by Katie Reus
“The FBI agents we talked to didn’t say anything about that,” Peter finally said, his voice hoarse. “Just that he’d been arrested for multiple crimes, that there were explosives at his estate, and that he had been murdered during a prison transport—and that they were investigating who killed him.”
“Do you know who killed him?” Emma asked, looking between the two of them.
Darcy shook her head even as Brooks said, “No. Your father had a lot of enemies. It’s very clear he kept that part of his life a secret from you. From the world.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you earlier about what I overheard,” Darcy said, focusing on her sister. “At the time, I didn’t know if Peter was involved in his father’s business.” She shot Peter an apologetic look and he gave her nothing. He just stared almost blankly. “I couldn’t risk kids getting hurt—or anyone getting hurt.”
“Of course you couldn’t tell me,” Emma said, tears filling her eyes. She quickly swiped them away. “You were in an impossible situation. I’m so sorry that you’ve been holding all of this in. But I’m glad Brooks was able to help you and that the FBI stopped that bombing. I…I just can’t imagine why he would have been involved in something like that. It seems so pointless and heartless.”
Peter rubbed a hand over his face. “I had no idea he had this double life.” Standing abruptly, he strode from the room.
“He’s not handling this well,” Emma said quietly, stress lines bracketing her mouth.
“We’ll leave you guys alone,” Darcy said. “Unless you want us to stay?”
Her sister shook her head. “No. I think he needs more time to adjust to this new reality. If you find out any details… Will you tell us? If you can?” she asked, looking at Brooks.
“If we hear anything and we’re able to, we’ll let you know anything we find out.”
Darcy hugged her sister and was grateful that Emma didn’t squeeze too hard because she was still sore. “Call me if you need anything,” Darcy whispered, fighting her own tears. She hated leaving Emma right now but understood that the two of them needed time alone. What should have been the happiest time in Emma’s life was being shadowed by a dark cloud.
“Right back at you,” Emma said.
Once they were outside, Darcy sucked in an icy breath. The temperature seemed to have dropped ten degrees since they’d gone inside, or maybe she was simply chilled. “I expected her to be angry at me.”
“No, your sister loves you. And she’s very pragmatic. I’m not surprised by her reaction. They’re going to be in for a rough road, at least in the beginning. It’s going to be hard for Peter to deal with the reality of his father.”
“I know. Plus with all the media scrutiny they’ll be facing.” Darcy simply shook her head. “I almost wish they would leave on their honeymoon just to get out of town.”
As they settled into Brooks’s truck, he said, “Speaking of getting out of town. I have to take a short trip.”
“Where?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Nope. I understand what you did before. But if you’re doing something related to any of this, I’m going with you. I’m not saying I need to be in the thick of things, but we are a team. And this isn’t up for discussion.”
He watched her for a long moment. “You’re incredible, you know that?”
“I do.”
That earned her a laugh, which was the point. “I need to talk to someone. Someone who might still be a threat to Peter—and in turn, you and Emma.”
“I thought you said Peter wasn’t involved with anything.”
Brooks started the truck. “He’s not. But the man who might have killed his father won’t care. If he chooses to, he might want to make an example.”
“Why?”
“At this point, we don’t actually know if he wants to or if he will. The only thing we do know is that another man was killed in the same way during a prison transport about seven months back. And the man who killed him had a connection to—”
“Okay, I’m going to need an actual name. All these pronouns are giving me a headache.”
Brooks barked out a short laugh. “The man we suspect of being behind Markov’s murder is named Alexei Kuznetsov.”
She vaguely recognized the name, but wasn’t sure where from. From the wedding maybe? “Why do you think he killed him?”
“We don’t know for certain, but he probably considered him a liability. Once Markov and Polzin were arrested, they might have been willing to give information on Kuznetsov—if they had it, and I think they did—to the authorities in order to get less jail time or be put into witness protection. This is all conjecture, but a man like Kuznetsov wouldn’t wait for them to make a deal. He would just eliminate the problem.”
She fought off a shiver. “And you know for a fact he’s done it before?”
“Yes.”
“And you plan to just what, talk to him?” What. The. Hell.
“It’s not as simple as that. But yes, I’m going to talk to him and make him see things my way.”
Fear filtered through Darcy, but Brooks looked so damn confident. So she said as much. “How are you so certain he won’t just do the same thing to you?” She tried to keep her voice steady, but failed.
“Because I have information on him that he won’t want to be made public. If anything happens to me, it will be.” A dark smile curved his lips as he glanced at her. “I’ll tell you everything on the way there.”
“So I’m going with you?”
“Not to the meeting, but you’re right, we are a team. And there’s more I need to tell you about what I do for a living.”
Good. That was all she needed to know, that he saw her as his partner. If they were going to give this a second chance—and she desperately wanted to—she was going to be all in. But only if he opened up completely to her. “When do we leave?”
“In the morning. On my jet.” He gave her another wicked grin, this one very different from the one before.
