Chapter 25 Who Are You?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
WHO ARE YOU?
Devon
“Igo out of town for a work trip only to return and find out you’re tapping phones. And not just anyone’s phone, but Victor-fucking-Turner, who’s almost as smart as me. What the fuck are you thinking?”
I juggle bags of takeout from a neighborhood Greek restaurant. “You know my past, Ozzy. You think I don’t know who Turner is? I fucking do.”
Ozzy’s tone is as serious as the subject at hand.
“And you think he doesn’t have the systems in place to alert him of a system breach let alone his cell phone?
And not just any basic cell. He’s on his own system like we are.
We’re talking Fusion Logic. He doesn’t own one satellite system like Crew Vega does—he owns many.
This is major shit. When I gave you access, you said you were going to nose around.
This is not that. You don’t do something like this without discussing it with me first.”
I walk through the sliding doors of the hospital that’s tucked away in the woods in upstate New York. I’ve got to give it to Harlow, she didn’t fuck around when she decided to kidnap her father. This place is private and secure. I’m surprised I found a restaurant anywhere close by.
“Are you saying my tap isn’t fool proof?” I ask, knowing damn well it is.
“That’s not the point,” Ozzy bites. “What I’m getting at is this is a lot, and you should’ve told me.”
“Consider this me telling you. Turner is a fuckwad who’s responsible for killing my best mate.
Now he’s connected to the murder plot of Harlow Madison, and the shooting that took place on my property.
I’m done sitting back and letting that arsehole continue to wreak havoc in my life. It’s time he’s taken down for good.”
“There’s no way British Intelligence would have approved this. Hell, I’m not sure the CIA would touch him right now.”
I hit the button to call the lift. “Then it’s good neither of us work for them.”
Ozzy sighs.
I keep talking. “Tell me you’re not impressed with my handiwork. I dare you.”
“I mean...” If eye rolling made a sound, it would come crystal clear through my cell. “It’s solid.”
“Like the core of the earth,” I add. “I only pressed go on it earlier today. I may not have been trained by the National Intelligence Agency, but I’m no idiot when it comes to systems. It helped that you built something as secure as RESKILL. I’m just riding your coattails, Oz.”
“You might be good at a lot of things, but kissing ass isn’t one of them,” he growls. “From now on, if you want to be a fly on the wall to a moderate tech guru in Europe, run it by me first.”
“Fair enough,” I relent.
“Bella filled me in. I’m back, so consider me your fulltime partner until this shit is done. The more eyes we have on them, the better.”
“Brilliant.” I exit the lift but pause before I head back to Harlow and her father.
“There’s a missing link I can’t identify.
Someone is the go between for Turner and everything shady he dabbles in.
I want a name and mug. We figure out who that is, my gut tells me it will open so many doors, Turner himself might go down too. ”
“I’ll dig deeper. Or continue to dig since you’ve done enough.”
“You mean I’ve done everything. It’s okay to say you’re impressed. I won’t come for your job.”
“Fuck off. You’re as irritating as your sister,” he scoffs.
“We are Donnellys. I take that as a compliment.” I start down the empty hall. “As fun as this is, I’ve got to go. We’ll talk soon.”
“I’m ready to get this wrapped up. The sooner we can break any tech ties to Turner, the better.”
“We have the same goals, though I want Turner put away for life in the process.”
“I aim to please,” Ozzy mutters. “Later.”
I disconnect right before I crack the door to Patrick Madison’s hospital room. It’s late. The sun had already set by the time we touched down on the east coast. I try not to make a sound so I don’t wake anyone.
Until I come around the corner.
Patrick Madison and his only child, reunited.
Patrick is propped on a pile of pillows and looks like he’s been dragged to hell and back.
He doesn’t even glance my way when the door shuts with a heavy click.
He’s too focused on the woman who’s captured not only my attention since the first moment I laid eyes on her, but created a possessive monster within me that I can’t seem to tamp down.
Harlow is perched on the side of the hospital bed holding her father’s hand in both of hers. Tears stain her perfect face even though there’s joy in her eyes.
“I didn’t think this day would ever come. Every day that passed felt more like mom all over again. A slow death.”
His voice is raspy and weak, but his words are laced with conviction. “You can’t get rid of me that easily. No one can, including that bitch. She’ll be served with divorce papers as soon as I talk to my attorneys first thing tomorrow.”
