True Peril

by Veronica Forand

  Then a sick thought came to her mind. What if Juan Carlos located her family and wanted to hurt them? Was he ruthless enough to harm her family for revenge? She rose and walked to the door casually, knowing everyone would be watching and analyzing. A silver-plated letter opener sat on the side table in the hall. She grabbed it in case someone from the Red Hawks had decided to visit, and then she edged the door open.

  The last person on Earth Eve wanted to see stood in front of her, looking sexy, lethal, and smug. Simon. He’d dressed all in black, like death arriving from Milan after fashion week. He couldn’t be here because of the water incident. Could he? She wasn’t worth the cost of the airfare.

  “Are you lost? Because there’s no way you happened to be driving by my mother’s house.” She tried to act as though she didn’t care that he’d just flown over the Atlantic Ocean to Long Island two days after she’d left London and her nightmare marriage behind her. Her overactive flight response made her stomach burn and her legs itch to run like hell. The letter opener remained pointed toward him.

  “That’s the wrong question.” He stood in the open doorway, blocking the view of the neighborhood with his huge shoulders and towering height. “The question should be, ‘How did you find me?’ The answer is that I know everything, Trista.”

  Her birth name on his lips scared her. In terms of good and evil, Simon had all the characteristics of the stereotypical British villain: his accent, nearly bald head, and his “I don’t give a shit” attitude. The black leather jacket and boots intensified it. His eyes focused on the opener she tapped in her hand. He reached for it, and she handed it over. If he could fight Dane like he had, a letter opener probably wouldn’t slow him down. He stretched around her and placed it on the side table.

  “Let’s go for a drive.” A spark of amusement in his eyes made his request more palatable. Did she trust him? For some strange, deep-in-the-gut reason, she did, but that must be his blue eyes hypnotizing her, because he was not trustworthy.

  “I’m in the middle of dinner and should probably return.” She went to push him out and close the door, but he blocked her.

  His hand pushed the door open again. He stepped all the way into the foyer, then shut the door behind him. “Great, I’m famished. First, I’d like to discuss an employment opportunity that I think you may find fairly lucrative.”

  “I already have employment opportunities, many of them.”

  “I don’t think you understand. Once I leave here, my offer is void. You need to think very carefully before you say no.”

  “How can I say anything if I don’t even know what I’d be doing?”

  “Did Dane ever explain my company to you?”

  “Business. Imports and exports.”

  He nodded. “I import and export weapons and ammunition to people who can afford to pay my fees. I bring together parties on each side of a transaction and act as the middleman. I’m the person who makes sure the transfers go through without a hitch.”

  That unsettling feeling that prodded her to avoid him every time she spoke with him hurt more like a serrated knife to the abdomen now.

  “You’re an arms dealer? You’re one of the assholes who supply the militias in Columbia with enough guns to kill entire villages.” It all made sense now. He was the enemy. “I heard you speak about Juan Carlos. No wonder he let Dane go. He wants weapons.”

  “Juan Carlos won’t receive even a water gun from me. I don’t sell to drug dealers, usually. It has to be the right group with the right collateral.”

  Her body shifted away from him as though he could hurt her, even in the foyer of her childhood home. Could he? “What do you want with me?”

  “You’ve shown grit in the face of some pretty ugly circumstances. In other words, you’re brave enough, smart enough, and maybe even strong enough to blend into my world. You understand a decent amount of information about arms, and you speak fluent Spanish. I need an assistant with those qualifications. I’ve chosen you.”

  “You’ve chosen me? You can’t just choose me. I’m not an object to buy in the store.”

  Simon turned those ice-blue eyes toward her. There wasn’t an ounce of doubt in his expression, just pure confidence. “You don’t wish to remain in your mother’s house, you can’t return to your position in Columbia, and you’re traveling with an illegal passport. One call to the authorities, and I’ll have you arrested and thrown in prison. What choice do you have?”

  “I have choices. I can apply for another aid position.”

