The sound of snapping twigs jerked Amory’s head up. He watched her tight expression drop and the color drain from her face as she spotted him. This wasn’t the girl he had once loved, or the woman who now filled his every waking moment, that woman didn’t exist. She was an undercover officer. What the hell was going on? She had been lying and the pain of her betrayal rocked through him at the realization.
She hesitantly took a step toward him and panic filled him. He had to get away from her before he said something he couldn’t take back. He knew he had to get out of there. He couldn’t deal with her now. Spinning on his heels, he sprinted to the house.
On his way he realized that he might not be able to deal with Amory now, but there was someone else who could give him an explanation. Someone who definitely owed him an explanation.
He flew through his brother’s office door, barely registering the way William moved back deeper into his chair, flinching as he slapped his hands on the desk.
“Amory!” Jackson barked the single word, unable to make his brain form a coherent sentence.
He resisted the urge to shake William as his brother looked up at him cautiously. Good, William needed to know he wasn’t messing around. He was bloody sick of being kept in the dark.
“Who?” William replied weakly, confusion clear in his features.
“Amory,” Jackson repeated with frustration, gesturing to the desk outside William’s office.
“Do you mean Olivia?”
“Her name is Amory,” growled Jackson as he glowered at his brother.
“Oh,” exhaled William, panic flashing across his features. “Look, I can explain, just calm down.”
“Damn right you’ll explain. You’ll do it whether I calm down or not.”
Jackson paced as William hesitantly, and clearly unwillingly, explained that he had been short of cash and ideas so had agreed to sell one of the estate paintings to Marek.
“You can’t do that until you’re forty-five,” Jackson pointed out.
“Yes, yes. I do know the rules of the estate, but I managed it anyway. That’s how I got into this mess.”
“Well, how the hell did you manage to sell one? And what the hell does that have to do with Amory?”
“Look, just let me explain.”
Crossing his arms Jackson stood, and it took all his effort to hold himself still. He had to let William speak but it was almost impossible to stop himself from interrupting.
“I met a man who had a seemingly marvelous plan to get a copy made of one of the paintings and sell the original discreetly.”
It took a moment for the words to make sense, but then startled he realized what William was really saying.
“You mean a forgery and a black-market sale,” Jackson stated with a mirthless laugh.
William held up his hand to silence Jackson so he could continue. “Certainly, I appreciate it was not a sensible plan.”
“My brother, master of the understatement.”
“It turns out he was a bit more than just an art fan.”
“I take it he’s Marek?” Jackson said as he made the connection.
“Yes.”
“So why is Amory here?”
“Look, I didn’t know she was called Amory. She’s the undercover officer here to try and catch Marek up to something. Turns out he’s a real nasty bugger, into people trafficking, amongst other things.”
Jackson’s mind spun with his thoughts. What the hell was William thinking of? Why hadn’t he come to him, his business was doing well, really well, and thanks to their mother he was already independently wealthy. He’d already offered to help financially. Besides, after the fuss William made when Jackson had, in William’s own words “ruined the family name,” Jackson would have thought his brother would avoid something like this like the plague. William’s obsession with the family name was as ingrained as his loyalty to the house itself.
Amory was in with the police. The idea seemed surreal but some part of him was impressed that she had turned her own life around. Despite all these questions and thoughts spinning around his brain, the one that popped out was, “How long has Amory been here?”
“She came about two weeks before your visit.” William’s embarrassed expression gave way to a puzzled look. “Why? Do you know her?”
“You could say I know her.”
Then before he could stop himself he blurted out, “Did you sleep with her?”
“Christ no,” replied William with a shake of his head. “She’s pretty and all that but she scares me witless … useless at typing, too.”
Jackson felt his tension ease back a level. He hadn’t realized how much that thought had been bothering him, and bile rose in that part of him that cared despite the fact she’d been lying to him.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Not so in control after all then, Sarge,” Roberts said with a sneer as Amory gazed hopelessly at Jackson’s retreating back. “There goes your cover.”
“I’ll figure it out,” Amory said. Her voice was clearer and steadier than she would have believed possible with the miserable desperation that filled her, and heading toward the house, black bag in hand she added, “You worry about doing your job properly and let me worry about mine.”
With Roberts’ words ringing in her ears, she walked slowly back to the house, knowing that despite the ache she felt deep in her very core she was going to have to suck it up and get the job done. Guessing that Jackson would have gone straight to confront William, she headed that way.
As she neared William’s office, the thick old panel walls muffled the sound enough to disguise the words but weren’t able to cover the murmur of Jackson’s raised voice entirely. She didn’t dare pause, knowing if she stopped for even a second she’d lose her nerve. Instead she squared her shoulders and pushing the door open, prepared to get her heart smashed into little pieces.
Holding up her palm to stop the protests that were about to spill from William’s mouth as he began to rise from his chair, she shot him her best “do as you’re damn told” look.
