Circle of Deception (7 page)

She still loved Rex.

Chapter Six

“W
AKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD.”

Abby lifted achy and swollen eyelids. The deep, sexy voice matched the masculine face hovering above hers. Stretched out alongside her, propped up by one hand near her head, Jack grinned big. The loop on his bottom lip glinted.

She groaned and covered her eyes. “Please don’t tell me I screwed up again.”
Oh no, oh no, oh no . . .

He chuckled and moved off the bed. She squinted at him from between her fingers.
Thank you, God! He’s wearing clothes.

“The only thing you screwed up was drinking too much before a mission.” With a stretch, he twisted at the waist and then straightened his shirt. His khaki pants flowed over muscled thighs that pulled at the cloth in the right spots. What a beautifully toned man.

“I don’t have a hangover. One margarita isn’t too much.” She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. “Shit, Jack. I only got in bed two hours ago. That’s why I feel like crap.”

“That’s your problem. Time to get up. Rex is downstairs and waiting.”

Abby tossed the sheet to the side. The oversized T-shirt she’d worn to bed covered her well enough for a mad dash to the bathroom. The mirror confirmed she had dark circles beneath her eyes. Refusing to think about the horror they’d gone through the night before, she splashed cold water on her face and pulled on a bathrobe. When she returned, she glared at her boss and then noticed the clothes draped over her bed.

“What’s this? I don’t need you picking out something for me to wear.” From the corner of her eye, she spied a couple of her suitcases next to the door. “What are you up to?” She lifted a suitcase, its weight telling a story. “You packed for me,” she said.

“You sleep like the dead. I could’ve strangled you before you had a chance to defend yourself.” Jack opened the door into the hallway as he grabbed the suitcase from her hand. “You and Rex have a party to go to after a brief meeting downstairs. You’ll be newlyweds flying in early from Vegas and staying at the Wynfrey in Birmingham for the evening. To be all fresh and ready to meet your mommy dearest the next day.” He added, “We had to move it up. Another shipment is scheduled in the next few weeks for Inferno. Brody will be at the party. A perfect opportunity for you two to meet and become fast friends. So don’t give me a hard time. Wear what I left you. I’ll meet you in my office.” He quietly shut the door.

Men! They love giving orders
. She sighed. Problem was she wanted to keep her job. She hurried through a quick shower and applied makeup. Then she dressed in the outfit Jack had left on the bed.

What in the world?

The dress was nothing like anything she’d ever owned. Cocktail length, the cream silk hugged her in all the right places, dipping low in the front and the back going high into a stand-up collar. The style was reminiscent of what a 1950s movie star would’ve worn. Beneath it she wore a lacy bra and garter along with a barely-there thong. The whisper-thin hose stopped at midthigh, and she slipped into matching high heels. She enjoyed feeling sexy. This was a new experience.

She looked through her jewelry for anything that would accentuate the clean neckline. Giving up on finding anything perfect, she settled for a thin gold chain and small pearl earrings.

At the last minute, before leaving the room, she pulled her hair back and used the fanciest hairclip she owned. The mother-of-pearl overlay gave it a sophisticated look.

With a finger hovering over the
DOWN
button next to the elevator, she hesitated. Jack never did anything without a purpose. Sure he said a party, but what else was he up to? And why dress for it so early? Her hand glided down the sleek material. No matter his plans, she loved wearing the dress. Shoulders back, head held high, she inhaled deeply, releasing all her tension and pressed the button. She could handle him. She could handle anything either brother threw at her. As the door slid closed behind her and the car began its descent, she shook her head. The best way to handle the niggling feeling was to quit worrying and go with whatever he had planned.

Obviously, Jack planned to throw her into the fire by letting the public see her and Rex as husband and wife at a fancy party. She’d read everything The Circle had on Brody and studied Rex’s files. To delay it would only give the Inferno a chance to take possession of more ammo. Besides, if they waited any longer, problems would start creeping up, giving her and Rex time to get on each other’s nerves.

The first thing she noticed as she walked off the elevator and headed to the office was the slight hum of a crowd. When she opened the door, she almost turned back around.

