Wired (Buchanan-Renard #13)(19)

“That must be Alec,” she said. “I called him and asked him to pick up dinner on his way here.”

When she opened the door, Allison saw a tall, broad-shouldered man holding half a dozen bags imprinted with Chinese symbols.

“Did you order the entire Bo Ling menu?” he asked Jordan, lifting the bags out for her to see.

“Hi, Alec,” she answered as she leaned up, kissed her brother on the cheek, and took a couple of the bags from him.

When Jordan introduced him, Allison could see the similarity between brother and sister. It was in their eyes when they smiled. She could also see the comfortable familiarity between them, and it was obvious that they not only loved each other, but liked each other as well.

Everyone followed Jordan as she walked down the hall to the dining room. A folding table about twice the size of a card table sat in the middle with four folding chairs around it. Paper plates and napkins were set at the places.

“The dining table won’t be here for a couple of days,” Jordan said apologetically. “And our dishes are still packed away. I hope this will do.”

After everyone assured her it was fine, she took the cartons out of the bags and set them in the middle of the table. She then asked for drink preferences, and Allison went with her to the kitchen to get the bottles of water and beers.

Alec waited until the women were out of earshot before he turned to Liam and said, “She’s the computer genius? Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.”

“She’s—I don’t know—not what I expected. You told me she was a model, but . . .”

“But what?”

“You have noticed she’s beautiful. Right?” Alec asked.

Liam laughed. “No, I hadn’t noticed. Thanks for pointing it out. You do realize your sister is a brilliant programmer, and she’s also very beautiful?”

“I suppose,” Alec admitted with a shrug, as only a brother would acknowledge when assessing his sister. “I guess it’s just that a lot of the techie types I’ve met have been guys with long, stringy hair and stains on their T-shirts.”

“Kinda like you,” Liam remarked. “Are you going undercover again? Is that the reason for the longer hair and the beard?”

“No, Regan and I have been on vacation. I’m only here for one night, then back to Chicago. Regan’s already there. She has a meeting early tomorrow morning.”

While the two men were catching up, Jordan and Allison stayed in the kitchen, talking in low voices.

Jordan handed Allison a couple of bottles from the refrigerator and whispered, “You look as though you’re about ready to jump out of your skin.”

Allison let out a long exhale and said, “I’m afraid they’re going to force me to take a lie detector test.”

“No one can force you,” Jordan assured her.

“What if Liam has some kind of leverage?” Allison said.

“You don’t know what he wants yet,” Jordan reminded her. “Don’t freak out until you have all the information. Besides, I’m on your side, no matter what.”

A few minutes later they were seated around the table. The muscular men made the small table and chairs seem minuscule by comparison, but even though they looked uncomfortable, they didn’t complain. Alec and Liam kept the conversation light. Jordan wanted to know when Liam and Alec had started collaborating, since Liam had mentioned he traveled all over the world and Alec was assigned to the Chicago office. They answered by telling about a couple of the cases that had brought them together. Liam insisted he was the first to do a favor for Alec, and Alec was just as certain he was the first to help out his friend.

“Liam was with Interpol for a while,” Alec told Jordan and Allison.

“A short while,” Liam corrected.

“But you work for the FBI now?” Allison wondered.

“Yes.”

“Why are you traveling to so many countries? The FBI doesn’t handle cases overseas . . . or do they?”

“Sure, we do,” Liam answered. “We have agents and personnel in attaché offices around the globe, and we work with the governments in our host countries. Whenever there’s a crime or an attack involving an American abroad, we’re there to help. We also offer our resources to foreign governments when they need them.”

“Weren’t you with the FBI Fly Team after the hit in Indonesia?” Alec asked.

“I met them there,” Liam answered.

“What’s the Fly Team?” Allison asked.

Alec explained. “Counterterrorism unit. When there’s an attack, they’re deployed within hours. They’re the lead operatives in getting the investigation started.”

She turned to Liam and waited for him to expound, but he didn’t. He remained silent until the conversation turned to another topic. She just then realized the stories he and Alec had been telling were about insignificant matters, mostly about eccentric characters they had worked with and interesting places they had visited. For the most part, they had shared very little about the dangers or the threats they had faced. Liam, especially, gave little away. She wondered what he had seen that he didn’t talk about. There was something intriguing about him. He definitely was an enigma. One second he was authoritative and domineering, and the next he was charming and charismatic. As she sat there watching him, she wondered if anyone ever saw the real Liam Scott.