Harlow swipes at her tears. “We have plenty of time to worry about that. I need to get you healthy again.”
At this point I can’t back out the door without looking like an eavesdropping arsehole, so I clear my throat. When they both turn to me, I lift the bag of food. “Greek. It was the only thing open.”
Patrick frowns. “Who are you?”
“We’ve been so busy, I haven’t mentioned that I’m not here by myself.” Harlow leans forward and gives him a peck on the cheek before turning to me. Her glassy eyes warm as a content expression settles on her face. “Dad, this is Devon. He saved me in more ways than one.”
Damn.
That hits me in a place I don’t recognize. One that’s new, even for this forty-year-old arse.
I don’t have a chance to respond. Patrick beats me to it. “Add that to the list of things I missed over the last few months. Things I expect to be brought up to speed on immediately. I’ve been kept in the dark in the most literal way. That comes to an end today.”
I walk the rest of the way into the room, set the food onto the table, and cross my arms. “I couldn’t agree more. My goal is to put Albert Humphries away for attempted murder and find out who shot at Harlow. The rest should fall into place.”
Even in his weak state, Patrick’s expression tenses. “Harlow was shot at?”
Harlow bites her lip and winces. “He didn’t know about that.”
Shit.
“Sorry, baby.”
Patrick looks up at me with an intense stare. “Let’s start with the shooting, then you can move onto the fact you’re referring to my daughter as baby.”
“Dad,” Harlow starts and claims the place where she was sitting next to him on the edge of the hospital bed. She doesn’t look contrite or embarrassed. She’s happy. “I’ve missed you so damn much.”
Harlow
When I open my eyes, it takes me a split second to remember that I’m not in Winslet in the masculine suite that I share with my new British lover.
I’m across the country in a hotel down the street from the private hospital I searched high and low for when I put my plan into motion.
My father is awake, alert, and ready to take on the world like he’s always done.
Well, maybe not take on the world just yet. But he is ready to order everyone around him to make it happen on his behalf.
And my lover is right where he’s been since the moment I climbed into that white, shiny golf cart—at my back. That time feels so long ago, like a parallel universe, and I’ve been transported to a whole other dimension.
Devon doesn’t just have my back figuratively. He’s literally glued to it with his heavy arm draped down my body.
Last night before we left my dad’s hospital room, Devon sat beside me and explained in detail everything he planned to do to keep me safe and make sure I was never shot at again. Then he explained how he has the experience and resources to do that.
Devon and I did everything we could to calm him. When Dad realized that Devon went to the lengths he did to make sure no one would know where I am, he finally relented to following the doctor’s orders. That is, he was willing to rest.
No one was more relieved than me, since I was exhausted—emotionally and physically. I kissed Dad on the cheek and promised we’d be back first thing in the morning with Chrissie to set a plan of action.
I try to shift out from under Devon’s hold, but the moment I do, his hand on my thigh turns into a grip.
His lips connect with the crown of my head. “Where do you think you’re going?”
I settle back into Devon’s heat and his rock-hard erection that’s building between us, the latter of which is pressed into the small of my back. “I didn’t want to wake you. I was going to take a shower.”
“We have a long day ahead of us.” His words are gravelly with sleep as his fingers trail up my body, dip under my thin tank, and land on my breast. A shiver runs down my spine when he brings two fingers together for a delicious twist of my nipple.
“And all I can think about is you spread on my lap on the plane yesterday, and me stuck without a condom. The shower can wait. You owe me.”
His hand drags down my stomach and goes directly for the thin material of my panties. I lose his heat long enough for him to drag them down my legs and toss them across the room. Like yesterday, he cups my sex firmly and possessively.
I arch my back to press into his cock. “When I have two minutes between shootings and emergency trips across the country, I need to get back on birth control. I quit taking the pill when I swore off Al—”
Devon’s hold on me tightens. “Don’t you dare say his name, Harlow. Not when we’re like this.”
His fingers glide easily through my sex and circle my clit, slow and lazy like we have all day. “I’m sorry. I’ll never do it again.”
“The birth control part...” Another circle that never touches my clit makes me instantly wetter than I was. “We can talk about that anytime. I’m ready to tell the condoms to fuck off so I can just fuck you whenever I want.”
I try to roll in his arms. Despite the fact we have important things to do today, the desire to pay him back makes my insides flip with excitement.