Buried Lies

by Brittney Sahin

  I kicked the memory from my mind, fighting back the strange emotions that bit at me.

  I swallowed the lump in my throat and reached for my tie, loosening it so I could breathe. The music in the room faded to background noise as I started toward her.

  “Hi,” was the only word that escaped my mouth.

  Her red lips parted as she slipped off her stool and flashed me a smile. “Thank you so much for coming.”

  I expected to see a wave of relief on her face, but her body looked rigid. Tense. What had her stressed?

  “Mm. Hm.” A woman to Olivia’s right was staring at Olivia out of the corner of her eye. She twisted her black hair between her fingers and held her hand out in front of me. “I’m Claire. And who might you be?”

  “Connor,” I answered, but kept my eyes on Olivia’s hazel ones, which glowed green beneath smoke-gray shadow.

  “Claire and I used to work together,” Olivia announced, and I saw her elbow dig into the woman’s side.

  I half-smiled as I tucked my hands into the pockets of my slacks.

  “You want to dance?” Claire asked.

  Guess Claire didn’t take kindly to hints. I would’ve laughed at Olivia’s death-stare if it weren’t for the fact that worry had crushed me flat.

  “Claire, Connor’s here to meet with Declan.”

  Claire’s mouth opened wide as she nodded. “Oh. Catch me later, if you’re around.” She winked and walked past me, but I didn’t turn to see where she was heading. Frankly, I didn’t care.

  “Sorry about her. She can be a bit much.” Olivia smoothed a hand over her dress, and my eyes traced its path.

  “Is he ready?” I cleared my throat, hoping to flush away my desire for her once and for all.

  Her eyes pinned to my face. “You sure you want to see him?” she asked, her voice breaking.

  “What?” I gasped. “You begged me to come.”

  Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She blinked her eyes once and motioned for me to follow her without another word.

  What was up with that?

  “Declan? He’s here,” Olivia said once we reached his door.

  “Lauren?” I hadn’t seen her at the office today, and I didn’t tell her I was coming. What was she doing in his office?

  “Hi, Connor.” Lauren stood up and smiled at me, pushing her hair off her shoulder so that it wisped against her back. “Glad you changed your mind. I think you’ll see that doing business with Declan will be highly lucrative for our company.”

  Our company? “We’ll see.”

  “Olivia, why don’t you stay?” Declan suggested

  A line appeared between Olivia’s brows; surprise, if I had to guess. But her face assumed a blank mask as she closed the door.

  My eyes met hers as she started my direction, and she motioned for me to have a seat next to Lauren. She remained standing, off to the side of Declan’s desk.

  How could she work for him? It didn’t make any damn sense.

  “Connor, I’m just going to cut the bullshit and be honest with you.” Declan slid a piece of paper across the desk, and I grabbed it. “Your father offered my company the first right of sales to that weapon if I guaranteed he’d get the Saudi deal last October.”

  Staring down at a graphic image of the electromagnetic field gun, the one I’d just held yesterday, my mouth opened. Seriously? “How exactly did you help him secure the deal?”

  His eyes glinted at me. “As I mentioned, I have influences over there.”

  “Isn’t that corporate bribery?” I accused.

  Declan waved his hand, dismissing the notion. “That’s just jargon. What matters is that the deal we made helped him garner the money he needed to turn his vision into a reality.”

  “My father always wanted to create an EMF gun?” My voice dripped with sarcasm, but Declan didn’t seem to notice, or care.

  “Not just any EMF gun. He wanted to be the first to create one that could be used in hand-to-hand combat.” Declan rose to his feet and folded his arms. “Unfortunately, he passed away before he ever got to see his vision fully realized. But, thankfully, he has a son who can carry on his legacy.”

  “The weapon will go to the DoD,” I said without hesitation.

  Declan cocked his head, and his eyes darted to Lauren.

  “Connor, your father made a promise,” she coaxed. “Our company will still sell to the U.S. government, but Declan has connections through his international business relationships. We can become the leading player in weapons defense. It was what your father wanted.” Her voice was smooth, but pleading.

