The Financier by Liz Maverick

2017

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Author:	Liz Maverick
Genre:	Contemporary Romance
File Name:	the-financier-by-liz-maverick.epub
Original Title:	The Financier (Hudson Kings Book 2)
Creator:	Liz Maverick
Language:	en
Identifier:	MOBI-ASIN:B071KSQ7J6
Publisher:	Montlake Romance
Date:	1511193600
File Size:	419625.984

A job to die for. Women to kill for. Dangerous times call for dangerous men like the Hudson Kings—and making it out alive is only half the fun.
Nick Dawes just had to go and prove something to himself. The brilliant moneyman of the Hudson Kings is in deeeep trouble after losing $20 million during a “freelance” heist, and now a Russian crime boss wants the money and Nick’s head. Nick needs to make himself scarce—and find someone to babysit his fish. Someone like lush, gorgeous Jane MacGregor, who might just be the death of him…
After being swindled by her jerk of an ex, Jane can’t say no to house-sitting a luxurious Fifth Avenue penthouse. The only downfall—aside from Nick’s tendency to show up covered in bruises and blood—is an increasingly strong attraction to her superhot and expensively suited-up new boss. Never make the same mistake twice.
But when Nick’s dangerous profession crashes in on Jane’s quiet little world, all hell breaks loose. And Jane is about to find out just what kind of man she’s falling for.

Table of Content

1. CONTENTS PROLOGUE CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 10 CHAPTER 11 CHAPTER 12 CHAPTER 13 CHAPTER 14 CHAPTER 15 CHAPTER 16 CHAPTER 17 CHAPTER 18 CHAPTER 19 CHAPTER 20 CHAPTER 21 CHAPTER 22 CHAPTER 23 CHAPTER 24 CHAPTER 25 CHAPTER 26 CHAPTER 27 CHAPTER 28 CHAPTER 29 CHAPTER 30 CHAPTER 31 CHAPTER 32 CHAPTER 33 CHAPTER 34 CHAPTER 35 CHAPTER 36 CHAPTER 37 CHAPTER 38 EPILOGUE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR
2. PROLOGUE This. This was why Nick Dawes so rarely took a freelance job separate from his mercenary team, the Hudson Kings. “What did you say to me?” Nick asked, his finger hovering over the keyboard, an explosive heat about to burst out of his chest. The enormous, sweaty Russian criminal who’d crowded into the van with Nick for the last two hours licked his lips and shrugged, but his eyes flicked nervously to Nick’s hands. “Is nothing,” Vlad Sokolov said. It definitely wasn’t nothing. The van door opened; Sokolov flinched, and then Maksim jumped into the interior, looking like a python in his skintight neoprene. Maksim was a lone-wolf operative; he didn’t run with a mercenary team. He usually didn’t run with a team at all. Given the shit going down, Nick thought maybe the guy had it right. “We done?” Maks asked. Sokolov mopped his face with his sleeve. “We are not,” he said, dipping his chin as if he could will Nick’s finger to press down on the “Enter” key. Nick stared at Sokolov. Maks
3. CHAPTER 1 One Month Later Well, I guess this is it. Jane MacGregor stood in front of the grocery store cashier, staring down at the manicured hand that was trying to give back her rejected credit card. It was a really nice manicure; someone had put serious time into it, purple swirls and silver glitter and all. I wonder if I can just go there, to the magical place with purple swirls and silver glitter. Hopefully, everything’s free there. “Miss! What do you wanna do?” The cashier’s smile wasn’t quite as nice as her manicure; it looked a little strained actually, like she could sympathize but was focused on getting to her break, because she couldn’t change the fact that Jane’s ex-boss/ex-boyfriend had drained her bank account, taken custody of their apartment, and had now apparently maxed out her credit cards. Jane looked back at the line snaking out behind her. This being New York City, shit like this happened all the time. There were some more-sympathetic faces, some really not sympath
4. CHAPTER 2 The mood in the war room was tense, to say the least. Dex tapped the keyboard, and the angle on the cam shifted, pulling back to provide a wider view of the situation. Nick’s heart was pounding, but he didn’t move, couldn’t move. Couldn’t do a lot of things, damn it, because he wanted to stay close to the Armory. That’s what happens when you want to keep a low profile because you’ve misplaced $20 million of a powerful Russian businessman’s heist money, and he’s—not to mention the other freelance operatives on the gig—trying to decide what to do about it. “He’s tested things out twice,” Dex said. Romeo, Chase, and Shane leaned in. “Oh, he’s gonna make another break,” Shane confirmed. Nick’s entire body tensed. The little guy on the screen was serious. He was dead serious. “Ohhhh!” everybody yelled, as a beautiful little blue-and-red-striped guppy jumped clean out of the tank and landed on the floor. Nick sucked in a breath of air, wishing he could do something about the fish f
