Touch of Betrayal, A

by Charles, L. J

  “You okay, Sunshine?”

  I laughed, uncontrollable, brittle sounds that bled into the soft Hawaiian night.

  Mitch grabbed my shoulders, shaking me. “Everly. Stop it. What we share is real, and worth saving.”

  Choking down the dregs of insanity, I slapped his hands away and smiled at him.

  It must have looked scary because he backed away. “I’ll get Annie.”

  “No need. I’m fine, Mitch. Just fine.” I scooted back in the chair, pulled my knees up and held them tightly to my chest. Maybe they’d block the pain spilling from my shattered heart. “So when we met on the beach, you’d planned it. Arranged to be at my favorite place for the sole purpose of getting to know me—euphemistically of course. “

  “No, the destination came through with my orders. I just showed up. Right time, right place.” A shaft of moonlight caught his smile, and I knew it was genuine because his dimple flashed at me.

  “What part of that being a huge breach of trust and the ultimate betrayal are you not getting? Never mind. That was a rhetorical question.” The confusion roiling in the back of my mind pushed for freedom, and I hugged my knees tighter, digging my toes into the denim covering the chair. “And Tony? Was he really a friend?”

  Mitch stood over me for a minute, and then settled in the chair kitty-corner from me with a this-is-going-to-take-a-while sigh.

  No shit, dude. The pressure of sobs that I was holding in had shifted from a dull ache to screeching pain. I grabbed it and held on. Pain was real.

  “Tony was really my friend. I did find him, his murder wasn’t staged, and the reason I got to the beach so quickly was because I was at the police station giving my statement when the assignment came through.”

  My right eye started to twitch, and I fought for calm. “The local cops were working with… who? What sort of government types do you really work for?”

  “You know the answer to that. Mostly military. Guarding you was a one-shot deal, and they only pulled me in because I was trained, lived in the area, and had an established, credible background. Tony’s murder gave me a perfect cover story, a way to keep you involved in my life. The local cop shop wasn’t included, except on a need-to-know basis. My handler approached me with the intel on Loyria Gray about a month before the homicide, so I’d been briefed and was ready to go.” He shrugged. “It was a great opportunity to do something different.”

  I was something different. The two words repeated over and over in my head. I drew in a shaky breath. “And the abduction, the beating you took during that investigation? Didn’t—don’t you have backup for me? This assignment?” My inner bitch radiated through every word and the pressure in my chest dissolved in flat-out rage.

  “Yes. They extracted me within twenty-four hours.” He cocked his head. “I always wondered why you didn’t ask more questions about how I ended up in the hospital. Bad guys don’t usually get medical attention for their victims.”

  “Why?” I snapped. “Did my naiveté cheat you out of telling me a bunch of well-planned lies?”

  “Actually, it was because I was nervous. Didn’t have a good cover story, and kept waiting for Annie to hit me with—”

  “And that’s another thing. How did you hide this from Pierce and Annie for so long? You’re supposedly friends with Pierce. And did you know Annie was pretending to be Violet?”

  “There’s a dotted-line connection between the people Annie and Pierce worked for and the people who recruited me. Pierce was an acquaintance. And I had no idea about Annie’s cover. We worked in different areas.” He chuckled, a dry rasp. “This was a welcome break from my routine work. A chance to learn how an agency outside the military worked. When they approached me about, ah, you, it was a one-shot deal, and only because I had a built-in cover as a photographer and a proven track record. How many times do I have to explain, Everly? How many ways do I have to say it?”

  “You haven’t said anywhere near enough yet.” Pain shot through my jaw. I unclamped my teeth and worked the muscle spasm out with my fingers.

  Mitch touched my leg. I flinched, sucking in a breath, and his hand dropped away. “When you stood in the surf with water cascading over you, I started snapping pictures. You were the perfect vision of womanhood. I think I fell in love with you when the camera caught your smile.”

  That was a bunch of bison chips, and I needed a glass of Jameson’s. “It was a lie, Mitch.”

  He shook his head, hair whipping around. I couldn’t remember the last time he had a haircut. The mundane normalcy of that thought blanketed my brain, forming the perfect foil for the lies spewing from his mouth.

