Buried Lies

by Brittney Sahin

  I peeked through the peephole. Declan’s pinched face sent me a step back. He must know.

  When I opened the door, Declan walked right in. “Lauren just got a text from Connor.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Don’t play dumb, Livvy.”

  So it was Livvy, now?

  “What?” Folding my arms, I leaned against the wall, trying to bottle my hate for the man.

  “You’re screwing with a very important business deal.” Dressed in black slacks, a black dress shirt, jacket—and even black tie, Declan looked dangerous. He stalked toward me with predatory steps and placed his palm on the wall near my shoulder. I could almost feel his warm breath on my face.

  “Declan,” I warned, wondering if I’d need to drop his ass to the floor.

  He cupped the back of my head with his free hand and pulled me close to him until his mouth was at my ear. “Get out of Vegas and go back to New York. Make this right,” he hissed.

  Both of his hands dropped to his sides as he stepped back. I thanked God.

  “I want a meeting scheduled with him when I’m back on Tuesday.” His eyes darkened to black as he focused on me.

  I wanted to lash out at him, but I bit my tongue and forced a nod.

  “Leave now.” He walked through the door, glancing over his shoulder at me before disappearing.

  Chapter Eleven

  Connor

  I studied the text on my phone. Ben had nothing to tell me about Declan yet. Maybe that was a good thing.

  “Sorry, what were you saying again?” I shoved my phone back into my jeans pocket—I’d given up on the suit—and looked at the man before me.

  Wes didn’t look like the brilliant guy I’d pictured. The head of research and development looked more like the leader of a biker gang, given the tank top, his large tree trunk arms covered in tattoos, and his shaven head.

  “You ready to see what we’ve been working on?” Wes patted me on the shoulder and motioned to the massive double doors in front of me. We were in the basement of the building where, according to Wes, “all of the cool shit takes place.”

  “It has to be better than pushing papers upstairs.”

  Wes grinned and approached a glass screen mounted on the wall next to the doors. He pressed his palm to the screen and said his name.

  “Identity confirmed. You will have five seconds to now enter your passcode,” a female voice stated.

  Wow. What were they working on that needed a handprint, voice recognition, and a passcode?

  The doors slid open to reveal what could only be a gun lover’s paradise. Weapons lined the sterile, white walls: everything from old-fashioned revolvers to hard-core assault rifles. I followed Wes down to another door, which also required verification.

  Wes rubbed his hands together, a smile on his lips, as we entered a room. There were several people standing in front of the far wall, which was completely covered in a screen lit up with images. “Here’s where all of the magic happens.” Wes introduced me to all ten employees, although by the end of the introductions, I’d already forgotten the first nine names.

  “We have a project that is going to change everything for Matthews Tech. We’ll become the premier defense company in the country.”

  That was a bit hard to believe.

  “Have you seen or heard of the electromagnetic field railgun?”

  “Sure. The military is wrapping up tests, but there are some issues with it. Such as its massive size.”

  Wes smirked. “Well, we have some of the best minds here. Your father hired engineers from NASA, scientists from MIT, and myself, of course. Not only have we created the EMF railgun, we improved it.” Wes tapped on a keyboard, and the image of a hand-held gun appeared on the wall.

  The crowd of employees surrounded us, eager for my reaction. “That can’t be an EMF gun.” The gun with its silver handle, which led to two thin rails, or strips of metal, looked like something out of some science fiction film.

  “Applying Faraday and Lenz’s laws of electromagnetic energy, we’re able to generate magnetic fields to produce voltage . . .” Wes lost me as he pointed to several mathematical equations that came on the screen. He rambled on about the science behind the weapon and didn’t gain my full attention until he motioned for someone to hand over the prototype of the weapon. “Basically, it’s light years ahead of its time. The military is building the big gun for a naval vessel—this one here is for up, close, and personal.”

  My jaw went slack as I weighed the gun, which sat heavy but balanced in my palm. It was game changing . . . and a dangerous device. If it got into the wrong hands . . . “Does the government know we have this?”

  Wes took the gun back. “Not yet. Unfortunately, your dad never got to see the final results. We finished it just last week.” Wes pressed a small silver object on the butt of the gun, and a microchip popped out. “The weapon is useless without the chip,” he added while handing the gun and chip off to another team member.

  I folded my arms and leaned against the counter behind me. “When do we present this to the Department of Defense?”

  Wes laughed. “No clue, that’s not my department. I just design the stuff. The people in suits handle the rest.”

  “Okay,” I drawled, not sure what I was supposed to do now. I glanced at my watch. “I have another meeting, but it was nice to meet you.” I was pretty sure he wanted a slap on the back and approval from me, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about this. And what was more terrifying: The fact that my father’s team of civilians had managed to do something that the military hadn’t? Or the fact that no one seemed to know what to do with it?

  ***

  Olivia

  “No one is in the club. You’re good to go,” Blake’s reassurance was a whisper in my earpiece.

  I’d done this kind of thing numerous times before, with a team member hacked into the security cameras, but it always made me nervous. I hurried down the hall of The Phoenix and to Declan’s office.