  “Not without proper documentation. And don’t even try to contact someone in law enforcement. They won’t believe you. I can make sure you never make it two blocks from this house without the police detaining you indefinitely. Do you want your family ripped apart in the press?”

  “I can…” Nothing. She could do nothing, and Simon knew it.

  “Trust me, you were born for this position. Fly back to London with me. You can stay in the guest room at my house. You and I will be spending a significant amount of time together as you train. I’ll cook and Cassie can keep you company when I’m not around. If you prefer privacy after you’re trained, I’ll lend you my flat in London.”

  Laughter rang out from the dining room. He strode toward the sound. “Come on, it’s time I met the family.”

  The family stopped speaking when he entered the room wearing his hyped-up alpha attitude.

  “Everyone, this is Simon.” She faced her mother. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

  Her mother’s excitement fell, but she smiled again when he rested a hand on Eve’s shoulder.

  When Eve glanced at him, he merely smiled as though they were headed for matrimonial bliss, despite his hugely pregnant wife.

  Whatever. He was leaving soon anyway. Without her. She gestured to him and his brightest smile. “Simon, this is my family.”

  Her mother, proper to the end, stood up, welcomed him, and made room at the table next to Eve. Scott shook his hand and appeared to wince before he pulled it away. Bradley remained seated. As office supply royalty, he should have had a basic set of manners, but as Allegra’s choice of a husband, he just needed to be shallow and self-serving. Allegra stared with open mouth and wide eyes. And then her gaze dropped to below Simon’s belt. So much for Bradley as the best body in the house. Bradley attempted to sit taller, but he’d never come close to Simon. Simon tended to hoard all the attention in a room just with his presence. Bradley drank more wine and frowned.

  After serving Simon an overgenerous portion of food and a glass of wine, her mother started the interrogation. “How did you two meet?”

  Simon finished chewing, leaned back in his chair, and then winked at Eve, giving the entire table the wrong idea of their relationship. “Bogotá. A small, smoky bar, a few shots of tequila, and she was mine.”

  Bubblegum compliments rolled off his tongue with ease.

  Allegra’s attention twisted to her sister and then back to Simon, not really believing she could handle a man like him. She was probably right, but it was a fun charade. “So you’re dating? I didn’t think Trista attracted men like you.”

  Simon laughed and placed his hand over Eve’s hand on the table. A possessive move. “I’m looking for a more serious relationship than she wants. I’ve come to convince her that life with me would be far more interesting than life without me.” As he spoke, his voice lowered and became serious.

  What the hell was he doing?

  “As I told you in Bogotá,” Eve said. “I’m not interested. I picture you with a tall, intelligent blonde. Probably a vegetarian as well. Not some medium-build brunette who craves red meat.”

  “After everything we’ve been through together, you should know exactly where you’d fit in my life.” Simon lifted his glass toward her in a toast and then took a long slow drink. One made to keep a woman’s focus on his lips.

  She focused elsewhere. Her mother and Allegra, however, were both caught under his spell.

  “Will you be stay
ing here long?” Her mother had on her impress-the-guest countenance, serene, with enough interest to make the person feel welcome and comfortable.

  Simon took his time savoring a piece of beef before answering. “As soon as Trista gathers her things, we need to fly home.”

  “Home?” Allegra asked. “Where are you from?”

  “Currently London, but we may be moving to South America. Very soon.” He winked at Eve again.

  She’d just taken a sip of wine and choked as she swallowed. Everyone but Simon stared at her as though she’d just blown her only opportunity to snag a man. The man in question, however, grinned at her as though they were both in on a private joke. And they were. Only she didn’t know the punchline.

  An uncomfortable silence filled the room, until Scott decided to join the interrogation. “What do you do for a living?”

  What they hell was he going to say? I’m an arms dealer, and I’d love your daughter to join my illegal enterprise.

  The doorbell rang again before he could answer.

