by Elle Kennedy
She rolled up the copies, tucked them and the lock pick case in her waistband, then dashed out the door, which also locked behind her. Thank God.
Cate held her breath and didn’t release it until she was in the safety of her suite, where she collapsed on the edge of the bed and frantically studied the file again. She was still absorbed in it when Gabriel marched into the room, looking annoyed as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Do you realize how crazy Thierry thinks I am? I spent the past ten minutes talking his ear off about the most ridiculous nonsense. We actually had an entire conversation about whales.”
Cate didn’t answer. She was too busy staring at the photograph of James Morgan.
His eyes. They were so intense.
“Cate? Are you even listening to me?”
She lifted her head, then held out the picture. “This is my father.”
Without a word, Gabriel took the photo and studied it. “How can you be so sure?”
“The eyes. We have the same eyes.”
He glanced at the picture again. “Similar,” he admitted. “But...you shouldn’t get your hopes up. It could also be a random stranger who happens to have dark blue eyes. It might not be your father.”
“It is,” she insisted.
As Gabriel joined her on the bed, she handed him the rest of the papers. They spent the next fifteen minutes leafing through them together, reading them several times, until Cate had every last detail memorized.
“So what are you going to do now?” Gabriel asked uneasily.
“I don’t know.” She bit her lip, torn. “I guess I should try to contact him.”
“And say what?”
She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Someone was coming toward her room.
“Catarina?” Nik’s voice was followed by two soft raps on the door.
“Crap!” She hastily stacked up the papers and thrust them at Gabriel. “Put these in your pocket. Nik can’t find them on me!”
Like the fantastic friend he was, Gabriel folded the papers and shoved them in the back pocket of his black jeans, two seconds before Nik entered the suite.
It irked her that Nik had just waltzed inside without permission, but she was too flustered to be indignant.
“Hi!” she blurted out, her voice coming out far too squeaky.
Great. Could she act any more suspiciously?
Nik clearly agreed, because his light blue eyes narrowed as he looked from her to Gabriel.
“Am I interrupting something?” he inquired in a clipped tone.
“Uh, no. Of course not. Gabriel and I were just...talking.”
“Talking,” Nik echoed.
Gabriel awkwardly got to his feet. “Yeah, but I was actually about to leave. My father gave me an extra hour for lunch so I could visit Maman, but he needs me back at work now.”
Nik’s expression only grew cloudier. “Yes, you should go now. I don’t think Mr. Durand, or your mother, would approve of you being in Catarina’s room. With the door closed,” he said pointedly.
Cate’s cheeks flamed when she realized that Nik thought she and Gabriel had been...Oh gosh, that was embarrassing.
But it also occurred to her that it was better to let him think he’d caught them fooling around than for him to discover what they’d really been doing.
Gabriel looked equally mortified as he scurried out the door, and the moment her friend was gone, Nik turned to her with a disapproving look.
“Catarina...Cate...I know you and Gabriel are close, but it’s not appropriate for the two of you to be alone in your bedroom.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. Next time I’ll leave the door open.”
Her easy agreement seemed to appease him, but clearly he wasn’t done. “The boy’s mother works for this household. Your grandfather disapproves of you spending so much time with our cook’s son.”
“He never minded before,” she said testily.
Nik frowned. “Yes, but circumstances have changed. You and Gabriel are no longer children. You’re young adults, and it’s time the two of you started to behave like it.”
She tried not to roll her eyes. “I’ll do my best.”
“Good.” He cleared his throat. “Maurice sent me up here to tell you that he’s going to visit your mother now, and he’d like for you to come. I’ll give you a minute to change your clothes.”
She scowled. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”
“You know your mother doesn’t like it when you wear stuff like that,” Nik answered with a pained look. “Why don’t you put on that lovely green summer dress you wore the other day? You know how much she likes that one.”
She doesn’t like anything! Cate almost shouted, but she gritted her teeth and held her tongue.
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll wear the dress.”
“Wonderful. I’ll see you downstairs in five minutes.”
The second he was gone Cate closed her eyes and conjured up the image of James Morgan.
And wondered what the heck she was supposed to do next.
Chapter 16
Noelle walked into the dining room after a sleepless night that had left dark circles under her eyes. She wasn’t surprised when she found Jim sitting at the table, looking as worn-out as she felt. He held a cup of coffee with both hands, wisps of steam curling upward into his handsome face. He hadn’t shaved and the results were delicious. Dark stubble slashed his jaw, giving him a bad-boy look that probably would’ve turned her on if she weren’t feeling so unhinged at the moment.
Ariana Dietrich had been pregnant.
Noelle still couldn’t believe he’d dropped a bomb like that and walked away.
After he’d blurted out the confession last night, he’d left her on the terrace and retreated to his room as if he hadn’t just knocked her entire world off-kilter. But she hadn’t chased after him. The shock and confusion had been too much to sift through. Besides, she’d still been reeling from all the other little goodies he’d told her.