5. CHAPTER 3 Jane had some regrets about trying to appear entirely forgettable, which manifested most strongly right outside an Italian joint called Bianchi’s, where she was supposed to interview with Nick Dawes. She’d been caught in the rain without an umbrella, which probably did not project responsibility and whatever else it was you needed to convince someone that you were not going to let their fish die or set their penthouse on fire while they’re away. That said, the error did result in making her look mousier than she was even going for. Wet hair that was probably alternating between extreme frizz and soaked, no makeup, boring clothes (well, clothes with at least two fewer colors than usual). I am the epitome of the unobtrusive fish feeder you are looking to hire, Mr. Dawes. She entered the front door, shucked her raincoat off, shook the water out of her hair, and then tried to tame it with a rubber band. After stating her name, she was whisked through the restaurant by a buxom bru
6. CHAPTER 4 The next day Jane showed up at the penthouse with her duffel bag, her portfolio, and her purse. After crossing the threshold and closing the door behind her, her jaw dropped to the floor, along with her stuff. Loose pennies rolled out of her purse across the herringbone parquet floor as she took in the majesty of what a healthy bank account was capable of in New York City. I am one hundred percent throwing a party at your place, Mr. Dawes, sir. Even if she’d had a ten-piece luggage set, she still would have felt dwarfed standing in the sleek foyer of Nick Dawes’s place. The fish tank was round and massive, and it dominated the circular entryway. A closet door built into the wall of this rotunda had been left open, revealing that these lucky fish commanded more accessories and equipment than a football team. The closet was also, by itself, larger than any bathroom in any apartment Jane had ever lived in. But real life reared its ugly head when she walked around the side of the
7. CHAPTER 5 Tristan had a sweet apartment in one of those new-construction buildings located near the High Line, but the nearby transportation options were shitty. It was the sort of place that made it unnecessary to leave for any reason, as long as you were content to confine your needs to the offerings of the onsite concierge. Anyway, Nick suspected Tristan didn’t care how far he had to walk to the subway, because he was one of those guys who was always on his bike. He’d biked to the heist. Seriously. The guy showed up to help steal $20 million in a flannel shirt, Carhartts with the gear-side leg rolled up, and a beard that looked just this side of lumberjack. Nick could only hope the guy was deeply in touch with his sensitive side today, because it was the first time since the cock-up that he’d seen him in person. There was an even chance Tristan was feeling like test-driving that hipster ax he carried around in a backpack nestled next to his laptop. Yeah, the guy owned a designer hat
8. CHAPTER 6 Given the sheer fabulousness of Nick Dawes’s king-size bed, Jane was not surprised that she overslept. Even after she awoke, she lay there wiggling her toes and luxuriating in his quadruple-digit thread count. It took the doorbell ringing to force her hand (her entire body, really), and the only reason she actually opened up after peering through the peephole was because the person on the flip side looked official, and she thought it might be something important about or for Mr. Dawes. She did not realize there was a dog involved until she’d already opened the door to a woman with a severe bobbed hairdo, rocking a pantsuit and heavy gold jewelry. At the end of the leash there was a young, enthusiastic dog, and in the woman’s other hand was a medium-size leather suitcase. It did not escape Jane’s notice that the color of the woman’s pantsuit matched the puppy, thereby negating any puppy-hair issues. Jane had to wonder if the woman had other dogs to match a black-and-white spot
9. CHAPTER 7 Okay, this is not . . . yeah, this is not good. It had been a rough day. A basic morning that had turned into a long afternoon after Nick had left the Armory to try to corral Maks, who wasn’t returning calls and seemed to be putting in some effort to keep himself scarce. He’d gone all the way out to Brighton Beach and back again, but couldn’t find the guy. What he’d found instead was a gun at his temple and a pair of meaty hands binding him around the wrists. Now, from his awkward position in the trunk of a speeding car driven by a lackey with a Russian accent, Nick could only listen helplessly as his phone rang off the hook. It took him a second to recognize the ringtone he’d just assigned to only Jane MacGregor. He would have said she had very good timing if he’d been in a position to accept her call. Literally. His phone was in the pocket of his coat, bunched under the left side of his rib cage. He could also feel the bump of that promo item Jane had given him. A plastic p
10. CHAPTER 8 Jane’s urge to “stand up for what was right” had taken on even greater urgency since Mr. Dawes had so rudely hung up on her the previous night. Since Allison had a car and a free pass to the man’s workplace, the next step was obvious. Unfortunately, due to Saturday-night-party traffic plus an accident that seemed to block every box on the Manhattan grid, Jane had to stew over her boss’s blackheartedness for even longer than expected. The backseat of Allison’s car was packed with Cecily plus an entire wardrobe for a fashion shoot, so the puppy (with puppy hair all over it, natch)—and the puppy pads and the puppy food and the puppy bed (also with puppy hair all over it)—were in the front passenger seat on top of Jane. The adorable puppy squirming in her arms in the midst of this mess was managing to keep her from prematurely losing her mind about Mr. Dawes’s behavior; that said, Jane was composing her speech, and she was not in a good mood. Conversely, Ally was in a fantastic m
