Man, it must be nice to have friends like that. I had my sisters, and friends like Erica, who I had drinks with when we could make the time. I had informants, reluctant colleagues, and Jack, the retired PI who taught me everything I knew. But I didn’t have friends like this.
“Thanks, Zane.” Liam looked at Rivera. “Mav.”
Liam shepherded the two billionaires out. Before he left, Maverick speared me with a look hot enough to scar.
“Sorry,” Liam said. “They’re protective.”
“Don’t be sorry. You’re lucky to have friends like that.”
His gaze was on me, like he was trying to see into my head. “So, what did you throw together for lunch?”
“Well, I took out some ham and cheese, and I arranged them on the counter. Then I put the moldy cheese back in the fridge.”
“It’s called pule. It’s six hundred dollars a pound.”
“Really?” Man, rich people bought strange things. “I don’t care if it’s worth more than diamonds.” I waved a hand at the island. “And that’s about the extent of my cooking skills.”
“Don’t cook?”
“Not if I can help it.”
“Luckily, I do. I’ll make dinner for us tonight.”
“Liam—”
“So we can discuss Nexus, and why they want the warehouse. I’m hoping we hear from Vander today. He’s going to send through what he can find.”
I watched Liam. The man was a walking temptation. I needed to keep my guard up.
But he was right. We needed to work out what was going on with Nexus, and save Jake.
“All right. But dinner and work only.”
“So strict, darling.”
11
Would Panicking Help?
Liam
The salmon sizzled in the pan on the stove. Liam swiveled, stirring the simmering liquid in the other pot.
“That smells great.”
He glanced over. Aspen sat on a stool at the island, a glass of Shiraz in front of her.
“Thanks. It’s Alaskan Salmon with lemon-butter sauce.”
“I never knew billionaires could cook.”
“Us billionaires are full of surprises.”
They’d headed back to the office for the afternoon, and he’d been inundated with work. Now, he wanted them to relax, and eat a meal.
But the threat of Nexus still loomed.
Liam thought of his mother, Annabelle, the kids. If those photos got out…
He sighed. Annabelle had left a voicemail for him. She was excited because she was starting a new online business selling designer accessories—scarves, jewelry, belts, handbags. A way to support herself in the wake of the upcoming divorce.
His mother had also left a message. Going off about his father’s very young, new fiancée.
If his father’s scandal got splashed everywhere, it would tank Annabelle’s new venture. It would also send his mother into a rage-filled breakdown.
Aspen swirled her wine, and Liam’s gaze caught on the inked words on her forearm. “What’s your tattoo say?”
“Oh.” She lifted her arm. “All I can do is be me, whoever that is.”
“Wise words.”
“I got it when I graduated high school. I was at a bit of a crossroads, finding myself, and deciding what to do with my life.”
Pretty astute for a teenager.
Her phone vibrated on the island. She looked at it, and tapped in a message. It buzzed again. Then again.
She made an annoyed noise. More tapping.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“My sisters. Nineteen-year-old busybodies, who think the world revolves around them.” Her lips twitched.
It was obvious she loved them.
Liam had grown up an only child until he’d been a teenager. Then he’d had a whole slew of half siblings. He didn’t have a relationship with them like Aspen did. He felt more like an uncle. He was closest with Annabelle’s kids. George and Amelia were great. George a little pistol, and Amelia was quiet, sweet, and always hugging the stuffed bear that Liam had given her.
He released a breath. He hated to think of what a sex scandal would do to them.
Aspen’s phone rang and she snatched it up.
“I told you, I’ll be home late. Don’t wait up.” A pause. “Out.” Another pause. “I’m having dinner.” Now an annoyed sigh. “None of your business, Juno.” Aspen rolled her eyes. “How are you going to find out? I’m the PI in the family, remember?” She snorted. “I love you, too.” She set the phone down and sipped her wine. “They’re always in my business.”
“Do they know about the investigation?” He got out some plates to serve the fish.
“They know I’m undercover, but not the details. They don’t know I’m at Kensington Group. God, they’d lose their minds.” She smiled. “Like most of the female population of New York, they lose their minds over the billionaire bachelors.”
Liam started serving up the salmon. “But not you?”
“Takes more to impress me than a pretty face and several billion dollars.”
Shaking his head in amusement, he carried dinner to the table. As they ate, Aspen’s eyes closed several times as she savored the meal.
He smiled. He liked knowing she enjoyed his cooking.
“Who taught you to cook?” she asked.
“My family’s personal chef. My parents traveled a lot, and if I wasn’t in a boarding school, I was left with our staff. Henri was French, and an absolute snob, and pretended he hated teaching me. Secretly, I think he enjoyed it.”
After they ate, they spread their files and papers on the coffee table. Liam grabbed his tablet, and made them coffee.
She opened her laptop—it was a couple of years old, and a little dinged. He noted that it was Rivera Tech brand.
She tapped in some searches. Made some frustrated noises. “Nothing of interest comes up on that warehouse. I can’t work out why the hell Nexus wants it. I can run a search on all the companies that have owned or used it. But it’ll take some time.”
His gut cramped. “And we’re running out of time.”
She reached across and grabbed his hand. “We’re not letting those photos go public. And we aren’t letting Jake get hurt.”
He nodded.
She squeezed then released his fingers, then tapped again on her laptop. Her brow furrowed. She was cute as hell when she concentrated.
His cell phone rang and he saw Vander’s name on the screen. Finally. “It’s Vander.”
Aspen got a funny look on her face.
Liam frowned. “What?”
“Vander Norcross is a legend.” She shivered a little.
Liam’s frown deepened. Did she have to look like a teenage fan at a boyband concert? He pressed the speaker button. “Vander.”
“Hey, Liam. I have some intel for you.” The man’s deep voice filled the room.
“Good, because we’re running out of time.”
“First off, Penn Channing is an alias of a woman called Aspen Chandler.”
Aspen pulled a face.
“I’m not sure how she fits into all this,” Vander continued, “but she’s a licensed investigator.”