But what lies did he know about me? Had his father told him the truth? Perhaps that was why I never saw him again after—no, I couldn’t think about that.
“What’s going on, Liv?”
Looking up from the table, I focused on his green eyes. God, he called me Liv, didn’t he? “I’m just stressed. Work has been challenging.”
“Tell me about Declan. Should I trust him?”
He shouldn’t. But I kept my mouth shut and did my job. I wouldn’t entrap him, though. “Declan is a bit of an asshole, to be honest.”
He smirked at my response, and I realized how much I missed his smile. The dark stubble on his jaw was so damn sexy, too. He really rocked the five o’clock shadow. And the full beard. Okay, so basically he looked hot all the time.
“He’s a narcissist and womanizer. But also a savvy businessman. Remember that club we used to hang out in? The one where we met?” Pain seared my insides at the memory.
“How could I forget?” His voice was like velvet, soft over my skin.
I hoped to hell he couldn’t see through me right now—to see behind the mask I’d been wearing to hide the pain. “He owns the club now. Well, sort of. He co-owns it.” I had to be careful not to say too much. I was giving away information I hadn’t learned from Declan but from my undercover op.
“Really?”
“His influence runs deep.” Like with the Russians. “Most people who work with him make a ton of money, including your father, I assume.” Did he know anything about his father’s dealings with Declan yet? “Declan must be a good business partner if your father was working with him.” My lies made me sick.
Connor waved his hand in front of him. “I don’t exactly trust my father’s judgment.”
“Yeah, you and me both.” Shit, I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. His facial expression didn’t change, so perhaps I was off the hook for that one. “Has Declan told you anything—”
“Nothing important.”
“It sounds like you aren’t really interested in continuing business with him, regardless of me.”
“Doubtful.” He shrugged his shoulders but kept his eyes steadied on mine. He took a shallow breath and reached for his water again. Was I making him nervous?
“Olivia, I—” His cell rang, cutting him off. “Sorry. I have to answer this.”
“Sure.”
“Jake. Hey, I was just going to call you tonight. You a mind reader?” Connor’s voice was lighter now, and less gritty. He must reserve his deep, throaty voice for me—it was all wrapped up in anger with a dash of sexual tension . . . okay, maybe more than a dash. I had it bad for him, too. But wanting him was wrong on so many levels.
“What? Okay. Sure. Call you back in twenty.” He ended the call and reached for his wallet. “I’m sorry, I have to leave. Something important has come up.” He placed forty dollars on the table and stood up. “This has been . . . well, it’s been—”
Yeah, I had no words either. “No problem. But I’ll see you at the club tomorrow, right?”
He took a moment to consider my words and nodded at last. “See ya.”
I pressed my elbows to the table and covered my face with my hands, trying to fight off the heartache.
I hadn’t cried in almost ten years, and I wouldn’t start now.
13
Connor
“What’s up?” I sat on the edge of my desk and held the phone tight in my hands, worry gripping my body. The last time I’d seen Jake was at our friends, Kate and Michael’s, wedding.
“What’s going on?” his Texas accent rang clear through the phone. “I just had someone in my office asking me about you.” Jake was a high-level FBI agent. Unlike me, he used a badge to help others.
“What do you mean?”
“I got a call from some agent in the New York office. He started asking me questions about you. He said he wanted to give me a heads up as a courtesy, because he knew we served in the Marines together.”
I scratched the back of my head and stared out the window. The sun was starting to dip out of sight behind the skyscrapers. “And?”
“I asked him his name, and he said he couldn’t tell me anything. So, of course, I told him to go to hell.”
What was going on?
“I checked the system for any open investigations, but came up empty.”
My mind scrambled and landed on the first thing that made sense. “Shit.”
“What?”
“I was going to call you earlier. There has been some weird stuff going on since I took over my father’s company.”
“God, I’m sorry. I meant to tell you I’m sorry about your father when I first called . . .”
“No, it’s fine.” I pushed my fingers to my forehead. “Anyway, I was going to ask you to look into something for me.”
“What is it?”
“The day my father died, he went and got a safe deposit box at a bank he’d never used before. It’s shady, too. Like, I can’t open it without a key and passcode, or a court order. Why would my dad open it the day he died? And his personal driver, who’d been with my dad for just about forever, went missing right after my father passed.”
“Really?”
“It gets crazier.” I shook my head in disbelief. “My father’s company just developed a hand-held electromagnetic field gun.”
Jakes gasped. “What? You can’t be serious. That’s not possible.”
“If I hadn’t held the thing in my hand this morning, then I’d tell you it was bullshit.”
“Wow. That’s nuts.”
“But here’s the part I’m curious about. I met with this guy, Declan Reid. He runs Reid Enterprises, as well as several nightclubs. Declan said he had some sort of business arrangement with my father, but . . . I don’t know, I get a bad feeling about the whole thing.”
“Hang on a sec. Let me see if I can pull something up.”
I listened as Jake tapped at keys. “There has to be a connection between the call you got and this—right?”
“I don’t know. There’s nothing in the system on Declan Reid, either. Of course, some investigations are sealed to avoid leaks.”