“Sit,” she ordered.
Projecting a confidence she didn’t feel, she turned to Jackson and resisted the urge to go to him and beg him to forgive her as she met his blank expression. Silently thanking the years of experience that were letting her hold herself together now, she spoke.
“I’m sure William has filled you in by now?”
The almost imperceptible incline of his head indicated that William indeed had. The tension radiating from him was a palpable presence in the room making it clear he was struggling to hold his tongue.
“What he might not have told you is that he’s going to be indicted for grand larceny for theft from the estate’s trust. That would mean seizure of the house to recoup his illegal gains and a substantial jail term.”
She turned to face William who was studying the floor. “Not ideal for a duke, is it, William?”
William nodded his agreement without looking up.
“Your brother’s new friend uses the art scam to hook influential people and then blackmails them into supporting his main business. People trafficking.”
Jackson looked stunned but she could tell he was trying to follow what she was telling him.
“How would William be of any use?”
“William and people like him tend to have titles and fancy houses, they move in the sort of circles that appeal to his clientele. They also have the sort of expanse of land and property that makes it easy to hide things. In addition, local law enforcement are wary of being too heavy-handed with titled people and often turn a blind eye to anything which might seem out of the ordinary. The high cost of having all that land and property alongside limited income, but with easy access to high value works of art and antiquities, make them good targets for Marek Berishka. His ultimate goal is to get them in his pocket and then use them when he brings people, principally young women, into the country. He combines the women’s arrival with one of his parties in a pl
ace like this.” She waved her hand, indicating the estate.
“Parties?”
“The guests may enjoy them but trust me, the newly arrived women do not.”
Just thinking about it turned Amory’s stomach, but strengthened her resolve to get through this. She pulled her thoughts away from the horrors of those so-called parties and forced her attention to the matter at hand.
“By helping us get enough evidence to indict Berishka, William gets the charges against him reduced. He may be able to get away with a reduced sentence and he gets to delay returning the funds for an agreed number of years. That way the estate has a chance of being able to afford it without being seized.”
Meeting Jackson’s eyes she added, “I know you hate me and I can’t say I blame you, but if you don’t suck it up your brother is going to prison for a long time and everyone who depends on the estate will be out. You can stay and play your part, or you can leave before they arrive for the hunt tomorrow, but no one can derail this. There’s too much at stake. For everyone.”
With every word she uttered her heart broke a little more. The pain intensified to the point she had to turn on her heel before she ruined it all and cried in front of them.
“Why would you hate her?” William asked, but Amory barely heard the words.
She was halfway across her own office space when Jackson grabbed her shoulder, turning her to face him.
“What, when?” he began, his words coming out muddled as he clearly tried to pull his thoughts together. “Did you join up because of me? When?”
She looked up at him, knowing what he was asking. She knew she had to tell him the truth but was desperately wishing she didn’t.
“I joined up twelve years ago.”
The inevitable understanding dawned in Jackson’s eyes and he dropped his hold on her, the confusion vanishing behind a glimpse of pure anguish that crushed her chest before vanishing behind a blank mask.
“It was you. You were the mystery witness.” His voice was quiet and his tone low, but in that moment he seemed more dangerous than anyone she had ever faced.
She fought to control the quiver in her voice. “That’s irrelevant. All that matters now is stopping Marek.”
“Irrelevant. You’ve taken my heart and wrung it dry. For ten years I’ve dreamed of you and that time we shared. For ten years I’ve felt the weight of letting you down, and it was all a lie.”
She wanted to respond, to tell him it hadn’t been a lie, that how she felt had been real, but he spoke again before she could find the words.
“I can’t do this now.”
She watched him walk away, disappearing down the corridor and taking her heart with him.
“It wasn’t a lie,” she whispered, the realization that Jackson had truly loved her worming its way into her consciousness.
Somehow she made it to her room before the sharp pain tearing at her chest took her breath completely and her legs crumpled.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Pausing only long enough to grab a scythe, Jackson had stalked straight out to the grounds, but despite hacking at the wild undergrowth until it was too dark to see his hand in front of his face, the raging emotions continued to pound through him. He needed to get away from Amory. He’d gone to prison for a crime he’d committed to give them a future and she’d been the one to put him there. The cold betrayal licked at the cold ball of anger that had been growing since he’d accepted the truth of her words. Heart pounding a rapid rhythm, he swung the scythe back and forth, removing the overgrowth and letting it fall, while he contemplated getting as far away as possible from her.
Despite what he wanted to do, he knew he couldn’t leave William. Not when this was the first time since his own time in prison that his brother had asked him for anything. It had taken his brother’s current situation to realize it, but he finally understood that making a mistake all those years ago didn’t make him a bad person, just stupid. Stupidity was something he could live with but that wasn’t going to make it any easier for him to stay here.