  “More guests? I’ll get it.” Eve bounded out of her seat and raced to the door. She shouldn’t have hustled. Neither Allegra nor her mother would leave Simon’s presence.

  Eve didn’t grab the letter opener this time. If someone from a rebel group had arrived at her residence, Simon would be able to handle it, unless it was Dane.

  And when she opened the door, sure enough, it was Dane.

  Attired in a navy Armani suit, he looked like the CEO of a corporation, not one of the sales force. A black and blue shadow around one of his eyes hinted at the toughness that remained submerged under his normally genteel self. Eve swallowed back her attraction. He’d left her, and she needed to get a grip.

  “You were supposed to remain in London,” he said with no greeting whatsoever. His face softened, however, and he reached out to touch under her chin.

  The touch sizzled her defensiveness and melted some of the ice covering her heart. Damn him. She wanted him gone from her life. Yet, his presence made her long for something she didn’t want to want.

  “I took a plane back. They’re pretty convenient for travel.” She tried to mask her feelings with haughty indifference so he wouldn’t see her confusion and pain. “Why do you care? I’m sure you’ve replaced me threefold by now.”

  “You couldn’t be more wrong. You’re my wife. I wouldn’t cheat on you.”

  She coughed out a laugh. “Tell that to the trampy blonde in the pub. She was more than willing to make a dishonest man out of you.”

  “I did not cheat. I literally can’t cheat on you. It’s like you’ve infected my brain and altered my thoughts.”

  “Perhaps you should see a physician. I’m sure there’s medication you can take for that.” For some reason, his abuse of her heart hurt even though they had a purely fictional relationship. Which was completely irrational, but real just the same. She pulled away from him and walked back into the dining room. Might as well add the devil to this dinner from hell.

  When she arrived with Dane following her like a shadow, she found Allegra displaying a photo of Trista in her uniform, graduating from the police academy. She provided accompanying narration as well. “I think she scared all the guys around her away. She never had a date during that time, and I doubt she had any friends, either.” She glanced at a now-frowning Simon. “But I’m sure she’s softened into something more ladylike since then.”

  Her mother seemed disappointed in Allegra, but, as always, didn’t say anything that would injure her feelings.

  “Sweetheart,” Simon said to her before she fully entered the room, no doubt trying to warn the family where his loyalty resided. Not the best move with Dane standing behind her.

  She turned to Dane and elbowed him to keep him quiet. It didn’t work.

  “Sweetheart?” His eyes, normally more hypnotizing than Simon’s, blazed, but the flames were not aimed at her.

  Eve acted as fast as she could. “Simon, you remember, Dane. Dane, these other folks are members of my family, except for Bradley. He’s with Allegra. They just became engaged. Allegra, show him the ring.”

  Everyone ignored her.

  “Don’t you have little robots to sell?” Simon asked him, a smirk lifting the corners of his mouth.

  “What the hell are you doing here? I told you to stay away from her.” Dane barked out his words.

  He’d warned Simon away from her? Part of Eve liked this protective husband mode, and the other part remembered being abandoned in London. The latter part won out, and she stepped closer to Simon.

  Her eyes widened at the sight of Dane moving in her direction. Simon stood and slid in front of her. He glared down at Dane, like her guard dog. Had she become some sort of prize between them? The idea of being treated like an object didn’t go over well with her psyche, so she pushed Simon to the side. Luckily, he moved so she could see Dane. Her husband. Brown hair, brown eyes, black heart.

  Her family whispered amongst themselves. Not even her stepfather would step between these two huge men, although he would have if it were Allegra in her place.

  Then her mother, peacemaker extraordinaire, stood and approached the threesome. “Is everything all right?”

  “Everything is fine, Mom. Let me speak with them alone for a few minutes, please.” She led Simon and Dane to the foyer.

  As soon as they were away from her family, Dane spun toward Simon. His hand clenched into a fist and pressed into his side as though restraining himself from a repeat of the fight in London. “And you happened to be driving by her house?”