  “And you benefit from this how?” I stole a glimpse of Olivia. Her lips were in a straight line as her eyes remained locked on Declan. Was this the first time she’d heard about this?

  “Well, we get the purchasing rights to sell the gun in selected areas of the world. The weapon has the potential to bring in tens of billions of dollars. Plus, we get a small commission on all weapons deals we help negotiate and establish,” Declan explained.

  “And that’s not illegal?” I straightened in my chair.

  “No,” Declan was quick to reply.

  “Who are you hoping we sell the weapons to?” This was total bullshit. I wasn’t a businessman, but I was pretty sure this violated some sort of law.

  “It can be anyone. The Saudi’s again. Turkey, maybe. Russia. Our allies, of course.”

  Sure. Let’s sell an advanced weapon to Putin. Just great. Maybe the North Koreans, too, while we’re at it. The guy was out of his mind if he thought I’d ever agree to this. Had my straight-edge father lost his mind, as well?

  “Olivia, what do you think?” Declan shifted to face her.

  She laced her fingers together and rested her hands against her abdomen. “Sounds like everyone will make a lot of money.” Her lips curved into a forced smile. I was probably the only one in the room who knew Olivia’s real smile. That wasn’t it.

  “I only just learned about this weapon.” There wasn’t a chance in hell I’d do business with him, but I needed to string him along, to find out what had been going on before my father died. “How’d you even know the gun was complete?”

  Lauren held up her hand and gave a slight, twitchy shrug. “I told him the good news as soon as Wes let me know it was finished. I knew your father planned to go through with the deal. I should have run it by you first, though. I’m sorry.”

  Was Lauren a part of this? I wouldn’t be too surprised. I remembered that she asked me for a ride last week to our first meeting with Declan, and she had gone back for something. I had given her the valet ticket. She had access to my Jeep. To the letter.

  I stole another look at Olivia, who was staring at the paper in my hand. She swayed, slightly. Was she in on this, too?

  “Listen, I’m not expecting you to say yes this second. I can have some papers drawn up so you can look over the fine print and details. I’ll show you the papers your father signed, as well, if that will make you feel better.”

  I folded the paper as I stood and shoved it into my pocket. “I need to process all of this. Let me know when you have documents for my lawyer to look at.”

  Declan pushed to his feet, holding his hand out in front of him. “This needs to remain between us. No lawyers. The information is too sensitive to be shared with anyone.”

  I didn’t say anything. I was never good at acting, so I just nodded.

  “I would hold off on letting anyone know the weapon is complete. Once my people verify the weapon and we sign a contract, you’re free to—”

  “Last time I checked, the weapon belongs to Matthews Tech, which means I can do whatever the hell I please,” I blurted, unable to hide my irritation. “Did my father let you dictate his business to him?”

  Declan smoothed on a grin and gripped his chin, his eyes pinned on mine. “I like you. I value honesty.”

  Yeah, sure.

  “Think about what we’ve talked about, and I hope we can make a deal. I’m sure w
hen you see the numbers, you’ll be as excited about this as I am.” He faced Olivia. “Why don’t you get Connor a drink?”

  “I’m good. Thanks.” I angled my head at Lauren. “A word, please.” I left Declan’s office without looking at Olivia and waited in the hall for Lauren to join me.

  “Sorry,” Lauren said once she pulled the door closed behind her. “I should’ve—”

  “Damn right you should have talked to me first. Don’t ever go behind my back again.”

  She pouted and leaned a little closer to me as Declan’s office door opened.

  Olivia’s eyes rounded with surprise, and I moved away until the wall pressed hard against my back. Lauren’s hand fell to her side, and she shot Olivia a tight-lipped smile.

  Olivia tucked her hair behind her ear and moved past us. She had the wrong idea about Lauren and I. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” I was in no mood to have any type of conversation with her. My ability to trust Lauren was growing thinner by the moment.

  I didn’t give her a chance to say anything; I hurried down the hall in search of Olivia. “Wait up,” I called after her as she reached the bar.

  She turned to face me. “You and Lauren, huh?”