  “Not a lie. Maybe I’ve kept a few things from you, but the camera didn’t lie. The angle of the sunrise was perfect, and you radiated beauty—”

  I snorted. “A wet t-shirt isn’t beauty, it’s lust.”

  “Can’t deny that part. But you are beautiful, Everly, and it turned into more than a physical thing for me. Much more.”

  My knees shook. I wedged my chin on top of them, but it didn’t help. “Why did you marry me? Why not just finish your assignment and disappear? That would have been the least dishonest thing to do.”

  This man, who I’d believed was my refuge, my home, knelt in front of me. “The more I learned about the people who hired me, the more I knew you had to be protected. I convinced them our marriage would give me an in with your family. Kahuna Aukele has been on top of their most-wanted list since your parents were killed. I love you, Everly, and it was the best way to keep you safe.”

  A pity marriage. Humiliation flashed hot under my skin. “That was sweet of you.”

  Mitch levered back into a squat. “No. It was honest. You’re up to your very vulnerable neck in a volatile situation that…”

  A door clicked open down the hallway, the sound furtive in the gray of pre-dawn.

  Mitch tapped my leg. “Who’s in the house?”

  Icy sweat trailed along my spine. “Why? Are you planning to kill them?”

  The first hint of sunrise lightened the night shadows, and illuminated the planes and angles of Mitch’s face. Haggard. From traveling under cover, or because he had regrets? I’d probably never know. He blew out an impatient breath. “No, I’m not planning to kill anyone. But knowing who’s on the playing field would help.”

  Laugh? Punch the arrogance off his face? It was a tough decision, so I kicked out, catching him mid-chest. “I need space.”

  The kick wasn’t hard, but he was off balance and it knocked him out of my way. I stood, paced the room a couple of times then faced him. “I don’t have a clue who’s got my back and who doesn’t. Everyone’s here, and we’re going to sit down like civilized people and name the key players in this fiasco, determine exactly who wants me dead, and who wants to control my gifts. And then I’m going to decide whether or not to trust any of you.”

  My cell beeped, and I scooped it off the night table.

  “Who?” Mitch asked, standing.

  “Annie, wanting to know if I’m okay.”

  He nodded, grabbed his backpack off the floor, and then pointed to the bathroom. “Be right out.”

  I cradled my cell and typed: Mitch here. We’ll be out in a minute. Don’t shoot him. Yet. And then I tossed the phone on the bed, and hugged myself. It was going to be another long day.

  Mitch stepped out of the bathroom wearing a clean t-shirt, holding a hand towel, hair damp. “Any chance I’m gonna survive this?”

  “Probably not. Annie’s going to need some time to get Madigan up and fed, and I want everyone there when we discuss Xifeng and possible strategies. So, first thing, we’ll go over your files and you can explain, in detail, how you spied on your wife.”

  I yanked the bedroom door open, and the heavenly scent of freshly brewed coffee surrounded me. Oh, yeah. I motioned Mitch to leave, because no way was I letting him follow me. Never again.

  Adam stood in the hallway, arms down, a classic two-handed hold on his gun. “Hunt.”
>
  Mitch put his hands up. “Detective. You can put that away. I’m not here officially.”

  Adam glanced at me. I nodded, and he holstered the weapon then led the way to the kitchen.

  Annie’s laptop was on the table, plugged in and open. It beckoned me, but it was the steaming mug of coffee sitting next to the computer that screamed my name. I knew it was for me because it had been topped with a mound of whipped cream, and dusted with cinnamon. The guys didn’t do whipped cream…on their coffee.

  I grabbed the mug, downed a swallow of coffee, and took time to lick the cinnamon-flavored mustache from my lips before I slid into the chair facing the computer. Sometimes the little things were all that held one together.

  Pierce swept into the room, nodded at Mitch, and then poured his coffee. “How do you want to play this, Belisama?”

  Mitch tensed, the pale, early morning light a stark contrast to the dark circles under his eyes. The man was exhausted. And he hated when Pierce called me Belisama. I nudged the chair next to me with my toes. “Sit, Mitch. I want you to see the screen while we go over your activities for the past couple of years.”

