“So, who’s the man that’s swept you off your feet?” Charlie pressed as she bustled around the kitchen, putting on a pot of water to boil.
Ruth’s red hair made her blush more pronounced. “He’s someone I’ve known for about a year.” She grinned. “I never noticed him because of…”
“Thayer,” Charlie supplied.
Ruth hurried on. “When I went back to school, I finally noticed him. Things just progressed from there.”
“His name?”
“Thomas.”
“Any connection to the Council?” Charlie watched Ruth awkwardly browning sausage in a skillet on the stove. She grinned, thinking of her own escapades in the kitchen.
“Not one.” Ruth stirred the meat.
“Your mother must be disappointed.” Charlie regretted how critical the words sounded out of her moth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that to sound so condescending.”
Ruth waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. My mother’s just happy there’s someone out there who wants to be with me.”
They finished cooking and spent the next two hours catching up, though Charlie was careful to avoid mentioning Thayer any more than necessary. By the time Ruth had to leave, Charlie felt like a balm had been applied to the wounds her friend had inflicted.
“When will you be in town again?” Charlie asked, handing Ruth her coat.
“Actually, next weekend. Mother has another event that I can’t possibly miss.” Ruth rolled her eyes.
“If you have any time, we should get together again.”
Ruth pulled Charlie into a hug. “I’d like that.”
With their goodbyes said and plans made for the next weekend, Charlie closed the door. Alone again, she turned her attention to the class work she’d put aside that morning. Throwing herself into the assigned reading kept her from dwelling on the empty apartment. She’d managed to get through almost half when her phone rang.
Thayer.
“Hey,” she said, stifling a yawn. Having her nose in a book for hours made her feel drowsy now that she’d resurfaced.
“How did it go with Ruth?”
Charlie didn’t miss his curiosity, though he tried to sound casual. “Better than I expected. We’re getting together next weekend.” She smiled at the idea of having a social life outside the apartment again.
“What are you going to do?”
Charlie got up from the couch and started up the stairs. “She mentioned an Italian restaurant she likes.”
“You’re going out?” The phone couldn’t mask the tension in his words.
“I won’t be alone, Ruth will be there,” she said, beginning to wonder if going out might be a bad idea.
“Take Liam with you.”
“You want me to take the babysitter?” She joked, trying to shake the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“A bodyguard.”
She took a moment to gather her courage. “I don’t trust Liam.”
Thayer’s reply was a hearty laugh. “Why don’t you trust him?”
His laughter made her feel like an idiot, but she couldn’t take the confession back now. “I can’t shake the feeling that I know him from somewhere else. What if it’s because he worked for my father?”
“Liam is Drew’s brother. That’s why you recognize him.”
Charlie gripped the phone tighter in her hand. “Why does Drew’s brother work for you?” She couldn’t fathom why Thayer would hire her boyfriend’s brother as a chauffer and bodyguard.
“He’s worked for me for a few years. Liam is a good man. Despite his familial connections, I trust him. And I want him to go with you to meet Ruth.”
The explanation set Charlie at ease. “Fine, but I still don’t think I need a babysitter.” She flopped onto her bed and closed her eyes. They hurt from all the reading she’d done. “So, why did you call?”
Thayer cleared his throat. “You said you weren’t sleeping well. I thought I could stay on the phone with you until you fall asleep.”
Even though he wasn’t there with his ice-blue eyes trained on her, she felt a blush in her cheeks. “I’d like that.”
Crawling under the sheets, still in her jeans and Henley, she listened to him tell her about everything he’d done the past week. The rumble of his voice was like a lullaby. Eventually she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Chapter Thirty-One
Every night for the next week, Thayer called her and stayed on the phone until she slept. In the morning, she’d wake to find her phone pressed against her ear, the call disconnected during the night.
Saturday morning was an exception. Charlie woke to Thayer’s deep, even breathing in her ear. A sleepy smile spread across her face. Glancing at the time, she realized he’d overslept. He told her the night before that he had an important client meeting scheduled for that morning. She’d kept him up and now he’d be late.
