by Maddie Wade
Instead of hauling her into his body and holding her like he wanted to, Smithy walked through to the kitchen. “Where and when does she want to meet you?”
“In an hour and forty-five at the entrance to Haugh Woods.”
He watched her tip her head to her watch to confirm the time. She was so beautiful, her creamy skin the softest thing he’d ever touched. It was hard to focus when he was around her with his guard down. She must have noticed him watching her because she adjusted the neck on her t-shirt, which had slid off her shoulder and blushed.
He loved that he could still affect her that way, it gave him hope they could make this work. Smithy focused on his task. “We need to call the team and get someone watching Mateo.”
Worry creased her forehead, and he wanted to smooth it away with his lips. “Do you think she’d hurt him?”
Smithy shook his head as he held his phone to his ear. “No, but when it comes to you and Mateo, I’m not taking any risks.”
He saw her eyes take on a warm, vulnerable look before she blinked and it was gone. He hated that he’d made her so guarded because of his actions. After only a few sessions with Dr Lawson he was starting to see that it was before and after his kidnapping he’d done the most damage to those he loved, not during his time with Rhea Winslow.
“This had better be good,” Zack answered sharply.
“Nazareli Holt called Lizzie tonight and wants to meet her.”
Smithy heard shuffled movements and whispered words before Zack came back on the line. “Is she safe?”
“Yeah, I’m with her now, but I want someone over to her ex-husband’s place to watch her son. Nazareli knows Mateo was with his father. It could have been guesswork or just knowing her routine, but let’s not take the risk.”
“Agreed. Call Dane, and I’ll meet you with the others at Fortis in twenty minutes. And, Smithy, don’t leave Lizzie alone.”
Smithy glanced sideways at Lizzie who was watching him intently and biting her lip. “I had no intention of it.”
“Good man.”
Hitting dial on his phone, he called Dane and explained the situation to her brother, not surprised he was pissed she hadn’t called him. Dane could be a hot head when it came to his family, which was why it surprised him the other day when he’d been so calm about things.
“I’m heading over to Marco’s to watch the house and ensure my nephew is safe. Tell Lizzie not to worry. I won’t let anyone touch her son.”
Smithy heard the steel in the other man’s voice and recognised it for what it was. A promise that nobody would get past him and get to Mateo. “Will do.”
“Smithy?”
“Yes?”
“You keep her safe, or Rhea Winslow will be the least of your worries.”
The threat made him tense slightly before he buried it down. “I’d die before I let anyone harm a hair on her head ever again.”
“Good. Glad we’re clear.”
Smithy hung up, not trusting himself to speak and certainly not trusting himself to look at Lizzie and see her reaction to his words.
“Get your stuff, and I’ll check the house is secure before we head to Fortis.”
He turned to walk away but felt a gentle hand on his arm. Just the slightest touch even through the fabric of his shirt sent electricity skating up his neck.
“Ty?” He turned towards her seeing the conflicting emotions in her eyes before he dropped his gaze to her hand on his arm. “Thank you for coming.”
He nodded not trusting himself to speak, in case he spewed out everything he felt—like how much he regretted not staying years ago, how he wished Mateo was their son, that he’d been the one waiting for her when she walked down the aisle instead of Marco. But he knew it was too soon. She needed to trust his words and to do that he needed to back it all up with actions and show her he was changing, that she was safe with him.
He dipped his head, wanting nothing more than to take her mouth in a kiss that would leave them both wanting more but now wasn’t the time. “You’re welcome.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck, Lizzie isn’t doing this.” Smithy was trying to rein in his temper as the men around him suggested Lizzie meet with Nazareli.
“We’ll have sights on her the entire time.”
Kanan leaned back in his chair, an emotionless expression on his face. It was easy to forget how dangerous the ex-spy was considering he was married to Roz, but then it took a certain kind of man to handle a woman like her. Lizzie wasn’t Roz though, and the thought of anything happening to her made him want to puke.
