Bassist Instinct (The Rocker Series #2) (14 page)

“Sorry, man,” Liam said and drank. Tate nodded again.

“No worries,” Tate said. He was privately proud of the strength of his voice and drank his brandy down.

“She know what you do for a living yet?” Liam asked Tate.

“I am standing right here,” Fiona said from the sink only a few feet away. Tate smiled at her as she glowered at her brother.

“No, we’ve been studiously avoiding it,” Tate said.

“He’ll tell me when he’s ready. It’s not as if I know what you do either,” she said.

“Good point,” Liam said looking thoughtful.

“Although now I know you carry a gun.” Sam walked into the kitchen. “Would you like some tea or brandy?” Sam’s eyes got big.

“You got a beer, instead?” He asked.

“Of course,” she went to the fridge and pulled out a beer and handed it to him. “Tate, that is my brother Liam, and this is Sam, he’s a friend of Liam’s, and staying here for a bit.” Tate and Sam eyed each other and shook hands.

The kettle screamed and Fiona made her tea while the three men stood looking uncomfortable.

“Why don’t you go to the living room and wait for a minute and then you can tell me what the hell is going on.” She glared at Liam who took the hint and stepped out of the kitchen with Sam. Tate and Fiona looked at each other.

“I am so sorry,” she began but he pulled her close.

“Don’t apologize for your family,” he said quoting Ryan and kissing her. “Fiona,” he tucked her thick black hair behind an ear and looked directly into her eyes. “I have a somewhat bad reputation and I suspect your brother is chomping at the bit to tell ye of it.” He grimaced and took her hand. “I never imagined someone’s opinion would matter this much to me, but it does, and I don’t want you to think ill of me.” He studied her with a pleading expression on his pretty face.

“You don’t hurt people; that much I can tell.”

“No, not intentionally,” he said and Fiona nodded.

“I know you’re not ready to tell me what the big secret is, and I know the fact that I don’t know pleases you. I’m content to wait for you. Whatever it is, you are clearly overpaid,” he grinned at her. “I’ll ask Liam to keep his gossip to himself. Will you tell me before your job interview in New York?” He laughed.

“It’s not a job interview, just an interview, love. I’ll tell you now if you like.”

“Liam is up to something, he’s not usually this weird, and he was in North Africa a few hours ago, so I need to know what he’s up to. Now would not be ideal. Tomorrow?”

“I’ll pick you up at 9:00, we’ll go out for coffee,” they laughed.

“Fiona, I’m falling asleep out here,” Liam called from the other room.

“Keep your hair on, mate,” Tate called back and brought Fiona’s hand to his lips. “I had a grand day today.” He pulled her close and bent his head to hers. “Thank you for spending it with me.” He kissed her cheek and followed the line of her jaw to her lips. He savored the feel of her soft lips on his and gently explored her mouth with his own. She reached up to the back of his head and ran her nails lightly on the back of his neck and his entire body shivered. He pulled away from her mouth to look her in the eye briefly. “Now I really want to rip your clothes off,” he whispered and then pulled her hard to his chest and resumed their kiss. The fingernail thing just about did him in.

“You stopped talking in there, do I need to get a hose,
mate
?” Liam called again putting an emphasis on the last word.

Tate reluctantly pulled away from her. He had never had a kiss like that before, everything about this woman drove him wild, and she was as unpracticed as they came.

“Christ, Fiona,” he breathed. Her eyes remained closed and her head tipped back, her mouth slightly open, and he was tempted to drag her back to his hotel. She opened her eyes.

“That was good, great; excellent even,” she murmured and Tate smiled and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“The best ye’ve ever had, or so I heard. Drink your tea, I’ll pick you up at 9:00, aye?”

“Aye, aye,” she said and he laughed and kissed her nose then gently released her.

Fiona picked up her tea and took Tate’s hand and led him out to the front door. “Goodnight Tate, and thanks for a lovely day.”

“Goodnight, love.” He kissed her cheek and walked down the path, waved at the bottom and walked away down the road. Fiona watched him walk past the first streetlight and fade into the dark. She sighed and sipped her tea and shut the door.

“Please don’t tell me you’re sleeping with Tate Dylan,” Liam said from the hall. Sam stood when she came in the living room looking uncomfortable.