11. CHAPTER 9 From the moment they left the car in the courtyard and entered the building, chaos ensued. Jane and the puppy followed Cecily and her boyfriend, Shane, into a room that Jane managed to register as being full of very, very attractive men. Ally suddenly dropped back behind Jane. A waifish redheaded girl in a black jumpsuit launched a mile-a-minute speech at a muscular guy wearing a band T-shirt about how inappropriate it was that “civilians” were all piling into the “war room.” At least it sounded like she said “war room.” Through the drama Jane finally pegged Mr. Dawes leaning against a desk next to a guy she recognized from photos as Cecily’s brother Dex. Jane had fully intended to lead with an admittedly pissy-sounding take on the phrase “Say hello to your new dog, Mr. Dawes!” But when he stood up and came toward her, she realized he looked like death. The most beautiful, bruised, sad, sexy version of death you could ever imagine. He was just a mess of bruises, cuts, and ban
12. CHAPTER 10 The next day, late morning, Jane took Rochester on a very long walk to the Upper West Side to see Nana. Nana fussed over the dog, who found a nice spot on the small Sarouk carpet in the tiny living room and went to sleep. Jane put down a bunch of pee pads under Rochester’s rump, took off her coat, and hung it on the peg while Nana shuffled off to light the tiny burner in the galley kitchen. “Brought you something I think you’re gonna like,” Jane said. “It’s a new series. Book one.” “I do like knowing there’s more to come,” Nana said, sticking a kettle on the stove and turning on the gas. Jane smiled and leaned down to scratch Rochester behind the ears. “It’s called Under the Kilt. A comedy.” “You think?” Nana asked. Jane got up and stuck her head around the corner of the kitchen and glared at her grandma. “You sassing me, Nana?” “Of course, darling.” Jane didn’t want to watch the part where Nana’s fingers shook so hard it was tough for her to pour milk into the tiny china pi
13. CHAPTER 11 Nick was now in the habit of keeping his movement around town private and unpredictable. Instead of calling a car service, he picked a random route leading away from the Armory and hopped on a subway. He spent the ride staring at Jane’s contact information on his cell phone. He’d replaced “Fish Sitter” with “Jane MacGregor” and was thinking about what a great voice she had. A ballsy, smoky voice that stuck in your head like a song. Missy and Dex had done the background check on her. He trusted them completely, so he hadn’t bothered reading her resume in any detail, since there wouldn’t be anything on it that was more important than taking the measure of the woman in person. Now that he’d taken her measure, he was curious. Curious enough to not completely forget about her once he’d hired her. Curious enough to call her more than was technically necessary. Curious enough to want to see her again in person if only to take stock of how well he’d done making snap judgments about
14. CHAPTER 12 Jane was in the kitchen when she heard the distinct sound of someone moving around in the apartment. She froze, one hand on her phone, on which she was reading her book, and the other hand gripping an oatmeal cookie. She slowly put down both, but didn’t get up for fear of scraping the legs of the barstool across the floor. The intruder did not share Jane’s concerns. He or she was barreling around in the foyer like a drunken sailor. Oh. Huh. “Mr. Dawes?” she called, reaching over to open the kitchen drawer where the pristine Wüsthofs were stored, just in case she was wrong. After a pause, Mr. Dawes stumbled into the kitchen. Jane sucked in a breath. He’d looked terrible that day in the Armory, rolling around on the floor with Rochester, but now, somehow, he looked worse. If Nick Dawes could look like shit, he’d look like this. In addition to the cuts and bruises from his last escapade, he now also had a swollen eye, a cut on his mouth that had bled some, and a face that had a
15. CHAPTER 13 Jane had not slept well with Nick Dawes lying next to her. In fact, she’d barely clocked a handful of hours after falling into a fitful sleep. And still she woke up before him. It was the stuff of comedy: the cartoonish double take just before she considered and discarded the notion of taking off all his clothes and giving him an inappropriate sponge bath. Since that was out of the question, she opted to go for one of those high-velocity elbow-swinging power walks that were supposed to be so good for you. It was the first time she’d exercised in about three months, and it was not a coincidence. Jane wasn’t so sure Mr. Dawes would want to wake up next to her in bed; she wasn’t so sure she wanted to be there if he did. But she did leave a note, because not leaving a note seemed worse than leaving one. By the time she returned to the penthouse, he was already gone. Jane sat heavily down on the bed where he’d lain. Nick Dawes was pretty out of it, for sure, but you couldn’t fake
