“If your suspicions are correct, had you stayed away from her as you were asked, then Marty wouldn’t be involved in this.” Zach’s tone was hard and accusing.
Khalid stilled himself before lifting the decanter and refilling his glass. Forcing back the fury beating at him was nearly impossible. Zach was a shackle around his ankle at times where Marty was concerned. It was too bad that that shackle hadn’t been enough to keep him from her.
“It’s too late to fill the day with accusations.” Khalid turned back to the two men. “I’ll deal with my brothers as well as any other threat against Marty, in my own way.”
Joe’s brows lifted mockingly. “Really? And you’ve been waiting for what to take care of the situation with your brothers? Your funeral?”
Khalid leveled a dark, brooding look at the senator.
“I preferred to stop short of murder,” he informed the other man. “I had hoped I could arrange their deaths through the operations we’ve fouled for them.”
“Commendable,” Zach drawled, with a hint of sarcasm. “But our attention is now split, which is something we can’t afford at the moment. Shayne is attempting to locate the terrorist your brothers sent to Alexandria or D.C. Meanwhile, as I understand it, you’ve also chosen him as your third. Tell me, Khalid, how is he supposed to help protect her if he isn’t here to do his job?”
Censure filled Zach’s voice now, drawing a darker frown to Khalid’s face.
“He will be here when he’s needed,” he assured the other man. “Should my suspicions prove correct, then Shayne will be available when he’s needed. This is all that matters.”
So far Khalid and Shayne together had managed to keep Marty distracted and off the subject of the truths Khalid knew he could not hold back from her for long.
That wouldn’t last much longer
, Khalid guessed. He doubted it was working now. It wouldn’t surprise him in the least to learn that Marty was merely biding her time with information she was learning on her own.
“You’re going to fucking pull her in on this,” Zach said furiously, as he sat forward in his chair to glare back at Khalid. “Aren’t you? You’ve told her just enough of the truth to arouse her curiosity.”
Khalid sipped his drink before answering.
“She will never thank any of us for attempting to protect her,” he stated. “She has already been contacted by a private security firm. I know she’s considering the move. Once she leaves your agency and joins that firm, she will no longer be under your control or your protection. Shayne is our only hope to ensure that she is always watched over as she fulfills the dreams
she
has. Not the ones
you
have.”
Joe and Zach now stared back at him in shock.
“Shayne’s CIA. He won’t leave the agency.” Zach shook his head doubtfully.
“Once my half brothers are dealt with, Shayne will be leaving the agency,” Khalid informed them. “Should Marty decide to accept the position offered to her then he will be there as well.”
“Son of a bitch.” Zach came out of his chair furiously as he glared back at Joe. “You’re in on this? We agreed that after she came back from her vacation to convince him to stay with the bureau. That was the plan.”
Joe breathed out heavily as he stared back at Zach. “She’s not going to stay, Zach.”
Zach turned to his friend.
“Deerfield won’t be there,” Zach snapped, furiously. “I’m making sure of it.”
Joe shook his head slowly. “She knows you’re protecting her there. Holding her back. Marty knows she doesn’t get the assignments she wants because you’re pulling strings. Be thankful she’s taking herself out of that equation rather than turning her back on us.”
“She won’t turn her back-”
“She will decide for herself what she wishes,” Khalid broke in firmly. “She’s an adult.”
“And you’re going to get her fucking killed,” Zach yelled back at him. “Why the hell do you think I warned you away from her? I knew you’d do this. You and your damned determination that everyone has a fucking choice. That’s bullshit, Khalid. Her choice will get her killed.”
Khalid stared back at him, seeing a father’s fear and rage, and he couldn’t blame him for them. Marty was the child he had never had himself, for whatever reason. She was his daughter, and she would always be the little girl he had watched over.
It was hard for Zach to step back and risk his own soul, as he was being forced to do. Losing her could break him, no matter how it happened.
“Shayne will watch out for her while I cannot,” Khalid stated. “This was the reason I chose him as a third.”
