed.
If he went down, she would go, too. She saw it so clearly in her head. She wouldn’t let these men take Beck in. Levi would do cruel things to him, would try to break him before ending his life, and she couldn’t stand the thought of Beck being broken. Not again. She would do whatever she could. Whatever the outcome.
Levi turned his attention to Damon as four of the guards stepped up. “Mr. Knight, I invited you here because someone should be a witness. Don’t
make me regret it. You’ll have full access to the data after I do what needs to be done.”
Her breath caught in her chest and she got ready to move. She’d turned over her gun to security when she’d entered the building. But that didn’t mean she was unarmed. She was never unarmed. If she could get them out of here, she would. Adrenaline started to flow as she prepared to defend the man she loved.
“Kimberly Solomon, I’m placing you under arrest for treason.”
For a second the words didn’t mean anything. She was too concerned with Beck for the words to sink in. A strong hand snaked around her arm and she realized it hadn’t been Beck’s name that had come out of Levi’s mouth.
Her name. It had been her name Levi had planted in that data years before. The revenge wasn’t on Beck. Beck couldn’t care less what happened to her. Beck would likely giggle at the thought of her in Levi’s custody. Or would think it wouldn’t be so bad since she’d fallen prey to him once before.
She heard a shuffle to her left like Beck or Damon had moved, but when she glanced over they were still, Damon’s hand on Beck’s arm.
“What’s happening?” She tried to pull away, but the room was too tight, and she found herself completely surrounded by burly guards who likely wouldn’t mind roughing her up a bit.
“Be careful with her.” Levi pointed to his guard. “I told you I’ll kill the first person who hurts her. She’s an important prisoner.”
“Levi, I swear if you take her, I’m going to kill you.”
Beck. Beck had said that. Why would he say that? Still, the fact that he had settled something inside her. She didn’t truly expect him to save her. Once, she would have believed those words had come from a place of love, of protection. Now she had to consider that this was more about Levi than herself. She was the bone two dogs fought over.
And it looked like she was about to get torn apart.
“I’m sure you’ll try.” A faint smile crossed Levi’s face as though he was truly satisfied. “Damon, I wish you hadn’t stopped him. I wouldn’t mind shooting him right here. Solo, your name was on the list. We know you were working with McDonald. What a pity.”
For the first time in years she felt truly vulnerable. Not merely her heart. That was always vulnerable to Beck, but now her body and soul were on the line. “That’s not true. You’re lying.”
Damon was whispering something Beck’s way, likely a plea to not cause a fight. Any impulse in Beck to help her was merely the remnants of another life. Or perhaps the desperate need to fight Levi. It was good Damon was there. He would convince Beck to take a breath and realize he didn’t want to save her.
When Beck thought about it for a few moments, after the shock of seeing Levi had fled, he would very likely come to the conclusion that she was guilty. After all, wasn’t she guilty of everything in his eyes? Including the death of his brother. At some point he would determine that this was pure justice, and maybe he would sleep again at night. Maybe then he would be able to move on.
She squared her shoulders. There was no fighting her way out of this. Not now. She would have to bide her time, wait until the right moment.
Then she would make sure Levi Green paid for treating her like a piece of property he could do with as he liked.
She needed to remember that she was alone. She was the only one she could count on.
She walked out the door and didn’t look back.
* * * *
Ezra Fain watched as his wife was walked out of the conference room, four men surrounding her like she was some kind of prisoner.
Levi Green let them escort her out, watched her with deep satisfaction in his gaze. He was taking the prize in the game they’d started long ago. The queen in their chess match.
Ezra’s queen. No. Beck’s. The man he used to be before all of this had started. Before he’d let that fucker ruin everything. Kim Solomon didn’t belong to Ezra Fain. She’d been directly involved in his brother’s death. She’d lied to him, wouldn’t listen to him when he’d begged her not to send Ezra on that mission that had proven to be his brother’s last.
Levi turned and gave him a wink before the door closed behind him.
“I’m going to kill that man,” Ezra vowed.
“I’m going to help you,” Damon promised, his voice low.
In that moment he knew it was about more than the game Levi kept dragging him back into. It was about her. It was about the Kim who’d smiled up at him the day after they’d eloped. The sun had hit her hair and she’d looked like some sunny goddess who’d wound up in his bed, and he’d felt like the king of the world.
He couldn’t let her go, couldn’t leave her in Levi’s hands. Even if it was only to honor the vows they’d made so long ago, he had to save her.