I was on my feet, unable to shed my nervous energy. “I don’t know what’s going on.”
“I take it your father didn’t leave you the key and code to the safe deposit box?”
“No, but—” I remembered the envelope my father’s lawyer had given to Mason and I. “Can you do me a favor? Can you take a look at the video footage on May sixteenth for the Capital James Bank in New York?”
“Sure. What should I look for?”
“Just verify my dad was there, and if you see anything out of the ordinary . . .”
“And what was the driver’s name? I’ll try and locate him.”
“Tyson Beckham.”
“Want me to call Michael?”
I thought about it for a second, but answered, “No.”
“Oh come on. He lives for this shit.”
“Hopefully it’s nothing. Besides, he just got back from his honeymoon. I don’t want to drag him into this.”
“Alright. I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Thanks, man. I owe you. Ring me when you know something.” I hung up and started for the parking garage. I rushed to my Jeep and hopped inside the passenger seat. After unlocking the glove compartment, I searched for my father’s letter.
“What the hell!” I grabbed the user’s manual and tossed it to the floor, along with a few receipts I’d stashed in there.
Where was it?
How could the letter be gone?
14
Connor
I was wound tight, and the massive amount of caffeine I’d been consuming all day was doing nothing to help my nerves.
Sitting inside my Jeep a block from The Phoenix, I read my brother’s message for the fifth time today. He had been unable to call me, so he emailed me. I had asked him what our father’s letter had said to him.
Mason’s response
was that it had basically been a one-page apology about his failure as a father, but how proud he was of him. Mason said the letter gave off the vibe that he knew his time was coming.
He died of a heart attack, though. Nothing suspect given his prior heart problems. I scratched my jaw where the stubble was becoming itchy.
Was I overreacting?
No. A Fed was asking questions about me, and the letter my father gave me was now missing.
Normally I wouldn’t be fazed by this kind of stuff. I was usually laid back when it came to high-tension situations.
But now that it was my life, my leg was shaking and my brain sizzled.
I still hadn’t heard back from Jake. With any luck, he’d turn up something and soon.
I pulled my car up to the curb in front of the valet, adjusting my thin, gray tie before stepping out of my Jeep. I had decided to wear a suit tonight. Well, minus the blazer. For some reason, once I got out of the shower I went straight for the least damn comfortable thing in the closet.
I tried to tell myself it had nothing to do with seeing Olivia.
As I handed my keys to the valet, I paused and studied the young kid in front of me. The only time my keys had been out of sight were when they’d been with the valet at the club last time. Did one of these kids steal the letter?
I couldn’t exactly round them up and ask them, but I’d have to look into it.
I cursed under my breath as I made my way into the club, wishing I had opened the letter when I had the chance.
The ideas and theories rattling around in my brain came to a screeching halt when I spotted Olivia sitting at the bar. Her body was partially turned, her profile showing.
I stopped walking and tried to tear my gaze away from the red sleeveless dress that hugged her body. Her toned legs were crossed, and she was sporting red heels to match her dress.
She’d worn a similar dress the night we’d celebrated New Years’ Eve in Toronto. We had been standing out in line waiting to get into an event at a club. The snow pounded us. As we hugged each other in line, trying to fight the biting wind, we promised ourselves that we’d spend our next New Years together somewhere warmer. Much warmer.
Of course, we never got the chance.
I kicked the memory from my mind, fighting back the strange emotions that bit at me.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and reached for my tie, loosening it so I could breathe. The music in the room faded to background noise as I started toward her.
“Hi,” was the only word that escaped my mouth.
Her red lips parted as she slipped off her stool and flashed me a smile. “Thank you so much for coming.”
I expected to see a wave of relief on her face, but her body looked rigid. Tense. What had her stressed?
“Mm. Hm.” A woman to Olivia’s right was staring at Olivia out of the corner of her eye. She twisted her black hair between her fingers and held her hand out in front of me. “I’m Claire. And who might you be?”
“Connor,” I answered, but kept my eyes on Olivia’s hazel ones, which glowed green beneath smoke-gray shadow.
“Claire and I used to work together,” Olivia announced, and I saw her elbow dig into the woman’s side.
I half-smiled as I tucked my hands into the pockets of my slacks.
“You want to dance?” Claire asked.
Guess Claire didn’t take kindly to hints. I would’ve laughed at Olivia’s death-stare if it weren’t for the fact that worry had crushed me flat.
“Claire, Connor’s here to meet with Declan.”
Claire’s mouth opened wide as she nodded. “Oh. Catch me later, if you’re around.” She winked and walked past me, but I didn’t turn to see where she was heading. Frankly, I didn’t care.
“Sorry about her. She can be a bit much.” Olivia smoothed a hand over her dress, and my eyes traced its path.
“Is he ready?” I cleared my throat, hoping to flush away my desire for her once and for all.
Her eyes pinned to my face. “You sure you want to see him?” she asked, her voice breaking.
“What?” I gasped. “You begged me to come.”
Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She blinked her eyes once and motioned for me to follow her without another word.