“I can’t believe you’d make this decision without consulting us.” Zach stalked to the other side of the room, his arms crossing over his chest in a gesture of frustrated anger.
“Why would I consult you?” Khalid asked, his tone mocking. “You have warned me from her for years. Why would I think you would agree with any decision I made in regards to her?”
“Can you believe this bastard?” Zach turned to Joe in amazement. “He thinks he’s God.”
“Or the man she loves.” Joe got to his feet as he glanced between Khalid and Zach. “I agree with him. Marty’s going to take herself out of the bounds where we can protect her. In this way at least someone will be watching over her.”
“Have you discussed this with Virginia?” Zach asked.
Joe’s brow arched. “Did I discuss it with you? You and Virginia seem to forget that she’s my daughter as well. And she’s not stupid. She knows what’s going on at the bureau; she knows why you allowed her to be stuck watching Khalid for the past two years. And, trust me, she already suspects that you warned Khalid away from her. She’s not going to be happy with any of us if this continues, Zach, because she’s growing damned tired of the fact that all you’re concerned with is keeping her out of the line of fire.”
“She’ll be safe,” Zach argued furiously. “There’s no chance of her getting killed.”
Joe laughed. “That’s what we said about Virginia when we tried to maneuver her off a certain case during her first years as a prosecutor,” Joe reminded him. “We nearly lost
her
then. I won’t take that chance with my daughter.”
Zach grimaced before casting Khalid a hard sneer. “I blame you for this.”
Khalid shrugged. He really didn’t care who Zach blamed as long as Marty didn’t throw blame his way.
“This meeting is over, gentlemen,” Khalid informed them. “Marty will be returning soon from her luncheon with her friends, and I’d prefer she not catch us in this little secret meeting. Her anger isn’t something I wish to deal with at present.”
The quirk of Zach’s lips was filled with a faint satisfaction. A smile quickly hidden, one that filled Khalid with suspicion.
Manipulating and calculating, Zach was a dangerous adversary. He was a dirty, gutter fighter when he felt the need, and about now, he would definitely be feeling it.
At that thought, the door was pushed open, and Marty stepped into the room.
His gaze turned icy as he realized the other man had arranged this.
It was nothing against Khalid personally. It was the fact that Khalid had always insisted that Marty should have the freedom she needed, without her overprotective fathers restraining her.
It was a belief Zachary Jennings had never shared.
It was a belief that may now cause them more trouble than any of them truly wanted to face.
Marty stared at the three men silently as she stepped into the library. Her father looked guilty, Khalid looked frankly pissed, and her godfather seemed rather satisfied, if the tiny curve of his lips was anything to go by.
“Daddy.” She walked to her father, kissed his cheek, then moved to Zach. “Dad. What are you two doing here?” She kissed her godfather before stepping back and staring at Khalid.
She watched Khalid closely, noting the icy look in his black eyes, the fury that gleamed just beneath the winter-cold depths of glittering black.
“A meeting.” Zach shrugged as though it didn’t matter.
She knew her fathers, though, and she knew it was much more than a simple meeting.
“A meeting?” She glanced back at her father. “Concerning what?”
“Since Zach is so forthcoming, why not let him tell you?” Joe said, though his tone was tight, almost angry.
She stared back at Khalid. “Would you like to tell me what’s going on here?”
“We were discussing the attempt on your life,” Khalid told her. “We were trying to figure out the source and the best way to neutralize it.”
She looked at each man once again. She didn’t doubt that they were discussing that, but she was betting they were arguing over much more. She had no doubt that they were arguing over her.
“I see. So did you figure anything out?”
“We figured out Khalid is paranoid and prefers not to listen to common sense,” Zach growled. “And that this little meeting is over. Maybe your boyfriend here will give you the details.”
“Khalid? Paranoid?” Oh boy, there was something definitely going on here.
Zach was furious, and that was something he rarely let her see. Propping her hand on her jean-clad hip, she considered each man closely for long moments.