Like how he’d never loved Ariana.
Maybe it made her a total sucker, but she believed him. He might have fooled her once, but nowadays she could always tell when Jim was lying to her, and she didn’t think he’d lied last night. And then, once she’d thought back to all the conversations they’d had after Ariana’s disappearance, she’d realized that Jim had never actually said he’d loved Ariana. Noelle had accused him of it, railed into him for it, but not once had he used the L-word in connection to Ariana Dietrich.
Still, he hadn’t corrected her either. For seventeen years he’d allowed her to believe he’d truly loved that girl.
Turned out he hadn’t loved either one of them.
Maybe she and Ariana ought to form a club for gullible chicks who’d had their hearts broken by James Morgan.
Noelle swallowed her bitterness as she joined him at the table and reached for the coffee carafe.
There was a beat of silence before he lifted his head and looked at her.
“Let’s just get it out of the way. Will you help me find her or not?”
She frowned at him. “You don’t need my help.”
“Yes, I do. You have contacts. You know the city.”
His matter-of-fact tone raised her hackles. “And what do I get out of this?”
“Same thing as before. I’ll owe you. Except it won’t be just one favor this time. I’m offering you a lifetime carte blanche.” His features grew pained. “Whatever you need, anytime you need it, I’ll do it. No questions asked.”
It was a very intriguing offer, and one she couldn’t dismiss so easily.
Thoughtful, Noelle poured herself a cup of coffee and took a small sip. “How far along was she?”
The question caught him off guard. “What?”
“Four months.”
“I’m fascinated by your recklessness. You’re usually very careful about birth control.”
“She took the decision out of my hands.” His jaw tightened. “She poked holes in the condoms.”
Noelle’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re kidding me.”
“Nope. She bragged about it the night she told me she was pregnant.” Jim shook his head angrily. “Like I said, she wanted me, and she was willing to do anything to make me stick around. Even get herself knocked up.”
Noelle spoke despite the lump in her throat. “Would you have married her?”
“Yes,” he said with no hesitation.
She laughed harshly. “Even though you were supposed to take her father down?”
“I wasn’t about to abort the mission, but I had every intention of being there for Ariana after I put Dietrich out of commission.” He laughed too, just as harsh and humorless. “And I know she would’ve let me. She probably would’ve been resentful and pissed off at first, but I had no doubt she’d marry me. Ariana wasn’t capable of taking care of herself—she needed a man to do it for her.”
“You would have doomed yourself to a loveless marriage?”
“For my child? I would have done anything. I’d do anything.” Desperation flashed in his eyes, and his knuckles turned white as he gripped his coffee cup. “I don’t even know if she gave birth. Or if she even survived the ambush. There was so much gunfire that night. She could have gotten caught in the cross fire.”
“I doubt it.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because if she’d died that night, Dietrich would have hunted you down and killed you a long time ago.” Noelle pursed her lips. “I’m not sure why he waited until now to hire someone.”
“Maybe it took him this long to find me.”
“Maybe. But my gut tells me it’s something else.” She reached for the plate of croissants her housekeeper, Miles, must have brought out, and swiped one of the warm, freshly baked pastries. “Maybe he knew you were getting too close?”
“You think he got scared? Worried I was going to come after Ariana again?”
“I don’t know.” She bit into the croissant and chewed thoughtfully.
As Jim groaned in frustration, Noelle realized that she’d never seen him so upset.
“I need to know what happened to Ariana and the baby. Help me.”
She kept chewing.
“Noelle. Please.”
She swallowed and picked up her coffee mug.
“For fuck’s sake, I’m begging you. I need you. Please.”
The anguished crack in his voice shocked her. His warrior facade was crumbling right before her eyes, and Noelle had no idea how to respond to that.
She’d thought her heart was nothing but pure black steel, totally indestructible, but apparently her carefully constructed armor contained a few chinks she hadn’t known about.
Because she opened her mouth and murmured, “All right.”
Relief flooded his face. “Thank you.”
She shifted in her chair, awkward as hell. “You’re welcome.”
Their gazes collided for a moment, and then he cleared his throat.
“Sean Reilly is flying in today, and I left a message for Sully and Liam to get their asses over here. I want twenty-four-hour recon on the Durand estate. If Ariana is there, we’ll know it.”
The emotional, wobbly-voiced Jim had vanished. He was all business now.
“Maybe we can try to plant some cameras inside the house,” he added pensively.
Noelle answered in a grudging tone. “If we need to, I can ask Juliet to help with that.”
He nodded in gratitude. “Thanks. Oh, and Sean’s brother Oliver is taking over the intel thread. He’ll keep digging, see if he can find out more about Durand and what he’s been doing all these years.”
“I have someone who can help with that too.”
“Who?”
“An associate of mine. He operates out of Paris.”
“Contract killer?” Jim said sharply.
