Circle of Deception (16 page)

“We don’t? How’s that?”

He shook his head and stretched out beside her, clasping her tight, letting his groin press to her hip for a moment in a mild form of self-torture. “Later. I’ll tell you later. For now, let’s get some sleep.” With a sigh, he rolled onto his back and hauled her halfway on top of him. Glad she couldn’t see his bruised rib cage from the altercation with her brother, he concentrated on relaxing.

“For a man who can’t shut up while having sex, you’re sure closemouthed when it really counts.”

Her head bounced on his chest as he chuckled. Only Abby made laughter in bed sexy. He shifted his hard cock. It was going to be a long night.

Chapter Fourteen

“W
HY DIDN’T YOU
tell me that you saw Brody at the charity cocktail party?” Abby’s mom stared accusingly while wrapping an arm around Brody’s elbow.

Where did the nice morning go to, and why couldn’t the afternoon be as nice? Abby had helped Suzie prepare breakfast, scrambling up some fluffy omelets and cinnamon toast—that was, she’d handed Suzie the ingredients. Anyway, mornings like that brought an ache to be normal with a husband and children.

Some people enjoyed spoiling a good thing.

She looked at the tall, good-looking guy smiling with the largest self-satisfied grin she’d ever seen on a person’s face.

“Don’t give her a hard time, Leigh Ann. She’s in love and you remember how that is. No one else exists.” His bleached white teeth sparkled.

“Hello, Walker.” Rex’s deadly tone ratcheted up the tension in the room.

“Volkov.”

While Brody was all flash and smooth charm, Rex was mystery and lethal sex appeal. Of the two, she’d place all her money on Rex. But during her time with The Circle, she’d learned to never underestimate an opponent. Looks could be misleading.

“Suzie, look who’s come to visit.” The older woman still held on tight to Brody as if he were a beau come to court her.

How wrapped up was she in his sale of illegal firearms and ammo?

“Hey, Brody. Eddie’s at work but would you like a glass of tea?”

“No. I’m fine. I’m actually here to see Rurik. As I mentioned the other night, I’m having a small weekend party at my farm and wanted to invite Abby and Rurik. You know, extend our Southern hospitality to our newlyweds.”

“That sounds wonderful and so generous.” Abby’s mom beamed at her. “If only I didn’t already have plans, I would join in.”

Abby’s heart traveled to her throat thinking of her mom in the middle of the mission. Well, more than she was already involved.

“Sure. Another time.” Brody kissed her mom on the cheek. “Excuse me while I talk with Rurik.”

“Very well. I love your dinner parties. Your weekend parties must be marvelous,” the older woman simpered.

Rex followed Brody into Edward’s study. As soon as the door closed, her mom turned. “What business would your husband have with Brody? You better not be planning to cheat him out of his money. He acts all laid back but he’s a sharp businessman and eats people like you for dinner.”

Stunned, Abby blinked a few times, giving herself time to recover. She knew her mom had a low opinion of her, but each time she lobbed a sneak attack, she caught her off guard.

“Okaaay. I’m going to pretend you said that to protect me from Brody and not the other way around.”

Her mom wrinkled her forehead. “Whatever are you talking about? You come here with a husband who wears thousand-dollar suits and no visible means of income. And you say he trades commodities but he doesn’t act like a broker. I don’t trust those Russians. Capitalism is new to them and all that freedom has made them pushy.”

“More pushy than Americans? Besides, how should a broker act?” Ah, hell, why did she allow her mom to push her buttons? She closed her eyes as she shook her head, holding up both hands. “No. Never mind.” Looking her in the eye, she did her best to soothe her worries. “We don’t plan to hurt Brody, and I’m sure Rurik can handle himself.”

Rather proud of how she remembered to call Rex Rurik, she almost missed the way her mom’s neck stretched and chin popped up before she asked, “
We
don’t plan?”

Abby hung her head and sighed. The best way to handle the mess was to redirect her mom’s attention. “Mom, let’s not argue in front of Tommy.” She nodded to where her nephew watched a cartoon. Turning to her sister-in-law, Abby widened her eyes, pleading for help. “Did I hear you say that Tommy was taking karate?”

“Yes. He loved that DVD you got him, and he begged to take lessons. We’re so lucky to have a dojo in Sand City. It’s amazing how much he’s learned.” Suzie smiled big with pride.

