Chapter 6 #2
She sighed and opened her eyes. “I don’t like that I can’t seem to trick you.”
For some reason, he felt he needed to assuage her disappointment in herself. “You did get out of the bathroom window.”
Her gaze settled on the container he was holding. “What’s that?”
“It’s some bone broth. Chicken. If you aren’t hungry, I can put it in the fridge.”
“I could eat,” she said struggling to sit up.
Hurrying over, he set the container down on the bedside table. Then he helped her up.
Once she was settled, he opened the container. “Do you need help eating?”
She rolled her eyes. “No.”
He handed it over, along with the napkin he picked up. He settled in the chair.
“I can eat on my own. Pretty used to it these days, Mix.”
“I want to keep an eye on you. When I had my concussion, I got a little nauseous the first time I ate.”
“Aw, that’s sweet.”
He heard the sarcasm, but he also heard the tremor. He didn’t want her to be weak. He wanted her back in fighting form so he could yell at her. Why, he didn’t know, but he was angry that she had put herself at risk instead of letting his father help her.
“Go ahead. You can ask your questions.”
“What makes you think I have questions?”
She sipped the bone broth and hummed. Just that had his dick twitching.
Seriously? Lila—he was still not used to that name—was sick in bed with a concussion and a stab wound, and he was getting hard because she hummed.
He thought once he solved the mystery of who she was, he would be rid of this fascination.
Now he was starting to wonder if he would ever get this woman out of his head.
“Your father probably told you my background. I know you have to have questions.”
“You think the people after you have something to do with your family’s deaths?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“Why not you? Why couldn’t someone from your work be after you?”
“Because my focus was on the Middle East and the rise of crypto currency in the region. At the time it was new and untraceable—still is to an extent. But it was the new way for terrorist cells to be paid.”
“And you don’t think those people would be after you?”
“They could be, but they wouldn’t have had the connections to deal with someone at the CIA. Plus, no one I was investigating was connected to my parents. Their study had more to do with the rise of extremists in Southeast Asia.”
“What do I have to do with it?”
She took her time answering, sipping on her broth, probably trying to formulate some kind of lie to tell him.
“Lila.”
Her shoulders sagged. “I’m not sure. I haven’t been able to figure it out. And it might have nothing to do with me or why some asshole has a hard-on for me.”
“But?”
“There is some crossover between our work and my parents’ work. Well, my mother’s. She was the real genius between the two of them. Her last target was some jerk called the Andrei Sokolov.”
His blood iced over. “He’s dead.”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
Of course she knew. He was starting to realize there probably wasn’t anything in his life she didn’t know about. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Another sigh. “Seriously, you can lie, but I can’t? Doesn’t seem fair.”
No one should know about that, especially someone who had never worked for MI-6. “You never worked for MI-6?”
She shook her head. “Judith was not happy, but I knew the only way to find out who killed my family was to work where they worked. And the CIA wanted me. Badly. I do know there was some dude at MI-6 who was not happy with me. He was always calling my grandmother about it. He just couldn’t understand why I would go to the Americans. ”
“So, explain to me how you know about secret missions.”
“Are you admitting to killing Solokov?”
“I’m not admitting to anything.”
She smiled. “I’m a hacker at heart, Ian. And, of course, I had to keep an eye on you.”
“Of course?”
She nodded as she kept sipping at her broth. “This is very good. Did you get this delivered from the chicken place down the road?”
He nodded. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“What question?”
He was barely holding onto his temper. Again. The woman would test the patience of saint, and he was not a saint. “Lila.”
“I really like how you say my real name. It’s been a long time since anyone used it.”
He was momentarily distracted by the way her mouth curved. Her lips were unpainted, and he wanted to know how they tasted.
Focus, Smith.
“Why did you have to look out for me?”
“Promised Judith. She said to look out for Sam and his children. Hey, can you ask Boston when I can get some solid food?”
He ignored her question. “How long?”
“That’s what I want to know.”
“No. How long have you been looking out for me?”
“Well, it wasn’t until I had access to anything, so not until I was at the CIA. I’m sure Judith looked out for you before she left.”
