by Blake, Lexi
Or her man. She had to fix herself so she could defend that amazing piece of British hotness she’d somehow snagged.
She turned to the computer. She was afraid if she didn’t make some progress, he would do exactly what he said.
“He says he’s got information for you.” Though Bill’s voice was low, she could still hear him.
“I don’t need information from him,” Al shot back.
Bill seemed determined to play the voice of reason for his boss. “He’s former MI6. You know he worked with one of the agents we turned.”
Baz. Basil Champion. MI6 agent turned Collective butt munch. He’d shot Damon Knight and sold out for cash.
Someone in the Agency was a mole for The Collective. She had to get that information to Ian somehow. Even if she and Simon died, Ian needed to know that he couldn’t trust Ten until he found the mole.
So much was riding on her. This was actual real power and it kind of sucked because she was worried about letting down the people she loved. The games she’d played as The Broker had been for tyrannical children like Al who had no conscience. She was past that now.
Now power was used to protect her family.
She let her hands fly across the keyboard. He would eventually see what she’d done and she would be punished, but she had to get the information out there. She shot an e-mail to the only address she knew by heart. The main e-mail for McKay-Taggart. It was something Grace would check and she would be able to send it on. She hit send just as she felt a presence behind her.
“What the fuck was that?”
Her whole body went tense. “I’m just trying to get into the system like you asked. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to control though. I should be able to lock and unlock the doors. I don’t know how hard it will be to manipulate the airbags. I’ll have to see if there’s a way to screw with the sensors remotely.”
His hand wound in her hair, and he lifted her out of the chair. “That’s not what I’m talking about, bitch. That was a fucking e-mail. Do you think I don’t know what a fucking e-mail looks like?”
Damn it. She had to try to calm him down. He was on the edge. She went on her tiptoes to keep her balance. Her scalp flared where he pulled on her hair. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He used his free hand and slapped her right across the face. Pure shock. She heard the crack and felt heat and pain. If he hadn’t been holding her so tightly, her head would have snapped around from the force of it. “Do you think I’m stupid? Do you think I can’t tell what you’re doing?”
She struggled but he was too strong. “Fine. I told my brother-in-law where we are. He’ll be here soon. You might kill me, asshole, but you will not like what Satan does to you.”
“You think I’m afraid of him? Bring him on, sweetheart. And I won’t kill you. Like I said, I have plans for you and they don’t include death. Not yet.” He forced her back into her chair. “Now you get into that system. You’ve already cost your boyfriend. Let’s bring him down and see what he looks like and then for every minute you don’t get into that system, I’ll take a toe. Then we’ll move on to fingers and more interesting body parts. How does that sound?”
Pure fear sparked through her and she turned back to the computer. She flew through the initial security.
“Bill, bring that fucker down here. I want her to see what happens when someone defies me.”
Tears dripped from her eyes as she struggled. She started the software. It worked with encryptions. It started up but she had zero idea how long it would take. How much of Simon would be taken from him before she managed to figure it all out?
Her brain worked overtime. She couldn’t let this happen. She couldn’t let them hurt Simon.
She would have to get the gun.
She could feel Al behind her, watching her every move. His hand came down on her shoulder.
“If you try anything, I’ll just kill him and then I’ll find that sister of yours and I’ll take her, too. I don’t want it to be like this between us. I want you to be my partner.”
Slowly, she stood, turning. “I’m scared. You’re scaring me. Can’t you prove you can be tender, too?”
It was a risky move, but she couldn’t think of another way to get close to him. She didn’t meet his eyes, but allowed her body to soften. She used the advice Charlotte had given her. It made her sick to her stomach, but she did it.
“You want me to kiss you? You know they’re dragging him in here any minute now. You want him to look up and see me kissing you?” He leaned in, his mouth close to hers. “I like the way you think. That’s a bit of torture I hadn’t expected.”
He pressed his lips to hers and she went for it. She reached for the gun. She flicked the snap off and as he started to press his body to hers, she could feel the metal against her palm.
“Get your bloody hands off her,” a voice roared.
One minute he was all over her and the next he was being tossed across the room like he weighed nothing.
She looked up and Simon was there. Bloody and brutalized and alive.
And her hand was empty.
“He’s got a gun,” she breathed, trying to get in front of him.
Simon was already moving and another body held her fast. A mountain of muscle was in her way. Ian looked down at her. “Stay where you are, sister.”
She struggled to get to Simon. “He’s got a gun.”
Simon was on top of Al while Jesse held a gun on Bill. There was no sign of Gio.
A loud bang cracked through the air and Chelsea held her breath. Another shot exploded through the room.
Finally Simon rolled off Al, who was left with a hole in his belly and dead eyes staring up at her.
Ian let her go and she fell to Simon’s side.
“Baby?” She was almost afraid to touch him. There was blood everywhere. He slumped over in her arms.
His eyes were swollen shut. She had no idea how he’d seen anything. “He kissed you.”
Oh, god. He’d seen enough. “I was going for his gun.”
