by Lexi Blake
“It’s a deal.” Though Brody’s words were sinking in. He was in the same position. He wasn’t sure he could be happy as some man who worked a nine to five in an office. He was old enough to know he needed this kind of work, and this place was perfect for him.
And Hayley had always known she wanted stability. She would want a husband who didn’t run off across the globe chasing down corporate spies or missing heiresses. Her father had hauled her around looking for the next big score.
This was all the time he would have with her. He wasn’t going to come in and out of her life. He didn’t want that for her. When he walked away this time, it would be forever.
That’s what you said last time, idiot. It’ll be until the next time she calls and you run panting after her, and when she leaves you, it’ll be a hundred times worse than anything Des could have done.
“What do you have?” He needed to focus on the case and not the future. Hadn’t he learned to live in the now? It was all he really had, and the now was looking up if he could deal with his coworkers and their incessant need to get into his business.
“Start with Brody,” Walt said. “This is going to take me a moment.”
He was unthreading the gold chain as Kayla handed him what looked like a small pair of pliers. Nick turned to Brody, hoping Hayley hadn’t gotten too attached to that necklace. He would find her another since it looked like Walt was about to damage this one.
Not a necklace. A collar. She would need a beautiful collar around her throat when they played at night and something more delicate for the daytime. Yes, he could already see a lovely gold necklace around her throat.
“What have you been working on?” He knew Owen and some of the lads downstairs had been going through surveillance tapes.
“First off, I read the letters Desiree sent to both of you. I checked them for prints but there’s nothing on there that would help. Just Hayley and Des and a set that’s registered to a man who works for the company that shipped everything back. I looked into them. Des apparently requested that her Tokyo home be packed up by a specific firm, oddly enough a British firm. They paid to have a team of two men fly all the way out there, pack up her stuff, and ship it. Why not save the money and use a local firm? That’s what most people would do.”
He could clear that up quickly. Des had been anything but ordinary. He glanced down at Brody’s notes and nodded. “Her family used that firm for all their legal issues. They’re expensive and private. They would have gone to great lengths to follow Desiree’s instructions. It would explain why it’s been so long. I don’t buy that this part of her will was in some legal challenge. Des did not want these particular items out in the open until a specific time after her death.”
“The question is why.” Brody sat back down, crossing one leg over his opposite knee. “Look, I talked to Damon about the investigation into Des. Even if this was some kind of blackmail scheme gone wrong, why would she set things up not to play out until two years after her death? And why send it to Hayley? Everything else went to her mother or her sister.”
He knew it well. He’d been the one to pack up all her London flat, carefully discarding or hiding away anything that could have compromised her family. Of course. “She sent it to Hayley and had it packed up in a particular way because she knew if I could I would have gone through it. She didn’t want those boxes searched and possibly seized. Given the investigations into her activities, if something had been delivered to her relatives here in England, they would have been confiscated by MI5. No one would be watching Hayley. Not even the Agency. She and Des hadn’t spoken in years. Hayley was off the radar.”
“All right, I can buy that. Still, it seems like if she knew someone was after her, she would want the rest of us to know,” Brody pointed out. “Like I said, I read that letter, mate. There was nothing in it at all except personal stuff. She did seem to think something could happen to her. The letter wasn’t specifically about what should happen if she died. She knew she was under investigation. She was leaving and this letter was her good-bye to you both.”
“I doubt that. If Desiree was going to run she would want backup.” His gut clenched at the thought of what could have happened. She would have come to him, beautiful eyes in tears, and begged him not to leave her alone. She would have gently reminded him of all he owed her and suggested that this was the time that everything changed. When they were alone, she would surely change.
How had he been so foolish all these years?
“That’s not the way it was written, mate.” Brody considered him for a moment as though trying to figure him out. “I was surprised to find it unopened. You sure you don’t want to read it?”
He felt his jaw tighten. That letter had been a snake waiting to bite him since the moment Hayley admitted she had it. “Not if it’s all personal. Not now. I know someone needed to read it, but I can’t yet. Was there anything in Hayley’s letter?”
Brody put a hand on the envelope. It was sitting right there on his desk. “More of the same. Des cared about you both. She did tell Hayley that if anything ever happened to her and she was in trouble, she should come and find you.”
“So we’re pretty certain this is about Desiree,” Kayla said. “I had to do some research into Hayley to make sure this wasn’t something from her past.”
“No one would want to hurt Hayley. She’s done nothing. She’s a college professor.” This was about Desiree. He could feel it in his gut.
“No one’s perfect, Nick,” Kayla replied as she took the gold chain from Walter and set it aside. “It’s precisely why I decided to look into her. She seems likable, but everyone’s got something they want to hide.”
“Yes, me. I would be the one wild thing she ever tried.” He didn’t like the thought of them looking into Hayley, treating her like…well, like a normal client. This was exactly what they should do. Look at all the angles with the understanding that the client could be lying to them. “She’s not lying.”
“She’s also not telling the entire truth. Did you know she was engaged?” Kayla asked.
