She drew in a deep breath, about to tell him, when she saw Sophie skipping toward the hotel, Leland and Nichols close behind her. Perhaps it was better to show Breck than it was to tell him. She stepped out of his arms and turned to face the entrance.
“Tam!” Sophie's smile eclipsed her face and she ran to wrap her arms around Tam's waist.
She hugged the child back, glad she was safe and whole and unaware of the situation she was in. At least for now. “Hello, Sophie. Did you have fun running around like a wild child?”
“I did.” The girl giggled and squeezed tighter.
Tam glanced up to see the men eyeing each other. Leland gave Breck an emotionless stare, and Nichols took a deep drag on his ever-present cigartine and kept a suspicious gaze pinned on Sophie.
Breck's smile was closer to a baring of teeth. “Which of you is Leland and which is Nichols?”
“I'm Nichols.” The beefy man blew out a cloud of smoke and twitched a shoulder, his gaze never leaving Tam and Sophie. Neither of the men offered a hand to shake. Leland just grunted and continued to stare at Breck.
It took a moment for Breck's gaze to drop to the child who'd thrown herself against Tam's legs. She watched his big body go rigid when Sophie looked at him. He'd noted the name, knew this was Stefan's daughter, but now he'd understand so much more.
The girl was a miniature of Tam.
Â
Breck all but staggered as the small girl turned wide dark eyes on him. Questions and confusion ricocheted through his mind.
This
was the Sophie Tam had mentioned?
This
was Stefan's daughter?
She grinned up at him, leaning back against Tam, who had her arms around the girl. “Hello.”
It took him a moment to gather his wits and do more than stare, gape-mouthed. “Hello, how are you?”
“Good.” She bounced on her toes. “I'm Sophie. What's your name?”
He offered up a smile, not allowing himself to look at Tam or else all his questions would come flying out of his mouth. Best not to ask them in front of the girl. Or the goons. “My friends call me Breck.”
She tilted her head as if considering that from all angles. “What do people who aren't your friends call you?”
“Constantine,” he whispered conspiratorially, winking. “Or Mr. Breckenridge.”
“I'll call you Breck.” She stepped forward and tucked her hand into his. “We're going to be friends.”
Charming and disarming, just like Tam. Such a pretty child, with her urchin's grin. She looked like a younger version of Tam, with the potential to be every bit as beautiful. But without the shadows and cynicism in her dark gaze.
She looked up at him. “Leland said we could have ices from across the street.” She pointed to a tiny bistro with striped awnings. “Would you like to come, too?”
Leland growled and stepped forward, but Breck let his smile widen. “Of course. I can't imagine anything I'd love more.”
The girl laughed. “You're funny. Your accent is funny, too.”
“That's because I'm from New Chicago. We speak differently there.”
She nodded sagely, tugging him toward the door. “There are girls in my school who talk like you. We have girls from all over the world.”
“How exciting for you to know so many exotic people.” Letting her pull away from him to lead the way, Breck shook his head at her enthusiasm. Leland shouldered past him to keep the girl close, while Nichols closed in behind Tam and Breck, making sure Tam didn't escape or run off with Sophie. Of course, since the girl was apparently Stefan's key to getting Tam's compliance. Things clicked into place, and Breck at least understood why Tam was so set on going through with whatever Stefan wanted of her. It wasn't a
thing
that had been stolen, but a child.
A child who would be at Stefan's mercy if Tam balked.
That seriously complicated matters, and he still had many questions left unanswered. He paused, waiting for Tam to come up beside him as they followed Sophie across the lane.
He set his hand at the small of her back, refusing to worry about Nichols overhearing them. “Is she your daughter?”
“Would you care if she was?” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, reading him and his reactions.
“Of course. She's your family, then, and what matters to you matters to me.” Though he knew she was asking a far more important question. Would he be jealous that his mate had had a child before he'd met her? He searched within himself, past the shock of seeing the girl and realizing Stefan and Tam had a deeper, more complex connection than he'd have ever imagined. He . . . wasn't jealous. It wasn't her past that interested him, but her present and future. They'd both had prior relationships. If she'd slept with Stefan and had a child in the past, Breck could live with that. What he couldn't live with was her sleeping with another man now . . . or ever again.