  I tugged at the knot of my tie, loosening it. “Not even close.” Not that I needed to explain. “Can we get out of here?” I needed to see how much she knew about Declan, to try and chip away at the façade of the so-called deal my father had made with Declan before he died.

  She cupped her neck with her hand, tilting her head back as she shut her eyes.

  “You okay, Olivia?” I looked over at the bartender, who was now pressing his palms to the counter and focusing on me.

  “I’m good, Bobby. Thanks,” Olivia responded as her eyes flashed open.

  The bartender kept his eyes on me for a moment longer as he slowly wiped down the counter. “Let me know if you change your mind,” he added in a deep voice.

  I tipped my head before focusing back on Olivia. Without thinking, I found my hand on her forearm. My damn hands kept wandering to places where they didn’t belong.

  She lowered her eyes. “We can go back to my place.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Olivia

  “Did Sean decrypt any of the files from Declan’s computer?”

  “He thinks we should have something by morning. I don’t know if it’ll be useful, but we’ll see,” Blake answered. “How’d it go tonight?”

  I shoved both hands into my hair and leaned my forehead against the steering wheel while I thought about what to say. “I have a lot to tell you, but I’d rather do it in person. Connor’s on his way to my apartment.”

  “Why?”

  “He wants to talk.” Was Connor going to make a deal with Declan? The thought made me ill. If Connor knew who Declan was—really was—would he consider it? Despite our past, I wanted to protect Connor, but I knew I wasn’t allowed.

  Lies. Lies to get to the truth. That’s how it was supposed to work.

  As I turned off my car I remembered what else I had wanted to tell Blake. “Can you look up Lauren Tate? She was at the meeting, and my gut’s telling me that she’s more than just an employee at Matthews Tech. She’s pretty damn friendly with Declan, and pushing the deal hard.”

  “I’ll look into her.”

  “Thanks. See you in the morning.”

  “Stay safe.”

  I ended the call, shoved my burner phone in my purse, and hurried to the elevator so I could get to my place before Connor arrived.

  I halted when I stepped out of the elevator, not expecting to see him standing outside my apartment door. His back was pressed against the wall with his head lowered and eyes shut.

  “How’d you beat me here?”

  He pushed off the wall as his eyes flashed open. “I know the best roads to take—even after all these years.” He stood off to the side of the door, his eyes on me, and I tried not to inhale the piney scent of his cologne as I shoved my key in the lock.

  “Want something to drink? Wine? Beer?” I shut the door after he entered. “Tequila?” I teased.

  The heated look he shot me had my stomach doing somersaults. “Only if we use salt this time.” He popped open the top button of his silvery gray dress shirt. His tie was missing; he must’ve gotten rid of it in his car.

  “How about wine?”

  “Sure.” He followed me down the hall and into my living area. It wasn’t a big apartment—less than eight-hundred square feet. A tiny living room connected to a small galley kitchen. But what the apartment lacked in entertaining space, it more than made up for in bathroom. The master bath had a giant claw foot tub, and sleek gray tiled shower, which had a window overlooking the city. I was such a girl when it came to bathrooms.

  “Sorry my place is so small,” I said as I retrieved a bottle of wine from the rack. “Pinot okay?” I grabbed the wine opener from the drawer in front of me.

  “Sure,” he answered while coming up behind me. “Let me,” he offered, his breath whistling through the hairs on the back of my neck.

  A flash of heat tore through me. “Thanks,” I said, gulping. I bumped into him as I tried to move out of his way. The kitchen was too small for the both of us. “Sorry.” As I tried to get free, my hands found his chest.

  I could feel his heart pounding beneath my palms, and his gaze dipped to my mouth. “You’re in my way,” I sputtered before pulling my lip between my teeth. I needed to get it together. We’d been in my apartment less than five minutes, and I was already growing warm from the memory of his mouth.

  My body was betraying my mind.

  “Sorry,” he muttered and stepped to the side.

  My hands slipped from his hard chest, and I clenched them at my sides for a moment, pressing my nails into my palms, hoping to slow my heart and gather some control over my libido.

