A View to a Thrill (Masters and Mercenaries Book 7) (40 page)

Ian stared at him for a moment, but then sighed. “I should have known you would be the tough one. British reserve and all. All right. He’s popped into the CCTV around the area. Cannaregio. One of the quieter, more residential areas of Venice. It seems like Charlotte bought the flat in full and set up a routine maintenance plan. Apparently this was what they did those years they were running. A cleaning woman comes every two weeks and dusts and wipes down counters. She keeps things in ready in case one of the owners returns. She has a key and so does the super for the building.”

They began to walk out as the line moved. Simon could smell the ocean. From this vantage they couldn’t see the city, only the waters of the Adriatic that would take them to the lagoon. “Would they leave any packages in the flat?”

“No idea,” Ian replied. “I don’t know if she would have to sign for it. They have all kinds of taxes on products coming into Europe. It’s possible it’s still at the post office because there wasn’t anyone home to sign. The Italian postal service is fucked up, man. Do you know the one place you can’t buy a stamp in Italy? Yeah, the freaking post office. Great food, weird services.”

Americans always thought their ways were the best. Though he’d seen Italian post offices, so he didn’t disagree. “We can’t just walk in.”

Ian pulled his ball cap down as they walked into the sunlight. “No. I looked through some of the surveillance footage Adam tagged. I don’t like it.”

He should have done that himself, but he’d been busy flying the plane. “Anything suspicious?”

“A little glint of light that goes off from the same angle every fifteen minutes or so.”

Hell. “So they have someone watching. How do they know? The property isn’t in her name.”

“Her friend could have told them. I think that’s likely. Or they found the address on his computer. I don’t care how much he resisted. Everyone breaks in the end,” Ian said.

It was frustrating to not know. “Then why are they parked outside her flat? Why haven’t they just taken the bloody evidence?”

“I have a theory but you’re not going to like it.”

He knew what Ian was going to say. “They want Chelsea as much as they want that package.”

Sometimes it was hard to be in love with one of the world’s greatest criminal masterminds. He stopped. He had to stop thinking that way. He hadn’t really been in love with her. He’d been fascinated by her because he had a soft spot for hard cases. Anywhere he went, he was always drawn to a challenge. He needed to be necessary and that was the bane of his existence because she certainly didn’t need him. She was strong and once she decided to, she would be so strong she might never need anyone again. She would disappear into the work Ten gave her and cease to need affection at all. She would become the robot she’d always bloody wanted to be. No one would stop her.

So why had she stood there naked and vulnerable and offered him tea. Stupid tea. Why had it tasted better because she’d made it? Why had it made him feel good?

He pushed it all aside as he considered the problem. “We have to get her out of this. The Collective is known for giving up arms to save the body. If we can figure out what company is involved and expose them, it’s likely The Collective will leave her alone. They won’t need her anymore if they think we’re satisfied with taking down the single entity.”

Ian nodded as they approached the women. “I think we have to go for the throat, but only of the company involved. We’ve seen that they don’t have a problem cutting their agents loose when they fuck up. We have to hope it’s the same here. Simon, you know I want to take them down.”

“We can’t. Not now. They’ll use her as a pawn.” And he couldn’t allow that to happen. No matter how much he wanted to crush the whole organization, he had to protect her first. “I know she’s your sister-in-law. We’ll play this your way.”

“So I’m taking over the op?” Ian’s voice got tight.

Simon turned. This was his out. He would give it over to Ian. He could still help, but he wouldn’t run the thing. He wouldn’t be in charge of her. Oh, bugger all. “No. It’s mine and you know it.”

Ian slapped him on the shoulder and smiled. “That’s because your dick is in charge and your dick is stupid. It’s so fucking good to know. You’re always so stoic and intellectual and shit. It’s good to know deep down your dick is as stupid as the rest of ours. Hey, Jesse. We’re following Simon’s cock so we’re all going to die.”

Sometimes he hated Ian.

Jesse simply gave him a grin. “Hey, he’s my partner. I gotta follow him even when his dick is a little crazy. Although, I will say, it might not be as crazy as I thought. Chelsea looks good.”