Her eyes widened. Back when they’d first started dating he’d offered to take her on it more than once, but it had seemed so extravagant that she’d always declined. Plus they’d both been working so hard and she hadn’t been able to take away much time from her job. Now… Well, she was going with him wherever he went. She could work from her laptop if necessary. If there was ever a time she was going to take a break from work, it was now. Getting kidnapped and almost killed had changed her perspective on things. “Does this jet have a bed?”
“It does. But we won’t be sleeping.” The sensual note in his voice sent very different kinds of shivers running through her.
Whatever they were facing tomorrow, they’d face it as a team.
Chapter 27
—If you see the lion’s teeth, do not think he’s smiling.—
Keeping his expression neutral, Brooks strode through the lobby of the newly purchased New Orleans hotel owned by Kuznetsov. He’d called the man’s personal cell phone—and he’d only gotten the phone number courtesy of Gage—half an hour ago and told him they needed to talk. At first the man had tried to dismiss him until Brooks had casually brought up Kuznetsov’s married son. That had gotten the man’s attention.
Instead of dressing in his normal cowboy gear, he’d worn a casual Armani suit—custom fit. When walking into a den of wolves, he had to look the part. Good thing he was a fucking lion.
Coming in here alone was definitely a risk. But it was one he was willing to take. Both Gage and Leighton were nearby and while they wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing if Kuznetsov tried to kill him, they’d be able to get Darcy out of town—and come after Kuznetsov later.
A lot of light streamed in from the skylights and everything gleamed. The marble floors, the overhead chandeliers and the huge sculpture of a half-clothed woman balancing an intricate headdress.
When he reached the entryway of the seafood restaurant that wouldn’t open for a few hours yet, a man in a suit stopped him. He
recognized the guy from the other night. One of the assholes who’d leered at Darcy.
“Hold out your arms,” the man said.
Brooks did and was quickly scanned with a wand. Then he was patted down quickly and efficiently. When the man pulled out a sealed manila envelope from Brooks’s jacket and started to open it, Brooks shook his head. “Unless you want your boss to put a bullet in your head, I wouldn’t open that.”
The man paused, then to his surprise, froze. That was when Brooks saw the small earpiece in his ear. Someone, likely Kuznetsov himself, had just told him to stop. “This way.”
Brooks followed after him through the empty restaurant and was led to a back corner booth where Kuznetsov sat alone, a glass of what might be vodka in front of him, and a tablet. He appraised Brooks as he approached then nodded at him to sit down. Brooks took him in up close. Sharp bone structure, pale, wolf-like eyes, and blond hair cut in a buzz. His suit was expensive but not flashy. Same with the watch Kuznetsov wore.
Brooks slid into the circular booth, so that he was opposite the other man. He was aware of at least four others in the restaurant watching them, but wasn’t sure if they were close enough to hear. As soon as he sat, Kuznetsov dismissed the other man with a flick of his wrist.
“Why are you here?” Kuznetsov demanded softly.
“We need to talk.”
Kuznetsov watched him for a long moment. “We’re not in the same business, you and I. Yet you flew all this way to interrupt my breakfast. What could we possibly have to talk about?”
“A man loosely linked to the woman I love was recently murdered. I don’t know why he was killed and I don’t care. What I do know is that it’s possible his killer might want to make an example of the dead man’s family.”
“Don’t speak in riddles.”
Fine, if that was how he wanted it. “Semyon Markov was killed. I want to make sure that his son, his son’s new wife, and her sister will be safe from any ‘examples’ Markov’s killer might try to make.”
Kuznetsov looked annoyed. “I barely knew Semyon.”
Yeah, Brooks wasn’t going to play that game. “Good. Then we shouldn’t have a problem.” He nodded once at the envelope the thug had left in the middle of the table. “But just in case…”
Frowning, Kuznetsov opened the envelope and pulled out the pictures.
“I have video too.” Brooks kept his voice icy.
The other man’s jaw tightened, but other than that his expression remained neutral. “You think to blackmail me?” he asked quietly.
“No. I never want to talk to or see you again after today. I just want to make sure that we’re on the same page.” That the woman he loved was protected.
After a moment of silence, Kuznetsov spoke again. “I looked into you. You’re the boyfriend of Markov’s sister-in-law.”
Yeah, no shit. He’d just said that.
“You must care for her a lot to come here with this. How did you even get this?”
Brooks was silent.
Kuznetsov tapped his finger on the table as he watched Brooks. “Making enemies with me isn’t smart.”
“The way I see it, we don’t have to be enemies. I want nothing from you other than to leave Markov and the Cooper sisters alone. Forever. This will never go public as long as you stay away from them,” he said, nodding at the envelope. “But if any of them so much as stub their fucking toe because of you, I will come after you.”
The other man’s head tilted to the side slightly, as if trying to figure Brooks out. “You are walking a very dangerous line right now.”
“I know. I also know about Liliana.” Brooks continued, giving the name of her private school in the UK as well as the names of two of her teachers. It wasn’t in his nature to threaten children, or threaten people in general, but right now they had to speak the same language. The man in front of him had to understand that he would cross every line—or he had to make the man believe he would. There was no way Brooks would actually kill a kid, but he needed this man afraid. And not much would scare a man like this one. But threatening the daughter that Kuznetsov had been very careful to keep secret from the world? Yeah, that would do it.
