Page 63 of When He Lies
“I saved you. I came rushing in with the lamp. As far as I’m concerned, this now makes us even.”
“Okay, we are even.” Fine. Whatever. “But I’m wearing clothes and you’re not so…dress? Now?”
She huffed. Started to turn. Stopped. “Will you make sure those are actually your reinforcements before I leave you?” Soft. “Because I don’t want to leave you if you’re just going to get hurt without me.”
“Aw, Simone, you keep talking like that, and I’ll think you care.” He spared a glance through the peephole and nodded. “My team.”
“Ryan.” Just as soft as before. “For the record, I do care. Why do you think I ran to the rescue?”
His head whipped toward her, but Simone had already disappeared down the hallway. All he saw was the edge of her sheet, slipping away. He forced himself to take a deep breath. One, then another. Then he opened the suite’s door.
Two agents rushed inside. Both CIA. Not agents he knew particularly well, but he was familiar with their work.
“What in the hell happened?” Jamar Miller demanded. “I heard gunshots.” His gaze darted around the suite, only to land on the man still sprawled on the floor. “Is that the room service guy? Because I swear, we checked him when he got off the elevator. There were no weapons on the guy’s body.”
“Right. They weren’t on his body. He’d hidden the gun beneath one of the silver covers, and he had a steak knife wrapped up in a napkin.”
“Ohmygosh.” From Jamar’s partner, Charlotte Webb. True story, that was her name. Her actual, legal name. Her mother had apparently been a huge fan of the book. And the spider. “This should not have happened! I am so sorry!” She bounded toward the fallen man, drawing out her weapon.
Edward’s eyes fluttered open. He groaned and came face to face with Charlotte’s gun.
“Do you want us to kill him?” Charlotte asked, voice both loud and pleasant at the same time. Her dark hair skimmed her shoulders. “Because we can eliminate him right now. I can shoot him between the eyes, and then my partner can stuff his body beneath this serving cart and we can wheel him out of this place without anyone ever knowing what happened to him.”
Edward tried to scramble back. Only there was no place for him to go because Jamar had stepped in behind him. With his weapon. “Hi, there,” Jamar said, his voice not nearly as pleasant as Charlotte’s had been. “Remember me?”
Ryan picked up the steak knife. “You just fired two bullets in my suite.” A shake of his head. “Do you know how much I’ll have to pay for damages now?” He closed in on his prey.
“No, please!” Edward’s hands flew up. Then he stopped and winced. He also brushed his right hand over his face, sliding away some of the chocolate mousse that still clung to him before touching his temple. “What hit me?”
“Lots of things,” Ryan informed him. “But it was the lamp that knocked you out.” He pointed the tip of the knife at the SOB. “You recognized her, didn’t you?”
Edward’s gaze jumped around the sitting room.
“Hello!” Simone’s voice. “He’s talking about me. And here I am, on cue.”
She strode into the sitting room with a smile on her face and, thankfully, clothing on her body. Black dress pants. A sexy, silky little white top that dipped off one shoulder. Black heels. And…
Fuck me. She had the stolen earrings in her lobes and the broach pinned on her blouse.
“So we meet again.” She dipped her head toward Edward, but then her stare got caught on the knife that Ryan held. Her eyes widened before she licked her lips. “That’s a very big knife you have.”
“Yeah, it is,” Ryan agreed as his grip tightened on the knife. “Pretty sure he was planning to use it on you.” Something that pissed the ever-loving hell out of him.
“Don’t worry.” Charlotte edged closer to Edward. “He won’t hurt you, ma’am. My partner and I are going to kill him, stuff him on the bottom of the cart here, and roll him right out.”
“Oh.” That was all Simone said. No outrage. No shock. Zero horror. After a beat, Simone nodded. “Good plan.” She waved to the terrified man. “Goodbye!”
“No!” Edward screamed. He lunged up to his feet.
Jamar immediately clamped a hand around his shoulder.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Edward cried out. A clump of chocolate mousse fell from his cheek. “I had gotten the hit order on her—everyone knows about it!”
“Everyone?” Simone grimaced. “I sincerely hope not. I hope that not every single person I pass on the street wants me dead.” A purse of her lips. “Perhaps you mean everyone in your particular criminal association? In your circle? People who are working for Frederick Bradwin or for his dangerous associates? All of those individuals know?”
Quick nods. “He’s offering twenty-five thousand pounds for you.”
She gasped. Put her hand to her heart. Even took a step back. “Twenty-five thousand pounds?” Then she frowned. “Wait, that translates to like, what, in American dollars? What is the current exchange rate? Because, honestly, I feel like I should be worth more.”
