A Dom is Forever (Masters and Mercenaries #3)(29)

Avery smiled at him, leaning on the table. She’d barely had half a glass of wine, but her face was already flushed and she’d relaxed, her hips brushing his in the booth.

“I’m from New York originally, but now I kind of live out of my suitcase,” she explained. She’d seemed a little wary of Ian at first, but it hadn’t taken her long to warm up. She’d teased both him and Ian about how difficult it had been for them to fit into the Tower’s narrow staircases and small rooms. The Tower hadn’t been built for bulky men.

This was what Ian had been waiting for. There was no question in Liam’s mind. He’d been waiting for a break so he could get her to talk about her job. A knot of guilt twisted in Liam’s gut, and he rather wanted to go back to the hours when they’d just been tourists enjoying their time together. He’d been to London many times, toured the Tower, but seeing it through Avery’s enthusiastic eyes had been a novel experience. She’d wanted to see everything. She’d stood on the yard where Anne Boleyn had walked, and he could see her mind wandering, likely imagining what it had been like to have her hours numbered, trapped inside.

“So what exactly do you do?” Ian asked.

“I’m kind of a Girl Friday. I assist my boss with the running of the charity.”

“United One Fund,” Liam offered. “The way she explained it yesterday, it’s a relief fund.”

“We go into war-torn or disaster hit countries and offer food, water, all the necessities. We also offer microlending. We’ll give out small loans of as little as fifty to a hundred dollars, and it helps women in Third World countries start businesses and begin to support themselves and their children. We work with a couple of medical charities, too.”

She was a believer. It was right there on her face. Avery Charles believed she was saving the world in some small way. Liam had thought that once, back in his SAS days. Back before he’d found himself in a dingy, blood-soaked hellhole.

Avery might believe, but Liam had his doubts. If her boss was so very angelic, what was he doing meeting with Eli Nelson? And what did Nelson want with a humanitarian organization?

“So the organization is based in the States?” Ian asked. To an outsider, it would seem to be a very polite question. Just a friend asking all the trivial things of a new girlfriend. But Ian Taggart already knew the answers to his questions. Most of them, anyway. He wanted to trap Avery in a lie.

Seemingly of their own accord, Liam’s fingers brushed against hers. Ian wouldn’t catch her in a lie. She didn’t know how to lie.

“I wouldn’t say based exactly. There are small offices all over the place. The London office is one of the biggest, but Thomas is planning on spending most of the rest of the year in Dubai. From there we’ll tour a lot of Africa.”

“That’s interesting.” And potentially very dangerous. Thomas Molina would be a target of kidnappers and any number of troubles. “Does your boss do this every year?”

She shook her head. “Oh, no. This is brand new. Up until a couple of years ago, Thomas ran everything from his place in upstate New York. He was very isolated. He had a childhood accident that caused his legs to be very weak.”

“So Molina just one day decided to see the world?” Liam asked. It was odd. Liam had read a couple of reports that hinted Molina was agoraphobic.

“I guess so,” Avery replied. “He seems to really love it here in England. We go for walks in St. James’s Park, and he has this place he loves to eat at. It’s got a view of the Thames and St Paul’s Cathedral. He meets a friend there every now and then. It’s all very mysterious. I keep his appointment book, but he never asks me to put down a name. Just that he’s having lunch there and shouldn’t be disturbed. I kind of think it’s a woman. I have to admit I’m a little curious.”

It wasn’t a woman Molina was meeting. It was Eli Nelson. And he would love to know when that next meeting was going to take place. The booth they were in was small. Liam decided to make it a little smaller by taking up more space. He put an arm around the back of the booth and scooted close to her, his fingers brushing her shoulders.

She leaned into him, accepting the affection. But his move had shoved her hips right up against her purse.

“Why don’t you put that monstrosity over on Ian’s side of the booth? He isn’t doing anything interesting with half his seat.”

Ian grimaced. “Well we can’t all get to London and find a girl in a matter of days. I’ve been here for years, and I’m still bloody alone. Some of us work more slowly.”

From what Liam had heard from Alex last night, Ian had already slept with a couple of subs. He was plowing his way through The Garden the way he did back at Sanctum. Always with a contract, never for more than a night or two. “Yeah, buddy, you’re going to die alone the way you’re going.”

Ian shrugged. “At least it’s peaceful. And hey, I can now say I’m dating Avery’s bag.”

Avery handed it over. Ian settled it to the side, giving the big black bag plenty of space, and the minute Avery turned her head, Liam watched him palm her cell phone. It was buried in his pocket before Avery could look back.

Ian slid from the booth and stretched. “I’m hitting the loo. Be back in a minute.”

Copying and tagging her phone was the first line of business today. They would pull down all the data she had and then place a small tracking device in it so they could locate her. They would dupe the phone and the number so when Avery received a call, they could listen in. Liam didn’t have a single reservation about doing it. It was a clear invasion of her privacy, but it was also the best way to protect her if her boss was dirty.