He was going to kill the little shit. “Say one more word and I swear you’ll swim to the hotel.” Jesse closed his mouth, but his eyes were lit with glee. It was good. So often he was dark and there was a sadness in his eyes, but something seemed to have changed, as though Ian telling Jesse he was Simon’s partner had given him something real. Jesse was his partner and there really was no reason for jealousy. “She did look lovely though.”

Jesse just nodded.

Ian held his stomach. “Sanctum is never going to be the same. I gotta deal with seeing my sister-in-law running around with her boobs hanging out.” Ian sobered and looked at Simon. “She looks happy, Si. I’ve never seen her look happy. She’s been through a lot. Sometimes a woman goes through what Chelsea goes through and the damage is permanent. And sometimes, she just needs the right man to show her it isn’t all bad. I think the damaged ones become the best lovers. At least I hope they do.”

He truly identified with Chelsea. He saw himself in her.

Charlotte and Ian had worked out. Why the hell couldn’t they?

“Chelsea,” he called for her.

She looked up, her eyes eager as they found his.

When he motioned for her to join him, she practically ran his way. She smiled up at him as she nestled close. It was unselfconscious, that movement of hers. She simply took her place at his side and her arm wound around his waist as though it belonged there.

And his arm wrapped around her shoulder. “Stay close to me.”

“Yes, Simon.”

If only she would always say yes to him.

* * * *

Chelsea loved Venice. She’d loved the city the moment she’d seen it and back in those days, she hadn’t really looked up from her computer long enough to see much. But something about Venice called to her. She stood up on the boat that was driving them toward the lagoon. One minute all she could see was the Adriatic, and then a left turn and Venice rose like a jewel from the ocean. It made her breath catch, but no more than the man who stood beside her.

Simon’s hand was on her waist as they watched the city come closer and closer. “You don’t leave my side unless you’re with Jesse or Ian. Am I understood?”

Something about the dark, possessive way he commanded her sent a shiver down her spine. He didn’t want to lose her. He was serious about not losing her and she couldn’t believe it was all about the mission. “I understand. And you stay safe. I don’t want you going off alone.”

He turned his face down slightly, and she thought for a moment he would argue with her. He sighed and then went back to staring at the city. “All right.”

She tamped down her irritation. They were going into the world’s most romantic city and she got a feeling he would fight her every inch of the way. She looked to her left and Charlotte and Ian were standing together. Ian was behind her, his body protectively curled around hers as the wind whipped through her hair. He put his chin on her shoulder and Chelsea could tell he was whispering in her sister’s ear. Charlotte’s smile curved her lips up. He was likely saying something naughty.

Husband and wife. Despite the fact that they were a D/s couple, they were always a husband and a wife first, with all the rights and responsibilities inherent with being in love.

All of her rights were in some contract she hadn’t read.

Simon moved in closer as he spoke. “When we get to the hotel, I expect you to settle in. I’ve been informed that the place has Internet. You can use the laptop Adam sent for you and start trying to put the pieces together. We need real information we can use, not just Ten’s rumors and innuendo.”

She turned her face to his. “I already know what company we’re looking at. I’m sure of it. Only one had pending court cases with all the victims. I put it together after I brought you the tea. Malone Oil pays for some serious satellite Internet.”

“Well, of course, you did.” He sighed a little, and she could tell something she’d done had disappointed him. “Tell me.”

She hesitated. Normally she would bluster her way through, but Charlotte had done a number on her. She’d given her a hard lecture on being honest and vulnerable with the people she loved. Simon was the chief person she loved, so she couldn’t give him an arrogant grin and tell him how smart she was no matter how much she wanted to. “Why are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong? I had the laptop. I thought you would be happy I figured it out.”

His face was a stony mask. “I’m sure Ten will be. Do you need to call him?”

Jealous. He was jealous. “No. Simon, I don’t have a thing for Ten. He just offered me a way to help you. I took the job because he said he would get you off the murder rap.”

“I certainly didn’t ask you to save me. I could have gotten out of it myself. Has it occurred to you that I have a degree in law?”

He was splitting hairs, and she couldn’t win if she played that way. She needed to make him really understand. “What do I mean to you, Simon? If you don’t need me to care for you, then what am I to you? Because I honestly didn’t think about anything but saving you from the cops. I saw that news spot on TV and I knew I had to make things right.”

