A Dom Is Forever (45 page)

Jake nodded. “I’ll do it. Does Alex understand?”

“Yeah. Alex knows more than anyone. He’ll watch out for Ian, too,” Liam said.

“What’s this
intel
you want Ian to know?” Jake asked.

Liam’s eyes narrowed, and he nodded toward the back of the apartment. “Come back here.”

They walked off together, Liam speaking quietly.

Adam stared at her, his warm eyes sympathetic. “It doesn’t mean he doesn’t trust you.”

She stared right back. She knew exactly what Liam was doing. She was going to be the wife of a man who dealt with very sensitive cases. She wouldn’t expect him to tell her everything. She would be supportive and let him keep his professional secrets. “He’s trying to protect me. I know that.”

A smile broke over Adam’s face. “You’re going to be so much better at this than my wife. She would be trying to listen in right now.”

Avery didn’t want to listen in. This was Liam’s expertise. After this was over, she would find a new job and that would be her thing. Loving Liam was going to be her expertise and part of that meant trusting him. He’d walked away because he either didn’t want to scare her or he was worried that what he had to say would hurt her. He was talking about Thomas. He would try to protect her. She might never get the full story out of him.

And that was okay because she knew what Thomas was now. He was creepy and criminal and very likely wanted to hurt her. She’d made her bet. She was with Liam, and she would trust him to the end.

She just hoped the end didn’t come any time soon.

“He’s going to take care of you,” Adam promised.

“I know.” She heard the expectation in his voice. “And I’ll take care of him, too.”

“You’re going to get along with my Serena, you know. She’s going to like the hell out of you. When we finally get back to Dallas, you can meet Serena and our friend Grace. You’re going to fit right into the family.”

It sounded lovely, a group of friends. A family. She couldn’t ask for more than that. “I would love to meet them.”

She would be starting over—again. She’d done it so many times, but this time it felt right. She wasn’t alone. Liam was with her.

Jake walked back, his eyes stony. He looked to his partner. Damn but Avery wanted to know how that worked. “How are we handling the clean up?”

Adam slammed the case shut and picked up a small messenger bag on the floor. “I’ve got what Serena and I need. I think we’ll head to Paris tonight and fly out from there tomorrow. I’m going to clear off the computers and leave them behind. Everything else we leave as it is.”

Liam stepped up. “Go on. Serena’s alone. I can wipe the computers and lock up.”

Jake nodded Liam’s way. “Thanks, man. We’ll see you back at home. Avery, it’s been a pleasure, and I look forward to showing you around Dallas.” He turned to Adam. “Time to go, brother. Take care of our girl, and I’ll take care of our friends.”

Adam held out a hand, but Jake pulled him in for a hug, both men giving each other manly smacks, and Avery could see a little bit of how it worked. Jake could handle the rough stuff because he knew Adam would take care of their wife.

Liam shook hands with each as they headed out the door. Liam didn’t have a partner. He’d been forced to choose, and he’d chosen her.

“I could go with Adam. Liam, I know you have a big stake in this somehow.”

He passed a magnet over the computers and closed the tops. “I had an operation go south a few years back. Nelson was involved. I lost my brother, and I’ve been looking for answers ever since.”

Her stomach knotted. The last thing she wanted to do was be parted from Liam, but she couldn’t let him miss this opportunity. “Then let me go with Adam, and you can go meet this Nelson guy. Liam, I want you to find the answers you need. I promise I’ll do everything Adam tells me to. I won’t put myself in any kind of trouble.”

He set the magnet down and turned to her. “You’re more important.”

“But I’ll be okay.”

His gorgeous face turned serious as he walked toward her. He stopped in front of her, close so their bodies brushed. His hand came out, tilting her face up to his. “I won’t be okay, Avery. I can’t walk out without you, and while I love Adam like a brother, I won’t leave your safety to anyone but me in this case. Blame yourself, love.”

“Why?” She whispered the question because his lips were closing in on hers. She would never get used to the butterflies she felt the minute he came close, his eyes pinning her and letting her know how much he wanted her.