Rex and Jack stood near a huge bouquet of flowers. A sullen Nic whispered frantically to Liam, while Charlie and Olivia sat at the conference table with Collin. What the hell were Olivia and Collin there for? Had someone died?

A movement near the flowers brought her attention to the white bells and doves immersed in fringe-tipped curtains draped over one wall. Next to a podium stood a tall, well-built man dressed in rhinestones and sunglasses and wearing his coal-black hair in a pompadour.

What was an Elvis Presley impersonator doing here? Her gaze jumped to Rex and Jack. What were they trying to pull?

One of The Circle’s IT guys, holding a small video camera, pointed it at her with the red light blinking.

“Surprise!” Jack stepped over to her and waved at Charlie. “What are you waiting for?”

Charlie shoved a small spray of flowers into her arms. “These belong to you. Congratulations.”

Stunned, Abby grasped them to her chest and looked at Rex. The satisfied look on his face ignited her anger. She caught Jack’s arm.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Can’t you tell? I’ve come to Vegas to give you away to my good buddy, Rurik. Unless you’d rather have Elvis walk you down the aisle.” Jack grinned and clasped her arm, nearly forcing her to where Rex stood. “When you called, telling me that you two crazy kids couldn’t wait a minute longer and wanted all your friends here, I got on the first plane out.” As the IT guy aimed the camera at Rex, Jack leaned over. “Play along.”

“Are you
crazy
?” she shot back under her breath.

“If I had told you before we did it, would you have done it without arguing?”

“Hell—”

“That’s what I thought,” he said, cutting her off before she could raise her voice and mess up the recording. “I’ll explain more after we’re finished.”

When Elvis launched into “Love Me Tender,” Abby followed Jack’s lead and held on to his arm all the way to the podium as if in a dream. Or was that a nightmare? They stopped in front of Rex. He looked wonderful. Dressed in what appeared to be an expensive black suit, gray silk shirt, and tie, he grabbed her hand and lifted it. Feeling numb, she didn’t even think to protest how tightly he squeezed her fingers.

When Elvis asked her to repeat the vows and she merely stared at him, he covered his discomfort by making a quip about the bride needing a fried peanut butter sandwich for nourishment. Less than two minutes later, Rex/Rurik slipped two rings on her finger, and the preacher/Elvis pronounced them husband and wife and ordered them to kiss.

Rex’s lips pressed hers for a second and then he stepped back. Nothing earth-shattering or romantic about it at all. How often over the years had she dreamed of this moment? What if she hadn’t gone shopping that fateful day and been kidnapped by The Circle? What if they had really gotten married? The kiss would be different, deeper, richer, hotter. What had happened? Her head spun with all the best-forgotten memories racing through her mind. She wanted to scream,
Stop!

With a shake of her head, she stumbled off the platform set up for the altar. Rex caught her elbow until she regained her footing, but he didn’t pull her back into his arms. Then Elvis belted out “Viva Las Vegas” in perfect pitch.

She squinted and rubbed her forehead. When would she wake up? Talk about the kookiest dream ever. Through the strange haze, she looked at Rex playing Rurik and wondered if she was also two people. Surely all of this wasn’t happening to her but to someone else.

Everyone shouted and threw flower petals as they walked toward the door. Thankfully the IT fellow stopped filming when they stepped away from the stage area that would fit perfectly in any Las Vegas wedding chapel. They stopped at the conference table, and Rex handed her a pen and pointed at a blank line near the bottom of an official-looking form. She paused and then studied his face. She remembered that look. Molten-gray eyes burned into hers. He wanted her.

She leaned down and signed her name, noting his signature of Rurik Volkov. Before she moved away, Jack lifted the sheet and pointed at another spot. She signed again next to where he placed his finger.

When she straightened, Olivia and Charlie looped their arms through hers and moved her to a chair. She stared off, not focusing on anything around her.

“Abby, are you okay?” Olivia hovered over her, awkwardly patting her shoulder.

“Olivia?”

“Yeah, hon?”

“Quit hovering. You’re scaring me.” The woman never hovered. Abby concentrated on breathing: deep inhale and long exhale.