A soft sigh slipped out of Tam. “She's not my daughter. She's my sister. My half-sister, technically. A child from my mother's second marriage.”
“Which explains the large gap between your births.” Relief swept through him. Everything he'd found out about Stefan went from bad to worse. He was glad that Tam hadn't chosen to be in a relationship with someone like that. It was unfortunate that her mother hadn't had the same discretion.
“Yes, my mother was only sixteen when I was born, and thirty-eight when Sophie came along.” Her shoulder dipped in an eloquent shrug. “I was twenty-two and long out of the house by then, but I've been looking after Sophie as much as possible since Mother passed.”
“When was that?”
Her brow contracted. “Sophie was fourâno, fiveâat the time, so five years ago.”
More questions buzzed through his mind, but they were on the edge of the street, about to cross and join an impatient Sophie, who was bouncing on her toes, waving for them to hurry. “She's a lovely child.”
Tam paused beside him, turning to look at him fully. There was pleading in her dark eyes, but her tone was calm and even. “She doesn't . . . she doesn't know about what I do. Or what her father does. The kind of people we are. I'd prefer that she never know.”
The entreaty in her gaze was more than Breck could resist. He slid his hand up her back to squeeze her shoulder. “I'm not going to tell her anything about your . . . interesting occupations.”
A breath eased out of her. “Thank you.”
“Of course, beloved.”
She stiffened but said nothing in response. It surprised him how easily it had fallen from his lips. He hadn't used the endearment since the last time she'd been in his house, before he'd tracked her to Tail.
“Let's go,” Nichols grumbled behind them, the stink of his cigartine smoke wafting through the air.
Clearing his throat, Breck urged her forward to join Leland and Sophie. “We'll continue this discussion later.”
4
B
reck knocked on the door to Stefan's suite later that evening. He'd decided showing up unannounced was his best bet at catching everyone off guard. He wanted to meet the man himself, take Stefan's measure. There was only so much that files could tell him. Breck had found in his business dealings that it helped to look an opponent in the eyes. Body language, expression, little tells that could help him get the upper hand.
He looked into the old-fashioned peephole in the door, knowing it hid a tiny, high-tech vidmonitor. There was a thump, the sound of locks disengaging, and then the hulking bulk of Nichols filled the space. “What do you want?”
“I'm here to surprise Tam and take her to dinner.” Breck made his smile guileless. “She wants to go to Ascot this weekend, and we'll need to make a few plans. Why not combine business and pleasure?”
Nichols's gaze narrowed, and he opened his mouth to retort when a light male voice sounded behind him. “Don't leave Mr. Breckenridge standing on the doorstep, Nichols. Let him come in and meet the family.”
There was a chilly bite to the words, and Breck didn't like associating
family
with what he'd heard of Stefan. However, if the man was Tam's stepfather and Sophie's father, there was no escaping the connection. Ifâ
when
âBreck mated with Tam, Stefan would be his father-in-law for all intents and purposes. The thought made bitterness coat his tongue, but he pushed past Nichols into the main space.
At first, Stefan appeared slight, almost slender, but then Breck could see it was an illusion. Wiry strength ran through the ropy muscles in the older man's whipcord lean body. But it was the eyes that gave him away. As cold and dangerous as black ice. Probably just as slippery, too. Keeping his smile in place, Breck offered his hand to Stefan to shake.
“Hello, Stefan.”
“Constantine,” he replied.
Breck fought a wince. He hated his first name. Mostly because his father had named him after
his
father, and the old man had been a complete bastard. Breck had hated every minute he'd been forced to spend in his grandfather's company, and he knew his father had hated it more. Why he'd named his only child after a man he despised, Breck had never surmised. It had been a relief for everyone when the elder Constantine passed.
“Call me Breck. As you said, we're practically family.” How he managed the words without choking on them, he wasn't sure, but it made Stefan's gaze sharpen with an emotion Breck couldn't read. “I understand that Tam and I are being sent to the country for the weekend. I'm hoping to hammer out a few details over dinner. Is she free?”
Free
wasn't a term he'd use to describe what Tam was right now, and he placed a little too much emphasis on that word. Enough to make Stefan's hand tighten on his. Breck didn't bother with a wrestling match, but he also didn't succumb to the pain of the older man's grip. Such a petty show of dominance that meant nothing in the end. He arched an eyebrow and allowed his amusement to show. After a moment, Stefan snorted and let his hand drop.