“So you know.”
She cocked her head to the side. She really did look like hell, but he was finding it hard to avoid his attraction to her. Even now, with the dark circles under her eyes and being underweight, he wanted to touch her. Instead, he crossed his arms across his chest.
“What? That you were part of the Elite Eight?”
People outside of MI-6 weren’t supposed to know about it. Hell, there were a lot of people inside of the organization who didn’t know about it. It was a little too close to the James Bond insanity and if it got out to the public, it would probably go viral.
“I was always jealous of your accuracy. I’m okay. I can handle a gun, but nothing like you. And I don’t like knives.”
Fuck. She knew his two weapons of choice.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. I get it.”
She was patting his leg trying to comfort him.
He looked down at her hand on his jean clad thigh.
Just that little touch sent shockwaves of heat sparking through his entire body.
The insane attraction didn’t seem to be getting better.
Slowly, he let his gaze rise up to hers.
Whatever she saw there had her pulling her hand away.
“I get why you wouldn’t want your friends to know.”
“You do?”
She nodded. “Some people have a black and white view of the world.”
“And you don’t?”
“No. Well, in some things. In this, no.”
He crossed his arms over his chest again. “And why is that?”
She studied him a long moment. “I read the files of your marks. They all deserved it. Plus, you have more kills than anyone else in the history of the Elite Eight.”
He blinked. Her adamant belief in him took him aback. His sister and father knew of his job, as did Dillon Security, but even Eden didn’t know what he had done the last few years in MI-6. And his family had no idea the number of deaths attached to him.
Unease slithered down his spine at the idea of another person knowing what he did.
No. Not another person. It all had to do with her.
Lila knowing that he had been an assassin didn’t sit well with him.
Why, he had no idea, but he knew that he wanted her to think more of him than he did himself.
A lot of people thought he’d left MI-6 for his sister and father.
He had left because he had been sick of living a life drenched in blood.
“Those files are supposed to be redacted.”
“I guess they are for most people.”
Not her. Why did he find that sexy?
“Before you interrogate me more, can you find out when I can have solid food?”
“Stay here.”
“Not going anywhere.”
She smiled at him, her eyes blinking in innocence. He didn’t trust her.
“I swear it, Lila.” She opened her mouth to, no doubt, lie to him again. “I will have my sister put out an APB for you.”
Her smile dimmed, and he almost confessed the truth. He would never do that to her because he understood. One mention of her in something like that, and she could very well end up dead by nightfall.
“Fine. But I want a burger.”
Damn, the women knew just how to pout. Before he told her that he would never put an APB out for her, he forced himself to step outside of the room. The low murmur of voices dimmed as he approached the group.
They looked at him expectantly. “What?”
“Did she say anything else to you?”
“Well, first, she wants a burger and she wanted me to make sure you approved,” he said to Jenner.
“She should be fine if she isn’t nauseous.”
Ian nodded.
“Did she tell you why she’s been following you all these years?” El asked.
“A little bit. Apparently, it has to do with you,” he said looking at his father. “Her grandmother told her to keep an eye out for our family.”
“Sounds like Judith. The woman was a control freak.”
“There might have been some crossover between my work and her mother’s. One of my targets was Solokov, which was someone her mother was investigating.”
His father’s eyes widened. “That’s interesting. But he’s long gone.”
Ian nodded, confirming the kill. Everyone knew that he had been a sniper at one time, so there was no reason to hide it.
“He’s gone,” Lila said from the doorway to his room. “But he has people he worked with that are just as bad.”
“And why would they be after you?” Ian asked, irritated that she looked so pale, plus, she looked like she was about to fall down.
“Because my parents got hold of his illegal funds and shut them down.”
“All these years later you think they are still after some money?”
“I’ve often thought that they were pissed my parents got the money, but then the CIA doesn’t know where it is.”
He blinked. “Are you telling me your parents shut down his bank accounts, and the money’s missing?”
She nodded. “I think they did it the week they were killed.”
He looked at the other men, then back to Lila. “How much are we talking about?”
“Today, it would be worth about five billion, so yeah, I would say they could still be after that money.”