“And so might they. This could all be a ploy to grab her again. We all know they believe that three sisters have something to do with their crazy fucking plan.”
“Agreed, which is why Daniel is with Meg, and Jace and Lucy stayed at the estate,” Zack added calmly.
Smithy threw up his hands in frustration; nothing about this made him happier.
“Do I get a vote?”
Smithy twisted to look at Lizzie who was sitting on the couch off to the side of the conference table. She sat with her legs crossed, her hands in her lap, and he wanted to remind her how that would make her hips ache if she carried on but knew it wasn’t his place.
“Of course you do. Say the word, Liz, and you’ll be far away from here.”
It was an off the cuff remark, but he knew in that second that he’d happily walk away from his vendetta to keep her safe. Nothing was more important to him than that. It was a freeing yet terrifying thought because if he couldn’t fix this, he’d lose her anyway.
“I think I should meet her,” she held up her hand palm out as if to ward off the warning she knew was coming, “but I want Smithy with me.”
Smithy’s gaze cut to her in surprise, but she studiously looked at Zack.
“Is that wise?” Zack’s voice had a note of hesitancy in it that made Smithy turn to him as if he were watching some fucked up tennis match. “Nazareli may be using you to get to Smithy.”
Lizzie shook her head. “No, she knows there’s nothing between us. Why call me to get to him?”
Her words gutted him like the blunt blade of a carving knife to the belly. Hearing her say there was nothing between them hurt more than he ever thought possible. It seemed to put the nail in the coffin of his relationship with her, especially the matter of fact way in which she said it, as if she genuinely believed that to be true.
“The fuck there isn’t!”
All eyes moved to him as he spoke, but he could only see Lizzie who had a confused, wary look on her face. He stalked towards her and took her arm, pulling her up and against him, the feel of her soft body against his hard one was heaven and hell.
Her hands landed on his chest. “Ty, what the hell are you doing?”
He could vaguely hear the scrape of chairs being pushed back as the conference room started to empty.
“What I should have done fifteen years ago.”
He didn’t say anything else but took her mouth in a desperate, claiming kiss that had every ounce of his feelings poured into it. Her mouth was unyielding at first, but when he swept his tongue across her lips and coaxed them to open, he felt her surrender to him. Her passion meeting his they tasted and fought for dominance, the kiss savage and brutal in its purity.
What felt like a lifetime later he pulled away, knowing he’d never get enough of this woman. Twisting a long curl of her silky dark hair around his finger, he pressed another kiss to her lips, this one gentle and full of the unspoken emotion he felt for her. It was the most connected he’d ever been in his life.
“Don’t say there’s nothing between us, not when what’s between us is everything.”
Lizzie went to deny it, but he put his finger over her lips. “I mean it, Liz. You’re everything to me. If you asked me to walk away from this now, I’d do it gladly, just for the chance to be with you.”
Lizzie’s eyes went dark with unshed tears, and he rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone, closing his eyes
as he kissed them away.
“Why now?”
He gave it a second to really think about what she was asking, knowing the unasked question was just as important. “I tasted life without you, and it’s like drowning in a desert of sand. And to answer your second question, I won’t let you down this time, Liz. I know I walked away before, but I was a stupid kid who thought he knew what you needed instead of trusting you to know what you wanted.”
“I only ever wanted you, Ty.”
Smithy smiled as the boulder on his chest moved. He was by no way or means fixed, but he would be. “You were always the smart one.”
“Well, that’s true.” He heard the smile in her voice and loved that about her, Lizzie had a wicked sense of humour and he’d forgotten how much she made him smile. She stepped back from his arms, and he let her go. “I want to take things slow this time, Ty.”
“You don’t trust me?” He wanted to feel hurt, but he knew she was being sensible, protecting herself from him. He saw the distress on her face and was quick to ease it. “It’s okay, Liz. I get it. I need to prove to you I can change and that I won’t run this time.”