16. CHAPTER 14 Once Jane had uttered the sentence “Nick Dawes was over last night and things got weird,” it took less than an hour for Ally and Cecily to show up at the penthouse. With food on its way, along with some exotic spirits from a booze delivery service, the girls were willing to wait no longer. At least no longer than the three undersize Negronis Cecily fixed up for them at Mr. Dawes’s bar cart. “Will you please explain yourself,” Ally said, curling her legs up in the very spot where Mr. Dawes had sat eating Nana’s sandwiches. Jane took a chair next to Cecily and casually snagged a Vogue India from the pile Ally had stacked on the coffee table. Another nice perk of Ally’s job was the month-old fashion magazines from around the world. “Last night Nick Dawes came to the house looking like somebody’s target practice. I’m sure he had a concussion. I kept waking him up every couple hours just to be sure he was okay. In the morning when I came back from running, he was gone. And now it
17. CHAPTER 15 It had taken one hour for Sokolov’s suggestive little threat to screw with Nick’s mind. And that was when Dex reported that the electronic warning system attached to Nick’s security system at the penthouse was going off; when they pulled up the cams, everything was black. All Nick could think was: Not Jane. “Geo!” Nick clipped, confirming with a nod from Rothgar that the hit man was free. The two of them took off at a run. Cecily and Jane’s screaming at the top of their lungs from the living room was pretty funny once Nick satisfied himself that the back of the apartment was clear of danger; Geo was clearing the front. The men had gone in dark, just in case. Hence the screaming. Ally didn’t make a sound, though, and when Nick whispered to Geo via his earpiece that he was turning the lights back on, there Ally was standing—well, swaying—in front of the hit man, drunk and determined to look, well, like Ally always looked. Brave and disapproving of Hudson Kings business. Object
18. CHAPTER 16 When Nick Dawes didn’t call the next day, it was kind of a shock to Jane’s system. Like she was waiting for that call. Expecting that call. Missing it when it didn’t come. Thing was, she needed him to call after making such a fool of herself the prior night. Just to know that he wasn’t disgusted by the revelation that she . . . That she what? That she wasn’t always as cool, calm, and collected as she projected? That she had a breaking point? Sounded like he did too, and it’s what got him into this mess. That she cared? Oh, god. Don’t care too much, Jane. You know how that goes. You won’t be in his life much longer. Jane wasn’t sure how to process all the new information. It was all starting to make sense, every last crazy detail. The only reason she was in Nick’s house with Nick’s pets sleeping in Nick’s bed was because he couldn’t come home because he was at the Armory trying to figure out how to avoid being killed. She lay there with her cell phone in her hand. Yeah, she c
19. CHAPTER 17 The next day during lunchtime, Jane took Rochester over to Ally and Cecily’s on her way to the PO box. While the puppy romped with Cecily down the tight halls of their apartment, Ally produced a rack of samples from a past feature spread on “larger women” (spelled out on a box of blouses and pants with a Sharpie, thank you very much). And because the clothes were so fantastic, Jane ignored the stupid label. Ally insisted Jane take the ones that looked the best—including an amazing Vera Wang evening gown—and then did her makeup. Which explained why Jane kissed the puppy good-bye, rubbed a lint remover over herself, and went off to meet Nick wearing a saucy new blouse featuring a luxurious draped cowl in forest-green jersey over tight black jeans and black boots, plus a full face of makeup involving a wicked cat eye. When Jane carelessly observed that she looked like a different person and that between Ally’s natural talents for foreign languages and styling people Ally would
20. CHAPTER 18 Something was on fire, and Nick Dawes was lying on top of her. Jane’s face was crammed into the side of his neck, and Nick’s arms were around her head. She pushed on his chest until he uncoiled himself, and the two of them sat up on their knees, debris still settling and smoke still oozing from the opposite side of the apartment where the bomb had destroyed pretty much everything. Nick actually looked spooked, and it was really disconcerting. I don’t ever want to see that look on you again, Jane thought. Of course, he’d protected her with his body and had therefore taken the brunt of the debris field himself. Jane gave herself a pat down, wiggling her limbs and running her hands over her body to confirm that everything was still attached and nothing was bleeding. Nick did it to her all over again, as if to prove to himself she was okay, even though she figured she’d already proved it. “God, I thought you might be seriously hurt,” he said, and that awful look in his eyes fade
