Page 35 of Resurgent
Chapter Ten
Liam
I stare a Charlotte uncomprehendingly. “How did you get my necklace? And why were you wearing it?”
She averts her gaze and fiddles with the strap of her dress. Something’s up. I narrow my eyes at her. “Sit.” It comes out sharper than I intended—I’m too used to commanding men—but she promptly plops her adorable little ass down on the sofa cushion, and I have to remind myself to focus. I love the way Charlotte responds to my commands. Maybe because most of the time she’s so hellbent and determined to do things her way. I sit next to her, turning so we’re face-to-face. “Okay, spill it.”
She takes a deep breath and begins. “You died saving the life of an aid worker in Pakistan. Well, you didn’t die obviously, but you know, that’s what you were doing when—”
“Yeah, yeah,” I interrupt her. “I read that in the news. I need to know about the necklace.”
“Right. So a few weeks after you died, or not died—”
“Charlotte…” I give her my most intimidating stare and she flushes.
“Right.” Charlotte gives me that slightly flustered but aroused look she had last night when I demanded her sweet submission. My cock apparently remembers it too.Focus!I remind myself. “A few weeks after you, um, didn’t die, the aid worker whose life you saved contacted McKenzie and said that right before the building exploded, you gave him something to give to her. She and Gemma flew out to San Francisco a few days later and met him and he gave her the necklace. He told her you wanted her to have it so she’d know what kind of man you were.”
“Did you go with them to San Francisco to meet him?”
“No. Someone needed to stay in Charleston to run the business.” One corner of her mouth tips up slightly, but her eyes are sad. “That’s usually me.”
I take her hand in mine and turn it over, rubbing her palm with my thumb. “What did the necklace have to do with McKenzie knowing what kind of man I was?”
She shrugs. “It has some sort of etching on the front that he said stood for bravery, so I guess you wanted her to know you died a hero.”
I stroke Charlotte’s fingers absentmindedly. That doesn’t sound right. I don’t need anyone to think I’m a hero, but the last person I’d need to convince is my little sister. She’s always been my biggest fan.
“How did you come to have it?”
This time she squirms a little. What is she not telling me? “Um…I was at McKenzie’s right before I got kidnapped. Remember, Walker wanted me to see if I could find your passport? I, uh…decided to take the necklace, too, in case Walker needed it. I just put it on so it wouldn’t get lost.”
“So you were leaving McKenzie’s apartment wearing the necklace when the men kidnapped you?”
She nods.
I whistle softly. “Now I see why they thought you were McKenzie.”
She nods. “They were planning to keep me there until El Gato returned. I don’t know if they thought I, or she, knew where the guns are and would lead them to them, or whether they were going to use me as a bargaining chip, or kill me.”
“So they kept you, thinking you were McKenzie, and took the necklace.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh no! I still have it. I was still wearing it when I woke up. But I didn’t want them to notice it, so I took it off and put it in my pocket.” She jumps up. “I’ll get it.”
“Hey, Charlotte,” I call to her as she disappears into the bedroom. “You are a total badass.”
“I know.” She’s smiling when she returns a moment later with a silver medallion about the size of a quarter on a silver chain.
“I’m starting to appreciate your tendency to overthink things.” I wink at her.
“Is that an apology?” she asks, her grin widening.
I lean forward and take her mouth, kissing her hard. “What do you think?” I ask when I finally pull back to look into her beautiful brown eyes that are now soft with arousal.
“Um…” Suddenly flustered again, she hands me the necklace.
I let it rest in my palm, examining it. “Was I wearing it when we went to Playa on vacation?”
“No. I’d never seen it before McKenzie brought it back from San Francisco.”
