“As I count backward from ten, you climb them. Ten, nine, eight…”
Her knees hitched.
“Keep going. As you climb, you feel yourself withdrawing from the deepest parts of your mind, coming back into your body. Seven, six, five…”
Her palms pressed against the cushion.
“Good. You’re grounding in the present, in reality. You feel your heartbeat in your chest. Four, three, two…”
Her chest rose and fell on a deep inhale.
“You’re at the top step. When I say one, you’ll open your eyes and look at the cross.”
She nodded.
He held out the cross on his finger. “One.”
With a quickening breath, she opened her eyes. Her gaze focused on the cross. “I see it,” she whispered. “Am I back, Liam?”
“Yes. You’re here with me, in my living room. Let your attention travel to a candle flame. Let it rest there. Blink slowly, as you come fully back to the moment.”
She followed his directions. She looked between the cross and the candle, then shifted her eyes to meet his. “It’s strange.”
“What is?” he asked, maintaining his fluid, gentle tone.
Remaining still, she said, “I didn’t want to come back. I wanted to stay on those stairs. Hearing your voice. Knowing I was safe.” She sighed. “For the first time since I can remember, I felt…at peace. I still feel it.”
He smiled. “Welcome to the wonders of meditation.”
“I thought I was being hypnotized?”
“You were. Hypnosis is a deeper form of guided meditation.”
“Even now, I don’t want to leave that feeling.” Her attention drifted back to the candle behind his shoulder. He tucked the cross into his hand, sinking his closed fist into the cushion beside her thigh. “I don’t want to comprehend what I saw. I—” She paused, her voice breathy with awe. “I remember everything. Down to the detail.”
“That’s the point.”
“I saw things I didn’t want to see.” Distress filtered into her tone. “But things I needed to see.”
“I know,” he whispered sympathetically.
Slowly raising herself to sitting, she leaned toward him, resting her head against his shoulder. “I’m still too at peace to face the truth of what you revealed.”
“You revealed to yourself what you needed to see. Nothing to do with me.”
“I hate what I saw.” A wet sensation dampened his shoulder. A droplet slid down his arm. He wanted to reach for her, comfort her. Would she let him? “I can’t believe I was so stupid. Blind. Naïve.”
“Love does that.”
She frowned against his skin. “That wasn’t love. It was all fake. I fell for a selfish asshole.” A self-deprecating laugh hummed against his tricep. “In hindsight, really, who’s the asshole? Yeah, that would be me.”
“You can’t think in those terms,” he said, certainty combining with firmness. “You loved, you accepted. Those are beautiful things, honey.”
“Not beautiful, with the wrong man. Why do I always end up with the wrong ones?”
“Every person on the planet who’s single asks themselves that. Me, included.”
When she twined her arms around his bicep, as if she were holding tight to the mast of a sinking ship pummeled by storms, he went still. After a few seconds, when she just clung to him, he lifted his free hand to cup the back of her skull, massaging lightly. “It happens. It sucks, but it happens. To me, too. I’ve failed at relationships too many times to count.”
“You don’t fail at showing up. Being there,” she said as if speaking through unspent tears stuck at the back of her throat. “Believing. Sticking by someone’s side, even when the going gets rough. When the odds are stacked against her. That’s faith.”
“It’s gotten me into trouble.” He sifted her hair through his fingers. “Sometimes, it can be more of a curse than a blessing.”
She shook her head against him, her cheek damp and soft against his rigid arm, his muscles tensed to keep from pulling her into an embrace. Stability was what she needed. He would be that mast in her storm.
“I know now.”
“Know what?” He pressed his lips to the top of her head.
“Todd has something to do with my bank account getting drained, why my card doesn’t work.”
Liam believed Todd had done worse things than that.
But one revelation at a time.
They both needed her confidence shored up for tomorrow morning.