21. CHAPTER 19 The Armory was a blur of activity, with that crisp, focused vibe that said the Hudson Kings were already all over this thing. Good. Nick could focus on making sure Jane was okay. Chase was on comms, barking at Flynn. From the sound of things, the explosives expert had been dispatched to the burned-out safe house to intercept any investigation Manhattan’s fire and police departments might have launched. Shane was headed for the door, tossing his car keys, game face on. “Glad you crazy kids are safe,” he said as he passed. Nick wanted to get Jane to his room and tend to whatever she needed—hell, whatever she wanted—but there was Rothgar with his phone pressed to his ear, beckoning to him through the door of the war room. He glanced at Jane’s pale face. She produced a smile and said, “Your boss is calling.” Nick sighed and led her into the war room with him. Missy glanced up, catalogued Jane’s relative okayness, but squinted at the blood-streaked mess of Nick’s face and clothes
22. CHAPTER 20 Once Nick left to brief Rothgar on the details of the safe-house bombing, it didn’t take long for Jane to fall asleep on his bed. Sleeping in Nick’s various beds was apparently her thing. When she opened her eyes, Nick was staring at her from a chair on the other side of the room. She sat straight up. “Mr. Dawes.” “Considering we just survived a mail bomb together, I think you can start calling me ‘Nick.’” Jane quickly ran through the events of the day in her mind. I have been calling you that. And I probably shouldn’t. I shouldn’t be calling you “Nick” and I shouldn’t be sticking my tongue down your throat. He smiled. “Well, it’s an open offer.” He moved over to his desk and fiddled with a pen. “So, I cleared it with Rothgar that you can stay here for a while if you don’t feel safe at my place.” “I’m not staying here,” Jane said. “Why would I feel unsafe at your place?” That made him frown. “You’re a very difficult employee. If this were my office on Wall Street, I’d probab
23. CHAPTER 21 Jane clearly expected Nick to drop her off at her grandmother’s and leave. But he wanted intel on the woman who was unintentionally burrowing her way into his heart, and he figured a sweet old lady was a great source. And even though it became instantly clear that Jane’s grandmother was not the definition of a “sweet old lady,” Nick found himself curious enough to stay. “Nana” was astoundingly well preserved for being in her eighties, and she obviously took very good care of herself, except for the blatant evidence of a cigarette habit lying around the small apartment. Nick was all set to take over the handyman duties, but Jane’s nana insisted that he sit with her while Jane completed the tasks. This did not bode well. And when Jane went off to the bathroom to take care of that curtain, Nana didn’t miss a beat, leveling narrowed eyes on him as she sat back in her kitchen chair. “Sit down, Mr. Dawes,” she said in a no-nonsense clip. “I’ll be honest with you. I’m not sure why
24. CHAPTER 22 Sitting in a mission meeting in the Armory war room had never felt so good. Nick felt almost normal. Rothgar was talking: “This is an umbrella mission taking place inside a party being hosted by the Russian consulate. They’re wining and dining the financial sector this time. And it’s a perfect opportunity to get some intel that will support our ongoing efforts with the sleeper agents.” And maybe more, Nick thought, sitting up straight. “We’re targeting three people. Well, specifically their cell phones. Not the top three diplomats, but their right-hand personnel. The gist of the plan is to collect the cell phones, siphon the data off, and return them without being made. I’ll aim to get a couple weapons stashed inside the building through catering or the orchestra or whatever, but the goal is not to need them. I want it to be seamless, invisible; I want those assistants to use their pass codes on their phones and not have an inkling of doubt about whether or not they’d ever b
25. CHAPTER 23 Jane was just out of the shower, staring at a small red dot on her face that was threatening to move into pimple territory, when the phone rang. The boss. Jane picked it up. “Hello, Mr. Dawes, sir.” He laughed; Jane smiled into the phone. “I thought maybe this time I should give you a little extra warning that I’m coming.” “That’s very thoughtful of you, sir.” “I’m in the kitchen,” he said. “What? But I’m not dressed. I’m naked and wet,” she blurted. There was a pause, then an amused curse word. And then: “I’ll be in the living room when you’re . . . ready.” He hung up. Jane stared at the wet rat hair and her unmade-up face and rolled her eyes. Then she got on with it, hiking her towel a little higher and a little tighter, and went into the bedroom, where she pulled on some jeans and a T-shirt. When she came out, making a pit stop to squeeze water out of her hair into the sink, Nick was standing in the living room looking not the least bit relaxed, staring out the window wit
26. CHAPTER 24 About five minutes after Nick had asked her to be his party date in the least romantic way possible, so that there was no mistake that this was completely nonpersonal, Jane received a call from Missy at the Armory, saying Jane needed a briefing and a fitting. Vetting and briefing and fitting. That was Nick’s very interesting world. Missy also mentioned that Jane was supposed to “look like herself,” so did she have any formal clothes in her closet that she wanted to wear? “Hell, yeah,” was Jane’s reply, thinking about that gorgeous Vera Wang from Ally’s sample pile. Missy seemed surprised by the answer, but then quickly suggested that she come to Ally and Cecily’s apartment to vet the outfit (yes, there was that word again) and do the briefing rather than having Jane return to the Armory. Apparently, Rothgar was serious about trying to keep civilians out. Jane wasn’t particularly disappointed that she wouldn’t get to see the Hudson Kings Batcave again, but it was more than a