“Okay, I won’t,” Fiona said and watched his eyes get huge as she walked past him to sit down. “I’m not, quit looking so shocked. I only met him yesterday, not that it is
any
of your business.” All she wanted to do was pound the piano keys but she sat on her chair by the fireplace and tucked her feet under her and looked at her brother expectantly. “What’s going on, Liam?” He looked guilty, and her eyebrows rose.

“How can you not be? He’s a ‘wham bam thank you ma’am’ kind of guy. Dylan is a user, Fi,” Liam said. She held up a hand to stop the flow and grimaced.

“Please don’t, Liam.” Her voice cracked just a little. “I’m not interested in what you think you might know about Tate, you know him even less than I do. I can’t believe you’re being so judgmental and unfair. The real issue here is that you’re using Tate as a delay or avoidance tactic, and I don’t want to change the subject. You were in Morocco less than 24 hours ago, and you sent Sam Gooding, Special Forces bodyguard, here to keep me safe, but you failed to mention from what, and you pulled a gun on my date. I know I’m naive, but I’m getting red flags.”

Sam’s eyebrows shot straight up. He had no idea she knew, she was a lot wilier than she let on. He smiled at her and sat down on the sofa next to where Liam stood.

“Maybe you
are
related,” Sam said with an appreciative smile.

Fiona had considered getting angry and shrill, but Liam looked completely exhausted. “What’s going on?” She asked softly.

“I keep underestimating you,” he chuckled and sat down across from her leaning forward, his forearms on top of his thighs. “I’m going to give this to you straight.” She nodded. “Or as straight as I can. I think the people who killed Dean are coming after you next.” Her mouth fell open.

“But…” She couldn’t manage more than that. Her big eyes searched his face and then moved to Sam’s. They both looked apologetic and a little bit guilty.

“I know it’s a shock, but we’ll keep you safe.”

“But Liam, Dean’s death was a random mugging.” Liam shook his head.

“I’m sorry Fi, it wasn’t. Dean took somebody’s blood diamonds, and he didn’t give them back when they asked nicely. They want them, and they are willing to kill for them.”

“Diamonds?” She couldn’t believe she was having this conversation. “Dean was a diamond thief?”

Liam made a face. “We don’t think so.”

“But…” She had to stop saying that, she would stop tomorrow, maybe. She shook her head to clear it. “Tell me exactly what a blood diamond is.”

“Blood diamonds, conflict diamonds, war diamonds, these are terms used for the diamonds mined in African countries that are at war, and the warlords are using the money from the diamonds to fund their insurgencies. They are traded and sold for weapons, while the miners starve. There is a certification process for the diamonds to curtail this kind of crime, but ways to get around it.

“We think Dean saw the diamonds and pocketed them on the spur of the moment. Dean was into dodgy business dealings Fi, he was a type. When he found the pouch of diamonds in the pocket of a dead man, he took it and ran. It took weeks for them to figure out who took them, and by the time they caught up to him he was abroad again.”

“Did Dean kill him?” Fiona hated to ask, and suddenly didn’t want to hear the answer. Liam glanced quickly at Sam and then away.

“That’s unclear.” Fiona nodded, that was better than knowing. “We can only assume he didn’t give up the whereabouts of the diamonds because his known associates have been systematically picked off.” She gasped. “I know this is a shock, and that you loved him…” Fiona was shaking her head.

“I didn’t.” She put her hand over her mouth and felt awful for saying it, but it was the truth. “By the end I could barely stand him. Oh God, there it is.”

“Oh, Fi. Why did you say you’d marry him?”

“Certain things… came to light, eventually. Once we were engaged, things became… clear. I broke it off right before he left for Paris.” She put her head in her hands. “I was supposed to go with him.” Liam was astonished, and completely relieved.

“Did he hurt you, Fi?” She didn’t look up.

“I… we had irreconcilable differences.” Liam knew a non-answer when he heard one, but didn’t push her.

“Anything about what he did for a living come to light?”

“No, nothing like that. He told me he was in sales.” Liam laughed an angry snort.

“Hey Fi, don’t feel bad, the guy was bad news.”

“Whoever it was he stole the diamonds from, I think they’ve found me,” she said and both Sam and Liam jumped off the sofa and went to the window. Sam took a quick look and moved silently to the kitchen to look out the back. Fiona’s naturally large eyes got even larger.

“Tell me everything,” Liam said turning out the light and pulling the curtain an inch away from where it hung.