“Thayer.” When he didn’t respond she repeated his name again, louder.
“Hmmm?” he groaned.
“You overslept.”
“What?” His voice sounded heavy with fatigue.
“You’re going to be late.” Charlie fought to keep from laughing at his sleepy confusion.
A pause then, “Damn it!” Charlie pictured him scrambling out of bed. No shirt, plaid pants, and hair sticking up in all directions. The image did nothing to suppress the giggle she felt bubbling up.
“I’ll let you go, okay?” she said, listening to him mumbling to himself absentmindedly.
“Yeah, okay. Thanks for waking me up. I’ll call you tonight. I love you.” Silence, then the call ended.
Charlie lay motionless on the bed with the phone held to her ear. I love you. The words paralyzed her body, but her heart raced out of control. Did Thayer even realize what he’d said to her? He couldn’t have realized. He wouldn’t just drop something like that and hang up.
She blinked, forcing herself to move the phone away from her ear. Looking at the screen, she expected it to light up with an incoming call the moment he realized what he’d said. She waited for almost ten minutes, but the screen remained dark. Why wouldn’t he call her back? Had he really told her he loved her without realizing it? Her brain couldn’t handle this new development without coffee.
Still in a daze, she left the bedroom, trudging down to the kitchen. She went through the motions of making breakfast. Pouring coffee, pushing down toast, spreading butter. She tried to focus on her movements, but her mind lingered on the phone, listening to those words. I love you. He loved her. He’d said it. The only way she could move forward was to believe he meant it.
Charlie couldn’t deny the attraction between them. Every time he touched her, her body went into overdrive. And that kiss … She flushed remembering the feel of their bodies pressed together, his hands holding her, the taste of his tongue … .
She shook herself. Yes, they were attracted to each other but how could she be in love with him? She knew so little about him. He’d appeared abruptly in her life. He kept secrets from her and, by his own admission, had married her for the convenience of the match. But he also protected her. She’d never forget the look on his face when he burst into her room after the first nightmare.
The memory of their night on the couch came to mind. Their first night sleeping in bed together. She’d fit perfectly next to him. The night he’d walked into her bedroom and nonchalantly got in bed without asking. He’d opened up to her, revealing a side of himself she hadn’t expected. And now the nights spent on the phone. All of it, done for her. But did she love him?
Unable to eat the breakfast she’d prepared, Charlie spent the day in a state of upheaval. She tried to do more class work but her mind wouldn’t settle long enough for her to accomplish anything. Even watching TV proved to be out of the question. She spent the majority of her day staring at the clock, anticipating her late dinner with Ruth.
By the time Liam picked her up, exhaustion weighed Charlie’s body down.
“Ar
e you okay, Mrs. McLean?” Liam asked as he handed her into the car.
Plastering a smile on her face, she nodded. His look revealed his disbelief. They drove to the restaurant in silence, Liam shooting her glances in the rearview mirror. At the restaurant, he stopped at the front door and walked her inside before going to park the car.
The scent of garlic permeated the small room. Dim lighting gave the space an intimate atmosphere despite the tables pressed close together. It took Charlie a minute to spot Ruth at a table by the back. The girl had a phone pressed to her ear. She spoke animatedly, her expressions revealing her annoyance at whoever was on the other end. When she noticed Charlie, her face broke into a smile.
“ …it done.” Ruth gave Charlie an apologetic smile as she took a seat. “We’ll talk later.” She hung up and stashed the phone in her elegant silver clutch. “My mother can’t let me have a night out without calling to nag.”
“Were you waiting long?” Charlie opened her menu, all written in Italian.
“Just long enough for Mother to remind me what time I need to be at the club tomorrow.”
Much to her surprise, Charlie felt a pang of longing. Margaret wouldn’t ever nag her about events at the club again. Not after everything that happened with Mason. Her mother might not have loved her, but she was still her mother. Charlie wished things could have been different between them.