“Sorry. Your eyes are open so wide, just like the scared raccoon Collin found in the garbage the other day. You’ve got me worried. And to tell you the truth, you need to avoid wearing cream. Beige might be okay, but cream sucks the life out of your skin tone.”

Abby glared at her until Olivia moved away and sat on the other side of the table with her arms crossed, shaking her head, mumbling and shooting her evil looks. In the back of Abby’s mind, she was amazed that Olivia had apologized but to ramble on about colors and skin tones . . . that was enough to scare her. Things must really be bad if a former cold-blooded assassin was rattled by everything going on.

Charlie pulled out a chair nearby, wedged her elbow onto the table, and propped up her head in one hand, smiling.

“So starting this morning, you can jump on that stallion and ride him all you want. But I better warn you not to turn your back on Nic. She’s madder than a puppy in a wet sack.” Charlie nodded to the other end of the room.

Abby glanced over at Nic. Rex was leaning down to let her whisper something in his ear. Judging from the way the woman’s hand clasped his upper arm, nails digging into the material, Nic was upset and wanted Rex to understand how much. But all Abby could think about was how that thick muscled arm belonged to her and Nic needed to let go.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she was ashamed. The whole arrangement was part of a ruse to set up Brody Walker. None of it was real.

She covered her eyes and bowed her head until her forehead rested on the shiny table. A couple solid bumps would help her to think clearly. She stopped banging her head when Charlie snorted.

“How’re you going to explain to your mama about the bruise on your noggin if you keep doing that?” Charlie shoved her on the shoulder.

She was right. Somehow she needed to find a way to explain her new husband, not counting any facial bruising. No need for Rex to be accused of wife beating. Knowing her mom, she’d call the police. Then again, what better way to get him out of her hair so she could do her job? No. His presence was needed to get closer to Brody.

Lord of Mercy, her head hurt.

A
RMS CROSSED AND
his jaw aching from holding back the need to throw an uppercut into Jack’s smart-ass mouth, Rex halfway listened to Nic’s complaints.

“Did you hear anything I said?” Her dark eyes flashed in irritation.

“Tell Jack how you feel about it. This is all his idea.”

“He won’t listen to me. But maybe if I insist on field time again, I can be helpful,” Nic said with her usual furor. “You know, by speeding up the mission, there will be no need to be alone with her. I’ll think of something.” She patted his arm. “Thanks. Let me see what I can come up with.” Before he could stop her, she pressed her lips to his cheek and flounced off.

He drew his attention back to Abby. She lowered her head to the table and slammed into it a few times. Charlie spoke to her and she stopped. Hell, that proved she hated how his brother had tricked them into going along with his harebrained scheme as much as he did.

But maybe it would work. They needed Brody to believe they were what they appeared: a newly married couple in love and the groom involved in similar illicit work. A perfect reason for him to stay near Abby and keep her safe, while using every minute they had together pulling answers out of her. She’d always been closemouthed. Case in point was the family she’d never mentioned. Yet, he knew of several inventive ways to loosen her up and get her to talk.

Rolling his shoulders, he wanted out of this monkey suit his brother had insisted he wear, and more importantly, he wanted that infuriating woman alone.

His gaze remained on Abby as she listened to her friends. Her brief smile shot liquid fire from his heart to his groin.

She looked beautiful. If The Circle hadn’t interfered all those years ago, they might’ve been parents by now, or at the very least enjoyed years of being in the same bed. All that smooth skin and dark hair spread out for him to taste and touch. He shifted and tugged at the end of his jacket, covering any visible evidence of how looking at her affected him.

A flash of metal on his hand caught his attention. He’d never worn a ring, and he’d expected to be annoyed by the feel, but he rather liked how it reminded him of Abby. When Jack had handed the rings over and she had slipped one on his finger, it had struck him that she’d be wearing a ring like his, a sign of ownership. He’d liked that. He’d liked it very much. Maybe too much.

He looked at Abby and the ring on her hand sparkled under the office lights.
Hell, yeah
. No matter what anyone said, she belonged to him.

A
BBY SNEAKED A
look at Rex. He towered over all the men in the room except Liam, but where Liam was whipcord lean, Rex’s thick muscles and solid build gave him an appearance of a football player, a dangerous-looking one with a scar and military haircut.