“For what it’s worth,” she said softly. “I’ve always cared about you too.”
Blade stood in the control room with Ian Black’s technician—he hoped to God it was Ian Black’s technician anyway—and watched the man work on the system. It wasn’t until he turned and winked at Blade that he finally knew this was the guy Black had sent. He didn’t know any of Black’s people, so he hadn’t been certain.
“Jace Kaiser,” the guy said as he finished screwing the control panel back together and then plopped down and inserted a flash drive into the USB port on the keyboard.
“Blade.”
“That’s what I heard,” Jace said, grinning. “Welcome to the team.”
“Thanks.”
He tapped some keys and brought up a diagnostic program. “When I finish this, you’ll be able to control the cameras from your phone. You can turn them off when you need to, only they won’t show as off. They’ll loop footage showing an empty room or hallway—or whatever you choose to show. You can control that through the app.”
That would certainly be handy when he was ready to start searching Hunter Halliday’s office.
“You’ll be able to view the footage and activate the sound controls as well. Same as Halliday can—except you’ll get a notice when he sends the command and then you can block it. He’ll get white noise.”
“Which means he’ll be pissed and calling you back to fix it.”
“Get what you need quickly and it won’t matter. But yeah, if he calls for service, we’ll pretend to do the work.” Jace grinned. “Man, I love this job.”
Blade drank his coffee. He’d finished the sandwich already and he was about due for that fresh cup from Li-Wu. “What’d you do before this?”
“I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you,” Jace said, grin still firmly in place.
Blade rolled his eyes, but he was humored. “CIA’s my guess. You’ve got a military bearing, but not quite enough of one to indicate you ever did more than a couple of years.”
“You’re close, but not quite.” He tapped some keys when the program prodded him to do so, then hit Enter. A command line scrolled across the screen. He turned and held out his hand. “Give me your phone.”
Blade fished it from his pocket and handed it over. It wasn’t his personal phone anyway. That was back in DC, safely stowed at his house. This one had been furnished by Ian.
Jace took it, then handed it back. “Lock screen.”
Blade grinned as he unlocked the phone. “Should have said so in the first place.”
Jace brought up the keyboard and started typing. A few seconds later a program downloaded. “Just configuring the app now. Won’t take too long.”
When he handed the phone back to Blade, he pointed at the app. “Tap that.”
Blade did so. A control screen showed him all the cameras in the house. He scanned the various tabs. “Seems straightforward enough.”
“It is. But now is the time to ask questions.”
“Can we do a dry run?”
“Yep, just let me finish the command sequence on the main panel.”
Blade heard approaching footsteps. He turned to see Li-Wu coming down the hall with a tray containing a silver pot of coffee, fresh cups, and cream and sugar.
“For you both,” Li-Wu said politely.
“Thank you,” Blade replied. “You’re a godsend.”
“May I?” Li-Wu asked, indicating the door and the table just inside the room.
“Certainly.”
The man walked into the room and placed the tray on the table. Then he proceeded to pour a new cup for Blade and hand it to him. “Sir?” he asked Jace.
“Yes, thank you,” Jace replied. “Just black.”
Li-Wu completed the task, handed over the coffee, and fixed Blade with a serene look. “Mrs. Halliday has finished her breakfast. She is in the sunroom, reading newspapers.”
“Did she eat everything?”
“Most of it, sir. Is there anything else I can get you?”
“No, Li-Wu. Thank you.”
After the man disappeared again, Jace frowned over his cup of steaming coffee. “What’s up with the missus? She sick?”
“Not sick. Just married to a misogynist jerk.”
Jace didn’t ask any other questions. He finished running his diagnostic program and started to pack up his tools. Then he turned to Blade. “You ready for the run-through?”
“Yep. Sooner I get this figured out, sooner this job is over.”
And the sooner he could get Quinn out of this nightmare she was leading.
But then what?
He shook himself. That was the part he didn’t know…
Chapter Ten
Blade woke in the middle of the night. He rolled over and checked his phone, then lay there blinking for a few moments. The apartment had been busy with contractors, caterers, and cleaners all day. Quinn and Li-Wu were in battle mode for the upcoming party that Hunter was throwing.
Blade had been able to get a quick look at the guest list. It was a veritable who’s who of Chinese government officials and technology titans. There were others as well. Men from international finance and a couple of guys who were certainly connected to a triad. But which triad? He’d texted the names to Ian Black, but there’d been silence on that end other than a terse “Got it.”
He sat up and dragged on a T-shirt and a pair of shorts over his briefs. He tucked a Glock into his waistband, just in case, and grabbed his phone. Hunter was here tonight, ensconced in his room separate from Quinn, but there’d been no noise from that quarter in hours.
Blade called up the app that Jace had installed and killed the cameras for all the public rooms. He could see Quinn in her bed, sleeping, the covers thrown back and one bare leg thrown free. The bed was king-sized, but she only took up one side. She looked small and alone there.
He could also see Hunter. There was a camera in that room, but Hunter had disabled it because he so often spent the night there. Jace had reenabled it while also removing it from Hunter’s feed, which meant the rich bastard wouldn’t even know it was on. But Blade did.