Abby had sent him a copy of
Kung Fu Panda
for his birthday last month.

“He’s smart like his daddy,” her mom said, and started on all the fine qualities of her grandson.

Abby rolled her eyes, and Suzie giggled. Obviously, her sister-in-law knew the secret to cutting her mom off from creating more drama.

Thinking of drama, she wondered what Rex and Brody were talking about in private.

“G
O FUCK YOURSELF.”
Brody Walker’s good ol’ boy persona slipped a little.

“I thought it was a reasonable offer.” Rex leaned back on the desk, ankles and arms crossed, giving off the appearance of someone who didn’t give a damn while he centered all his attention on the angry man pacing in front of him.

A wall full of pictures of Abby’s brother receiving medals for his work with the community dominated the study, while trophies lined up on shelves from former high school and college glory days stood sentinel. How would he feel to hear an illegal arms deal was being negotiated in his study?

“I need twice that figure to consider the deal.” Brody broke into his thoughts.

“Hey, you came to me with your cash-flow problem.” He lifted one eyebrow when the man’s face turned red. Though he hated to admit it, his brother’s plan to squeeze Brody by continuing to confiscate his shipments worked. They’d hoped eventually he would need money to cover production for the same order of ammo over and over again. Inferno wouldn’t understand Brody’s bad luck and no way would they provide more funds. Rex doubted they’d even been told what had happened. To tell them that someone was stealing their orders would reveal Brody’s group had been compromised or that their security work was shoddy. Besides, the only reason the Inferno hadn’t killed Brody was that they received one shipment. From what The Circle had learned, it was a small one.

“I told you after I fill this order, hell, any orders we receive—and there will be hundreds of them—I’ll make sure to double the price and you’ll have your money tripled in six months or less. But I can’t take you to the shop.”

Rex had hinged the deal on being able to inspect a shipment of goods as they were manufactured. Whether or not Brody sensed a trap, he wasn’t sure. He knew if he pressed too hard, he’d cause him to cut and run or worse. He and Jack had promised Abby that they’d protect her family by not placing them in greater danger than they were already.

“You want me to hand over a bundle of cash and not inspect your production line? I’d be a poor businessman if I didn’t. How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“And I wouldn’t have gone to you if you’d been a poor businessman. I find it refreshing dealing with blunt people. Let’s say you’ll have to learn to trust me.” Like a switch flipped on, Brody’s face lightened up. “Enough of business. Tomorrow I’ll send a car over to pick up you and your wife. She’s so delightful. It will be nice to become reacquainted.” Rex didn’t care for how that sounded, like he would allow him to touch Abby. “I bet she has some stories to tell. Did she ever tell you that she ran away from home, and it wasn’t until last year that her mother even knew she was still alive?”

He wasn’t about to admit he knew nothing about Abby. He’d thought he knew everything he would ever need to know when they planned to marry years ago, but each day he realized he knew nothing. So he worked at maintaining a bored expression and pressed his lips together.

“I agree with her mother. Abby’s a closemouthed one. Unlike most women who yak on and on about every little thing until a man wants to put a muzzle on the bitch.” Brody smirked and added, “Some of them look better with one on, if you know what I mean.”

“Good thing I don’t have to worry about that.” Rex curled his fingers. Tingles shot up his arms as he squeezed, trying his best not to hit him.

“You’re so right.” Brody chuckled. “I bet she’s a screamer, though. Those quiet ones you have to watch out for. Take for instance the slut I was with the other night. She talks all the time but never says a word when I fuck her. Though with all that flapping of gums, she’s worked up some muscles, and that big mouth of hers is talented. Lordy, Lordy, she can suck a cock like a man.” With his back to Rex, he leaned over to look closer at a picture on the wall.

Rex’s vision narrowed. So, what, the bastard swung both ways? And more importantly, why did he believe he could talk about Abby like that? How could any person talk about a man’s wife with so little respect and not get hurt? No less talk about any woman in that way. Hell, if not for the mission, he’d be nailing his ass up on the wall next to the photographs.

“Will five o’clock be okay for the car to be here?” Brody turned around and grinned. “We’ll have a couple days to relax and enjoy each other’s company. We may even learn to trust each other.”

“I’ll drive my own car.”

Brody chuckled. “See? We don’t trust. Partners must trust each other.” He slapped Rex on the back as he headed toward the door.

