Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
“Are you okay? Is Emily?”
Liam barely heard Luke’s questions over the phone line.
He’d just admitted to his boss he and Emily had gotten married in Vegas.
But right now, he couldn’t stop thinking about how he’d slipped and casually dropped an I love you to Emily as if he’d done it a hundred times before calling Jessica three hours ago.
He hadn’t realized what he’d said until he’d ended the call with Jessica. And then it didn’t feel like the time to bring it up, especially since she didn’t mention it, so he decided to save the conversation for after the mission.
But still, he couldn’t get the words out of his head, even now. Even talking to Luke.
“Liam? You there?”
He faced the vanity mirror in the bathroom, finding his bloodshot eyes.
Maybe he did need to catch a few hours before the gala?
He’d slipped into the bathroom when Luke had called so he could talk to him alone, but damn if he wasn’t doing all that much talking.
“Are you okay?” Luke asked again.
“Yeah,” he breathed out. “I’m not going to fuck this up.” He’d nearly done that, though.
Luke remained quiet as if not necessarily believing him, and could he blame him given his track record? Probably not.
“But, um, now that Jessica has caught you up, what are you thinking? You on board with the plan?”
Luke cleared his throat. “Yeah. Lay the news on Hans today and see what he says.”
“Are Jeremiah and Elliott still in their rooms?” he asked.
“No movement on their end. Connor’s still at his place in the city, too.”
“Any evidence to prove the Vanessa-Weston affair angle?”
“We’re pretty sure it’s the owner of Weston Tech. He isn’t married himself, but based on Jessica’s research, he has a track record of sleeping with the enemy. Well, spouses of rival companies.”
“So, this scumbag has built his success by stealing secrets between the sheets.”
“For over a decade. We haven’t placed him with Vanessa, yet, but we have enough evidence to assume this is his MO, and that Emily’s theory is correct.”
Liam left the bathroom in search of Emily to let her know what he’d learned, but she was asleep on the living room couch.
“We’ll call you when we have eyes on Hans in the hotel. We have to assume his suite is bugged, so you can’t talk to him there,” Luke said. “Maybe get some sleep until you hear from me?”
Doubtful, but he’d try. “Any thoughts on how we’re handling tonight?”
Now that Luke had been read in on the op, he assumed Asher would pass the baton back to Luke as Bravo One to co-lead with Jessica.
“We considered a vehicle interdiction to grab Elliott after he leaves the gala—I assume with Hans—but then we’re kidnapping on foreign soil. Besides, we may not be able to get him to talk.”
“So, we need to follow and obtain hard evidence of what he’s up to,” Liam said.
“I’d prefer not to infil an unknown compound with God knows how many people and weapons there, but I think that’s going to be the case tonight.”
“Maybe we should consider getting help from our British counterparts, and then we won’t have to deal with unknowns.”
“I’m thinking about it.” Luke paused for a beat. “It’d be nice to have eyes in the sky for an assist.”
At least Jake was safely out of the country and wouldn’t be involved.
He sure as hell didn’t want to make Emily any more nervous by risking her brother’s life.
“Let me know if you need me.” He shifted to hold the phone against his ear with his shoulder as he looked down at Emily, sleeping peacefully on the couch.
“Just hang tight until we confirm Hans’s position.”
“Copy that.” He scooped Emily into his arms to carry her to the bedroom.
“And, Liam?”
He set her atop the comforter, and she rolled to her side, slipping her hands beneath her cheek. “Yeah?”
“Break her heart, brother, and—”
“I’ll let Asher hold me down while you break my legs.”
There was no turning back now. He’d die before he let anything happen to her.
“You’re sure this will work?” Emily took a Texas-sized breath as they stood by the window in their hotel suite living room.
Thankfully, they’d both had a chance to get a few hours of sleep, as well as freshen up.
“Having you flirt with Hans and lure him to our room is not my idea of a good time, I promise.”
She chewed on her lip.
“You want to back out?” He wrapped a hand over her forearm. “Say the word.”