He stopped, looking the slightest bit startled. “I didn’t need your help. I could have handled it myself.”

Honesty was kind of awesome. Honesty had that gorgeous Brit on the ropes. “I didn’t think. I saw the person I loved might get hurt and I did whatever I could. We didn’t have time to talk about it. So I need to ask you again, what am I worth to you? Did you just want sex? Don’t I get to stand up for you? Protect you when I can?” It was time for a gamble, but it was a meaningful one to her. “If you just want me in bed, you should tell me now.”

She couldn’t be meaningless. It was why she really thought she should work out terms with Ten. Ian didn’t need her. He had Adam. She could do good work for Ten. She just couldn’t be in his cave. She had to be with Simon.

His jaw locked and she worried he was about to turn away. He might join Jesse, who was watching the boat captain’s every move, ready to shoot the dude at the first sign he wasn’t on the up and up. Finally he reached for her hand and tugged her close. He put her in front of him as they made the turn into the grand lagoon. He covered her back with his body, his arms coming around to surround her. “You’re an unconscionable brat and don’t think anything of this. Our cover is as vacationing lovers. We have to stay close. Now, tell me what you know.”

So he wasn’t ready to answer her questions but he wasn’t willing to turn her away either. She would take his affection. She sighed and let her head roll back to rest on his chest as the boat cut through the lagoon. Around them, gondolas made their way through the water, the familiar red and white shirted gondoliers using poles as they sang in deep baritones.

She was here with him. Here in Venice. She would take this lovely time with him and then she would watch over him even if he didn’t want her anymore.

Her love…it was meaningful. It had value. It was a gift and a gift didn’t have strings. A gift didn’t require anything. She loved him and it had made her a better human being.

A deep warmth suffused her. “I love you.”

He stiffened behind her, but he didn’t move away. If anything, his mouth got closer to her ear. She was sure he would say he was trying to make her hear him better. All she felt was his heat. “Just tell me.”

“Nieland Affiliates. They’re a parent corporation. A major conglomerate. Three of their subsidiaries have ties to potential multimillion-dollar cases that were either being tried by or in the courtrooms of the victims Ten identified. It’s the only company that has ties to every victim. All but one of the cases—the one dealing with the patent—have either been dismissed or given a ton of time for both sides to deal with the loss.”

Many times, the longer a trial went, the less chance the defense had. Oftentimes witnesses died or complainants got sick of waiting and accepted a pennies on the dollar deal.

“We need whatever’s in the files Al sent you to prove it,” Simon murmured. His cheek was against hers and the world got quieter as the motors on the boat slowed and they entered the canals.

He leaned into her, his body curling around hers as though he’d detected a threat. As they moved from the grand lagoon into the smaller canals, the buildings around them towered over, each a testament to Venice’s long history. The boat slowed and the city seemed to quiet, the sun blocked by the houses that surrounded them.

Something about the whole thing worried her. “Why would they need Al?”

Al was a hacker, not a doctor. He wouldn’t know about poisons. He certainly wouldn’t administer them. He rarely left his place. She simply couldn’t see him assassinating anyone.

“Perhaps they wanted him to change the medical records.” Simon’s voice went low in deference to the change in noise levels.

She lowered hers, too. “Anyone with half-assed skills could do that. Al wouldn’t have taken that job. He liked a challenge.”

She thought back to the things he’d said to her. He’d said something about not understanding what he was doing. He’d hacked a password but that didn’t necessarily mean he knew where it had led to.

He would have seen it as a challenge, one he likely got paid well for.

How would a hacker kill someone?

“Oh, shit. Did they have pacemakers?” Now that she thought about it, it made sense. “I bet they either had pacemakers or someone changed their medical records so they got something that would kill them. Like a prescription. I think I read in one of the files Ten had that the DA who died had a prescription for high blood pressure. It would be fairly simple to get into a pharmacy’s system and change the records—especially if someone working for The Collective changed the drugs to something lethal. There are a lot of pills that look alike. Then they could change the toxicology records, but again, that’s fairly easy. But hacking the code to a pacemaker, now that would be a challenge.”