27. CHAPTER 25 Jane got her “mission briefing” sitting between Nick and Rothgar in the back of a town car. Rothgar’s primary advice boiled down to “Just have fun,” which he said in a completely serious voice and an expression absolutely focused on business. “Fun with Nick and Jane,” Jane quipped. Rothgar paused, letting on for only a fraction of a second that he might be surprised that Jane wasn’t quaking in her boots about the mission or about talking to him about the mission, and then continued as if she’d never spoken. “You might see something you don’t like or don’t understand. Whatever you do, don’t let it show. Ignore anything Nick or Romeo and his date do that seems out of the ordinary. Don’t stare at their hands. Do whatever you’d do at a normal party, and if you’re going to stare at Nick, look into his eyes and smile like a girlfriend.” Thank god it was dark enough in the car that Jane doubted Nick could see the high color on her cheeks. Rothgar then showed Nick three different pa
28. CHAPTER 26 Jane followed Beehive’s path to the ladies’ room. It was empty save for the young assistant and her pal, and there was a good reason why: the girl was retching into the toilet, with single-minded dedication to the job. “Oh, dear!” Jane exclaimed. The friend looked up, with an expression that said, “I didn’t sign up for this.” “I think there’s barf on your lovely bag,” Jane said to Beehive. “Here, pass it over. I’ll go scrub it, you poor thing.” The friend managed a grim smile and kicked the bag to Jane as Beehive doubled over again. Jane went to the sink with the bag and turned on the water and then looked inside. One lipstick, one key, one twenty-dollar bill . . . and one cell phone. “This is a mess. You need club soda for the satin, or it’s a goner.” Jane turned off the water and walked calmly out of the bathroom, weaving back through the crowd toward the Hudson Kings. She could see Nick tugging at his collar. Romeo and Law were talking to each other, Law’s hand around Rom
29. CHAPTER 27 With Romeo and Law gone and the mission in the “Done” column, every bit of Nick’s attention focused on Jane. Nick took Jane’s arm and headed for the nearby alcove. If he looked and sounded a little bit like he was in shock, it was probably because he was. “You just stole that for me. You crossed a line from bystander to player, and you don’t even know what it is. Whether it’s good or bad. Don’t you have a problem with that?” “No, I don’t have a problem with that,” Jane said. “You organized the entire mission or whatever you call it to do it, so how bad can it be?” “Sometimes it’s not that good, Jane,” Nick said furiously. “Well, I didn’t know that.” She lowered her voice. “Maybe keep your voice down.” “Then why did you do it?” “I can’t believe I’m getting a lecture in morality from a mercenary,” she hissed. “That’s not what this is. I just want to know why you did it,” Nick said. “Did you do it for shits and giggles? Did you do it—” “I did it because I believe in you. You ne
30. CHAPTER 28 Suit coat on the bedroom floor. Dress hiked to the waist. Oh, yeah, thought Jane, up against the wall with her legs wrapped around Nick and his hands in her hair. Nick wasted little time once he’d turned off the video cam and slammed the bedroom door behind them, in case Rochester got curious. The first touch of Nick’s mouth to her lips was such a fantastic shock Jane’s body jerked forward. He steadied her in his arms, pressing her back once more. He paused then, his body heaving, and pulled back just slightly, like he was taking her measure. Jane searched his face. She couldn’t find anything there that suggested he wanted to stop—she knew she sure as hell didn’t want to stop—grabbed him by the tie, and pulled him back to her. “Mr. Dawes, sir?” she asked in a throaty voice. Good call. Any hesitation on his part vanished into a cocky grin. His mouth was beyond greedy. He licked the side of her neck in one long stroke, long enough for her to gasp in a breath before his tongue
31. CHAPTER 29 A waving gun was not the curved butt Nick was hoping to wake up to after a hot night with Jane. In fact, he wasn’t exactly awake when the wake-up call came, and he wasn’t expecting it to be four in the morning. But there was an unwelcome and familiar face, and an arm wielding a fucking hatchet, in his bedroom, not two feet from his woman. Nick weighed the likelihood of disarming Tristan without, oh, disarming himself. And then he weighed the possibility that Jane would wake up and get caught in the situation. And then Tristan pulled out a gun, and it was no consolation that he looked less comfortable waving a gun around than a hatchet. Goddamn computer hackers. They were tricky when it came to field duty. Tristan winced at the sight of a naked Nick smeared with what he might or might not have realized was a paste involving chocolate, champagne, and, well, sex, but he was apparently not inclined to allow Nick the courtesy of a shower. Nick looked over his shoulder at Jane sno
