Love and Let Die (Masters and Mercenaries #5)(77)

“I tell him how you f*ck every man in the syndicate, bitch. I tell him how much we all loved f*cking you.” Zhukov’s voice was scratchy, used, but there was no way to hide the malice there.

She gasped, the enormity of it hitting her at once.

Ian believed him. There was no other explanation for him trying to kill the man or for looking at her like she’d caught something contagious. He believed Zhukov, a man who had never spoken more than ten words to her before today. Ian believed she’d slept with him.

And…oh, god, he thought she’d whored herself out to the syndicate.

Eve took her hand. “I told him I thought Zhukov was lying.”

“He didn’t believe you, bitch,” Zhukov choked out. “He knows truth now. Maybe he do my job for me and kill whore himself.”

“Get him out of here, Alex, before I finish the job for Ian,” Liam said, taking her hand and hauling her back. “I’m going to do what the boss damn well should have done. I’m going to take care of her.”

He hauled her out of the line of fire, moving toward the kitchen. Charlie followed, feeling like a zombie. Her legs moved. She was still breathing, but she felt dead inside.

Liam dropped her arm when they reached the kitchen. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before heading for the coffeepot. He poured out a mug and placed it on the big country-looking table. “Sit down and drink some coffee, love. It’ll make you feel better.”

She sat and placed her hands around the ceramic of the mug, warming her skin. She hadn’t realized how cold she’d gotten.

“You don’t know what it was like in there, so get it out of your head. Ian’s a smart man. He’ll figure it out.” The Irishman sat down across from her, his mouth frowning.

“It sounds like he already figured it out.” She felt hollow on the inside. She’d thought for a moment that they were okay. Just for one tiny moment. The whole time she’d been in the shower, she was wondering how they would make it work.

“He’s being a jealous idiot. You have to give him some leeway. The man ain’t been in love before.”

“I slept with two men before Ian and none since.” The words came out as though she simply had to defend herself, but it didn’t matter. “I thought I was in love with one of them. He laughed at me after I gave him my virginity. He had a bet with some of the others that he could f*ck the boss’s daughter. I was looking for comfort from the other. I didn’t find it. I certainly never touched Zhukov.”

“How about Nelson?”

She closed her eyes. Of course it had gone there. “Never. It doesn’t matter now.”

Liam watched her carefully, as though searching her face for anything that would tell him she was lying. “He seemed to think he had some sort of evidence.”

“It has to be doctored. I didn’t sleep with Nelson. I didn’t send him love notes. Nothing of the kind. I used the man to save my sister. That was all.” She used Nelson and then she’d stolen his cash.

What the f*ck was she going to do now?

Liam’s cell phone buzzed. He looked down at it. “It’s Avery. I’ve got to take it. She’s getting her car looked at today. Thanks for helping her out last night.”

So that’s why he was being nice to her. She nodded as her sister walked in the room and Liam walked out. God, the last thing she needed was an “I told you so” from her sister. She stared down at the coffee, trying not to think about the way Ian had looked at her.

Chelsea slapped a hand on the table. “You can’t do this, Charlotte. We need to get out of here now. Do you honestly believe they won’t turn us over after they’re done with us?”

Charlie looked up and her sister had a stalker. Simon leaned against the doorframe, a guard letting them know they weren’t going anywhere.

“I don’t know,” Charlie replied.

Her sister slid into the chair beside her. “What do you mean you don’t know? I thought everything was hunky dory between you and the man meat.”

Her sister didn’t like Ian. That much was clear. “He thinks I slept with Zhukov.”

Chelsea’s jaw dropped. “Eww, that’s horrible. He’s like five hundred years older than you.”

“And Eli Nelson.”

There was a low “f*ck” from the doorway that let Charlie know Simon’s ears worked just fine.

Chelsea frowned his way. “Go away, you pervert.” She reached for Charlie’s hand. “He is never going to trust you again. Can’t you see that? He’s not the kind of man who can forgive you. My god, he believes an assassin over you.”

“Or he needs some bloody time to think about it,” Simon interjected. “Did you consider that? You walked back into his life not two days ago and you expect him to keep up? You can’t give him five seconds to catch his bloody breath, can you?”

Simon had a point. So did Chelsea. One was all about logic and reason and one required some modicum of faith. Faith in Ian. Faith in the fact that she loved him.

“What kind of evidence could Zhukov have on me?” Charlie asked, her eyes coming up. “Ian said something about a computer and a file on me.”

Confusion crossed her sister’s face. “I don’t know.”

“You know everything, Chelsea.”