She wasn’t going to touch it, she told herself. She had enough problems trying to trail Shayne today without tipping him off. She didn’t need more. She didn’t have the time to fix whatever problems her fathers had.
“Definitely paranoid,” her godfather snapped.
“Most likely not,” her father said.
She believed her father. Of the two, it was Joe she could trust to tell her the truth, in most cases, no matter how angry it made her or how desperately he wanted to hide things from her.
Zach, unfortunately, had no problems lying to her if he felt it would protect her, or ensure her happiness. Just as he would have no qualms breaking her heart if he felt it would somehow protect her.
Joe and Zach glared at each other as she considered that, affirming her suspicions.
“It seems to me that the two of you should be more concerned about why a CIA agent is conducting an operation on home ground,” she suggested smoothly. “Aren’t there rules against that somewhere?”
She wondered exactly how involved her fathers and Khalid were in whatever Shayne was up to today. They hadn’t informed her of what he was doing. No one had spoken much at all in the past three days about the attack against her, or how the investigation was going.
She was doing her own homework, though, so it didn’t matter. At least Shayne wasn’t lying to her, but he was holding back much more than she was comfortable with.
Zach turned away from her. Her father wiped his hand over his face, while Khalid merely leaned against the bar and sipped his drink, as though intrigued by the confrontation.
“There are no CIA operations being conducted on home ground.” Zach turned back to her before glancing at her father. “Are you ready to go, Joe?”
Joe shook his head as he smothered a laugh. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” he assured the other man before stepping toward Marty. “Come see me sometime, little girl. I miss you.”
He kissed her cheek before winking back at her gently and stepping away from her.
“We both miss her,” Zach stated, as he moved to her and kissed her cheek as well before straightening and moving for the door. “Let’s go, Joe. I have other things to do today.”
As they left the room, Marty turned back to Khalid and stared at him curiously.
“I’m starting to feel as though you and my fathers are conspiring against me,” she told him bluntly. “What do you think?”
“I think you should ask your fathers.” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t conspire against you, myself. That gun you carry intimidates me.”
“Intimidates you?” Her lips pursed thoughtfully. “Somehow I doubt that.”
He grinned, a smile that didn’t come close to reaching his eyes. His gaze was thoughtful instead.
Setting his drink on the bar, he moved closer to her, his expression evolving from curious to frankly sexual.
“Your luncheon went well?” he asked, as he settled his hand on her hip and slowly eased her closer against him.
Her heart began to pick up speed. “Courtney is as nosy as ever, Alyssa is as quiet as ever, Terrie is certain you’re up to something, and Tally wants to know if your bedroom is really filled with silk pillows and wall hangings.”
“And I’m certain you informed her it was?” His head lowered, his lips brushing against her forehead as he whispered the question.
“Actually, I told her we were sleeping in a desert tent in the backyard, and that she should try it sometime. She looked rather intrigued.”
He was manipulating her. She could feel it, and she hated it.
Pulling back, she watched him carefully as she moved out of his embrace.
“What was the meeting with my fathers about?”
She watched him, terrified he would lie to her now.
“Your fathers are the last thing I want to talk about,” he informed her caustically. “Nor do I wish to discuss why they were here.”
At least he wasn’t lying to her.
“Unfortunately for you, I do,” she informed him calmly as she turned away from him. “I wasn’t told they would be here until I called Zach’s office to ask him if he’d heard from Mom, and they were acting damn strange when I arrived.”
“Then ask them.” His voice was edged with impatience. “I have no desire to discuss your fathers or their issues. There are other things on my mind while in your presence.”
She crossed her arms over her breasts. “What? You’re going to use sex to distract me?”
And he could do a damned good job of it
, she thought. She was burning for him. She had been burning for him before arriving at the estate. But she was also tired of feeling as though she were the odd person out of a very important secret. A secret that just might involve her.
“I have a feeling the hounds of hell couldn’t distract you once you latched onto something.” He grimaced ruefully. “You are rather stubborn, my love.”