A View to a Thrill (Masters and Mercenaries Book 7) (41 page)

Charlotte moved closer, Ian following behind as the boat turned again. Chelsea could see the brilliant white arches of bridges ahead of her.

The Rio de Palazzo. She recognized the gorgeous white bridge spanning the river ahead of her. The Bridge of Sighs.

The boat slowed further in deference to the gondolas all around them.

“Didn’t this come up years ago?” Charlotte asked.

Years before, when Dick Cheney was the vice president, he’d had his pacemaker taken utterly offline out of fear it would be hacked. The Secret Service would protect vulnerable politicians, but no one would likely think about lesser civil servants. “Yes, and it was proven that it is possible to hack into a system and send a deadly charge through a device, though until now I haven’t heard of anyone actually doing it.”

“What would he have sent you to prove it?” Ian asked.

Chelsea stared at the bridge. The late afternoon sunlight was shining on it, making the elaborate arch look pearly and perfect. Her head should be on the case, but all she could think about was the legend about the Bridge of Sighs. “He could have printed out a record of his work. He was damn good at his job. He could have sent it to himself and printed it out. Apparently they checked his work and found out about it.”

The boat floated toward the bridge where it was legend that if lovers kissed under the bridge at sunset in a gondola, they would be together forever.

She seriously doubted she would get Simon in a gondola any time soon. She would be lucky if he flew back to the States with her after it was over.

Ian glanced around. “We’ll be at the hotel soon. I’ll check out Chelsea’s place and talk to the housekeeper. You two keep your heads down and stay in the room. I don’t want Chelsea out on the streets until she has to be.”

Chelsea frowned. She didn’t want to be left out. If Simon had his way, he would likely leave her with Jesse as a bodyguard. Not that she didn’t like Jesse, but she wanted the time with Simon.

“Hush,” Simon said in her ear as the shadow of the bridge began to cross. “Obey him. We’ll keep our heads down and get through this. Turn around.”

The sunlight disappeared and the world seemed to narrow down to just him as he leaned over and thrust his hands in her hair. His mouth covered hers in a hungry kiss, forcing her lips open as his tongue surged in. Just like that she didn’t care about anything but the feel of his body against hers. If he’d stripped her naked, she wouldn’t have cared. When he kissed her like that, she was his.

And then the sunlight hit her face again and he broke off the kiss.

He glanced back at the bridge.

He knew. He knew the damn legend. Maybe they weren’t on a gondola, but he’d kissed her and she definitely sighed.

His face went blank again and he turned her back around. “It’s our cover.”

“Of course,” she replied, happy he couldn’t see her smile.

Chapter Nineteen

Simon looked out over the small canal outside their hotel. It was quiet outside of the well-traveled portions of the city. Not that he’d seen them. Forty-eight hours in and all he’d seen was the outside of Chelsea’s flat.

And Chelsea. He’d seen plenty of her. It had taken everything he had to send her to bed without him the night before, and he was coming up on the time when he would have to do it again.

Could he do it again? Could he lie on the bloody couch with his cock pulsing against his belly while she was asleep in the next room? Could he take another night of knowing she was soft and warm and he was a fool?

He stared out and wondered what he was waiting for. Was he really not going to take what she was offering? He kept telling himself it proved he was in charge and that he could take her or leave her. It was his choice. He wanted her to know that he was the Dom and she was the sub and she should stay in her place.

The problem was he was rather miserable.

The real reason he hadn’t let himself sleep with her the night before was he didn’t trust himself not to get on his knees and beg her to stay with him. God, he was a fool.

He could hear her talking in the bedroom. Charlotte was with her. She’d barely left her sister’s side except to sleep. He’d walked them down the narrow streets to a quiet restaurant where they had dinner while Jesse prowled around the outside and Ian finished his investigation.

Simon knew he should have been the one to question the housekeeper, but he couldn’t leave Chelsea. He couldn’t trust her to anyone because the instant he closed his eyes at night, she disappeared. She would be smiling up at him, her face more open than ever before, and he would reach for her and she would disintegrate in front of him, that damn smile on her face like it didn’t matter she was leaving him.

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He needed this whole thing to be done. He needed to move on. Sometimes it was better to simply pull the bloody bandage off and get it over with. Let the misery start now so he could get used to it.

“And you’re all right with everything?” Charlotte was asking.

“What do you mean ‘everything’?” Chelsea sounded curious.

“You know, everything about sex.” Charlotte was speaking cautiously, as though she didn’t want to scare Chelsea off.

He was relegated to eavesdropping. It was pathetic. And yet, he couldn’t quite move away until he’d heard her reply.

“Well, I’m pretty pissed I didn’t get any last night.”

He had to smile a bit. She had been upset. She’d walked out wearing nothing at all, her body a beacon in the night, and he’d been the bloody bastard who sent her away.

Why had he kissed her under the bridge? Because he’d wanted to. Because he’d wanted for a minute to believe that some stupid mystical power could grant him a wish—that they would work.

Charlotte snorted. “I’m talking about how scared you’ve always been because of what happened.”

“I was at first, but he’s Simon. I can’t be scared of Simon,” came the sure reply.

Because he wasn’t worth being scared of. He wasn’t as masculine as the rest. He was far too concerned with the cut of his suit to be taken seriously. It was the story of his life. He was tired of it. He certainly didn’t want it from her.

There was a little knock on the door before he heard it opening and Ian walked through. He was dressed in black, a cap on his head. He looked like a burglar, which was fitting since he’d likely broken into the flat.

“Did you find anything?” Simon stepped away from the door as Jesse joined Ian.

Jesse seemed to be the only one having a good time. He’d stopped at every gelato stand in the city. He took a bite of his current obsession before he talked. “I got to beat the shit out of a guy.”