  He slid his wire rims out of his t-shirt pocket and adjusted them on his nose.

  I ran my tongue around the edge of my coffee mug, tasting the sticky residue from the whipped cream. When I looked up, all eyes were focused on me, and I quickly pulled my tongue in and smashed my lips together. Not a good start to my interrogation. I met Pierce’s stare. Was there laughter lurking behind those azure eyes? I had to get control of the situation. Now. “Didn’t Mitch set the alarm off?”

  Pierce saluted Mitch with his coffee mug. “Nice work. Watched you from the security room.”

  I ignored the escalating testosterone level. “So everything is functioning again? No glitches? Annie and Madigan are protected?”

  Pierce arched an eyebrow that clearly said: stupid questions.

  “Okay, then. Why don’t the two of you go outside and pace around the perimeter, or whatever you do when you’re keeping watch. I’m going over these files with Mitch. Alone.”

  Adam and Pierce shared some kind of silent communication that made Mitch’s lips quirk.

  “That wasn’t a request or a question, guys. It was an order.” Steel sang through my words. Oh, yeah. The new me was already kicking butt.

  “I’ll let you know when I’m ready to discuss Xifeng. Go find something to do. Got it?”

  Twin nods, and then they took turns topping off their coffees before heading outside. Pierce turned to wink at me before the screen door closed behind him. I’d have to do some work on my badass persona.

  Mitch reached for the computer. I slapped my hand over his, knocking it away from the keyboard. “I’ll do the scrolling, and I’ll ask the questions.”

  He gulped a mouthful of coffee. “It’ll go faster if I talk you through it.”

  “Your way isn’t working for me anymore, Mitch. I have a right to know exactly how much of our relationship, of my life, has been passed on to the nameless, faceless people you’re working for.”

  “I get that. I’ll tell you everything I can, but I’m on a need-to-know status with this. Especially since our wedding.”

  “Let’s take it one assignment at a time,” I said, bringing up his report from that fated day at the beach.

  “I’ll go with however you want to do this, Sunshine. Whatever it takes to fix…us.” Mitch rested his hand on the back of my neck and started massaging the knots from my muscles.

  I melted. Just a little.

  His eyes had warmed to honey brown, and my heart fluttered. It apparently hadn’t received the memo on my new status. Or it had read between the lines. Yes, I was angry enough to murder him, but I still loved him. And he could still twist my hormones into a spiral of need.

  I leaned into his touch.

  EIGHTEEN

  Footsteps shuffled behind me. I jumped, knocking my coffee cup to Annie’s kitchen floor with a shattering crash—and Mitch’s hand off my neck with a forceful shudder. Melting was a habit I’d have to break. Fast.

  “Sorry,” Annie said, grabbing a dish towel off the countertop and tossing it over the spilled coffee and pottery shards. “Maddie woke early, and I won’t get her back to sleep without a bottle.”

  Mitch stood, and nodded at the laptop. “This is your work?” he asked, opening his arm to give her a hug, and then dropping it to his side with a forlorn sigh.

  With a twitch of her shoulders Annie headed for the refrigerator. “You made me sweat getting through the back door to your firewalls, but yes, I’m responsible for handing Everly the evidence of your covert perfidy.” She turned to face him, a carton of milk held protectively in front of her. “You owe all of us an explanation, Mitch. I worked covert ops for a long time, and never once did I spy on someone I cared about.”

  The air hummed with Annie’s words. Her face remained super-spy inscrutable, but those green eyes couldn’t hide how much Mitch had hurt her. This wasn’t only about me. Sadness slashed deeper into my heart. It had all been so perfect.

  I shook off the pain. None of us had time to wallow in what-might-have-been. “I didn’t know you did spy stuff as well as the sniper stuff,” I said, squatting to clean up the coffee mess. “Damn, I hate that I lost that coffee. Whoever made it did an excellent job.”

  I was doing the best I could to ease the tension, but they both ignored me. So much for good intentions.

  Mitch lowered into a chair, his movements stiff. “Protect, not spy.”

  Annie grabbed two clean mugs from the cupboard. “Uh-huh. I didn’t shoot anyone I cared about either.” Her tone was neutral, but there was an unfamiliar tension curling around her, and I’d bet my stolen .9mm that her aura was sparking with red energy.