“She's putting Sophie to bed.” The older man led the way to a beautifully appointed bedroom, complete with a child-sized castle in one corner, a personal gaming console embedded in one wall, and moving nanotoys littering every available surface. Most of them looked brand new. Something Stefan had bought the girl when he'd stolen her from wherever Tam had had her stashed? Bribes to keep Sophie compliant?
The girl was tucked into bed, while Tam sat against the headboard, reading her a story where each page was a series of colorful holopics. Sophie struggled valiantly to stay awake, but it was a losing battle, and her eyes drifted closed. Tam's smile was soft and loving as she bent to kiss her sister's forehead, tucking the covers around her. The scene sent a pang through Breck. He'd rarely seen such an unguarded expression on Tam's face, except when she let loose during sex.
“Lovely, aren't they? I'd hate to see anything happen to either of them.” The soft threat in Stefan's voice was unmistakable.
“As would I.” Breck met the other man's gaze squarely.
“Then you have a vested interest in making sure that my plans are followed exactly.” Stefan's smile was a terrifying thing to witness. “Remember, Tam will never leave without Sophie, and I am Sophie's father. She belongs to me. Therefore, for the time being, Tam also belongs to me.”
“For the time being,” Breck agreed, working to keep his voice light, to prevent his muscles from tensing, to stop himself from ripping the other man's throat out. Leland and Nichols were nearby. Such a move wouldn't end well, and Breck needed to think, not just react the way he wanted to.
Stefan's gaze was cool and flat, every bit as ruthless as Breck's private investigator had speculated in the files. There was no exaggeration there. This was a man who would use whatever means were at his disposal to get what he wanted. Including his own daughter. “What exactly do you want from her? From us?”
“For his wife's birthday, Lord Abernathy is hosting a ball at his house in Surrey. Next Friday. I want you to gain his confidences. Be invited to the ball and to the private events he's holding throughout that weekend.” Stefan shrugged one shoulder. “That shouldn't be too difficult for someone as skilled as Tam.”
“And then what?” Tam closed the bedroom door behind her, a pleasant mask firmly in place again.
“When you need to know, I will tell you.” Stefan's lip lifted in a small sneer. “You'll forgive me if I don't trust you with any real confidences. A woman who's whored herself on so many men simply can't be trusted.” He flicked a glance at Breck. “Even now, you've got one gagging for it.”
Tam's face went blank at the insult, her chin lifting. “Breck, I wasn't expecting to see you tonight.”
“I'm taking you to dinner. We need to plan this weekend.” Breck slid his hands into his pockets, hiding his clenched fists and keeping him from breaking Stefan's nose.
She nodded, not sparing a glance for her stepfather. “Do I need to change clothes or will these do?”
“You look fine. Let's go.”
“I'll be back in a few hours.” The glare she gave Stefan was sulfuric. “I trust that Sophie will still be here sleeping when I return.”
The man widened his eyes, exuding innocence. “So long as you return on time, there's no reason to assume otherwise. Enjoy your dinner.”
“We'll show ourselves out.” Breck grasped Tam's elbow, drawing her away from Stefan. He'd like to keep going and never come back, but Sophie's existence made that impossible. They'd have to ride it out the way Tam had planned. Something would break their way, and they'd be able to get the girl from her father. They had to be patient and watchful.
Breck let a breath ease from his lungs as Leland shut the door behind them. He pressed the button to call the lift, ignoring Tam's subtle attempts to pull away from him. No doubt Stefan, Nichols, and Leland were watching their interactions through the peephole.
They stepped onto the lift and Breck punched the button to take them down to the lobby. When they reached the ground floor, he held on to Tam's arm to keep her inside. A few other passengers got on, and he pressed the button to take them back up to his penthouse. They made three stops along the way for the others to get off, and Tam and he remained silent the entire ride. Her scent teased his nose, exotic spices mixed with sensual female. Irresistible. She brushed against him as she moved aside to let another woman out, and he barely resisted pulling her into his arms. He wanted her. Always. There were so many things he needed to speak to her about, but he wanted to throw that aside and bury his cock in her tight, welcoming sheath.