“I’m sorry.” Tears moved freely down her pink cheeks like diamonds now.
“Don’t be. You’re giving me a chance, and that’s all I need.”
“How about we find out what Nazareli wants and take it from there? One day at a time?”
She held her hand out to him, and it was a lifeline he’d never take for granted ever again.
“Sounds like a plan.” He took her hand, and his life clicked into place.
Chapter 9
“I feel awful for dragging everyone out of bed for her not to show up.” Lizzie was sitting next to Smithy as he drove her home in the early hours of Sunday morning. Nazareli had failed to show, and after waiting for two hours, the team had called it a night, figuring she probably changed her mind or got cold feet.
Smithy slid her a glance, a small grin tipping his lips that made her shiver with desire. “Don’t feel bad. Not all of the night was a loss.”
He gave her a wink, and for a second, she glimpsed the gorgeous cocky boy she’d fallen for so many years ago. She could feel the heat rise on her cheeks and turned towards the window to hide the smile she couldn’t stop.
The kiss had been unexpected but not unwelcome. Ty finally giving her hope after pushing her away since their rescue was a shock, and as much as she wanted to jump in both feet first, she was holding back. He had only just begun his recovery, and this could be some sort of gut reaction to use her as a crutch. Lizzie couldn’t survive the disappointment of him walking away from her again. He may decide she wasn’t what he needed, or he might be with her for the wrong reasons.
Lizzie jumped when he took her hand from her lap and held on to it as he drove the last mile to her home. It was still dark, the mid-October morning cold with the threat of winter, but it felt fresh, blowing the cobwebs from her brain. Autumn had always been her favourite time of the year. The cooler days and cold nights in front of the fire with a hot chocolate watching movies. She still remembered doing those things with her mother, and they were memories she treasured to this day.
Smithy pulled into her drive, and she pulled her hand away to exit the car. Turning, she went to thank him, but he was already walking towards her.
“I’m okay from here.”
Smithy stopped inches from her, the heat from his hard body warming her through her denim jacket. The war raged inside her; to lean into what he was offering versus the need to protect her heart from being shattered.
Taking her hand, he gave a little tug, and she fell into him, her hands coming up against his chest to save herself. The air around them seemed to still as he studied her lips, the gold flecks in his russet brown eyes twinkled. Her breathing hitched as he leaned in, waiting for the kiss, but it never came. Instead, she felt his breath against her ear.
“Let’s get one thing straight, Liz. I’m here to stay, and I know that it will take some time for you to get used to, but nevertheless, it’s happening. So I’ll walk you in, make sure you’re safe. Later today after you’ve got some sleep, I’m going to take you out for lunch, and we’re going to just enjoy ourselves, okay?”
His words and the effect he had on her body made her want to nod, but the independent woman inside her, who’d always looked after herself, baulked at being told what to do. “I’m not sure I’m free today.” She moved back to get her brain firing on all cylinders again.
Smithy gave her a crooked grin that was wicked and sexy, just like the man himself. It was so good to see parts of the man she’d known coming back. “Okay, then when are you free?”
“I’ll need to check my diary.”
“Well let’s get inside, and you can do that before we both freeze.”
He walked her to the door, and she saw him test the handle and stop dead, his back going rigid. “Call Zack and wait in the car.” He thrust his phone at her, and she turned to do as he asked but then paused as she heard a voice inside her home.
“Come inside, and both of you, keep your hands where I can see them.”
Lizzie cast a glance at Ty who looked ready to commit murder, but he nodded slightly for her to do as Nazareli asked.
With his body in front of hers to shield her from any danger, he moved into the kitchen where Nazareli sat with a gun trained on them, her boots on the table. Lizzie bit back the words on the tip of her tongue, hating that the table her father had made with his own hands was being disrespected.
