A Dom Is Forever (40 page)

“I liked it. It was fun.” And he’d needed a place to blow up. “I had to be able to disappear, and it had to look good. And I couldn’t be completely certain the explosives would go off. Anything can happen. Those dead kids were my backup plan to deal with Liam in case it all went wrong.”

“Why not just stab your brother, too? He couldn’t come looking for you if he was dead.”

It had been a moment of weakness. His brother had fallen into the girl’s bed. He’d been so drugged out of his mind that he hadn’t noticed when Rory raped the girl and strangled her. That had been a bit of fun. He’d fucked her and killed her, and big brother just slept right on beside them. But when Rory had gone to shove a knife through his gut, his eyes had opened. A stupid smile had come over his face.

We’re doing good now, Rory. We’re doing good, you and me.

And Rory had stood up and walked out telling himself it was enough to make it out with the bonds. Liam wouldn’t live. He wouldn’t even wake up. He would never know.

“That was obviously a mistake, but one that’s being taken care of as we speak.”

Nelson’s eyes tightened, his whole body losing its previous casual air. “You’re taking out your brother?”

“I sent my two best men to do it.” Any minute now Malcolm would text him with the word that his brother was dead and they were safe. “Do you think he was working with MI6?”

“I know he was working with a man named Ian Taggart who still works for the Agency from time to time. They’re hunting me, not you, and if you only sent two men to take him down then my guess is your men are dead and Liam now knows you’re on to him. You should have talked to me before you pulled a stunt like this.”

Rory felt his spine straighten. He didn’t like the way Nelson was talking to him. “Since when are you my boss?”

Nelson leaned forward, his voice a low rumble. “Since the day I pulled you out of the SAS and gave you the kind of life you had always longed for. If it weren’t for me, you would have ended up getting kicked out of the Army. How long would it have been before your brother found out about your criminal connections? How long before he discovered all the secrets you sold? Do you think he would have helped you out the way I did? No. He would have handed you straight over to the government, and you would be rotting in prison.”

The waitress came back smiling a gap-toothed smile. She put two pints in front of them, but Rory wouldn’t touch his. He would fiddle with it, but he never drank anymore. He wouldn’t allow himself to be out of control for even a minute. But when he was finally able to shed the Thomas Molina guise, he would be himself once more. He would drink and fuck and kill whenever he wanted.

And Avery could watch it all. It would be the perfect punishment for fucking his brother when she’d avoided touching him. She’d treated him like a bloody infant, but she spread her legs as fast as she could once Liam had walked in the door.

The waitress walked away, and Nelson sat back. “I think I should take over setting up the Middle Eastern end of the business. You’ve done quite well in Africa, but my contacts are better in Asia than yours.”

So that was his game. A savage anger started to take hold. Everyone seemed to be trying to get their greedy hands on his property. It was starting to grate on his last nerve, but then he’d been doing a slow burn since he’d come back to England. “No. This is my business. I’ve been giving you a cut since day one, but that’s all you’ll ever get.”

He didn’t owe Nelson more than that. Hell, he didn’t really owe Nelson a bloody thing. Now that he thought about it, he was the one who’d gotten the bonds. He was the one who had set the charges. He was the one who had set everything up so no one had looked for him.

Nelson was the one who hadn’t even noticed that Liam had survived, and apparently Nelson was the one who had brought dear brother down on his head.

Maybe it was time to get rid of his mentor.

Nelson frowned but his eyes remained cold. “So you don’t need my contacts? You’re going to be able to move into the Pakistani and Afghan markets without me?”

He would once the Lachlan Bates deal went through. The terrorist cell in Sudan was his way to move into Islamist extremist groups. If he could make sure they were stocked, they would come to him. There were millions to be made and power to be had. And he didn’t intend to share a bit of it with Nelson, but he couldn’t let the man know that. It would be like announcing he was planning on assassinating him.

“I’m sorry. Of course I need your contacts.” Molina hoped he looked sincere. He wasn’t. He was thinking about how fast he could put the bastard in the ground. Nelson had been helpful, but his time was done.