  “Hey Olivia, it’s me now.” Sean was our tech guy. He could hack into anything and everything, including FBI computers. He’d once done just that, to prove we needed to beef up our security.

  “Hi, Sean.”

  “Make sure you place the device I gave you flat against the screen of the keypad,” he instructed.

  “I remember.” I reached into my pocket for the thin black strip. I pressed it to the keypad screen and held my breath as I waited.

  “Got the code,” Sean announced.

  That was fast.

  “You can remove the strip. Type six, five, six, nine, one, one, zero.”

  I tapped the numbers and released the breath I’d been holding as the door popped open. “I’m in.” The lights automatically turned on as I entered the room. Shoving the device into one pocket, I retrieved another small object from my other pocket.

  “Great. You know what to do now.”

  I peeled off the back of what appeared to be a quarter, revealing a thin, adhesive disc. I stuck it to the modem. “You getting anything?” I asked as I walked around behind Declan’s desk.

  “It’s uploading. Only one percent so far,” Sean answered.

  It would take forever. But Declan wasn’t supposed to be back from Vegas until tomorrow, and the club was closed on Mondays, with no deliveries in the afternoon.

  “You think we’ll find anything on there about his relationship with Konstantin?” Sean’s voice popped into my ear.

  Konstantin. A man I hated more than Declan. A lot more.

  “How many times have we caught Declan and Konstantin meeting on tape? Five times now? We need more than a little video footage of them just being seen together, though,” Blake came on the line, and his announcement had me rolling my eyes.

  I didn’t need a reminder as to why I’d been playing the good little secretary for Declan for so long. “I sure hope we find something soon. Otherwise, this whole charade will have been a colossal waste of time.” I rubbed my sweaty palms ag
ainst my jeans and waited. There was no point in attempting any of the desk drawers or filing cabinets in the room. Not only did they require a key, but I also doubted Declan would leave a paper trail of his criminal activities. Hell, even the computer was a longshot, but we had to try.

  “Sean, you’re wiping away the proof of my entry from the video feeds, right?” Not that Declan would have any reason to check the security footage, but just in case . . .

  “I’m looping the feeds now . . . shit!” There was a muffled sound in my earpiece.

  “Sean? What?” Panicked, I pressed my hand to my ear. “Sean?”

  “Get out of there, Liv. Declan is on his way,” Sean shouted.

  Adrenaline zipped through my body, and I started for the door. “What about the computer?”

  “Just get out of there,” Sean cried out.

  “But if he catches me . . .” I rushed out of the office, pulled the door shut behind me, and spun away toward my office.

  “Olivia?” The hairs on my arms stood at Declan’s soft voice. “What are you doing here?”

  I slowly turned to face him. “Hey. I thought you didn’t get back from Vegas until tomorrow.” I closed the gap between us until we both stood outside his office door.

  His long fingers tapped at the keypad, and his office door opened. “Come in.”

  Declan allowed me entrance first. My heart was ready to burst through my chest as I glanced over at the modem.

  “I had an important business meeting arise, and so I needed to get back early. Why are you here?”

  Oh yeah, I still hadn’t answered that. I made my way toward one of the cages in the room and feigned interest in it, hoping to divert his attention. I pressed my hands on the metal, tracing the frame of the cage with my fingers. “Thought I’d get some work done without any distractions.”

  His hand on my back turned me toward him until our chests were just inches apart. He stared down at me, and his hand went to my chin. He tilted my face up to meet his eyes. “You finally ready to ask me about those?” His eyes darkened; I could feel the bulge in his pants press against my stomach.

  Disgust slammed my system, but I had to maintain my composure. “Maybe sometime I’ll ask you about them,” I answered in a whisper.

  His hand slipped up to my cheek before he took a step back, making no attempt to hide his desire. “I have people coming soon.”

  I nodded. “While I’m here, do you need anything?” I moved around to the front of his desk as he took a seat. “Damn laces,” I muttered as I bent forward.

  With my heart in my throat, I reached for the adhesive disc, but it was stuck.

  “You okay down there?” Declan chuckled, and I worried he’d duck his head under the desk to see.

  “Yeah,” I answered as I tried once again for the device.

  I popped upright with the device pressed against my palm. Pushing my hands into my pockets, I forced a smile to my face. “I’m not really dressed for a meeting, though.” I kept my hands in my pockets, not wanting to raise any questions, and glanced down at my white T-shirt.

  “No. I guess you’re not. Besides, I don’t think you’re ready for this meeting.”

  “What do you mean?” Although I was only there to bring him and his associates down, part of me rankled at the thought that I might be unprepared for anything Declan might throw at me.

  “Olivia, what are you willing to do for this job?”

  Here it was—finally. Would he offer me the chance to learn more? Oh God, please . . .

  He rolled his dress sleeves to his elbows, exposing his tattoos, and laced his fingers together before him. “If I were to tell you that you could be richer than you ever imagined—what would you do?” His eyes creased as they focused on me, his lips a tight straight line. The muscle in his jaw clenched.

  For the first time, I found myself intimidated. Was it because we were alone? No, Blake and Sean could help me if things turned for the worst.

  “So?” He angled his head and his mouth parted.

