A Dom is Forever (Masters and Mercenaries #3)(22)

Fuck all. What if she wouldn’t see him again? What if he’d blown his shot to get into her bed? Would Ian send Alex in? Would he go in himself? The thought wasn’t a pleasant one. A vision of Avery in bed with someone else assaulted him. The man in that bed was going to be him.

“I know I f*cked up.”

“You moved way too fast for her,” Ian said, sobering a little.

He was used to fast women. He f*cked most of the women he dated before he knew their last names. And suddenly that seemed empty. Cold and lonely. “She seemed to be responding.”

Ian sighed and started walking toward the lifts. “Come on upstairs. Eve said she was expecting you. Damon, if you don’t mind taking a look at those files I sent you?”

The big Dom nodded. “Not a problem. I’ll let you know if I see anything out of the ordinary.”

Liam followed Ian, his brain scrambling as he tried to put together a decent argument that might keep him in the game.

“I have Damon looking into all the files Adam managed to pull on the United One Fund employees,” Ian explained, pushing the button for the lift. “He’s got a good eye. He might find something I missed. It’s just Alex and Eve staying upstairs on the fifth floor. I rented a place here in Chelsea in case you need to produce your friend’s place.”

It was all part of the elaborate setup to make Avery believe he was just another tourist.

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll need that now. How long did it take him to tell you just how badly I’d f*cked up? Did he send you the tape immediately or just give you a rundown?” Bitterness welled inside him.

Ian turned, a surprised look on his face. “Are you talking about Alex? Alex hasn’t told me shit. He hasn’t submitted the tape or the report yet. Jake, on the other hand, called from Serena’s and had a great time telling us how Avery thought you were in the flesh trade.”

“Fucker.” Jake was supposed to be his friend. Of course, Liam probably would have done the same damn thing.

“Alex is professional. It’s all he has left.” The lift dinged and Ian got in. “When are you going to let him off the hook?”

Liam had to squeeze inside. Lifts in Europe were a little like cars. Small, sleek, not built for overgrown men. “What do you mean?”

“He thinks you’re sleeping with Eve.”

“That ain’t my problem, mate.” He winced. He had to stop doing that. He’d been too relaxed for too long. He had to stay in character even when they were alone. He forced his Irish down. “What happens between me and Eve isn’t his business.”

Ian’s hand shot out and the elevator stopped. “He loves her.”

That was plain to see. “But they’re divorced, and she doesn’t seem to want to go back to him.”

Ian growled a little. It was his default state. “I f*cking hate this shit. He’s my best friend, and he’s about to make a horrible mistake. If he starts dating again, everyone’s going to get hurt. See, this shit didn’t happen in the Army. It was neat and clean in the Army. Your buddy had your back and the only thing coming at it was a bullet or an IED or some shit. Women are way more dangerous.”

“How about the Agency?”

Ian stopped, his mouth turning down. “Nothing’s neat and clean in the Agency. You should know that.”

He’d worked for some European intelligence when he’d been SAS. He likely would have been recruited into intelligence if his life hadn’t exploded. Liam sighed. He owed Ian. “I can tell him, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to believe me.”

“I know.” He pressed the button and the lift began again. “I don’t suppose you want to explain why you’re spending your nights with Eve, sometimes not leaving her place until two or three in the morning?”

Liam turned to Ian. “What the f*ck? You got a tail on me?” He sighed. “Damn it. Tell Alex he’s got to stop stalking her. That’s some creepy shit.”

“He isn’t stalking her. After she joined the company, Alex and I agreed to certain security protocols where Eve is concerned. She left the FBI under some very rough circumstances, and there are a couple of people out there who would love to see her hurt or dead. She wouldn’t agree to a bodyguard.”

“Ah, so you have the doorman in her building vet everyone who comes and goes.” He remembered the doorman who took the night shift. He was big and burly and had the look of former military about him. Yeah, he could see that. “And Alex saw the report about me and leapt to an improper conclusion. We’re not f*cking, Ian.”

He didn’t owe his boss the story. He didn’t owe Alex. So why did his mouth open and the truth pop out?

“Eve’s been putting me under hypnosis.”

The door opened to the fifth floor, but Ian held it there. “You’re trying to remember what happened that night, aren’t you?”

Liam stared straight ahead. “For all the good it’s doing me.”

“Are you ready for this? You’ve stayed away from that case for a very long time.” Ian’s face closed off.

“I need to know for myself. Do you know what it’s like to have your whole life change and you can’t bloody remember why?” It ate at him. He’d been able to shove it down for years, but it was bubbling to the surface like an angry whirlpool threatening to take him down. He had to know.