“Get your feet off the damn table.” Ty must have known it would upset her and she stilled, waiting for the worst to happen at his outburst. Nazareli raised a perfectly arched eyebrow but dropped her feet. “What the fuck is this?”
“I wanted to talk to you both in private and didn’t fancy having the entire Fortis team jumping me.”
“You went to the woods?”
“I’m not an idiot, Smithy. I knew Liz would call you, and then Fortis would come riding in to save the day.”
“So you planned this all along?”
Nazareli shrugged. “Seemed the easiest way.”
“Spit out what you want to say then.” He dropped his hands but kept his body in front of hers as she held on to the back of his shirt.
“Put your weapons and phones on the table and let’s be civilised about this.”
Smithy snorted as he moved slowly to lay his gun on the table. “You’re the one pointing a weapon at us.”
Nazareli lowered her gun but didn’t altogether remove it as she motioned for her and Smithy to sit.
They did, and felt the comforting weight of his hand on her knee. She saw Nazareli watching but didn’t react. “What do you want?”
Lizzie watched as Nazareli sat a little taller and seemed to grow more severe and the knot in her belly that had developed when she heard her voice tightened.
“I’m not who you think I am. The man I work for has been trying to bring Rhea down for years.”
“So he put you close to her, to what? Get information?”
“Yes. He knew she’d be open to letting me in after you rescued Meg. Rhea needs that childlike position in her life filled.”
“If he knows so much about her, why doesn’t he just kill her?”
“It’s complicated.”
Smithy stood abruptly. “This is bullshit.”
“Sit down.” Smithy stopped and glared at Nazareli. “Please.”
Reluctantly Liz watched him sit.
“He cares about her.”
Smithy and Nazareli both turned to her as she spoke, and Lizzie saw the truth in the other woman’s eyes.
Smithy watched Nazareli intently now, and Lizzie cast him a glance. “Is that true?”
“Yes, he’s her husband.”
“I thought he died.” Liz tilted her head, her mind running through the options.
“He faked his death, hoping she’d stop. He couldn’t be with her when he saw what she was becoming, but Joh
n couldn’t kill her either. He loved her.”
“And now?”
“John sees what she’s become, and it’s a parody of the woman he loved. He knows she needs stopping, but we need your help.”
“Us? Why would we help him?”
Nazareli slipped her hand inside her pocket and pulled out a picture. Placing it on the table she slid it across to them. Lizzie picked it up and looked at the tall, fit man in his late fifties, early sixties. He had a shaved head and tanned skin and was handsome. The grey suit he wore tailor-made for him if she wasn’t mistaken. She frowned as she looked closer, something about him was familiar but whatever it was, it was just out of reach and she couldn’t place him.
Smithy tensed beside her, and she looked up at him as he took the picture from her, his face awash with dark memories. He looked up sharply at Nazareli, his jaw hard, anger emanating from every pore. Without conscious thought, Lizzie wanted to calm and console him.
“Do you know who this is?”
Nazareli nodded. “I do. His name is John Smith, and he was a spy who worked for the British government. He worked his way up until they put him in charge of a special project.”
“Project Achilles.”
Hearing the raw emotion in his voice, Lizzie studied Smithy, wondering who this John was to him.
“Yes, he was given the green light to create a small team of men and women who would go in and find the weak link in any organisation and exploit it.”
“We would use whatever we had as leverage, it was underhand and dirty, but it got the job done.” Smithy gave a humourless laugh, and Liz felt him close off from her as he tried to pull his hand away from her leg, but she held tight and he relented.
“Then one day a mission failed and they pulled the plug. The team refused to carry out the mission they’d been given.”
“They wanted us to kill the son of a drug lord to force him out of hiding. He was eleven years old and a total innocent. Bás and I refused, but Fitz was a crazy motherfucker and was going to do it. We argued with John when we found out, and he said he hadn’t given the go-ahead for the mission, but Fitz went out on his own, desperate to prove he was the best.”