  “When I see an opportunity, I seize it. Unlike you, throwing the opportunity of a lifetime away because you’re scared to rejoin the game. Eve has potential, and I aim to exploit it.”

  “Stay away from her,” Dane growled.

  Simon’s laugh, low and as decadent as chocolate lava cake, boomed across the room. “You have no say about her future employment, and I’ll put money she’s trusts me more than you.”

  “She’d be an idiot to trust you.”

  “Guys, I’m sorry, but I don’t trust either one of you. I’m returning to work, my work, as soon as I get my name and passport back.”

  Simon laughed. “You didn’t tell her this was permanent, did you.”

  “Permanent?” What was permanent? A knot tightened in her stomach. Permanent had a very drawn out sound to it. And long and drawn out with either of them could not be good.

  Dane sighed and tried to step toward her, but she took a quick step back. Somehow she’d been forced into the middle of something where it seemed only she would be the loser.

  “Is my identity change permanent?” she asked again.

  “Juan Carlos is a raving fucking lunatic. He wants blood, since one of the men you killed was his nephew. We want you safe, above anything else.” Dane, hands loosened, had turned back into the salesman, but she was feeling immune to his charms.

  “Once I’m back in service, it would be next to impossible to find me. I’ll probably end up in the middle of Uganda.”

  He shook his head. “It’s more than you, it’s your family, and he’s more than capable of finding you all. The man has more pull than we originally thought. I called Jenny and had her take your passport and anything with your information and hand it over to someone I work with.”

  “So he can bring it here?”

  “It was found on a dead woman’s body. You’ve been declared dead in Columbia.”

  “I’m dead?”

  “Only your past. You have a wonderful future in front of you. It was the only way to ensure the safety of everyone in your family.” Dane stepped toward her, but she again stepped back, still trying to understand what this meant.

  “Where’s the body?”

  “It was buried in a hidden grave.”

  “I don’t believe you wiped out my existence.” But if her family was truly at risk, maybe it was for the best. Her mother was the family member who mattered the most to her, but everyone else, n
o matter how hurtful they’d been to her, didn’t deserve to be harmed. Her face heated as she realized she may never be coming home again.

  “Where do you want me to go? I haven’t set anything up yet.” She closed the gap and stood a foot in front of Dane. “What are you offering me?”

  He rested his hands on her shoulders. “A new life, a new identity. A place of your own.”

  “Not good enough. I want to go back to work.”

  His hand brushed across her cheek. The intimate gesture and the caring look on his face made her want to agree to anything for a chance to curl up in his arms again, but he’d told her the relationship was only temporary, and he’d meant it. “We can discuss this after you move to a secure location.”

  “With you?” She could perhaps hole up with him a few months. It wouldn’t be torture.

  “I’ll be around. It’s just my job is crazy right now. I have a plane to catch in an hour, and I can’t miss it. Why not go to Canada? Find a decent place to live, and I’ll come up to see you as soon as I can.”

  “Canada?” She backed away from him. She didn’t want to go to Canada. He didn’t know anything about her, yet she kept making him into some white knight. He’d just met her. And now he was promising a lot of snow and isolation.

  “As nice as that offer is, I’m going to have to turn it down.”

  “Come for a drive with me. We can compromise on your location. Just stay away from Simon.”

  If she were alone with him he’d convince her to shed her clothes and her self-respect. Not today. She had to choose between two evils, the unloving husband who was about to rename her for the second time in a week and dump her north of Toronto, or the man who promised her a job in the most despised occupation on Earth. All she wanted was to move into the career she’d work so hard to excel at—helping keep children from guns, not the other way around. The only reason she’d ever work for Simon would be to keep guns from children by taking down his business. From the inside.

  Why was he offering this opportunity to her if he knew about her career? He’d be stupid to hire her. An idea punched into her, a golden opportunity handed to her and her alone. His job offer all of a sudden became more promising.