Any trace of doubt she held might skew Logan Stone’s technical results. Results that would go directly to Alex Atlas. Liam’s concerns could shake her confidence, at a time when she needed to be completely sure of her answers, her innocence.
If he shared his suspicions about her boyfriend—potentially her ex-boyfriend after tonight, a welcome thought—she could give a false reading, a misleading response.
One drop of doubt could jeopardize her entire future.
Liam wouldn’t let that happen.
Letting her borrow his strength, he gently smoothed her hair. He stayed silent.
And hoped to God his brash idea of introducing her to hypnosis didn’t backfire on her tomorrow.
CHAPTER SIX
A bad feeling settled into Liam’s bones. He walked Sophia down the hallways of Logan Stone’s office building.
Before they’d arrived at Stone’s building, they’d stopped at his own next door, to drop off Sophia’s laptop, with strict instructions it would be immediately delivered to the technology floor, earmarked for Devon Soren, personally. There, it had been a ghost town.
Here in Logan’s building, dozens of people bustled around at seven a.m., looking like they’d just walked out of the movie Black Hawk Down—but wearing suits instead of full military gear.
These men and women meant business. They were on their way somewhere important. Busy. Intent. Stone-faced. Driven.
Way different than the more relaxed atmosphere that permeated his company. Liam briefly questioned if he was the right man for the job of protecting her. But Stone ran an entirely different enterprise, versus the Soren’s.
Resting his hand on her hip, he led Sophia to the described elevator. He pressed the button. The doors parted and they entered, facing front.
As they sailed downward, he experienced a sinking sensation. He worried his embedded suggestions and questions last night might’ve sabotaged her best shot to prove her innocence.
The bright sparkle in her copper eyes was missing this morning. Shadows haunted her features. Her shoulders slumped like she carried an invisible, oppressive weight. She folded her arms over her stomach like she might be sick any second. Not the picture of confidence she’d been when they first met in Atlas’s interrogation room. She appeared deflated by last night’s discovery of Todd’s true intentions. Too proud to admit it, she’d rather suffer in silence than share the depth of her disappointment. But Liam saw the physical proof she couldn’t hide.
He’d wanted to help her remember the information gnawing at her, trapped inside her subconscious. Instead, he seemed to have unleashed a torrent of doubt in her mind.
Would that uncertainty come through in her screening?
Shit. He never should’ve offered to hypnotize her. He’d wanted to unwrap her thoughts, get to the truth about what troubled her—the truth about Todd. Had he been driven purely by selfish impulses? He’d like to think not, but the stark light of day had him questioning his true motives.
Fuck. He was an asshole.
The elevator opened into a basement-like scene. Though carpet stretched beneath his cowboy boots, the view resembled the hall of an underground exhibition.
As they pressed forward, he glanced to his left, then his right. He shrugged. Okay, it was an exhibition.
Indented booths lined the hall. Each one showcased Logan Stone’s history of how he’d come by his patented method. The technological advances, the trial and error. Until finally he’d invented a foolpr
oof system.
Liam swallowed.
They found the man of the hour in a room even darker than the hallway. He rapped on the frame of the open entryway and cleared his throat.
Turning to face them, Logan ushered them into the room.
“Logan Stone.” Liam found himself slightly awestruck, since this was the man whose former business had helped launch his family into the billion-dollar stratosphere.
“Liam Soren. Welcome. You, too, Miss Melano.” Logan smiled kindly at her.
“It’s a pleasure, sir.” Liam should’ve pre-scripted something more impressive to say, to expression his humility and represent his family in the best light.
The man shook his head. “No ‘sir.’ We’re equals. Just Logan.”
Liam almost snorted. They were far from equals, but he appreciated the thought. In the face of such an admirable success, he found his quick tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.
“Trey explained,” Logan said with a quick grin.
Liam stuck out his hand and they shook. “It’s a great to see you again.” Then he slid his hands into his pockets. “I hear congratulations are in order.”
Nodding acceptance, Logan beamed with pride. “Thanks.”