  “You think I would shoot Everly?” His hands clenched around the coffee mug.

  I stood, gathering the dish towel into my hand. “That’s not what she meant, and you know it. I’m curious though, Mitch, about what you’ll do if they order you to shoot me. ’Cause you know, everything that’s connected to my mom has turned out to be fatal, or damn close to it.”

  While Maddie’s bottle heated, Annie filled our mugs with coffee and topped Mitch’s off. Apparently, she wasn’t pissed enough to deny him a morning shot of caffeine.

  She gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Adam left a bowl of whipped cream in the refrigerator. Want a dollop in your latte?”

  “Yes. And maybe a sprinkle of cinnamon. It was a really good cup of coffee.” I emptied the remains of the broken mug into the trash and rinsed out the dishtowel.

  “Adam bought me the DeLonghi to help me survive Maddie’s wake-up-mom-I-want-to-play nights. He’s been stopping by most mornings to make me a latte, and he’s become quite the expert. I’ve learned to stock whipping cream, though, ’cause sometimes he forgets to stop at the store.”

  I wasn’t the only one grasping at mundane normalcy. Could be the human brain hits overload and there’s just no room left to hold the pain. The loss.

  Annie set one of the fresh lattes next to the computer, and balanced the other in one hand, baby bottle in the other. “I’ll leave you to it, but don’t discuss anything about Xifeng until I get Madigan back to sleep, take my shower, and can make it back down to join the discussion.”

  I gave her a thumbs-up.

  It took an hour for Mitch and me to go through the files. There wasn’t anything earth-shaking in them, other than blatant proof he’d been reporting my activities to his boss on a regular basis. When we’d finally talked his clandestine work to death, only one potentially disastrous question remained.

  The proof sat in front of me—no more denial, no more pretending Mitch was innocent. Maybe he had good intentions when all this started, but he’d frickin’ screwed it up beyond repair. Angry tears burned to escape, and I pressed the heels of my hands hard against my eyes. You’re stronger than this, Everly. Hold. It. Together.

  My heart pounded so loud in my throat,
I couldn’t get a breath. You have a gun. You have ESP fingers. You have friends. Fix this. I dropped my hands to my lap, eyes dry, heart broken, spine straight. “We can’t undo what you’ve done, so what’s next?” I asked.

  Damn it all, my voice had wobbled. I sucked in air, forcing it to fill my lungs. Too tight. Pain exploded in my chest. Not so fast, Everly. Try again. I inhaled, this time slow and steady. Better. Healing was going to take longer than ten seconds. Damn inconvenient, being human.

  Mitch frowned, the shadows under his eyes turning darker. “I have to keep reporting on your activities. There’s no way to avoid that, Sunshine.”

  “Right. To keep me safe and all.” Yep. I’d added enough snark to sound like a first-class bitch. Yay, me.

  This time when he captured my hand, Mitch held on tight. “Yes. I’m one of the few people standing between you and the corrupt agents running this op.”

  “You got names for me, Hunt?”

  I about knocked over my chair when Pierce’s Irish brogue filled the kitchen. He stood slouched against the back door, hands jammed in his front pockets. He’d done his imitation of moving like the wind, and slipped into the kitchen without so much as a whisper of sound.

  Mitch whipped around to face him, obviously as startled as I’d been. “Suspicions, but no definite names yet.”

  I jumped out of my chair, pacing between the two of them. “Hold it. You think some government muckity muck is behind this? They’ve been after me, I know, but rogue agents? Aren’t you drowning in melodrama here? Bordering on conspiracy theories?”

  “It’s not a conspiracy theory when there’s an actual conspiracy,” Pierce said, eyes twinkling.

  Annie sauntered into the kitchen, rinsed her mug, and braced against the sink, arms crossed. The soothing scent of jasmine wafted around her. “I’ll see if I can narrow the list of potential suspects. Mitch, I’m going to need names of everyone connected to the Everly project. And Pierce, I’ve reduced the list you gave me to six possibilities.”

  I stopped mid-pace, and faced Annie. “Wait. You’re buying into this? Have been ferreting out intel on these dudes?”