Nelson seemed to relax a bit. “I know I can help you. Like I said, you’ve done a great job with the African markets, but you’ll see how much money we can make once you let me in. Have you handled your MI6 problem?”

He wasn’t worried about MI6. He was worried about his brother. “They haven’t figured out the codes yet.” He’d developed them himself, so not even Nelson could get access to his accounts and clients without the cipher, which was in his safe at home. “They won’t. They don’t even understand that there is a code yet. They’ve got some weird weigh ins at various ports of call. I just need to find the right people to bribe.”

He’d had a couple of breakdowns, but he was getting it cleared up.

“So Weston isn’t a problem?”

Molina rolled his eyes. He wasn’t worried about that idiot at all. “Weston is an aristocrat playing at being a spy. He’s been utterly ineffective, and once I leave London, he won’t have a chance to even stumble across something. After the ball is over and the coffers are full, I’ll move everything to Dubai. I have a very private compound. Only the most trusted will gain access. I’ll run the business from there.”

“And Miss Charles will be with you?”

He wasn’t so sure about Avery anymore. He wasn’t sure he wanted his brother’s leavings. It was just a shame that his brother wouldn’t know he’d gotten the bitch killed. His brother had always been so moral. His brother had believed in sin and honor when nothing of their childhood should have taught him values. Liam had been stupid. “I think not. I think it’s time I found another assistant. This one feels a bit used, if you know what I mean.”

She’d been so innocent, but she’d shown her true face. She was a whore like the rest of them, and he’d still have her. He would fuck her and then he’d get his hands around her throat. Then she’d know who her god was. He’d make her pay.

What was taking so long? Malcolm should have texted him by now. He looked down at his phone.

“Something wrong?” Nelson asked.

“I thought Malcolm would message me by now. He should have taken out Liam. He followed him.”

Nelson shook his head. “Malcolm is dead. Liam and his crew killed him. I assure you, there’s no way you took O’Donnell out with two men. He’s been trained by Ian Taggart. Whatever you think of your brother, know that he’s a well-trained killer now. He’ll be tougher than you imagine. Taggart is not someone you should underestimate.”

He dialed Malcolm’s number. Nothing. It went straight to voice mail.
Fuck
. Malcolm had never not answered. What the hell had happened? Was Liam still out there? Did Liam even know he was alive?

“You need help, Rory. I can deal with this for you.” Nelson used the same smooth tones that he’d used all those years ago when Rory had made his deal with the CIA’s version of Mephistopheles.

“How?” He didn’t want to owe Nelson anything, but maybe he should use him one last time.

Nelson leaned in. “I’ll tell you.”

Nelson started to talk. Yes. This was even better. This way his brother could watch as Rory raped his woman.

And Rory could be the one to kill him. As it should be.

After all, they were brothers.

“What exactly do you mean you couldn’t find the files?” Simon ground the words out, his voice low, his face turned down as the elevator started toward the ground floor.

Avery wasn’t sure how much she should say. She’d gotten a little paranoid about being overheard. She tried to sound as normal as possible. “I looked and couldn’t find them.”

“I asked you not to work on the new reports without me.” Simon turned, his back to the small red light that came from a camera in one of the corners.

Oh. That was what he’d meant. He’d been trying to tell her to wait for him. It would have made it harder for Monica to catch her. “Sorry.”

He turned again, his handsome face in a fierce frown. The elevator doors opened, and Avery stepped out. Despite everything he’d done, her heart softened the minute she saw Liam waiting for her. He leaned against the building, his eyes scanning the street. There was a tight set to his jaw that told her he was worried, but it was his body language that really scared her. Liam was always so graceful. He was tall and lean and so strong, but now his shoulders were slumped.

She forgot about Simon and rushed to get to Li. “What happened?”

He turned to her, and she could see the grim set of his mouth, but he smiled when she reached him. He reached for her with his right hand, pulling her close. “We’re getting out of here in the morning.”

A little surge of panic hit. “I can’t. I didn’t find the files.”

“That’s Weston’s problem now.” He shot a look at the other man. “She’s out.”

Weston nodded. “Good for you, mate. Take care of her. And don’t tell me anything else. I don’t want to know.”

