Page 20 of What Doesn't Kill You…

CHAPTER SEVEN

"I'm sorry," Max said, once they were back in the bungalow. "I should have said something."

"Damn straight, you should have." Rodrigo sat facing him at the small dining table. "Because now Damien knows you're here, he's going to be watching every move you make. You saw how he reacted. He thinks you've come to write a story on him."

"Which is true," Katrina said from her position beside Rodrigo. "Damien didn't believe a word you said. I wouldn't be surprised if he's checking into your booking as we speak. Then he'll probably check our backgrounds too. Our covers won't stand up to intense scrutiny. We didn't put much effort into building them because we didn't think anyone would know us, or get suspicious of us, in the few days we'd be here." She took out her phone and started tapping at the screen. "I'll get Evan onto it. Hopefully he can put enough background in place, so we look legitimate when people start digging."

Rodrigo ran a hand down his face as he looked at Violet. "You told him you were a cop. Way to set off alarm bells. And now you're supposed to be a florist? We set you up as a barista."

Violet's expression was blank as she sat beside Max. "I had a brain fart and forgot what I was doing. I told you I was crap at this undercover stuff." There was a challenge in her words. She was daring him to come at her. "Evan can change barista to florist, it shouldn't be too hard."

Rodrigo groaned. "No offense, Violet, but you don't look like a florist. Where the hell did that come from?"

"My mother and sister own a florist shop in Scotland," she said through gritted teeth.

Rodrigo blinked several times before he visibly relaxed. "Actually, that’s good. We can work with that. The only problem is that you told him you were working in the family business, which will make him wonder how you met Max, considering the family business is in Scotland."

She straightened her shoulders. "Do you want me to apologize?"

Max got the impression from her tone that an apology would happen right around the same time as hell froze over.

"No, I want to know how we salvage this." Rodrigo sat back in his chair.

"I'm filling Evan in on what we've told Damien," Katrina said as she typed. "Maybe we can say that Violet and Max met while on holiday. That happens all the time. Then it was a long-distance romance. Max's been to Houston, so we can say they met there, and he's been traveling back and forth to see her." She looked up at Rodrigo. "There's a florist a couple of blocks from our office. He could set it up to look like she's been employed there. That will work, right?"

"Maybe," Rodrigo said. "But it all needs to be put in place fast. If I was Damien, I'd be on my computer right now, checking into all of us."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Katrina said. "He's getting Elle to help."

"Elle?" Max asked.

"Evan, but in the London office."

"Gotcha." Max nodded. "For what it's worth, I really didn't think Damien would find out I was here, or even remember my name. We've never actually spoken before now. We saw each other in passing years ago, when he had my publisher squash a story I was writing on him." His stomach clenched at the memory of Damien taunting him over having the story killed. "That's it. That's all the contact we've had."

Violet faced him. "It sounds like he's close to your publisher, if they were golfing together last week. What are the chances he'll get in touch with your newspaper and get this story shut down too?"

Damn.

It.

To.

Hell.

"Max?" Rodrigo prompted when he took too long to reply.

Max ran another hand through his hair. This was not good. In fact, it was nowhere near good. It wasn't even in the same universe as good. The team were already mad at him and if he answered this question they'd lose their minds entirely.

Violet's eyes narrowed, seeing right through him. "You lied. This story isn't for your newspaper. You're doing this on your own, aren't you?"

His stomach clenched and he nodded once, tersely.

"Not possible." Rodrigo shook his head. "His editor asked Lake for a favor."

"Yeah." Max swallowed hard; the words stuck in his throat. "He did," he said at last before hanging his head for a second.

"Max?" Violet prodded him hard in the side, making him yelp.