“Yeah. I toss foreign jobs his way every now and then, but he likes to stay local. If you want to know anything about anyone in this city, Charron is your go-to guy.”
“Call him.”
“Will do.” Noelle polished off her coffee, then set down the mug and scraped her chair back.
Jim’s hoarse voice stopped her before she could reach the doorway.
“Thank you,” he said again. “I really appreciate this.”
She left the dining room without responding, and when she stepped into the hall, she took a deep breath and fought the urge to kick herself in the shin.
What the hell was she doing, agreeing to help him?
He doesn’t deserve to find his kid.
The angry indictment buzzed in her mind and made her heart clench in agony. Was she seriously going to help him track down his child? Give him the opportunity to be a father?
After he’d ripped her father right out of her life?
God, what was wrong with her? She needed to march back in there and tell him he could go do his own grunt work.
But instead, she continued down the hall to make some calls.
• • •
“Guess who’s going to Paris,” Sullivan announced as he burst into the kitchen. Looking positively smug, he tipped his head at Liam. “The boss just gave the word. He needs us for backup.”
Liam instantly brightened when he heard himself included in the orders. He set down his coffee cup on the granite counter and held up his palm for a high five, which Sullivan merrily returned.
From his seat at the table, Ash cleared his throat loudly. “Um. Whose dick do I have to suck to get in on this?”
Sullivan snickered. “I’m guessing Morgan’s, but he’d probably shoot you if you tried.”
“He really didn’t ask for me?” Ash was practically pouting.
“You know he likes to make sure there’s always one of us here to guard the compound,” Liam said tactfully, not wanting to add to Ash’s visible disappointment.
“Fuck that,” the rookie retorted. “Bill and Don are here. They’re perfectly capable of manning the fort.”
Ash raised a good point; the two men in charge of compound security were both former Delta. They could protect the place in their sleep.
“Aw, hell, let’s bring him along,” Liam said to Sully. “We both know Morgan will be pissed for all of two minutes before realizing he needs the extra manpower.”
The rookie’s face lit up. “I’ll take full responsibility when he flips out.” Ash suddenly grinned. “So, are French women as hot as everyone says?”
“Yup,” Sullivan confirmed. “And there’s none hotter than the one you’re about to meet.”
“Noelle.” Ash looked more wary than excited now. “Should I be worried she’ll try to kill me?”
Liam chuckled. “Nah. The boss is the only one she seems to want dead.”
“Or naked,” Sully added. “Trust me, kid, you’re about to see some serious sparks.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh yeah. Their chemistry is off the charts. Makes you horny just being around them.”
“So they hate each other but they still want to jump each other’s bones?” Ash said dubiously.
Liam shrugged. “Just the way it is. Some people are just hardwired to fuck each other.” He grinned at the younger man. “Now go get our gear. We’ve got a plane to catch.”
Ash scowled. “Why do I have to get everyone’s gear?”
“Because you’re the new guy, which means you have the honor of doing all the grunt work.” The grin widened. “Consider it your hazing period.”
“How l
ong does this hazing period last?” Ash said suspiciously.
Sullivan beamed at him. “Forever.”
“You guys are assholes.” But even though he flashed them his middle finger, Ash still hurried out of the kitchen like an obedient little soldier.
“He’s so easy to pick on,” Sullivan said with a sigh.
Liam couldn’t help but laugh. “I know, right?”
“I’m sure he’ll stand up for himself one of these days.” Sully headed for the door. “Gonna grab a quick shower before we go. I’ll meet you out front in ten.”
Liam was left staring at his teammate’s retreating back. Unwittingly, his gaze traveled lower, snagging on the taut butt hugged by a pair of camo fatigues.
His cheeks instantly heated up. Fuckin’ hell. What was the matter with him?
He tore his gaze away and went over to the counter, where he poured another cup of coffee and forced himself to concentrate on the upcoming mission.
And not his teammate’s ass.
* * *
“I don’t like being out in the open like this,” Jim said darkly.
Noelle sighed. “Join the club. But Charron doesn’t do business over the phone.”
Her gaze did another sweep of the sidewalk in front of the corner café on the Rue de Douai, where her associate had arranged to meet them. Charron had chosen to hold this little rendezvous in Pigalle, one of the seediest areas of the city, and Noelle’s least favorite place to conduct business. There were too many shady characters roaming the neighborhood, thanks to the plethora of strip clubs and sex shops.
“What about e-mail?” Jim grumbled. “Does he have something against that too?”
She glanced across the small patio table with a dry smile. “He’s anti-technology. Claims that’s how people wind up behind bars.”
“Yet he had no trouble taking your information request via text. Why couldn’t he just text you whatever he found? Why meet in person?”
Jim’s shoulders had been stiffer than boards from the moment they’d arrived in Pigalle. They’d scoped out the area for more than an hour and found nothing to raise their alarms, but he still didn’t look happy about being out in public.
Neither was she, but she’d chosen not to complain because she figured Jim was already tense enough for the both of them.