“No, I want to help.”
He stared at her for a few long seconds as if trying to navigate by way of the stars, without a compass or a good sense of direction. He was totally lost in her eyes. And for the first time in his life he was okay with that.
“Come to Sydney with me when this is over,” he said before reason kicked in and talked him out of it. “I want to take you there.”
Her eyes stretched wide with surprise, her lips forming that cute little “O.”
“I mean, if you’re not ready for that,” he began while losing his hold of her, “I understand.”
“It’s not that.” Her long lashes fluttered. “You’re going there to talk to your brother, right? I don’t want to get in the way.”
“I want you with me. But if it’s too much for you I’ll go alone.” He had to let go of the anger he’d held on to for too many years. Needed to make amends with his brother, if only so he and Emily would have a real chance at being together.
Her lips pursed together as if in thought.
“I did tell Sam I wanted to plan a vacation to Australia after my case ended. At least now it wouldn’t be a lie,” she said with a small smile that quickly vanished.
“Carballo,” Emily whispered. “This isn’t going to be over after tonight, though, is it? He’s still out there.”
“Not for long,” Liam said as confidently as he could. “Knowing Jessica and the team as well as I do, she’ll find him, and we’ll lay him to rest.” In one way or another, at least.
“Not an on-the-books team?” Her brows lifted in question.
“The boys at DEVGRU are trained for ops like this but whether or not the president can send them without Carballo catching wind first—doubtful. And I don’t want our operators dying due to an ambush.”
“Or you.” There was an unmistakable hint of distress there. And he hoped like hell she meant what she promised him yesterday—that she’d truly move on if something ever happened to him. He couldn’t bear to think of her spending a lifetime grieving his loss.
“Well, I guess we should go?” She left his side and started for the door.
A gut-wrenching pain hit him. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I was just thinking about—”
“Elaina?” he asked because she’d been on his mind all day as well.
She nodded. “I’d bet she’d love to see Australia, too.”
And he’d love nothing more, but . . . “Emily.” His shoulders sagged. “You know we—”
“I know.” She took another mammoth-sized breath. “So, um,” she began, and he’d swear she was sniffling, “we need to have a public fight at the bar, then you’ll take off?”
“And I’ll come back to the room, but Harper will loop the feeds to hide I ever came back.”
“So it’ll look like I’m bringing Hans alone to my room to, uh, seduce him.”
“Yeah,” he said, even though he hated the plan.
It’d been her idea to flirt with Hans to hopefully get him to their room, but now that it was about to happen, it had his stomach tightening to the point of pain.
“Let’s do this then.”
He checked his watch. He’d traded in his G-shock for a high-end-looking silver one since his brother would wear something flashy and not so stealth-ops-like. “We only have four hours until we gear up.”
“You think Connor will show up at the gala tonight?” she asked once they were inside the lift.
“He’s not on the list, but he could be a plus one for Blackburn Technologies,” he said as the doors parted, and he caught sight of Hans across the way, sitting in the same seat at the bar as he was last night. “You ready?” he whispered into her ear, and she nodded.
Once outside the lift, she turned and smacked him across the cheek with enough force it actually stung. He cupped his jaw. “What was that for?” he asked loudly, playing his part.
“You lied to me,” Emily seethed. And damn if she wasn’t falling into character. “You said you were in D.C. for work but you were with her, weren’t you?” Her hands balled into fists at her sides.
“She’s my wife, and she insisted on coming with me. What’d you want me to do?” He reached for her arm, but she swatted his hand away. “Nothing happened with her. I promise.”
“I don’t know if I can believe you.” She held her hands in the air between them. “I need space. I need time to think.”
“Fine.” He turned back for the lift. “I’m going for a long walk. Get your head together before I’m back, or don’t bother coming with me tonight.”
Once inside, he rested his palms on the back-interior wall, doing his best to continue the act until the doors closed.
He grabbed his phone and called Harper as the lift began its descent. “It’s time.”