He kissed her, a gentle melding of lips. “You taught me that revenge
ain’t
going to do a thing for me, not really. What we got right here is worth walking away from everything for. I might be a dumb man, but I
ain’t
stupid. I want to know what happened, but I won’t let the past wreck my future. Not when I just found out I have one.”

She leaned into him, so grateful for his strength. “You always had a future, Liam.”

“Yeah, but it involved hot wings and beer. I
gotta
be honest, love, I was getting a little sick of that.” He kissed her again. “Do you have everything? Did you get your pictures? I don’t want you to leave them behind.”

“I have them.” She moved toward him, wanting the comfort of his closeness. He pulled her into his arms. “I only have a little book here. I have a whole storage unit back in the States. It’s a small one, but it’s got all my keepsakes. Are we going to live in Dallas?”

His face softened. “If Ian don’t fire me at the end of all of this.” He laughed a little. “He won’t, love. If he was going to fire me, I would be dead in a ditch somewhere. Ian’s that kind of boss.”

Maybe he needed a new career. “Not sure I like the sound of that.”

“It’s okay. Ian’s bark is worse than his bite. You’ll see, love. Once we’re married, he’ll settle down, and he’ll treat you like family.”

“You’re worried about him.”

“He’s acting on emotion. So am I, so I know just how dumb a man can be when a woman is involved. The man we’re tracking had something to do with Ian’s wife’s death. And don’t go spreading that around, love. He hasn’t told everyone. His own brother doesn’t even know he was married.”

But Liam had trusted her with it. “I think I can keep quiet. I feel bad about not getting those files, though. I’ll write down everything I know if you can get it to the right people. I’ve worked for Thomas for long enough to know his habits. If he has the files, he’s probably got a backup. He’s fastidious about backing data up. He always told me he never knew when he would need something so I had to scan documents for him.” A thought struck her.
Damn it.
Why hadn’t she thought about it? “He carries his phone and his tablet with him everywhere. Either one of them could have the data.”

“We’ll let MI6 know, but that’s the end of this, okay?”

She was ready for it to end. She wanted to settle down. Maybe she could look at the next few weeks as a sort of honeymoon. “All right.”

Liam moved to the door. “This is the last place we can talk before we’re out of this building, okay? Keep quiet until we’re in the station. Then we should be able to talk again. We’re going to change trains and lines until I’m sure we’re not being followed.”

She nodded. No talking in the hallways. There were cameras everywhere. They couldn’t be sure if Thomas was watching or not.

The door opened, Liam moving out first. He held a hand out to let Avery know it was all right.

The hallway was quiet, almost eerily so. Often she could hear the sounds of the other residents, but today there was nothing, just the squeak of the floor under her feet and the quiet snick of the door closing and locking. Every muscle in Liam’s body seemed tense and ready, but there was a bland look on his face.

“Ready for a night on the town?” His flat American accent was back. Now that she’d heard his real voice, she longed for it. The Midwestern tone didn’t hold the emotion of the real man.

Still, she flashed what she hoped was a happy smile. “Let’s do it.”

She took his hand, but glanced back at her apartment, her little flat in London. So much had happened there. This place and the man she’d met here had changed her irrevocably. Despite the bad things, she would always have a fondness for that apartment.

And then she noticed it, a tiny crack as the door she was sure they’d locked began to open.

“Li, someone’s in my apartment.” Her voice was a whisper, thin and strangled.

The elevator dinged up ahead, signaling the doors would soon be open. They could make it to the elevator and then close the doors. They would be safe in the elevator.

Liam seemed to think the same thing. He glanced back down the hallway. Avery followed, looking behind to see two large men exiting her apartment. She recognized them from Thomas’s house. He kept a couple of men around to help move him when he used his wheelchair. They were also trained security guards, though they usually didn’t carry really big guns. They were today.

Avery struggled to keep up, her leg weak under her weight and the speed. She nearly tripped, but Liam kept a hand on her, helping her along. If they could just make it to the elevator. Her heart threatened to pound out of her chest. She could hear the men stalking behind them, but the hallway was long and they were almost there.

Liam’s gun made an appearance. “When we get to the lift, stay behind me.”

The doors were splitting, opening up to reveal their sanctuary.