Hunter was asleep, his body sprawled across the king-sized bed. There were papers at his side and a laptop computer near his head. The lights were still on, which told Blade that Hunter had been burning the midnight oil. He’d gone as far as he could apparently, and now he was done.
Li-Wu wasn’t spared from the cameras. He was asleep too, lying on his back, looking as cool and regal in sleep as he did in his daily life, hands folded neatly on his chest, face serene. The man was the perfect butler even when passed out.
Blade kept his eye on the cameras as he slipped from his room and padded down the hallway, heading for the office where Hunter Halliday did his business at home. Blade had wondered why the camera control room wasn’t also in the office, but Hunter’s office answered that question. It was super neat, minimalistic. There was a desk, a computer, and a phone. Papers were nowhere to be seen. There was a television on the wall. It was still on, the sound muted, the screen showing a crawl of the world stock exchanges. The New York Stock Exchange was still open, and the crawl displayed what was happening on Wall Street at that moment.
Blade opened drawers, searching for anything that might stand out. The files were neat and sparse. He powered up the computer, encountering a password request.
“Shit,” he mumbled. What would a narcissist like Halliday use as a password? Not his wife’s name. Not his son’s. Not even his own.
There was no fucking way Blade was going to figure it out. He could restart in Safe Mode and reset the password, but Halliday would know. Blade started opening drawers and looking for a notebook or piece of paper where Halliday might keep his password.
And then, because people were predictable as hell, he found a small address book at the back of a drawer. Inside were websites and passwords rather than addresses. Blade flipped to the entry that said Desktop and snorted. Of course.
Ia
mtheChamp!@#.
He typed it in and the computer welcomed him like he was an old friend. There were documents on the desktop, but nothing suspicious.
He kept looking, kept opening files. Kept checking the cameras to make sure people were still sleeping. And then, when he was beginning to think there was nothing at all, he decided to check the trash—and, bingo, there it was. Purchase orders from Chinese companies that detailed the number of processors, the equipment numbers they would be supplied in, and the specs for the processors.
Asia Sun was the supplier. Blade didn’t know anything about them, but he’d get that info to Ian Black. He inserted a flash drive and downloaded all the documents. Then he kept poking around, searching for more, but there was nothing else. He ejected the disk, put the desktop back the way he’d found it—complete with files still in the trash—and shut everything down.
One last look at the office and then he was heading back to his own room, checking the cameras on his phone. Quinn was still hanging out of the covers, but her silky top had slipped up to reveal more leg and hip. He wished he had time to look at that, but he had to get back to his bed first. Hunter was sprawled in the same position as before. Li-Wu was on his side, one arm flung out.
Blade slipped into his room and closed the door. He turned the cameras back on, excluding the one in his room—yeah, he’d been pissed to find one there that he’d missed. That one was hidden inside the vent, and very cleverly too because he’d done a preliminary search and missed it. Now he’d put it on a loop of him in bed, and he wasn’t inclined to change it. He would in the morning, but not right now. Hunter Halliday wasn’t going to be interested in him sleeping anyway.
Blade stripped off the T-shirt and shorts and climbed back into bed. He grabbed an adapter for his phone, inserted the USB drive, and uploaded everything to a shared online folder for Ian Black. Once he was certain it all went through, he sent the contents of the folder to a covert HOT email address and then erased the USB for safety reasons. It wouldn’t do to get caught with Halliday’s files.
After the USB was clean, he cleared out his sent folder and all traces of the HOT email. He also erased the texts with Ian Black. The number was in his contacts, but he’d added no names.
He brought up the cameras again and chose the one he wanted. Yeah, maybe it was wrong of him to spy, but he wanted to see Quinn again. She was still in the same position, her little silk top slipping off her shoulder now. She was wearing sleep shorts, so there was no chance he was getting a peek at anything he might be interested in.
He put the screen to sleep and lay back against the pillows. Morning would come soon enough, and he’d see her again. He only had to hope that whatever was in those files was enough to put a stop to Halliday’s scheme. And to break Quinn free of the bastard forever.
Quinn worked hard for the next couple of days, getting everything ready for Hunter’s party. He liked to entertain, and when he did he wanted everything as big and sparkly and fancy as possible. No expense was to be spared. Of course they hired people to cater and serve and clean, but it was Quinn’s job to select everything and make sure it was all done to perfection.
Well, hers and Li-Wu’s. Li-Wu was wonderful, of course, but Quinn didn’t feel right leaving everything to him. So she spent time going over the menu with the caterers, double-checking the guest list, approving seating arrangements, and generally checking that all the arrangements were running smoothly.
The day of the party dawned. Hunter went to the office that morning and left Quinn with strict instructions to dazzle. She had a stylist and makeup artist booked for late afternoon, so she wasn’t particularly worried. When they arrived, she was bathed and ready for the pampering and primping.
She closed her eyes and thought of Blade as one girl worked on her nails while another styled her hair. The makeup would come later, once her hair was done.
She wondered what Blade would think. They’d talked quite a bit over the past couple of days—about life, about high school when no one was listening, about what they’d each been doing since graduation.