Rather than wallow, Charlie changed the subject. “This place is adorable.” She glanced around at the brick walls and dark interior. A fireplace set in the far wall smelled pleasantly of burning wood. “Where did you find it?”
Ruth picked up her menu and perused it idly. “One of my father’s business partners opened it a few years ago.”
“It’s great.”
“I was thinking of ordering a bottle of wine.” Ruth glanced up. “Would you have some if I did?”
“Sure.” Charlie didn’t like drinking in public, but after the day she’d had, a drink sounded like a good idea. It might help calm her frayed nerves.
Aided by alcohol, their conversation pulled Charlie’s mind away from thoughts of Thayer. But when she caught a glance of Liam at the front of the restaurant watching them, Thayer returned with force. The driver was on his phone, but his eyes never left Charlie. The intense scrutiny made her uncomfortable. She took another big gulp of wine. If Liam’s presence was going to keep Thayer at the forefront of her mind, Charlie was going to drink until it didn’t matter if she remembered or not.
By the end of dinner, the bottle was empty and Charlie couldn’t stop giggling. When the waiter came to see if they wanted dessert, Charlie ordered an Irish coffee.
“What a lush!” Ruth accused, giggling just as hard as Charlie.
“Am not!” The words jumbled in Charlie’s mouth, making her laugh harder.
Ruth laughed so hard she snorted. “You’re drunk.”
“Mrs. McLean.”
Charlie turned to look up at Liam and the room started spinning. “Stop moving, I can’t look at you when you move like that.” She blinked, trying to focus on the driver.
A frown pulled his mouth down. “Are you ready to go, ma’am?”
“I have to pee.” She said with a straight face. His eyes widened a fraction and he flushed a bright red. The effect had Charlie reeling.
Behind the laughter, she heard Ruth slur, “I’ll go with her. Why don’t you get the car and we’ll be ready by the time you pull around front.”
“Thank you, Miss Andrews.”
Charlie was still a giggling mess when Ruth guided her into the bathroom. She didn’t stop until Ruth wound her arm back and slapped her across the cheek.
“What was that for?” Charlie demanded, the room spinning and her jovial mood dying.
“That was for Thayer.” The smile Ruth had worn all evening was gone. In its place, a menacing scowl.
“You’re not drunk anymore,” Charlie muttered, noticing how Ruth’s slur had disappeared. She watched, dumbfounded, as Ruth strutted to the door, locking it with a definite click. The girl turned on her heel, revealing the pure hate in her eyes.
Charlie stepped back, her inebriated mind slowly picking up the danger. “Why did you pretend to apologize?”
Ruth didn’t answer. She was too busy fishing through her purse. When her hand touched the object she’d been searching for, a sinister grin crossed her face. It took Charlie a minute to recognize what she was seeing. A syringe.
Before Charlie had a chance to scream, Ruth was on her, hand covering her mouth. Charlie struggled against the woman’s tight hold. Unbalanced by the alcohol and her tall heels, the two girls came crashing to the tile floor. Charlie tried to push Ruth off, but her limbs were uncoordinated and weak.
“Stop struggling!” Ruth hissed.
Charlie refused, deciding instead to bite Ruth’s hand. She was rewarded with a sharp sting as the syringe punctured her neck.
Her eyes widened and her body went limp. Whatever the needle injected into her body worked quickly. Her fingers tingled and dark spots swam in her vision.
Seeing that she’d stopped struggling, Ruth got to her feet, brushing dirt from her dress. Leaving the needle by the sink, she washed her hands and took a moment to check her hair and makeup.
Charlie’s stomach rolled and she started to gag. Am I dying? Had it been poison in the syringe? Her palms started to sweat and tears stung her eyes. She blinked, trying to see again. She thought of the kubaton still attached to her backpack and wanted to scream.
“Why?” Charlie barely managed to get the word out.
Ruth spared her a quick glance. “Thayer.”