“On Thanksgiving, God, was that just yesterday?” She sighed. “I went for a bike ride and an SUV swerved into me. I dodged it barely, but then rode my bike right into Tate’s car.” She looked at the scrape on her palm again. “I didn’t have the presence of mind to get a plate number then, but today Tate did.”

“Were you hurt?” Liam asked. She showed him the palm of her hand and shook her head.

“Just a little banged up,” she said.

“What happened today, and why didn’t you have your phone, we’ve been trying to reach you since you gave Sam the slip at the Georgetown Inn?” She hadn’t known Sam was following them, she blushed when she thought of what he must have seen.

“I forgot my phone, I was a little flustered when I left. We went out to the Old Angler’s Inn and hiked a little, and two big men in suits followed us to the river and then back, but Tate lost them on MacArthur Blvd. He got the plate number that time, and sent it to a guy he knows to find out who they were.” Liam walked to her phone and brought it to her.

“Call Tate and have him give you the plate number,” he handed her the phone. Sam shook his head from the doorway.

“It’s clear from what I can see without infrared,” Sam said. Fiona felt suddenly like she was in a dream, it was so odd to have people talk of infrared and blood diamonds.

She looked at her phone. “I don’t have his number,” she said. “Oh wait, yes I do, he sent me a picture.” She quickly looked at Liam and blushed crimson thinking of the picture Tate took.

“What kind of picture?” Liam asked suspiciously. She ignored him and called Tate.

“Yes,” he answered the phone shortly.

“Hi Tate, it’s Fiona, do you have a minute?”

“Fi! I didn’t recognize the number. Is everything all right? Shall I come back and kiss you again?” She smiled at his eagerness.

“Everything is fine,” she stood up and walked out of the living room and up the stairs, ignoring the heavy sighs from her brother. “I wondered if you heard back from Mikey about the plate number you gave him. Liam is desperate to know.” She heard him hesitate, but he opted to tell her what he knew.

“Fiona, Mikey said the plates were fakes, probably from a stolen car. I don’t know what that means to us, but I have to say, I’m glad your brother’s there with you.”

“Fakes?” She breathed. “Oh.” There was a long pause.

“I dislike the phone, I’d rather be there with you, I’d very much like to hold you right now.” She smiled.

“I’d like that, too,” she said and heard what could only be his nephews giggling impishly in the background, and a woman laughing. She was pretty sure it was Christie, and then she heard Ryan say “You’re supposed to pick a woman, Genna,” and she smiled at the resulting laughter. “Sounds like a party over there. Could you text me the plate number, Liam will want to double check it if I know him. I’ll let you get back to your nephews, it sounds like they are up to something.” He laughed.

“They always are, love. But they keep me from moping about because I wish I was holding you.” She inhaled softly.

“What a lovely thing to say,” she whispered.

“It’s true, I’m not sure I even want to go to New York now.” What he wanted was to kiss her all over that delicious body, and not come back up for air until spring. “It will be…a trial.”

“As it will be for me, too,” she said.

“That’s good to hear,” he said and one or both of the boys started crying. “I’ll text you the plate number, love, but right now they need a bit of attention. I will miss you terribly until I see you tomorrow at 9:00.”

“Thank you, Tate. Goodnight,” she said and hung up and sat on her bed staring blankly at her wall, wishing she was laughing with Tess’s family and holding Tate. One lovely day together and she was already growing attached. Big mistake. A minute later her phone made the message sound and she went downstairs to Liam in the living room. He stood at the window watching quietly.

“Anything?” She asked.

“Maybe,” he turned and looked at her. “You?” She handed him her phone and he pressed the message icon.

“Tate said the plates were fakes,” she said and he looked at her with surprise, then looked at the new text.

There was the plate number which he memorized, and above it was the picture Tate sent her earlier that day. Liam looked at her, but she didn’t notice, she was lost in thought, and who could blame her? He tapped the picture to enlarge it, looked more closely at her face and felt a weird mix of emotions.

Initially he wanted to wring Dylan’s neck for taking such liberties with his little sister, but the look on her face was something he’d never seen before. Maybe she deserved a little passion, and from what he’d read in the tabloids, not that he made a habit of reading the tabloids, Dylan was just the man to give it to her. It didn’t mean that he wouldn’t happily kick his ass when he dumped his little sister and moved on. He looked at Fiona. She looked worried, but happy. He sent the plate number on to his own team, and Fiona moved her gaze up to meet his.