32. CHAPTER 30 Nick wasn’t sure where he was when the car stopped. Tristan dragged him out of the vehicle and down some stairs into what felt like the garden level of a larger building. It was tough to say because he had a laundry bag over his head. But judging from the look of the sidewalk and the city sounds and the flight of below-level stairs, it was his best call. Tristan pushed Nick over a threshold and walked him into a room that stank of cigar smoke. The hacker then whipped the bag off with a comical flourish, and Nick stared into the eyes of Sokolov smoking at his desk in a pleasant, rather smallish dark-wood-furnished office. The fingers on his left hand sifted through a cloisonné bowl full of sunflower seeds. Ta-da, Nick thought grimly. He blinked against the glare coming through a set of French doors leading to a small green area. Got the garden-apartment part right, anyway. “What is this?” Sokolov asked Tristan, looking at Nick like it made him want to throw up. Nick kind of w
33. CHAPTER 31 Jane thought the end to her last relationship was a mess. Turns out, it was nothing compared to being abandoned the morning after food sex. She sat up in bed. “Hey, Nick,” she yelled at the bathroom door, giggling at the grime mashed into every inch of her skin. They never showed this part in movies. That said, laughing over it in the shower with Nick’s body (well, and his brain, of course, but his body was still very much on her mind . . .) sounded like an excellent way to finish off the weekend and take the pulse of the morning after. Jane shoved the covers to the foot of the bed and headed to the bathroom, realizing she didn’t hear water. In fact, she didn’t hear anything. Um . . . In fact, Nick Dawes wasn’t home. Jane cased the apartment and then came back to the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. He’d seriously left her encrusted in chocolate and reeking of old sex and warm champagne without a note (she checked) or a word (since he wasn’t here) or a text (she
34. CHAPTER 32 Nick woke up in Lower Manhattan against a trash can on the corner of Hudson and King streets, which was clearly what Sokolov considered the next best thing to sticking a shiv in Nick’s gut. It was a clever message to accompany his parting words: “Tell Rothgar you’re quitting to come to me, get your things, and leave. I only wish I could come with you for this.” He felt cold and alone, and it didn’t help that from the place where he was slumped on the ground, when he looked up at the sky, the lights in the skyscrapers reminded him of stars. I want to be at home with Jane. Blood dripped down the corner of his mouth where Sokolov had taken a molar; his hands were sticky with it. Shaking a little as he got out his cell phone, he punched the autodial for Roth. “SOS, Roth,” he said softly. “I’m a little rough. Need a pickup.” So much for “dignity.” I do not think that word means what you think it means, Sokolov. Rothgar told him Shane was on the streets already and would detour. S
35. CHAPTER 33 Nick stared at his phone for a moment, steeling himself for making one of the worst calls of his life. He dialed Jane’s number and tried not to imagine the look on her face as she debated answering his call. When she answered, he knew immediately what he was dealing with. “How can I assist you today, sir?” she asked with a definite edge in her voice. “Jane,” Nick said. And for a second the words wouldn’t come out. All he could think was, Jane, I am so in love with you. Please don’t let this phone call be the thing that sticks in your mind. Remember how it’s been between us from day one; read between the lines and do what I need you to do to get through this. “I think it’s best that you stay with Ally and Cecily from here on out” was what he actually said. “You’re asking me to pack up and leave your apartment?” she asked coolly. “Yes,” Nick said. There was a long silence on the other end before Jane spoke. “I’m going to be blunt and say that it was complete bullshit that you
36. CHAPTER 34 Nick stared at the olive on a toothpick in his martini and then slid it off with his teeth. He savored the salty tang and then said in a cold clip, “Turns out I didn’t need to worry about Jane’s feelings quite as much as I thought I did. I thought we had something beyond ordinary; she did not. I guess Rothgar made the right call, because I would have been upping the risk for a relationship that doesn’t have legs.” Flynn pursed his lips. “Missy said you were going emo. She’s right. You’re going emo.” “Well, this is not okay. I don’t feel like myself. I feel off if I don’t talk to her before turning in, but she didn’t seem to bat an eyelash before giving me walking papers,” Nick said. “I dunno, Flynn. I don’t trust my instincts anymore. I really thought . . . I don’t know what I thought. I just know she’s not like any other woman I’ve ever met. She’s . . .” He jabbed the toothpick into his cocktail napkin until the end splintered, and then he tossed it aside. “She’s not like a