“Partners are allowed to inspect the goods as they’re made. That would be a good way to show your trust.” He rolled his shoulders. Why did it feel as if he’d been stabbed in the back? He desperately wanted to gut the man. For now, he looked away to keep from revealing the hatred in his eyes.

“You’re a single-minded man.” Brody opened the study door. “Yes. This weekend will be good for us. We’ll have to see if we can come to an understanding first.”

With one eyebrow raised, Rex cut his eyes over to Brody.

That was progress. For the man to even hint of possibly giving in to Rex’s terms was a good sign. Then again, once they arrived on the farm, they would be on his turf, in his control. The guards and dogs holding off outsiders also held people in. He owned a lot of acreage, perfect for hiding a factory and burying curious visitors.

“W
HAT WAS THAT
all about?” Abby closed the bedroom door behind her. She’d been frustrated with how her mom and sister-in-law had stuck to her side all afternoon. Without being rude, she couldn’t find a way to get Rex off alone until a couple hours before dinner.

Rex tossed a switchblade onto the bed as he placed a foot in a nearby overstuffed chair to rip the Velcro apart on his ankle holster.

“He wanted to borrow some money.” His satisfied grin said a lot, but for the last several hours his body had vibrated with suppressed rage. Twice she’d caught him staring out the window with his hands fisted and knuckles white.

“So the plan is working. He’s hurting for funds, and we’re invited to his farm for the weekend. Before you came out, I got a text message from Jack. They hired Liam but not Charlie. We’re fortunate one got hired. Nic and the crew are about a mile down a public side road and have part of the road dug up for maintenance,” she said, making quote marks in the air for the last word, “and are setting up the receiver in the van. Once we place the bugs, we should be able to work fast from there.”

“If nothing goes wrong.” He shucked his pants and picked up a pair of gray sweats from the dresser.

“Where are you going?” She tried her best not to stare at the way his ass filled out his boxer briefs, perfect to cover with her hands and squeeze. Why was she always in sexual overdrive whenever he was around?

He stripped off his shirt and pulled a sleeveless jersey on. “I’m going for a jog.”

“Give me a minute and I’ll come with you.”

“I’ll go by myself. Need to clear my mind.”

“Okaaay.” Her forehead wrinkled as she watched him leave. What was that all about? If anyone had problems dealing with the mission, she’d expected it to be her. She was the one endangering her family and not confessing everything to Rex.

R
EX HATED LYING
to Abby. A couple things needed to be seen to without her around. He slipped into Edward’s study and picked up a picture frame. The day before, he’d stuck a bug on the back beneath the stand. When he was in the room with Brody earlier, he’d noticed the picture frame was in a new spot across the room. He wanted the mic closer to the desk. A better chance he would catch anything Abby’s brother would say.

He turned the frame over. The mic was gone. Dammit. Sweeping the area with his gaze, he searched the desk and floor, even kneeling to reach beneath the furniture in case it had rolled off. Nothing.

Dammit. Not that anyone would track it back to him, as the mic was self-sufficient. The tiny internal memory chip was activated only by voice vibrations and recorded conversations up to eight hours. He just didn’t need anyone hearing what he and Brody had discussed.

No use getting bent out of shape by it. He had other matters on his mind. For now, he needed to talk with his brother. They had a couple things to iron out. Only two years separated them, but he and Jack had never been close, even while working the same type of job.

The disconnection came about years before both joined the OS. Their dad was a hard man who wanted to ensure his sons grew up to be real men. One day when Rex was ten, he’d been gathering apples from a small orchard they owned; his mom had promised to bake an apple cobbler if he brought in enough. Earlier, she’d forced him to take a bath, even putting some of the soft powder on his torso that reminded him of her. So to keep from needing another bath, he’d been careful not to get dirty.

When he entered the kitchen with arms loaded and his cheeks pink in anticipation of helping his mom mix the cobbler, he was surprised to see his dad and brother cramming their mouths full of the cold apple tarts his mom had baked the day before. He’d enjoyed hanging around his mom without his older brother’s and dad’s interference. They had gone into the mountains so his dad could teach Jack how to track wild animals. Dad was a big believer in knowing how to hunt, especially with the ever-present promise of the apocalypse coming. The man was one brick short of a full load. In other words, bat-shit crazy.