Ian nodded. “And he didn’t even flip out. That’s why he got gelato. I’m trying this whole new ‘positive reinforcement’ training with the puppy. So far it’s working. And don’t freak out. We needed a distraction so we found a pickpocket, flashed some cash, and drew his ass where we needed him. It worked beautifully. I’m pretty sure they didn’t see me slip inside. They were too busy watching the fight.”

“What did you find out?” His impatience was getting to be a problem.

“The housekeeper said she left the notice of the package delivery on the bar in the kitchen.” Ian pulled out a little slip of paper. “Which is exactly where it was. I should have bought her a gelato, too.”

It didn’t make sense. “Why would Krum send her a package that had to be signed for? He knew she wasn’t in Venice.”

“He couldn’t be sure,” Chelsea said from the bedroom door.

Charlotte joined her husband, taking her place at his side. “You look hot when you’re committing criminal acts.”

He grinned at her. “I try to keep my boyish physique for you, baby. Simon, there are a million reasons he could have done it. He didn’t want it to fall into anyone else’s hands. When I think about it, it’s a pretty decent plan. Chelsea’s the only one who can get it. She has to show ID and the post office is fairly safe.”

No. He could see where Ian was going with this and it wasn’t happening. “I’m not sending her to get that package.”

Chelsea’s chin came up. “Simon, it’s the post office. It’s out in the open. I’ll be fine.”

He had other plans because he didn’t like any of this. “We’ll call in another female operative. Get Damon on the phone. Surely he knows someone. We’ll fake her identification and send her in. Damon can have someone here in a few hours.”

London wasn’t as far away as Dallas. It was a good plan.

“I can pick up the package,” she said stubbornly. “I can do it in the morning and we don’t have to fake anything. I still have that ID.”

“Simon, we’ll all be there, but we also need to get this done. We need to settle this op and get back home,” Ian explained.

“I’m not on your timetable,” Simon shot back. “This is my operation and we’ll do it my way. She stays out of it. As a matter of fact, why don’t we send both women home? Ian, you can escort them. Jesse and I will handle everything from here.”

That got the Dennis women yelling. They both turned on him, and Ian’s hand shot out as he took a step back like the bloody coward he was.

“You are not sending me home, Simon Weston,” Charlotte was saying as she wagged a perfectly manicured finger his way. “She’s my sister and that takes precedence since you’re not willing to marry her. Hell, put a collar around her neck and then maybe, maybe I’ll concede, but this whole ‘it’s my op’ business isn’t going to fly.”

Chelsea had an argument of her own. “You can’t send me away. I’m not useless, Simon.” Her face had gone red. “Can’t you see this is why I have to work for Ten? At least he’ll let me do something. I can’t live this way. I can’t be meaningless.”

Why did she willfully misunderstand everything he said? “I’m not trying to make you meaningless. I’m bloody well trying to keep you alive.”

Even Jesse had stepped away from the fray. So much for having his back.

“What does being alive mean if you don’t trust me?” Chelsea threw his way.

“How can you expect her to live like that? And you can’t expect me to walk away and leave her. She’s my sister. You screw with her, you get me, so whatever kind of fight we’re going into, you better understand that I’ll be right there,” Charlotte explained.

“No, you won’t.” Ian’s voice had gone dark, without a hint of his normal sarcasm.

She turned on her husband. “Yes, I will. She’s my family.”

Ian’s eyes were cold as he looked at his wife. “She’s not the only part of your family that you’re putting in harm’s way. I allowed you to come with me, but the minute I feel you’re in danger, I will carry you out of this country kicking and screaming. You’re the one who wanted this. You’re the one who pushed for this. You got it, Charlie, and now you have to deal with it. That baby in your belly is my son, and I can assure you I will keep him and you safe. You wanted to see what kind of father I would be? This is it. If I tell you to get on a fucking plane, you will get on that damn plane or the next nine months of your life are going to be very boring.”

Chelsea’s mouth dropped open. “Charlotte?”

Damn it. “Ian, how could you bring her along?”

Ian turned that nasty frown his way. “Because she’s my wife and I didn’t fall in love with her because she was some docile little woman. She needs to be here. She needs to be with her sister and Chelsea needs to deal with this. She needs to know she’s important in and out of bed. That’s why I’m here. That’s why Charlotte is going to play it safe, but she’s going to back up her sister because that’s what family does.”

Did she really think he didn’t want her for anything but sex? She’d spent years in her sister’s shadow being used by their father as nothing but a way to control Charlotte. She’d probably felt so small. He knew how that felt—to be insignificant, tiny, meaningless. She’d found a way to make herself meaningful, though she’d become a criminal to do it. How hard had it been for her to go from being truly powerful to where she was now? This was where Ten had hit her.

Or was he being too cynical? Yes, she missed the power she’d had, but all she’d asked to do was to help him with the mission. Which really was all about her.

And she’d said she took the job with Ten in a naïve attempt to save him. Chelsea wasn’t naïve. She was hard to her core and she’d gotten soft for him. If he pushed her away, would she retreat?

“Charlotte, are you really?” Chelsea asked, looking at her sister.

“I think so because I really, really want that gelato.” She eyed Jesse.

“I am on it,” Jesse said with a salute. “Strawberry? Chocolate? I think they had tiramisu.”

“Yes,” Charlotte replied.

“All right then, I’ll get some kind of holder. Boss, I think those two need some time alone. I’ll bring the vat of gelato to your room,” Jesse said, opening the door and holding it there.

That was his partner, backing him up and right into a corner. He wasn’t ready for this. Not even close. He wasn’t ready to make a decision about her yet.

Charlotte gave her sister a hug. “We’ll talk later, but I’m not going anywhere without you.”