His lips curved up. “Next time, kick him in the balls and then go for his gun. Chelsea?”
She could hear Ian on the phone, calling for an ambulance. She looked down at Simon. “Yes?”
“I do love you.” And then he was gone, his hand falling. That was when she saw it—the blood pouring from his side.
Al had gotten a shot in and she might lose Simon.
She put her hand to the wound, praying she could stop the bleeding.
* * * *
Simon came awake in a bit of a haze. He was fairly certain he was dreaming since he could hear his mother talking.
“I blame all the boarding schools, you see. Such very formal places. By the time he was ten, he preferred his school clothes. Now he’s always in a suit. I suspect the reason he never took to football or polo was the fact that he would have to dress so casually. I made my sister-in-law send me photos of him in western clothes. I loved my little Si in his cowboy hat.”
A masculine voice groaned. “She would decorate my hospital rooms with pictures of Simon. I swear, I thought my younger brother was a cowboy most of my life. Then he would show up and he was so stuffy.”
No, he was definitely in Hell. He’d died and gone to Hell because he was suddenly fairly certain he was surrounded by family.
“And that Knight fellow was telling the truth?” His father’s voice was quiet but steady.
“Yes. He served his country in both the military and in MI6,” Chelsea said. “Now he works for one of the premier security firms in the world.”
“My brother, the spy. I’m trying to wrap my brain around that. And you,” Clive’s voice went low. “What’s a lovely girl like you doing with a player like my brother? You should really come to England sometime. I have a lovely hunting lodge.”
It wasn’t exactly a lodge. It was more like a bloody mansion in the middle of the woods, and it was where his brother and his brother’s two friend
s went to share their women. Simon forced his eyes open. “I killed the last man who tried to touch her, you know.”
“Simon!” Chelsea was suddenly at his side. “Oh, babe, you’re awake. Someone go and get the doctor.”
His brother looked down at him from the other side of his hospital bed. Yes, he was in hospital hell. Clive looked perfect, an older, probably much less damaged version of himself. “I’ll do it. Good to see you, brother, though you look worse for the wear. We have a lot to talk about. Be back in a minute.”
His mother and father were next. It was odd to have them so close. Certainly odd to have them looking down at him.
“Good to have you back, son,” his father said.
“We flew down immediately when your friend called us,” his mum explained. “Ava is on her way with your cousins.”
He tentatively tried to sit up. Pain flashed through him. “I don’t need a family reunion.”
Chelsea had done this to him. He glared a bit her way, but she merely grinned at him and he had to smile back. That hurt, too, but he did it.
She was here. With him. She was exactly where she belonged. He stared at her in her rumpled clothes, her eyes puffy as though she’d been crying and not sleeping. She’d likely not left his side.
“Could you give me a moment with Chelsea?”
His mum and dad agreed, leaving the room after squeezing his hand and giving him a flurry of statements about how proud they were and how they’d almost lost him.
He turned to Chelsea. “What have you done?”
Her lovely face shined down at him. Even lacking sleep, she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him. “I realized something. When I was sitting there and you were in surgery, I realized that sometimes our perceptions aren’t real. I thought I wasn’t capable of being loved, but you proved me wrong. You thought your parents didn’t love you, but I happen to know that you’re the easiest man in the world to love. So I called them and told them everything. I made Damon back me up. Apparently everything is more believable when it’s said with a British accent. They came down as fast as they could. They love you. Things just got away from them. You can have your family, Simon. You can have them back.”
He hadn’t known about the photographs. Hadn’t suspected it at all. Hearing his parents talk about him gave him a perspective he hadn’t imagined. Had they really done what they thought was best? Had they really talked about him around Clive so much it was annoying? “Do they all have to descend on my death bed?”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “You’re not dying and don’t even talk that way. I swear, you’re never allowed to be tortured again. And you are definitely never allowed to be shot. I forbid it, Simon.”
Such a fierce little thing. “I shall endeavor to follow your instructions. Come here.”
He tugged her hand, trying to pull her up on the bed with him.
She settled in gingerly, careful of his body. Her head came down on his shoulder and he felt her sigh. “You scared me. I’m so sorry. I thought you were going to die and the last thing you would see was me kissing that animal.”
He’d known what was going on the minute he walked in. Somewhere along the way, a deep trust had settled in where she was concerned. “That wasn’t going to work, love. It’s harder than you think to get a gun out of a holster. How about I simply forbid you to ever be kidnapped again.”
She turned her face up to his. “Deal.”
The door was opening. “If only we could write that into our contracts,” Ian said as he strode in followed by Charlotte and Jesse.
Charlotte winked at her sister. “But after-kidnapping sex is so much fun.”
Simon turned her way. “Charlotte, are you….”
“I am perfectly normal, thank you. And so is baby.” She patted her belly. “It seems like this child takes after her father and she’s going to give her mother hell for nine months. It was just some spotting. As long as I rest, I should be fine.”
“Charlie, it’s a boy. You should just deal with that. Taggart sperm only makes boys. Obviously, since I have two more brothers to deal with now.” Ian frowned at the thought.