“You have to get that wild look off your face because any second now the head of MI6 is going to walk in, and we need to look good. Shaken, not stirred, if you know what I mean,” Damon whispered. “If they haven’t changed things, the security cameras are to our backs. It’s why I insisted we sit here. But the director will come in to brief us, and he’ll report back to his Agency counterparts. You have to keep your cool. Trust me. I’m not going to let you down, brother.”
Ezra took a deep breath because his boss was right. Damon knew these people because Damon had been MI6 for years. But his impulse was to chase Levi and his men down, throw Kim over his shoulder, and run. Run and never look back. His impulse was to take her away and hide with her. They could find a place where none of the Agency stuff could touch them and start over again. It had always been work that came between them. This time they would be away from the politics and power. This time it would just be them.
It was a stupid thought since Kim thrived on intrigue, but it’s what was going through his head.
The door came open again and sure enough, there was the head of this particular MI6 division looking all professional and very British in his tailored suit. He couldn’t forget the fact that this was the man who’d raided Damon’s club. He’d stormed The Garden looking for Tucker, and he’d taken Jax as leverage to get what he’d wanted.
Rupert Milbern was in his mid-fifties and had the arrogance of a man who knew he controlled as much of his world as he possibly could. His salt and pepper hair was cut in a fashionable style, and there was an expectant look on his face as he entered. “Knight. Mr. Fain, it’s good to see you again, though I must apologize for the circumstances.”
Damon slid his cell phone into his jacket pocket. Ezra hadn’t even realized he’d had it out. If Damon was at all upset, he didn’t show it as he looked to the man who’d taken over the section he’d worked in for years. “Yes, that was a bit of a shock. I thought Mr. Green was still in Agency custody. I didn’t realize he’d been returned to the field. Or did I miss the memo?”
Rupert’s expression turned distinctly superior as he took the seat at the head of the table. He was followed by several men and women who entered and took their places as if getting ready for a long meeting.
He couldn’t fucking sit here. She was being taken away. She was moving further and further from him with every second and they wanted to have a fucking debrief?
This was all part of Levi’s plan.
“You don’t get any memos at all, Damon,” Rupert was saying. “You left. You are a private citizen and lucky we didn’t choose to press charges against you and all your friends for what happened a few weeks ago.”
Damon leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “And you’re lucky I don’t talk to the press about the fact that MI6 knew for years what Hope McDonald was doing and kept their distance because at the end of the day you wanted to know how those experiments worked out.”
A rosy flush went over Rupert’s face. “That’s not true and you know it.”
“Do I? I only know what it looks like to this private citizen. I only know that MI6 raided private property on British soil without any kind of warrant,” Damon shot back. “So I would like for you to explain to me why w
e’re here, except that little prick of an Agency operative wanted to see if he could get a rise out of my friend. Ezra Fain has been very helpful to British intelligence over the years, so I would like to know why you thought it was a good idea to arrest his wife in front of him.”
Rupert frowned. “I thought they were divorced and had been for a long time.”
“But they were married at one point,” Damon replied. “You’ve got an ex. Would you feel absolutely nothing if you had to watch her be arrested? It doesn’t matter how acrimonious the relationship was. She was someone he cared about once and you forced him to sit through something traumatic.”
They continued arguing and Ezra realized what Damon was doing. He was giving him cover. Damon was giving him time to think. They couldn’t run off after her. They couldn’t make a scene and start fighting. They needed to look like they accepted the situation, like they weren’t about to start a high-speed chase through the streets of London.
They had to be subtle. They also had to figure out exactly what they were up against.
“I need to see it.” Ezra sat up, his hands on the table like he wasn’t about to draw down on anyone. Because he wasn’t. He couldn’t put a gun to the head of MI6 and force him to turn over Kim’s whereabouts. Levi wouldn’t have told the man the truth anyway. “I need to see the evidence against my ex-wife. A whole lot of the trouble we had was over work, but not the way you think. It was because she always picked work over our marriage. She was an excellent operative, far better than me. I find it very difficult to believe she would commit treason.”
Rupert sighed. “It’s odd. Mr. Green seemed to think you would be satisfied with this outcome. He said you and Ms. Solomon had been at war for years.”
“My war was always with Levi.” His marriage had simply been one of the casualties. He couldn’t forget how she’d listened to Levi, gone over her own husband’s head to send his brother on the mission that had cost him his life. She’d chosen Levi time and time again, and it was finally going to cost her.