  Removing my hands from my pockets, I pressed my palms to his desk. “I would do anything,” I answered, keeping my eyes on his.

  “Then get Connor on board,” he said slowly. “Because otherwise, you’re out of a job.” He leaned back in his chair and his hands slipped to his lap.

  I shuddered at his words and straightened. “Consider it done.”

  “Good.” Declan cleared his throat. “And Olivia—”

  “Yes?”

  I wanted to knock the smug bastard in the face.

  “The next time I find you in the building alone, I’ll forget about my decision to keep things professional between us . . . and I’ll provide you a full tutorial on the cages.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Connor

  “I wanted to offer my condolences.”

  I switched the call to speakerphone. “Thanks.” I drummed my fingers on the desk, uneasiness crawling up my spine. “I wasn’t aware he did any business with your bank.”

  “He only recently opened an account and a safe deposit box with us,” the banker responded.

  My fingers stilled; I straightened in my chair. “Okay. What’s your location? I’ll swing by and close out his account. No offense, but I see no need in using your bank when all of the other funds are tied up elsewhere.”

  “I understand, sir. You’ll want to be sure to bring the key and the passcode.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  The banker made a gurgling sound before speaking. “He opened a premier box—even in the event of death, the box may not be opened without the key and passcode. And he only gave authority to himself, you, and your brother, to open it.”

  “So if he didn’t leave me the key, what happens to the box?” This was ridiculous.

  “You could request a court order, sir. Beyond that, the box will remain available to you or your brother for ten years—then it will be disposed of by the bank. So if you find the key and code among your father’s things . . .”

  Elsa came to the door as I was shaking my head. I motioned for her to enter the room. “If I can’t find the information, I’ll go the legal route.”

  “Of course.”

  “How long has my father been a client?”

  “Recently. He opened the box just about a month ago.”

  A month ago? “Can you tell me the exact day?”

  “Just one second,” he answered, and I could hear him tapping at a few keys. “May sixteenth.”

  My mouth dropped open in surprise. “You must be mistaken. That’s the day he died.”

  Silence greeted me.

  “Hello?”

  “Sorry, sir. I’m surprised to hear that. But it’s correct. The sixteenth.”

  Could it be a coincidence? I doubted it. “I’ll be in touch.” I looked up at Elsa as I hung up the phone. “Do you know anything about my father opening a safe deposit box at Capital James Bank?” I asked as I walked around in front of my desk.

  She placed a file on the desk next to me and shook her head. “No. Sorry. But here’s the passcode for the research area, as you requested.”

  I took the scrap of paper from her and plugged the number into my phone.

  “Connor?” She removed her glasses and shut her eyes for a brief moment before opening them. “Tyson’s sister called.”

  “Oh good.” She hopefully knew the whereabouts of my father’s driver. “What’d she say?” I folded my arms and leaned against the desk.

  “She doesn’t know where he is. In fact, she said she’s been trying to reach him for a while. She’s worried.”

  “Oh. What did you say to her?”

  “The truth. And she had no idea Edward passed. She hasn’t talked to Tyson since before . . .”

  “Something isn’t right. I’m going to make a few calls and see what I can come up with. Don’t worry.” I rubbed the back of my neck as tension knotted at the base of my skull.

  “Lauren will be back tomorrow, right?”

  “
Yeah.” What a waste that trip had been. I needed to blow off some steam. “Elsa, I think I need to cut out of here early. Call me on my cell if you need anything.” I grabbed my keys and started for the door, but paused.

  I had planned on finding a local pistol range but realized we probably had one in the building. “Elsa?” I called out.

  “Yeah?”

  “Do we have a gun range here?”

  “Yes,” she answered before her lips curved into a smile. “In the basement. The key code to the lab will give you entrance.”

  “Thanks.” I slipped my keys and phone into my pocket and made my way to the elevator. Once inside, I pressed my palms to the mirrored wall and stared at my reflection.

  Without a moment of warning, my mind flashed to the kiss in the elevator with Olivia. It felt like a punch to my gut.

  I groaned and opened my eyes as the elevator chimed.

  I entered the restricted area, passed the wall of weapons, and stepped inside the lab. “I’d like to shoot something,” I announced to Wes once I spotted him.

  He grinned. “Follow me.” We made our way down a hall and stopped just outside a dark blue door. “There are earmuffs and a wide selection of weapons inside. Have fun.” He slapped my back with his big arms, and I thanked him before pushing open the door and stepping inside.

  There were three zones set up for individual target practice. I moved through the empty room to the wall of weapons and grabbed a 9mm, some ammo, and the earmuffs.

  Before I could load my weapon, my head snapped up. I didn’t even need to see her to know she was there. It was her scent—vanilla.

  “Elsa, why’d you bring her down here? This is a secure area.” I set the gun down and faced them.

  “I’m sorry, sir. She said she’s a family friend. She insisted it was an emergency, and your phone was going straight to voicemail. I—I . . .”

  Family? Hell, no. I held up my hand, not bothering to fight the anger splayed in the lines of my face. “It’s fine, Elsa. You can leave us alone.” I waited for my assistant to slip away. “What’s going on, Olivia?”