A Dom is Forever (Masters and Mercenaries #3)(90)

“So my privacy is being invaded to fight terrorists, is that it?” Avery flipped through the file. Her face flushed.

“Privacy is something no one really has, Miss Charles.” Ian sounded calmer, his eyes steady on Avery. “Privacy is something that’s only granted until it intrudes on someone else’s right to live.”

“You were a crucial piece to this investigation,” Alex continued, his voice softer. “We had to ascertain whether or not you were involved in getting the weapons into the grain shipments. You’re close to Molina.”

“Is there any way this is someone else? Like someone else in the company?” She asked the question in a shaky voice.

Knight slid a black and white photo across the table. “This is your boss with a man named Eli Nelson. Nelson is a rogue CIA agent who by all accounts is rapidly turning into a mover and shaker in the criminal underground. They’ve been meeting regularly since you and the boss got to London.”

“His lunch appointment with a friend.” She sniffled a little, and he wanted so badly to drag her into his arms and hold her tight.

“Avery, anything you can tell us will help. Have you noticed anything at all odd about the UOF? Any weird business practices? Something unusual Molina’s been doing lately?” Alex asked. He seemed intent on playing good cop.

“I don’t think Avery knows anything,” Liam replied quickly. He wasn’t going to have her brought into this. Simon Weston had asked about some files, but he could be fishing. As long as Avery didn’t mention them, he could make a case for taking her out of here, perhaps even back to the States. She would need protection while everything was sorted out. Once he got her back to his place, he could work on reestablishing the relationship, on a proper footing this time.

Crap. He needed a new place. His place was awful. His place consisted of a mattress on the floor, a recliner, and an enormous telly. It would not impress her.

But it might give her something to do. Maybe she would view him as a project. If he could get her involved in fixing up his place, maybe she would start to view it as her place, too.

Or she would burn it down with him in it. He was willing to take the chance as long as he got her out of England and away from Molina and Nelson.

“There are some files I think you should look at,” she said quietly.

“Avery, keep your mouth closed. You are getting out of this,” Liam ordered.

A stubborn look settled on her face. “No. If I’m in it, then I’m in it. If I did anything to help this gunrunning thing, then I have to try to make it right. I have a friend who works at the Fund. I think maybe he’s seeing the same thing I am. There have been several multimillion dollar donors who have been turned down for reasons I don’t understand.”

“Why would a charity turn down money?” Alex asked.

“For any number of reasons.” Eve slipped the file on Avery back into her briefcase as she spoke. “Oftentimes if a charity turns down a donation, it has something to do with the moral view of the donor. A women’s group might turn down a donation that was made by a group of exotic dancers who made the money by providing lap dances or a bikini car wash.”

“That’s stupid. The money is the same, and a lap dance brings joy to the world,” Liam pointed out.

Avery’s hand slapped at his arm. She sighed. “That was an accident.”

As long as she still cared about how she looked when he said something dumb, there was still a chance. “What I meant to say was, isn’t money just money, Eve? From whom I would never accept a lap dance.”

That was better, right?

“I think they would say it’s a question of public impression. They don’t want to run off donors who might be offended. Even if the donation is quite large, it can be smart to keep the smaller, more traditional donors happy because they tend to donate on a yearly basis,” Eve explained.

“Does this have anything to do with Simon’s theory?” Knight turned to Avery. “Simon Weston is my man on the inside. His last report talked about donors and some files he was trying to get from you. Did you get the files for him?”

Avery paled visibly. “Simon is in on this?”

“Yes, he’s the one who will keep you safe on the inside,” Knight explained. “I want you to consider him your partner.”

Oh, that was not f*cking going to happen. “She is not going back to that place.”

“She has to.” Knight frowned. “If she disappears now, it could put a chill on the whole operation. You’re the one who can leave, O’Donnell. Tomorrow your mission is going to be finished, and Simon can handle it from there. You can simply go back to the States like the nice tourist they all think you are.”

“I am not leaving.”

Knight sat back. He appeared to enjoy having the upper hand. “You will if I kick you out. Don’t forget for a second that I can have you tossed into places you don’t want to go. I’ll do it without a single qualm if you threaten my mission. I’ll shove you so far into prison that no one will remember you even existed.”

“Oh, they’ll remember when I break him out, Damon. As pissed as I am right now, don’t think for a second I’ll leave a man behind. You do not want to play that card.” Ian stood up. “We can’t decide anything tonight. Miss Charles, if I’ve been hard on you, I apologize. My dick isn’t involved in this so I can only go by what my brain tells me and that’s to keep you at arm’s length. Since I can’t do that anymore, I have to trust that Eve’s judgment is correct and you’re not a supersecret terrorist out to bring down the US military. You should understand that we’re not the only ones who have been watching you for weeks. When I took your phone in order to bug it, I found out it was already bugged. Watch what you say and do. If it was up to me, I would pull you in a heartbeat, but it’s not. As for you, Li, we’ll talk about it when we get back to Dallas. After we bring in Nelson, it’s up to you whether you stay or not.”