“No,” he said carefully. She’d almost married? Two days ago if he’d been asked, a comfortable marriage to some nice man would have been exactly what he wanted for her. Now the thought made his muscles tense. Had she asked this man to marry her? Had she offered some bland man all her sweetness the way she had offered herself to him that night? “What do you know about the man? When was this?”
“Four years ago,” Kayla replied. “I’ve got a file on him if you want to read it. He was a fellow grad student. Apparently it didn’t get to the actual wedding planning stages. She broke things off after a few weeks.”
“Do you know why they broke up?” Who would be stupid enough to let Hayley go? Besides himself, but then he’d had reasons.
“According to the police report she filed, she decided things weren’t working out. That’s what she told the officers.”
“Police report?” He didn’t like the sound of that. What was she hiding from him? He wasn’t angry with her, but she would discover that after tonight, she would keep no secrets from him.
“Yeah, that’s how I found out about the ex. According to the statement, they broke up and he made a scene in the middle of the restaurant they were in. The police were called out and everything was amicable after that for a while. Then about eighteen months later, he started stalking her. I know we still think this is about Des, but I’m going to poke into this guy and see what I can find.”
There was his anger, and none of it was directed toward Hayley. He might have to take a trip to Seattle in the near future. “I’d like a name.”
Kayla huffed, throwing her hands up. “And then he’ll be dead and I can’t poke anymore. Well, I could, but I would have to invite the boys in. They like to poke things.”
He wasn’t going to let her divert him. “I want a name.”
“And I want peace in the world.” She leaned against the counter nonchalantly. “Not really.
That would be so boring. His name is in the file so I guess I can’t hide it. Greg Hansen. Look, you can’t go after him right now. Let me deal with it and later you can play the white knight. Like we said, it’s probably about Des, but I’m going to be careful and look at everything.”
“Where was he when her house exploded? Did the police talk to him? I want you to send everything you have on him to Ariel so she can get me a profile.”
Kayla held a hand out. “I’ve already sent what I have to Ariel. And no, the police didn’t talk to him because according to the police, it was all an accident. We know that’s bullshit, but it does mean the police didn’t exactly have to do a full investigation. Also, he’s got a cousin on the force.”
“So that could explain how it got covered up.” He liked the idea of someone he could easily kill and fix the problem. Not easily kill. Well, easy for him, not for his victim. He would torture the asshole until he begged for death and then Nick would torture him some more. Big Tag complained that no one let him torture people anymore. Perhaps they could have a party of some sort. It could be fun.
“It’s not the ex-fiancé, though I find the coincidence of him suddenly becoming a problem again after eighteen months of peace interesting. I’ll have to think about that.” Walt was speaking but his whole body was focused on his task. He held a thin wire in his hand and he was pressing it down into the hole where the hook had held the chain. It appeared to bisect the small heart, leaving room for the chain and now Walter’s delicate tool. “First off, maybe this kid has connections to the Seattle police force, but that doesn’t explain how someone was waiting here for her. He has mob connections? Here in England and back in the States? I doubt that. No. This is all about whatever is on this beauty.”
“What is it?” Nick watched as Walt carefully pulled the wire back out.
Walt leaned in, his lips curling up. “That is a microdot. Old-school steganography. Damn, Kay, we’re going to need a bigger boat.”
“He means I need to reset the microscope because it’s smaller than we expected.” Kayla moved to his left where she started fiddling with the gear.
There it was, a tiny piece of technology that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Des had been true to the end.
Even from the grave she found a way to fuck with him.
“Let’s get started,” he said with a sigh.
* * * *
Hayley glanced down the hallway and wondered where she’d made the wrong move. She was a hundred percent certain she’d passed the same potted plant twice now.
While The Garden below was a thing of unique beauty, this particular floor was a maze of doors and halls that all looked pretty much the same.
And the damn things weren’t numbered. She’d been told Charlotte Taggart had set up in one of the open offices in the west wing. Teresa had merely explained that she should take the second right, then a left, and then it would be the third office on her right.
Or had that been the second left and then a right?
Maybe Nick had a point about her not wandering around.
“Hello. You must be the new girl.”
She stopped in front of the open office. Finally, someone who might know where she was. It was almost eerily quiet. “Hi, I’m Hayley. I think I’m lost.”
The man gave her a smile that would send most women to their knees. If she had to guess, she would put the man in front of her in his mid-thirties. He stood up from his desk and walked toward her. Blond hair. Piercing green eyes. His shoulders seemed to go on forever. “Being lost isn’t the worst thing in the world. Sometimes being lost takes you right to the place where you need to be.”
She couldn’t help it. She found herself smiling. He was a delicious man, sunny and vibrant. Unfortunately, she liked the brooding and hulking glorious beast type. “Well, I need to be in the place where Charlotte Taggart is. Any idea where I’m going?”
He stepped closer. “Now, I do seem to recall a woman walking around here earlier today. Strawberry blonde hair?”