It was as if all the air was sucked out of the room as Kuznetsov’s gaze went nuclear. Out of the corner of his eye, Brooks saw one of Kuznetsov’s men step forward. But Kuznetsov let out a harsh-sounding order in Russian and the man froze. All his concentration was on Brooks.
Brooks stood and adjusted his jacket. “You leave the three of them alone and I leave your family alone. It’s as simple as that. And if you think to cross me, I’m not working alone. If I die, or if anyone in my family is harmed, you and your entire family will be erased.” He let the truth bleed into his gaze as he stared down at Kuznetsov.
The man’s jaw tightened again as he stared back, fury and rage clear in his pale eyes. Finally he spoke, and his words surprised Brooks. “I didn’t kill Polzin.” There was a question in Kuznetsov’s gaze now.
Brooks gave a dark smile. “I know.”
When he strode from the restaurant, no one attempted to stop him as he made his way back through the lobby—though he half expected a bullet in the back of his head. Now it was just a waiting game to see how Kuznetsov would deal with this.
Either Kuznetsov left Peter, Emma, Darcy—and now Brooks and anyone else he loved—alone…
Or there would be war.
Chapter 28
—Be with someone who makes you, and your orgasms, their first priority.—
When there was a knock on the door of the penthouse suite, Brooks rose from the couch. In a hotel on the other side of town from Kuznetsov, he wouldn’t rest easy until he had an idea how things would play out with him and the criminal. Now it seemed Brooks might get his answer.
He’d received a text from Leighton that someone in Kuznetsov’s crew had arrived downstairs five minutes ago and handed a note to the concierge. Even so, Brooks pulled out his weapon. “Stay here,” he said quietly to Darcy. He’d left Kuznetsov a couple hours ago and, according to Gage, the man had been busy since then.
He’d tried to do a deeper search on Brooks, Brooks’s father, and Kuznetsov had checked in with his daughter’s school to ensure that his daughter was safe. The man had gone to a lot of trouble to ensure that the world didn’t know she existed. But apparently Skye worked magic. He wasn’t even certain where she’d gotten that information about Kuznetsov having a daughter, but she’d certainly come through. The threat to his daughter was what had gotten through to him. He’d been angry about the blackmail to his son, but the knowledge of his daughter had snagged his attention.
Brooks had seen the raw reaction in the man’s eyes and hadn’t been certain that Kuznetsov wouldn’t lunge across the table. He’d been ready for an attack and surprised when it hadn’t come. But that was a good sign.
After checking through the peephole, he opened the door to find a bellman. The man handed him a white envelope and walked away.
He shut the door and tucked his SIG in its holster and opened up the envelope. Inside was a simple photograph of a white flag. On the back, a handwritten note read: We are not enemies. Your family is safe as long as mine is safe.
He allowed himself a trickle of relief. That would have to do for now. One day he and the crew planned to take down Kuznetsov’s operation, but it wouldn’t be today.
“Is everything okay? Darcy asked, standing from the couch where she’d been sitting in the living area.
He shoved the envelope and picture in his pants pocket. “I think it is.” He would still keep an eye on Kuznetsov, but for now he took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around her. They were safe. They were free.
She stepped into his embrace willingly, wrapping her arms around his waist as she laid her cheek against his chest. “Do you want to head home?” she asked quietly.
“We can. Or we can take advantage of this hotel room.” He let his voice drop an octave, his meaning clear.
She looked up
at him, eyebrows raised. “You talk a good game, but you wouldn’t even do anything on the plane.” And she sounded dangerously close to pouting, which made him internally smile. This woman owned him.
Laughing, he said, “Leighton and Gage were with us.”
She grinned cheekily. “Fair enough.”
He’d been worried about hurting her since she was still healing. But his Darcy was clearly strong. And… “Is it selfish that I don’t want to wait until we get back home?”
“You don’t have a selfish bone in your body,” she murmured.
“If you’re hurting or if you feel any discomfort, we stop. You have to let me know. Promise.” He couldn’t stomach the thought of hurting her in any way.
“I promise,” she said, smiling as she lifted up on her tiptoes to kiss him.
He claimed her mouth with his, teasing slowly and sensually. Her taste—a mix of coffee, something fruity, and something that was all her—drove him wild. His body trembled with the need to claim her, but he was going to take things slow, to ensure she experienced only pleasure.
When she reached for the buckle of his belt, he stilled her with his hands. But she pulled back to look up at him.
“I’m touching you everywhere I want. I’m in charge now.” Her voice trembled slightly, more a question than a statement, and he couldn’t fight his grin.
“Yes, ma’am.” Lifting her in his arms, he brushed his lips over hers as he carried her to the bedroom.
Gage had hacked into the security system of the hotel—the hotel Brooks’s father owned—so if anyone tried to infiltrate the room, Brooks would know long before they tried.