Liam cursed and stopped, nearly sending her to the ground. His hand circled her wrist.

Two more men walked from the elevator, and one of them was her boss. Thomas Molina was dressed in a well-cut suit, and he wasn’t using his cane or the braces or any implement to aid his walking. He strode forth, and despite the fact that she knew the face, this was a completely different man.

Liam’s head swung back and forth as though he couldn’t figure out which road to hell would take them there the fastest. He covered her body with his own, pushing her back against the wall. “Let the girl go and I’ll give up the gun.”

That didn’t seem like a good idea. “I’m not leaving you.”

“You bloody well will,” Liam whispered her way.

They were trapped, four against one, and Liam was hesitating. She knew why. Her. He was going to die because he wouldn’t risk her getting hurt. She tried to step forward. If Thomas wanted her, then he could have her.

“Thomas, I’ll go with you.” Her voice shook, but there was no way she could just let them shoot Liam.

“Shut up, Avery.” Liam’s focus went to Thomas.

“Yeah, shut the fuck up,
darlin
’.” Thomas didn’t even sound like Thomas anymore. He sounded an awful lot like Liam. “You’ll come with me, but so will your little boyfriend there. I think we should talk, don’t you, Li?”

“I definitely think we should talk,” Liam said. “But let the girl go. This is between brothers.”

“What?” Avery asked. How was Thomas Liam’s brother?

A wicked smile crossed Thomas’s face. “Figured it out, did
ya
, brother? I can’t leave the girl now, can I? It’s a pity, you know. We always did like the same type. Boys, let’s take this someplace more private.”

Liam cursed, and a shot rang out, splitting the air around her. The floor thudded as a man went down.

“You get them both alive!” Thomas shouted.

A meaty hand pulled her from Liam, and she felt something sharp go into her neck. Immediately the world became gauzy and unreal. Panic welled. Her vision was losing focus. She watched in horror as Liam began to fight. He moved with such grace, but someone shoved a needle in his arm. Even so, he fired again. She began a long fall to the floor, time slowing. Liam was fighting. There was another shot, but it sounded so far away this time. Liam had two men on him, and she saw a flash of something metal before Liam started to go down. He looked at her, the drug obviously hitting his system, but his hand reached out for hers.

Darkness encroached, the world winking out like a candle being snuffed.

* * * *

Rory O’Donnell looked down at his should-have-been-dust-in-the-grave-by-now brother, a little kernel of satisfaction in his gut. Maybe it was better this way. This time he would kill Liam himself. He would prove that he wasn’t the weak little brother this time. This time, Liam’s eyes would be open, and he would watch as his brother took the victory.

“Angus is dead, boss. What do you want me to do with him?” Colin asked, scratching his head as he looked down at the body.

Good henchmen were so bloody hard to find. By necessity they tended to be incredibly stupid. Malcolm had been smart, but he hadn’t been quick enough to take out Liam. “Put the body in the flat, and we’ll pick it up later. Hurry. I managed to get this floor clear, but my man at the front desk won’t be able to keep them out forever.”

Colin helped Brett drag dead Angus toward the flat where Avery had been staying.

Rory looked down at his brother. He probably should have just killed the bastard, but Rory had plans. His brother was into
BDSM
. It would be good to see how he liked a little torture. Liam had taken him to his first club. Rory rather thought he’d done it to try to teach him some control and to give him a safe outlet for his sadistic tendencies. He pulled a length of rope from his bag. The trouble was, Rory didn’t want a safe outlet. He wanted to be able to kill the occasional girl just for grins.

Killing a woman was the right of a powerful man. He would take that right with Avery, and he would make his brother watch.

He hummed a little as he bound his brother’s hands behind his back. Liam had always liked a little rope play. Perhaps not like this, but then Liam wasn’t calling the shots now.

He turned his attention to Avery. Sweet, dumb Avery. She was going to wish she was dead before he was done. He would certainly kill her eventually, but she would beg for it first.

Should he rape Avery and kill her in front of Liam? Or rape Avery and then kill Liam?

Choices, choices.
It was the kind of thing a man had to rely on instinct to decide. He wasn’t going to make the decision now. He had a couple of hours. He wanted to play.