“What about Carys?” Chelsea asked.
Ian waved that off. “Sean’s spent too much time in kitchens. I’m sure microwaves affected his sperm. Trust me. That is a boy.”
Jesse stood by his bed. “They’ve been arguing about it for hours. How are you feeling? You know you had a punctured lung and a bullet hole in your gut.”
But he could still hold on to his girl. That was what mattered. “I’ve had worse. Now tell me what’s been happening besides my parents telling tales.”
Jesse grinned. “Do you still sleep with your Pooh Bear?”
Families could be hell on a man. Still. It would be nice to sit and talk with his brother. As long as Clive kept his hands off his future sister-in-law. “I’m ignoring all questions about my childhood. I want to know about The Collective.”
Ian nodded. “Chelsea’s decoded a ton of proof that Nieland was behind the deaths of the judges and attorneys. Their stock is in free fall. I think we can safely say we’ve cut off the head.”
“But like a hydra, I think we cut off one head and two will grow back,” Chelsea explained. “Even if Nieland was the head of The Collective, there are others waiting in the background. There’s going to be a power vacuum, but I promise you that someone will fill it. We have bigger problems than just The Collective.”
Ian frowned as he stood at the end of the bed. “Ten’s unit has been compromised, and I can’t trust him enough to tell him. I honestly don’t think I could be in the same room with him right now without shooting the fucker.”
Simon’s not fully functional stomach took a nose dive. “You think someone’s gotten to Ten?”
Ian’s eyes were somber as he looked at Simon. “I think we need to find out and that means sending Chelsea in. She’s the only one who can get the access we need.”
He didn’t want this. He didn’t want it at all, but she needed it. She needed to be important and it seemed like they all needed her. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”
Chelsea ran her fingers gently through his hair. “I will. I’m not going to DC. I already worked it out with Ten. He was a little late to the party. He was in the air headed here when I called him. I’m pretty sure I convinced him to turn around, but hey, if he shows up at least Ian will have a punching bag.”
“Don’t joke. What did he say?” He would follow her wherever she needed to go.
“I laid down the law with the new boss, so to speak. I’m going to work from home. As far as anyone knows, I’m on the McKay-Taggart team, but I’m getting clearance from the Agency. I’m strictly behind the scenes, and what Ten doesn’t know is that my first job is to find the mole. If it’s Ten then Ian will take him down. If it’s not, then we’ll give him the information. But we have to know. His team is too important to the country to leave it to chance.”
“You can watch over her,” Ian said. Their eyes met and it really hit Simon that this man was going to be his brother-in-law. They were family, but then they had been since the day Ian had offered him a job. Ian didn’t really want coworkers. He wanted brothers. He wanted family.
And now the little boy who’d had none found himself with a wealth of riches.
“Don’t worry about Chelsea. I will watch over her.” He could see the worry in Ian’s eyes though his face was blank. “We’ll find the mole. But, Ian, how do we handle it if it’s a worse case scenario? If it’s Ten himself or…”
Ian’s jaw tightened. “We’ll take him down. Whoever it is.”
Even if they happened to be named Taggart. His boss was in a horrible position. His mentor and two brothers were potential suspects.
And so was Michael Malone, though Simon doubted it. More than likely he would have to find a way to protect Michael. As Michael had always protected him.
It’s what family did.
The door opened again and the doctor strod
e in waving his hands and speaking in rapid-fire Italian.
Simon settled in as the chaos erupted around him. Far too many people were in his room. His parents and brother were back, and Clive started telling stories about Simon’s military years while Charlotte and his mum talked about what a good baby he’d been.
The doctor said something about clearing everyone out so he could examine Simon, but he played dumb and held on to his almost wife.
Chelsea looked up at him. “I love you.”
He kissed her forehead. “I love you, too. What do you say we make this family a bit bigger? Marry me. You know that was in our contract. At the end of the contract, you have to marry me.”
A brilliant smile lit her face. “I’m just going to have to take your word on that since I didn’t read the thing. But I’m going to have to find you a suit because you are not getting married in that hospital gown.”
He cuddled her close, ignoring the doctor who clearly thought all Americans and Brits were insane.
If this was insanity, he would take it.
And he was definitely going to have to find a proper suit.
Epilogue
Dallas, TX
Four months later
Something was going on at the club. Phoebe was sure of it. It had something to do with the new guy. He was some sort of doctor, but she would bet her life he wasn’t a medical doctor.
Of course, she bet her life every single day she walked into McKay-Taggart.
There was a knock on her door and she carefully schooled her expression as she did for all interactions with the staff. Doe eyed, non-threatening, docile.
They should never once suspect that she could kill a man with her bare hands in about a dozen different ways. They should never find out that she’d done it more than once.
Jesse could never, ever know.
God, every day she saw him made it harder and harder to play the role she’d been given.
“Phoebe?” Grace opened the door and stuck her head in. “We’re almost ready. I’ve got the cupcakes. Did you get the punch?”