  He turned away from me, and I reached for the glasses. I heard the familiar pop of the wine uncorking. “Here.” I held out the glasses and watched as he filled the red liquid almost to the brim.

  “Rain.”

  “What?” I shook my head.

  “It’s raining.” He set the bottle down on the counter and tipped his head to the kitchen window. Water drops flicked against the glass, the soft noise becoming hard splatters as the rain grew more intense.

  “Guess we got inside just in time.” I left the kitchen. It was too small—I couldn’t breathe. I sank on the brown leather couch and stared at the table.

  He leaned his shoulder against the cut out framed entrance to the kitchen and took a sip of his wine. “I don’t want to lie to you, Olivia.”

  My head jerked up in surprise.

  “I came here for one purpose.”

  My heart thundered in my chest, and my body ached with the need to be touched by him.

  “Being around you is hard for me. But this is how serious I am about this deal with Declan.”

  Oh. I forced my shoulders back and tried not to shrink with disappointment. There was no need to be upset about the fact that he didn’t come here for . . . “What are you trying to say?”

  He moved away from the wall and slipped into the lone, tan chair by the sofa. He set his wine on the glass coffee table and rested his hands on his lap. He looked casual—even his lips were relaxed—this was new.

  “I want the truth from you. Should I make a deal with Declan? I want to turn this company over to my brother in a better condition than it was left to me, but I’m not sure if I can trust Declan.”

  You can’t, I screamed on the inside. “I can’t tell you what to do.” But God, did I want to. He may have burned me in the past, but I didn’t want to see him mixed up in this. Of course, Blake would kill me if he knew I’d steered Connor away from the deal. Hell, Declan would, as well.

  “Connor—” I cut myself off. I had no idea what to say. I wished he’d never walked into the nightclub that night. “You run a billion-dollar company now. You need to make that decision for yourself,” I forced myself to
say.

  He pressed his hands to his knees. “You’re right.”

  “But . . . I’d say to go with your gut.” What was I saying?

  Connor reached for his wine, and I brought my glass to my lips.

  “Why’d you lie to me?”

  I spit out my wine, and it sprayed onto my dress. “Shit.” I jumped to my feet. “What are you talking about?” Did he know? I racked my brain, trying to consider how he’d figured out I was FBI.

  “You should wash that out before it stains,” he said in a monochromatic voice.

  “Um. Yeah.” Relieved to have a minute to gather my thoughts, I rushed to my bedroom and shut the door behind me. I peeled off my dress, tossing it to the floor, and rummaged through my dresser until I found a yellow T-shirt and black yoga pants.

  “What’s wrong with you?” I lashed out at myself in a hushed voice as I stared at my reflection in the dresser mirror. I needed to get a grip. I wasn’t some nineteen-year-old, lovesick girl. I was a trained agent.

  “You okay?” A fist tapped at my door.

  “Yeah.” I swung open the door, and Connor’s muscular body filled the frame. His eyes shifted over my shoulder and to the bed.

  He propped a hand to the wall just outside my bedroom and tilted his head. “Why’d you lie, Liv? Why’d things go down the way they did?”

  The past . . . He was talking about our past, not the present. I released an inner sigh, and I ducked under his arm, exiting my room and re-entering the living area. “Your father told you, huh?”

  He nodded.

  “Well, if you had stayed around instead of running away to join the military, I could’ve explained.” He shot me an ‘are-you-kidding’ look. “Fine.” I shook my head. “Do you remember the first time you asked me out on a date?” My hands tightened into fists at my side. Not because I wanted to hit him, but because it helped me think—helped me contain my emotions.

  “Of course I remember. I asked you out how many times before you said yes?” The skin around his eyes crinkled as his lips pulled together into a semi-smile.

  I moved to the window and stared outside as the sky opened up before us. The rain slammed the city streets. “You and your friends were sitting near me at the bar. I heard you guys talking. I could tell you all had money. Your friends, Tim and Freddie, were comparing their expensive sports cars, and you—well, you were just looking at me. You weren’t saying anything. But I listened to them talk. I couldn’t help it—they were loud.” My eyes searched for his reflection—he was back in the tan chair.