“Yes. She’s one of the owners of this place. Have you never met her?”
He shook his head. “No idea, but then I don’t remember a lot. Maybe. Probably not. I’ll remember you though. I promise.”
There was a long groan from somewhere inside the room and she heard a masculine voice. “Stop flirting with Nick’s girl, Jax. We have other things to do today.”
The man named Jax waved him off. “Don’t mind Robert. He’s always so serious. It’s all about work with that man. I would much rather play. Why don’t we look around a bit and see if we can find your friend?”
This must be one of the lost boys she’d been told about. “I’m afraid my…Dom wouldn’t like that.”
It was a weird word in her mouth, but she was going to get used to it.
Jax’s face fell. “Damn it. I owe Owen five punches.”
The other man in the room made a sudden appearance. She recognized Robert from the night before. He’d been the one to ask Ariel for her help. Now he was frowning at his friend. “I told you not to bet with Owen anymore. He actually knew Nick from before. He was Nick’s partner. If he says Nick’s crazy about the girl, he’s probably right.”
Jax huffed and turned back to his desk. “Owen doesn’t remember being his partner so he shouldn’t have any better insight than the rest of us. And so much for listening to Brody. He thought Nick would hold out longer on account of sheer stubbornness.”
“You know Ariel says we have instincts that nothing can erase. Owen knows Nick deep down,” Robert explained before turning back to her. “I’m sorry, Ms. Dalton. I believe Charlotte and Ian took the office two doors down. Let me take you there.”
She was about to thank the nice man when she caught sight of a massive white board. There was nothing odd about that sight given that she was currently in an investigative security company, with the exception of the fact that it was her life they appeared to be investigating.
She stepped into the room, moving around Robert. There were several photos of her, some of her parents, Des, and the rest of her family. Her stomach turned as she saw they even had a picture of Greg up with a line drawn to her and the word fiancé.
They were investigating her. Like she was a criminal.
Or like she was the client and they needed to know as much as they could about her, the logical part of her said. The illogical part wanted to pull those pictures down and shove them in the pretty boys’ faces.
Did Nick know about this? Had he seen the wall of shame?
“How did you pull this together so quickly?” She was pleased with how calm her voice was. “You seem to be thorough if you’ve already heard the rumor that I slept with the chair of the history department in order to get my job.”
It was hard not to tear up. There was a photo taken off the college’s website of her boss. He was a genuinely nice man whose love of American history was inspiring. He was also likely on his way out, caught up in a battle for the department chair. The ivory tower had turned out to have as much backstabbing as the real world.
Robert stepped in front of the board. “We were given the task of looking into your background last night. We started making some calls. Discreetly, of course.”
“What does that mean?” Was there a discreet way to call up her colleagues and ask for the dirt on her life?
“It means I called around as a reporter,” Jax explained.
“What would a reporter want with me?” She was sure they’d reported the home explosion. She’d seen some news vans that day, but she’d refused to talk with anyone. She’d been far too shocked to deal with the press. “I understand they’d cover the story, but why would a reporter call up people I know? They had nothing to do with the house fire.”
Jax looked to Robert as if asking for permission. Robert nodded and Jax continued. “You’re the story now. It’s only natural that reporters would start calling. It’s an easy way to make people feel comfortable about talking.”
; “I didn’t think there was much of a story. I thought they were calling it all a gas leak.”
She watched as Robert’s eyes tightened.
“I’ll find out sooner or later,” she promised.
Jax gave her a grin and pointed to his laptop. “You’re kind of a big deal now.”
“Big deal?” She moved to his desk, utterly ignoring the way he patted his lap to offer her a seat.
“Nick’s going to kill you,” Robert said to Jax with a long-suffering sigh.
“She’s so pretty it might be worth it,” Jax replied. “Also, you know how I love a dangerous woman.”
She gasped as she caught sight of the headline on the Seattle news site he had pulled up on his screen.
College Professor Wanted For Questioning In Police Officer Death
She stared at the screen trying to understand what the hell had gone so fucking wrong with her life that she was now a suspect in a murder.
“Do you need a hug?” Jax asked. “Because every time I find out I killed someone I always need a hug. It happens more often than you would think. I keep telling my therapist I need some affection.”
“Don’t you pull that shit with Ariel, either, you horny bastard.” Robert shut the laptop. “Ms. Dalton, would you like a bottle of water? Do you need to sit down? I can call Nick if you like.”
“He wasn’t dead. The police officer wasn’t dead when I ran. He was trying to kill me, but he was alive.” She could still remember the moment she’d realized he wasn’t there to check on her. He’d had his gun in hand and she’d watched as he’d screwed on a silencer and eased off the safety before knocking on her door.
She’d then watched in horror as he’d kicked it in when she didn’t answer.
But he’d been alive.
“According to reports we found this morning, Officer Keller was found dead inside the hotel room assigned to you,” Robert explained. “He was shot in the chest twice. Took out both lungs.”
She shook her head, confusion setting in. “No. That wasn’t his name. Did they run a picture?”