A knock sounded at the door. Hope pulsed through Charlie. It had to be Liam. He’d save her. Ruth’s heels clacked against the tile.
“Yes?” she called sweetly.
A man’s voice replied, muffled through the door.
Charlie blinked and, when she opened her eyes, the waiter stared down at her.
“Ples … hep …” Her tongue felt like it had swollen in her mouth, making coherent speech impossible. The waiter stooped down and grabbed her. His hands cut into her arms, drawing a whimper from her throat. He tossed her over his shoulder and walked out of the bathroom.
Upside down, Charlie watched as she was carried through the kitchen and into an alley. Just before the man tossed her in the back seat of a black SUV, she spotted a figure in the shadows at the edge of her vision. Liam. She tried to call for help but her mouth had turned to mush.
The shadows engulfed Liam and snaked toward her. They pressed in around her, suffocating her. A pair of glowing red eyes stared down at her.
“I always win,” Richard’s voice hissed in her ear.
Gunshots split the night.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Once again, Nemo found himself in the conference room surrounded by screens. This time, only one face looked back at him. Even on the screen, Thayer’s blue eyes burned with frustration.
“Are you sure Charlotte’s safe?” Thayer frowned. “Liam said she was drinking pretty heavily and now I can’t reach either of them.”
“Thayer, you have nothing to worry about. Like you told me, she went out with Ruth and wisely took Liam with her.” Nemo kept himself from accusing Thayer of overreacting.
“What if something happened to Liam? There’s no one else watching her tonight.”
“I trust him and I trust the men I have monitoring her chip. She’ll be fine,” Nemo reassured.
Thayer’s jaw tensed in annoyance. “I trust your men, but something doesn’t feel right. All I’m asking is that you send someone to check on them.” He paused before adding, “She’s an asset. We need to be careful.”
“Don’t worry, I have every—”
Owen barged in, cutting Nemo off mid-sentence.
“We hacked into Grey Technology’s mainframe,” he blurted.
The declaration was like ice water being poured over his head. As calmly as he could, Nemo spoke to Thayer. “I need to handle this
. I’ll call you back.” Without giving Thayer a chance to reply, he ended the call.
Nemo turned his chair to face Owen. “What do you mean we’ve hacked into the mainframe?” He sat up straighter. The monitor behind him pinged with an incoming call. He ignored it.
“I mean, the bug we loaded onto the girl’s chip worked. It allowed us to enter their system. We’re in!”
Nemo’s stomach dropped. “Who’s been monitoring her?” I should have listened to Thayer.
Owen looked uncomfortable. “No one.”
“What?” Red tunneled Nemo’s vision, focusing in on Owen.
“Liam checked in with us when Charlotte arrived at the restaurant.” The broad man shifted from foot to foot. “We figured she’d be fine with Liam there so the men took a few hours to sleep. They haven’t had a chance—”
“And how long ago was that?”
“Over two hours ago,” Owen admitted, not looking Nemo in the eye.
Nemo exploded, fear fueling his anger. “And no one thought to inform me? No one thought that I should know that she wasn’t being watched?”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Owen mumbled.
“Do you realize how the program works? The one we loaded on her chip?” Owen shook his head. “She needs to be connected to Grey Technology’s mainframe.” Owen still wore a blank look. “She needs to be inside their building. She’s with her father!”
“I thought that’s what you wanted. You said she needed to work with her father. She was bound to face him at some point.”
Nemo jumped to his feet, pacing back and forth. How could this all have gone so wrong? “Yes, at some point. I didn’t mean to let her get captured so Richard could torture her.” Dread twisted his stomach into a knot at the thought. “I wanted her to work for his company. That way, the other employees would know her. That way, Richard would be forced to behave with her. Now there’s no one to keep him in line.”
Understanding dawned on Owen’s face. “What do you want me to do?” he asked, frantic for some way to fix the situation.
“Get someone to go through her chip’s records. We need to gather as much information as possible before our access to her is cut off.”
The Determining Page 26