Deus, she really was going to drive him insane someday. She didn't even have to try.
The lift slid to a stop on the top floor, and he drew her out into the circular entryway. There were two sets of double doorsâone to the right of the elevator and one to the left. Straight ahead was a round polyglass window that overlooked the London skyline. Swirling around the window was a mercurite sculpture that seemed to grow out of the floor and twine toward the ceiling.
“Impressive.” Tam's mouth formed a little moue.
“Yes, it is. This way.” He tugged her to the right, but pointed left. “I found out the Averys are staying in the other penthouse.”
“Of course they are.”
A tiny smile touched his lips. “They were practically shagging against the wall this afternoon, with Hunter fumbling for the vidpad while Delilah had both hands down his pants.”
“Ah.” Tam brought her fist to her mouth, coughing to cover a laugh. “Newlyweds.”
He tapped his entry code into the vidpad beside his doors and they disarmed with a quiet
snick.
Pulling one open, he ushered Tam inside. “I had the concierge send up dinner from Le Monde.”
The dining table was long enough to seat thirty and could also be used as a conference table for business meetings. The huge main space opened to an even more massive balcony, and several bedrooms and wash closets opened off of the long hallway. At the end was a private lift he could use whenever he wanted. It was an exquisitely appointed home away from home, and it had been boring until Tam stepped inside.
She moved to the dinner set at one end of the table and slid into a chair. “What did you order for us?”
“The concierge recommended the duck.” He removed the sealed lids that kept the dishes as fresh as the moment they were covered, and rich aromas filled the room.
“It looks lovely.” Tam leaned forward and drew in the scent. “And smells even better. I do love the food at Le Monde.”
“So I was informed.” He poured them both a glass of wine. “The staff here said you preferred the Madeira.”
“I do.” She accepted the glass he offered, startling a bit when he bent down to brush a kiss over her lips. Sweet. Headier than the wine could ever be.
Walking around the table, he took his own seat and set his napkin on his lap. He watched her pick up her utensils and begin to eat. Her body seemed relaxed, but there was a tension around her eyes and mouth that gave her away. She was worried, scared. It made fury spurt through him, protectiveness following on its heels. He hated how helpless he was to fix this problem for her, but they were dancing to Stefan's tune.
They chatted lightly through the meal, touching on nothing important, and some of the tautness eased from both of them. It was good to be alone with her again, where no one was watching and neither of them was in imminent danger.
He'd missed her. Missed talking to her, being around her, looking at her. Everything.
Sighing, she sat back when she was done, a wan smile crossing her face. “All right, you didn't just bring me here to feed me.”
He nodded, wishing that the tranquil moment didn't have to fade so quickly, but time was not a luxury they had. “So, Stefan doesn't have evidence against you or some precious object you owned. He has your only family held hostage. Is that all, or is there more you haven't told me yet?”
“No, that sums it up nicely. He has my sister.” She shrugged, her smile growing sharper. “I'm not quite as materialistic as you imagined, despite my professional proclivities.”
He settled back in his chair, unwilling to let her get away with so quick an assumption of his judgment. “I didn't know what to think. Mostly because you ran off and didn't tell me anything. Or lied to me.”
She took a sip of her wine. “Both.”
“I know.” He blew out a breath. “My willing assistance comes with one condition.”
“What's that?” Resignation settled over her lovely features, as if she'd expected him to demand something from her. Well, too bad. Nothing in life was free, not really. Not even love. It demanded everything from you, turned you inside out. No, nothing was free,
especially
not love.
“Don't ever lie to me again.”
Her expression wavered, emotions flitting across her face so fast he couldn't read them. “I won't. You have my word.”
Could he trust her to be honest, even if she promised? He didn't know, but they couldn't be mates if they didn't trust each other, and that had to start somewhere. So he was going to start here, now. “I want to help you keep your sister safe, but to do that, I need to know you're not keeping secrets from me, or telling me what you think I want to hear. Just be honest. I can take it.”
“I never thought you couldn't.” She shifted her shoulders against her chair. “If I thought you were so weak that making you my mark would break you, I wouldn't have done it. There is
some
honor among thieves. Some of us anyway. Not Stefan.”
“It's a shame your mother married him.” So, she thought he could handle her using him and stealing from him? He didn't know if he should be flattered or insulted.