37. CHAPTER 35 “You find anything?” Jane asked. Ally didn’t even look up from the real estate app she was staring at on her phone when she muttered, “How do people afford to actually live in this city?” Jane sighed. Not a good sign. Things were cramped here at Ally’s place. Apparently, when Cecily had said she was moving in with Shane sooner rather than later, she’d meant, like, now. Suddenly, there was Shane at breakfast, there was Shane when Jane went to get the mail, there was Shane needing exercise when Jane went for a power walk, and there was Shane squeezed onto the couch with them watching duchesses mince in and out of drawing rooms on TV. Jane had never realized Shane was such a group activity sort of guy, nor had she previously witnessed the level of devotion he gave to Cecily. He must love her a lot. Which wasn’t all that fun to be around, given how fresh the Nick disaster still was. It was just that Shane was Cecily’s, and they were adorably in love, and the last thing that Jane
38. CHAPTER 36 Chase apparently had been harboring some resentment toward Nick the entire time Rothgar was talking. When the team took a break from mission planning, Chase instantly whirled around in his chair and glared right at him. “I saw you looking at me with that sad-dog expression during breakfast, and I’m just going to preempt you right here: I’m not calling Jane again on some trumped-up BS. Shane’s on it; I’ll bet you he only leaves her side to take a piss. You know she’s fine. Screw her if she can’t see a good thing when it’s staring her right in the face. I mean, seriously, what the hell else is she looking for? You’re the complete package. I mean, you’re me, except with a massive amount of money! How is that not appealing? Who doesn’t want that? I have no more energy to waste on that shit. That was a one-time deal, you got that?” Nick couldn’t help but smile at Chase’s rant. The guy was a man of big expression, and when he was happy, he was big happy. When he was pissed, he was
39. CHAPTER 37 “Jane,” Nick whispered. “Don’t answer. Don’t look through the peephole. They’ll see the change in the light. Pick up your bag and walk to my office. There’s a door to the panic room there. Be as quiet as you can in those shoes.” Nick wanted to monitor the video just to watch Jane enter the panic room. He wanted to see for himself that she was safe, but Geo’s grip on his arm was persuasive. “Let’s go,” he told the hit man. Rothgar tossed Geo a couple of earpieces, which he caught neatly as he passed through the door, and Nick vaguely heard him say that he’d have the entire team on call. He followed Geo to the garage, still talking to Jane. “I’m coming straight there. I’m coming to get you. You go into the panic room and you lock up and you stay silent. Turn off your ringer.” “Nick, how bad is this?” she whispered. He kept her on the phone, kept talking to her in a soft murmur, gave her the combination, listened to her enter a room he’d never had to use once in all his time in
40. CHAPTER 38 Not for the first time did Jane muse that it was amazing what you could do with enough resources. It took less than an hour for a mysterious trio of people Jane had never seen before to remove a large dead Russian from the foyer of Nick’s apartment and clean up the biggest mess of corpse residue and exploded fish tank she’d ever almost seen but had certainly heard about in a dramatically rendered description courtesy of Chase’s enthusiasm for making things sound bigger than life. Nick wouldn’t let her look. Said he knew she could handle it, but that some things were just better not imprinted on a person’s mind. So, he’d taken her down the service elevator and dragged her to lunch at Bianchi’s. They sat in the regular part of the restaurant and didn’t drink Chianti, and he asked her if she minded if he introduced her as his girlfriend, which she didn’t mind one bit, and then they went to Nana’s and had tea and cookies. When she wasn’t looking, Nick slipped out to the tiny bal
41. EPILOGUE The floor of the war room was a madhouse, in the best possible way. “Seven puppies for seven badasses,” Jane said to Missy in her most reverent tone, her arms crossed over her chest. Missy’s expression was difficult to read. “It’s hard for me to work with all of this going on.” Her hand gestured in the air, making it clear that “this going on” was the hotness of the Hudson Kings team playing with an entire litter of golden retriever puppies while on a mission-planning break. One of the puppies had successfully ripped one of Chase’s band T-shirts so badly he practically wasn’t wearing one anymore. Missy was enjoying the revelation that was Flynn’s Adonis Belt, Cecily appeared to be glued to the sight of Shane’s Henley hiking up, and Jane . . . Well, Jane was enjoying everything about Nick. He was on his back, a massive grin on his face as the puppy he was holding in his arms licked his nose. Even Rothgar was in on it, though he hovered on the perimeter of the chaos, looking dow
42. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you, Alex and Katie. Without you, Nick’s refrigerator would be down one bag of mosquito larvae, and the pH balance of this book would be totally off. Also, once again, a huge thank-you to my husband, Chris, and Little Mouse too, plus the crew: Alison Dasho, Lauren Plude, Louise Fury, and Megan Frampton. Watch for the next Hudson Kings book, coming soon!