Not that they didn’t already know those things, but they went into more detail—about his travel, about her weight loss and surgeries and fitness modeling. She wanted to understand how he’d come to be here, working for Hunter, but he was vague on details.
“I left the Navy and went into private contracting” was all he’d say.
“But why did you leave the Navy?” she asked. Because he’d sounded like he really loved it when they’d been talking.
“This pays better.” He’d said it in a way that invited no further commentary.
She didn’t really know him anymore. That was apparent. But she wanted to. The crush she’d had on him in school was as big as ever. She told herself it was because she was desperately unhappy and there was no guarantee she’d be happy with Blade even if he did return her feelings. She’d made the mistake of thinking a man adored her once before and look where that had gotten her.
Desperate-for-love Quinn had fallen for the wrong guy, and he’d wasted no time in smashing all her illusions about him. That was one thing she would never understand, because if he’d kept on the way he’d started, she’d probably still adore Hunter in spite of his caustic personality. She’d be his biggest cheerleader.
It took a couple of hours, but Quinn was dressed and ready for the arrival of their guests. She wore the deep blue gown with the slit up her thigh. Her red hair was styled in great chunky waves hanging over her shoulders and down her back. Her makeup was sheer perfection, highlighting her green eyes and making her face look like she’d stepped out of the pages of a magazine.
It never ceased to amaze her how beautiful she looked with the right makeup. She’d worked hard to lose weight and transform her life, but there were things about her appearance she’d never liked. Her nose was a little too big for her liking. Her eyes weren’t wide enough. Her lips were too full.
But add the right shading and coloring and she looked like a million bucks. Precisely what Hunter wanted.
The stylist and her girls departed, and Quinn glided from her room into the main living areas of the apartment. It was still light outside, the setting sun sparkling on the harbor and throwing warm light into the depths of their dwelling.
Blade looked up from where he stood with Hunter on the terrace as she emerged onto the marble tile. His eyes widened and he blinked rapidly before frowning hard. Hunter didn’t see it though. He glanced up as her heels clicked over the tile.
“Ah, Quinn.” His gaze raked over her approvingly. “Yes, that’s what I wanted.” He held out his arm, inviting her into the circle of it. She cringed at the thought of going, but she wouldn’t anger him. Not when he seemed in a good mood.
She stepped into his embrace, and he tightened his arm around her, turning her to face Blade. “Look at this woman,” he urged.
Blade did so, blanking his expression into one of cool impassivity. “She’s very lovely.”
Hunter dragged her closer and pressed a dry kiss to her cheek. “She’s not merely lovely. She’s exquisite. The most beautiful woman in all of Hong Kong.”
Red-hot embarrassment flooded her, but she didn’t dare argue with him.
“I believe you’re right, sir,” Blade replied.
“Damn straight I’m right. These bastards tonight will envy me. They’ll want what I have instead of the tired old nags they’ve got. You mark my words.”
Quinn wanted to disappear. She hated when Hunter talked that way. She hated that he thought that way. But he put more stock into appearances than into loving relationships.
Worse, when he was this pleased with himself for choosing her, he could start feeling amorous. What if he decided tonight was the night to end his absence from her bed?
Just a few days ago, she could have borne it. But now that Blade was here, in her life? Now that she’d kissed him and felt what it was like to really, truly want someone?
Oh God, how would she s
urvive it?
“Yes, sir,” Blade said.
“Keep an eye on her tonight, boy. I want them to know it’s impossible to have her. She’s mine.”
Hunter’s arm tightened around her waist and he dropped in to kiss her again. Only this time he aimed for her mouth. Her heart throbbed as she ducked her head just in time.
“Lipstick,” she whispered as his eyes hardened. “It will stain your mouth.” She stepped up on tiptoe and touched her cheek to his, hoping that would appease him.
His arm slipped from her waist, but not before his fingers brushed the underside of her breast. “You can suck my dick instead, Quinn. Nobody will see the lipstick there.”
He grasped her hand as if he planned to tug her toward the bedroom. She wanted to protest, but her voice stuck in her throat. She shot a look at Blade, who clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides. She wanted him to do something, and yet she didn’t.
Because if he did, if he said anything, he’d be on the next plane back to the States. And that she couldn’t handle at all.
Li-Wu appeared in the entry and bowed. “Sir, the Chens are here,” he said, standing back to allow a couple to enter the room.
“Ji,” Hunter exclaimed, letting her hand go and throwing his arms wide in welcome as he approached the man and his wife. “Welcome.”
The man held out his hand and the two shook. “Thank you, Hunter. We are happy to be here.”
Quinn pressed a hand to her chest, breathing in and out steadily. Calming herself. She glanced at Blade. His mouth was set in a flat, hard line.
“You remember my wife?” Hunter asked, turning to indicate Quinn. “Darling,” he urged, his eyes flashing. “Say hello to Ji and his lovely wife.”
Quinn immediately morphed into hostess mode, hurrying forward to shake hands and kiss cheeks. “Welcome. It’s so nice to see you again, how are you?”
She didn’t dare look back at Blade. But she could feel the angry heat rolling from him. She prayed he was still here at the end of the night—and that she went to bed alone.
HOT SEAL Target Page 8