Liam explained to Sophia, “His wife, Allison, just gave birth to three weeks ago.”
“How wonderful,” she said, her eyes shining for a brief moment. “Congratulations. Boy or girl?”
“A baby girl. She stole my heart the second I held her in my arms.” Appreciation reflected in his whisky-colored eyes. “I have the most amazing, beautiful wife in the world, a little boy, and now a baby girl. Life’s been good to me. Better than most men deserve.”
Liam sobered. “Thanks for taking time out from your life to help me out.”
The man gave a passing wave, as if it went without saying he’d offer his assistance.
Over the years, Logan and Trey had fostered a deep, solid connection. Stone was a busy man, his day no doubt packed to the brim with vital priorities. That he’d agreed to do this at all was a high tribute to his friendship with Trey.
“Miss Melano, I’ll have you sit in the chair at the center of the room,” Logan instructed.
She gave a somber nod.
Before she left his side, Liam scooped her into a hug. “You’ve got this.” He squeezed. “Forget your doubts. Focus on the truth.”
“I’m trying,” she murmured.
Straightening, she balled her fists at her sides and walked stiffly to the chair Logan had gestured to. The only place to sit the room, except for a wheeled stool beside a console resembling a DJ’s booth, all nobs and gadgets and screens, minus the turntable.
It appeared to her to be an ordinary, oversized office chair, black leather with comfortable cushioning. As she took a seat, she noticed the cushions felt funny underneath her. As if two-inch suction cups had been placed face-up beneath the surface.
Bizarre. Unnerving.
Glancing around, she discovered a big dark-glassed mirror on the wall in front of her. A large dropdown screen lowered behind her with a mechanical sound. Two flat-screen TVs hung in the corners.
Were her results going to be broadcast?
No pressure, she thought, a little annoyed.
She despised not knowing how to plan for this. Unlike a test she could study for and ace with no problem, she went into this scenario blind.
Unpreparedness could prove a fatal flaw. Always did, in her experience. That’s why the revelation of Todd’s well-executed con wounded so deeply. She hadn’t recognized the signs—the red flags flying in her face if only she’d paid better attention. She had blindly bought into his big plans, his pretty promises, his boundless lies.
Knowing she’d let herself get duped by a smooth talker stung worse than him leaving without a word, without a trace. If he’d stolen from her, and wiped her condo of all remnants of himself…what else was he capable of?
The disturbing question swirled in her mind, pulling her thoughts in like a whirlpool vortex, consuming her intellectual energy. Stop, she told herself. She’d already given too much mental and emotional priority to the jerk, who’d turned deception into an art form.
“Liam, you can wait inside the room on the other side of this one,” Logan said, more of a strong recommendation than a suggestion.
Across the room, Liam’s gaze met and held hers. In the very dim light, she couldn’t tell if his eyes were more blue or more green. Right now they looked dark as navy. He hesitated.
Forcing a smile of reassurance to her lips, wobbly as it was, she nodded.
He returned the nod. He stared at her for another long moment. Then he shoved away from the wide frame of the entryway to find the room where he was supposed to wait.
The absence of him impacted her, as if a warm light had extinguished. The room felt colder, darker, more isolated, the equipment foreboding, the outcome of all this terribly uncertain.
She fixed her attention on Logan. “I appreciate your help. Especially so last minute.”
“No problem. Not much I wouldn’t do for the Soren men. Good people. You’re in safe hands, Sophia.”
Wishing she could dredge up that level of assurance, she gave a tight nod. Logan was a large man. Handsome, broad-shouldered, strong-jawed, with a commanding presence. Glints of silver at his temples enhanced his regal looks. His hair resembled a lion’s mane, thick and multi-hued, which he wore his hair closely shorn on the sides, longer on top. The way he held himself, representing confidence and bearing, interested her. “Were you in the military?”
“Grew up in a military household with my father, on a base in Pensacola, Florida. Went into the army young, moved up in the ranks, became a Ranger.”