What was up with that?
“Declan? He’s here,” Olivia said once we reached his door.
“Lauren?” I hadn’t seen her at the office today, and I didn’t tell her I was coming. What was she doing in his office?
“Hi, Connor.” Lauren stood up and smiled at me, pushing her hair off her shoulder so that it wisped against her back. “Glad you changed your mind. I think you’ll see that doing business with Declan will be highly lucrative for our company.”
Our company? “We’ll see.”
“Olivia, why don’t you stay?” Declan suggested
A line appeared between Olivia’s brows; surprise, if I had to guess. But her face assumed a blank mask as she closed the door.
My eyes met hers as she started my direction, and she motioned for me to have a seat next to Lauren. She remained standing, off to the side of Declan’s desk.
How could she work for him? It didn’t make any damn sense.
“Connor, I’m just going to cut the bullshit and be honest with you.” Declan slid a piece of paper across the desk, and I grabbed it. “Your father offered my company the first right of sales to that weapon if I guaranteed he’d get the Saudi deal last October.”
Staring down at a graphic image of the electromagnetic field gun, the one I’d just held yesterday, my mouth opened. Seriously? “How exactly did you help him secure the deal?”
His eyes glinted at me. “As I mentioned, I have influences over there.”
“Isn’t that corporate bribery?” I accused.
Declan waved his hand, dismissing the notion. “That’s just jargon. What matters is that the deal we made helped him garner the money he needed to turn his vision into a reality.”
“My father always wanted to create an EMF gun?” My voice dripped with sarcasm, but Declan didn’t seem to notice, or care.
“Not just any EMF gun. He wanted to be the first to create one that could be used in hand-to-hand combat.” Declan rose to his feet and folded his arms. “Unfortunately, he passed away before he ever got to see his vision fully realized. But, thankfully, he has a son who can carry on his legacy.”
“The weapon will go to the DoD,” I said without hesitation.
Declan cocked his head, and his eyes darted to Lauren.
“Connor, your father made a promise,” she coaxed. “Our company will still sell to the U.S. government, but Declan has connections through his international business relationships. We can become the leading player in weapons defense. It was what your father wanted.” Her voice was smooth, but pleading.
“And you benefit from this how?” I stole a glimpse of Olivia. Her lips were in a straight line as her eyes remained locked on Declan. Was this the first time she’d heard about this?
“Well, we get the purchasing rights to sell the gun in selected areas of the world. The weapon has the potential to bring in tens of billions of dollars. Plus, we get a small commission on all weapons deals we help negotiate and establish,” Declan explained.
“And that’s not illegal?” I straightened in my chair.
“No,” Declan was quick to reply.
“Who are you hoping we sell the weapons to?” This was total bullshit. I wasn’t a businessman, but I was pretty sure this violated some sort of law.
“It can be anyone. The Saudi’s again. Turkey, maybe. Russia. Our allies, of course.”
Sure. Let’s sell an advanced weapon to Putin. Just great. Maybe the North Koreans, too, while we’re at it. The guy was out of his mind if he thought I’d ever agree to this. Had my straight-edge father lost his mind, as well?
“Olivia, what do you think?” Declan shifted to face her.
She laced her fingers together and rested her hands against he
r abdomen. “Sounds like everyone will make a lot of money.” Her lips curved into a forced smile. I was probably the only one in the room who knew Olivia’s real smile. That wasn’t it.
“I only just learned about this weapon.” There wasn’t a chance in hell I’d do business with him, but I needed to string him along, to find out what had been going on before my father died. “How’d you even know the gun was complete?”
Lauren held up her hand and gave a slight, twitchy shrug. “I told him the good news as soon as Wes let me know it was finished. I knew your father planned to go through with the deal. I should have run it by you first, though. I’m sorry.”
Was Lauren a part of this? I wouldn’t be too surprised. I remembered that she asked me for a ride last week to our first meeting with Declan, and she had gone back for something. I had given her the valet ticket. She had access to my Jeep. To the letter.
I stole another look at Olivia, who was staring at the paper in my hand. She swayed, slightly. Was she in on this, too?
“Listen, I’m not expecting you to say yes this second. I can have some papers drawn up so you can look over the fine print and details. I’ll show you the papers your father signed, as well, if that will make you feel better.”
I folded the paper as I stood and shoved it into my pocket. “I need to process all of this. Let me know when you have documents for my lawyer to look at.”
Declan pushed to his feet, holding his hand out in front of him. “This needs to remain between us. No lawyers. The information is too sensitive to be shared with anyone.”
I didn’t say anything. I was never good at acting, so I just nodded.
“I would hold off on letting anyone know the weapon is complete. Once my people verify the weapon and we sign a contract, you’re free to—”
“Last time I checked, the weapon belongs to Matthews Tech, which means I can do whatever the hell I please,” I blurted, unable to hide my irritation. “Did my father let you dictate his business to him?”
Declan smoothed on a grin and gripped his chin, his eyes pinned on mine. “I like you. I value honesty.”
The Hidden Truths Series Box Set Page 56