“As if I would.” Liam slung an arm around her shoulder. “I have one question for you. Where did you really get all that information about Ian? Don’t try to tell me you hacked the system. That’s not your expertise. I’m surprised Knight bought it.”

Only the faintest hint of flush hit the Englishman’s cheeks. “I can be very persuasive. Acting is my expertise. I play this part quite well, but I’m starting to wonder if I haven’t been duped.”

“You got the information from an anonymous source, didn’t you?”

“At the time, I thought I was helping,” Weston replied. “I was able to verify that all the information was true. Now I have to wonder why someone in MI6 wants to cause trouble with your team.”

Liam huffed as though he’d known all along. “Because it wasn’t from MI6. It was Nelson. He connects everything. He’s the dotted line that we’ve all ignored. He was the agent who took over for Ian after his wife died, and I’m starting to suspect that he was the one who killed her. He might have been the one to send her to Ian in the first place. I’m almost certain he was the one who killed my brother, and for some reason he saved me.”

“What does this have to do with us?” Avery asked, her head ringing with all the twists and turns. “Is this the man Thomas is meeting with?”

“We need to start walking. Let’s head to the Tube. Or do you have a driver meeting you?” Liam started down the street, but there was something wrong with his walk. He shuffled just a bit as though favoring his left leg.

“Sod off,” Weston shot back. “I don’t have a bloody driver. And I want to know what Nelson’s old op has to do with this, too. And what the hell’s wrong with your leg?”

Liam shrugged. “Just a couple of bullets. I’m fine. They just grazed me.”

Avery nearly stopped in the middle of the street. “Bullets?”

“Keep your voice down, love.” He chuckled a little and nodded toward the building they were walking past. “That’s Scotland Yard HQ. Let’s not talk about bullets or guns.”

He’d been shot. Liam had been shot and apparently more than once. Her heart threatened to pound out of her chest. He could have died, and it was very likely that no one would have told her. She would have waited outside the building for him. When he didn’t show up, she would have assumed he was done with her. The thought of never touching him again assaulted her. The idea of Liam, his big body cold and dead, was unthinkable.

She was in love with him. She’d spent the last twenty-four hours telling herself that she wasn’t, but it was a lie. She was trying to protect herself. There was no way Liam really loved her. He was feeling guilty. From what she could tell, this was maybe the first time he’d been forced to get really close to a woman in a way that didn’t involve bondage and video cameras. When things became normal again, he wouldn’t want her.

But she was worried that she would always want him.

They walked up Victoria Street and Westminster Abbey came into view. It wasn’t the way they would normally go, but Liam seemed intent on talking to Simon and perhaps it was better to do it in public.

“I’m going to take it you didn’t get your job finished,” Simon said, walking toward Westminster station.

Liam frowned, adjusting his baseball cap. “No. He didn’t show. He’s onto us, and he likely has been the whole bloody time. Something’s off. I don’t know if Molina knows, but Nelson is playing a deep game with the lot of us. That’s why I’m moving her out.”

“I can’t leave. I didn’t find the files.” Avery struggled to keep up. Even injured, Liam was faster than she was.

He slowed down, his hand tangling in hers. “Sorry, love. I’m anxious. And you will leave with me in the morning. The rest of the team will figure this mess out, but you’re done.”

The mission couldn’t be over. “I think the files are at his house. I can get in there.”

“Avery, do you know a man named Malcolm Glass?” Liam asked, ignoring her statement.

Why did he want to know about Malcolm? The files were the important thing here. “Yes, he works for Thomas. He’s Thomas’s driver.”

Simon snorted. Only he could make the sound elegant. “He’s Molina’s enforcer. He’s got quite the history. He’s done a couple of stints in prison, but lately he’s become smarter. I believe he’s Molina’s muscle.”

“He’s dead,” Liam said bluntly. “I put a bullet through his skull not two hours ago. He was sent to kill me because I’m sleeping with you. He was quite clear on the subject. Molina wants you, and he’s quite angry that I’ve had you. Do you understand what a man like that will do if he decides to take you?”