Her eyes widened. “Impressive.” The set of his jaw revealed pride about his past, his contribution to his country. “But you’re too young to have retired from military service, right?”
He nodded. “I left to start my own company with my Ranger buddy Rick Dunn. Few years back, I sold the bodyguard portion to the Soren’s to focus on expanding my technical security business.”
“The equipment you’re using on me today…is that part of your world-renowned security technology?”
“It is,” he said. She heard no boastfulness in his tone, just him agreeing with a fact. He reached out and placed small, gel covered nodes to her temples.
“Is this like an elaborate lie detector test?”
He paused. “Essentially.”
Then he placed two more nodes on either side of her neck, one final node at the hollow of her throat. “Shouldn’t these plug into your machine? Where are the cords?”
“They’re equipped with wireless transmitters. No cords required.”
“Nanotechnology?”
“Yes. These devices will send tiny impulses conveying layers of information to the system, where the mainframe compiles the results.”
Dang. This was an impressive setup.
Hooking her up to this and running the calculations had to cost thousands of dollars. Her hands squeezed the edges of arm rests. “How much?”
“How much what?”
She gulped. “What’s the final bill for this…assessment?”
He sent her a steady look. “It’s covered. Don’t worry about it. Focus on my questions, and your answers.” He pressed a button, and her chair reclined while rising to a smooth stop. “Lean into the chair, let it support you. Most important—relax.”
The word grated. She was tired of hearing that from people who couldn’t fathom her position. She stood on the verge of possibly losing everything she’d worked so hard, her whole life, to build.
Then she realized she was clenching her teeth, and tried to ease the tension that had collected in the corners of her jaw.
“I’m going to start the questions now. Respond to them as honestly as possible. ‘Yes’ and ‘no’ answers, only.”
She blew out a breath. “Okay.”
“Is your name Sophia Melano?”
&
nbsp; “Yes.”
“Do you work for Alex Atlas at the Golden Palm’s Casino?”
“Yes.”
A strange pulsing registered against the vertebrae of her spine, along the undersides of her arms, and the backs of her legs. She froze. “What’s that?”
“More nodes are embedded in the chair. They’re emitting pulses that sense your vitals and minute physical responses, sending that information to the main console as well.”
Good God. Her mouth went dry. She stared up at the ceiling. More complex readings meant a greater margin for error on her part.
Maybe she shouldn’t have signed on for this.
“Sophia, are you aware your results will be sent directly to Alex Atlas at the completion of this exercise?”
“What?” She sat upright. “No, nobody told me that.”
Logan placed a broad hand on her shoulder, urging her to lie back down. “I take it that’s a no.”
“No,” she said vehemently.
“If you’re telling the truth,” he said quietly, “you’ll be glad to have this situation resolved quickly.”
“I guess.” Yet, knowing Mr. Atlas would have the results immediately upset her. “Can I see the outcome first?”
“You will, once everything’s been compiled.”
She released a terse sigh.
Logan continued with questions that were simple to confirm. Where she went to high school. Where she graduated college. When she’d achieved her CPA license. How long she’d lived in her condo.
The black-and-white responses flowed from her lips. No shades of gray entertained. No doubts or insecurities allowed.
After a while, she needed to know something. “Sorry to interrupt, but how did you come up with these questions? How are you confirming all these personal things about me?”
“You’re confirming—or denying—these things. But several sources contributed to the questions,” he said, matter of fact. “Your boss. Government reports and documents. The Internet search history on your work desktop. Your background check. Liam.”
Liam had provided some of these probing inquiries? When had he found time to do that? And what was in her background check? What did other people, total strangers, know about her? Information she didn’t realize sat in the Internet’s ethers, waiting to be downloaded? Is that how Todd had found her, and decided she’d be the perfect mark for his conman strategy?
The Billionaire's Seduction (Billionaire Bodyguards Book 5) Page 11