When Amory had told him how long she’d been in the police force, his heart had just about stopped. He’d thought he’d been heartbroken before, but in that instant he’d realized he hadn’t had a clue. The sharp pain that pulled at his chest was strong enough that all he’d been able to do was walk away. Now he focused on letting his anger grow. Anger was easier to handle than the gut-wrenching pain.
After his habitual check of emails, he called the office to talk Celia through the invoice for one of their smaller clients.
“Are you alright, Jackson?” she asked when he’d finished dishing out instructions.
“I’ll be fine.”
“So in other words, no,” she said. “Want to talk about it?”
“Not really.”
Celia remained silent and as always, he found himself opening up.
“She’s not who I thought she was,” he said, the words coming out cracked.
“In what way?” Celia asked, her voice quiet, soothing.
“She’s an undercover police officer.”
“Why is she at the house?” Celia finally asked.
“William’s in a bit of trouble and he’s explained that she’s part of that.”
“So she’s helping him?” Celia asked, surprising him. He’d expected her to want to know what sort of trouble.
“I guess so,” he said, not really wanting to face the fact that after lying to him she was here to help.
“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?”
“She was undercover the first time we met,” he said flatly.
They were both silent for a while, Celia processing what he’d shared and him trying to pull himself together. He was wound so tight he didn’t know whether he wanted to go to Amory and make damn sure she never walked away from him again or whether he wanted to shoot something—not her, never her. Even through his maelstrom of emotion just the thought of her getting hurt twisted his pain tighter. One thing was certain, cutting through the undergrowth wasn’t going to be enough to get him through this.
“I can’t imagine how hard this is for you,” Celia said softly. “Have you spoken to her?”
“I can’t, I was just a job to her. I feel so betrayed I don’t know what I would say.”
“It’s a very difficult situation,” Celia said, drawing her words out as though considering exactly what she was going to say next. “But didn’t you say that she tried to stop you from getting involved?”
“Yes,” he said slowly, not sure he wanted to hear where she was going with this.
“I’m not going to make any judgements, but it seems like that’s not the sort of thing she should have been doing, not if it was just a job for her. It might be worth talking to her, at least you’d have the whole picture then.”
He rubbed at his jaw, the sensation of his rapidly reappearing beard giving him something to focus on other than the fact he didn’t want to listen to Celia when she was talking sense, not right now.
“I take it you’re going to stay there and help William,” she said when he didn’t reply.
“Yes, I can’t leave him to deal with this on his own.”
“Well, you know I’m here for you.”
He felt himself let out a breath. Her assumption that he would do the right thing, even if it was hard, and knowing that she was there to support him lifted a tiny bit of the weight that was pressing down on him.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jackson pulled on his boots. He wasn’t a fan of hunting, but his body’s continued desire for her had him desperate to get out of the house where he could feel and smell her in every room.
Even now he couldn’t get his head around the level of her deception. The realization that he couldn’t trust anything that had happened between them hooked into every part of him and pulled tight. She had been lying to him since he first met her all those years ago. Everything about her was just part of some elaborate construction. He didn’t even know if
Amory was her real name. How could he have spent so many years fighting his guilt at destroying something that hadn’t even been real? How could he have fallen for her again?
Walking downstairs, he sensed Amory before he saw her. She was standing in the hallway with William, Marek, and of course Pavol, who Jackson now realized was the man’s bodyguard. It certainly explained the sense of violence the man exuded. He would have preferred different companions but at least this way he could keep an eye on William.
“Good luck today, gentlemen,” Amory said chirpily with a bright smile on her face.
He grunted at her, not trusting his voice. He carefully avoided touching her as he accepted the picnic bag she offered. The slight tremble in her arm make his heart ache, and unable to resist, he took the opportunity to look at her as she stared steadfastly at the ground. When he saw the dark shadows under her eyes and the blank glassy look that put the lie to the forced brightness of her smile, he suppressed the urge to comfort her.
He gave himself a mental smack. She didn’t deserve his reassurance or comfort. How dare she look distressed when he was the one who had been betrayed? He stalked out of the house without uttering a single word to her before he could give in to his body’s need to pull her to him and cling tightly.
****
Amory made her way upstairs to Berishka’s suite once the hunting party had left, a mental fog muting her connection with her surroundings. She might not want to deal with the disaster zone that was her heart, but she could damned well do her job. With the men out of the house for the next few hours, she had plenty of time to search the bedrooms Berishka and Novak had been allocated. She’d assumed they would sweep for bugs on arrival so hadn’t wanted to put the listening devices in before they’d arrived that morning. Hopefully now they were settled, they wouldn’t bother searching again.
Methodically undertaking her tasks, she indulged herself with a deep sigh. Could it really be less than twenty-four hours since she was last in Jackson’s arms? Despite having known this time would come, knowing that it was inevitable he would find out who she really was, she felt like her whole life had exploded around her in just a short moment.
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