Avery took a long breath. “He’s really doing this thing? He’s really letting someone put guns and stuff in our grain shipments?”
For the first time, Liam really understood how hard this was going to be on her. It was just another thing he hadn’t considered when he’d broken out and vomited up the truth. She believed in what she did. Finding out she’d been helping an arms dealer was going to kill her. He’d been concerned with Nelson this whole time, but now he wanted to wrap his hands around Molina’s throat for using Avery the way he had. It didn’t mean a thing to him that the man had physical problems. It would just make the fucker easier to catch.
“You tell me what Molina’s putting in those shipments.” Ian was that immovable object science talked about. “Did you know your shipments are weighed when they leave the docks here? MI6 pulled the records. They don’t match what eventually makes it to the refugee camps.”
Her dark hair shook. “A lot of things can happen to grain in transport. Sometimes, if it’s not properly stored, it can rot or rats can get to it either in the boat or in the storage warehouse. We also have a lot of trouble with thieves.”
“Thieves stole seven hundred pounds of grain from last September’s shipment? How about five hundred from December? Did rats eat nine hundred pounds of grain this February? Those are mighty big rats, Miss Charles.” Ian passed her the reports.
Avery sat there staring as though she couldn’t quite comprehend.
“Nothing to say, huh?” Ian asked.
“Stop it or I’ll walk her out of here and I’ll find a barrister.” It was plan B. He didn’t particularly want to follow it since it meant taking her out into the real world, and he was pretty bloody sure she would run at the first opportunity.
The door to the conference room opened, and Eve and Alex stepped in. They were both back in street clothes.
Alex took the seat next to his partner and gave Liam a long smile. “Good for you, man.”
Ian turned. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Hey, I’m a sucker for a happy ending,” Alex said.
“This isn’t a happy ending. This is a nasty, fucked-up ending. This is months’ worth of work down the toilet because Liam over there couldn’t keep his dick from making the decisions.”
“I think it was his heart, man,” Alex shot back, looking at Liam like he was a toddler taking his first steps.
No matter how he felt about Avery, hearing it put like that made him want to vomit. Liam winced. “Jesus, I think I liked it better the way Ian was talking. You’re making me sound like a bloody girl.”
Avery’s hand came out and slapped him across the chest. She gasped. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that.”
Ah, sweet progress. He gripped her hand and brought it to his lips. “Because that’s what a woman does when her man says something stupid. I’m prepared to be smacked on a regular basis, love.”
She pulled her hand out of his, but not before he’d seen her flush. “I’m not your woman.”
She could fight it for now, but she needed him.
Eve sat on the other side of the table. Liam couldn’t help but notice that she was as far from Alex as she could be. She smiled Avery’s way. “I’m so sorry for the deception. We had to be sure you’re not involved. I hope you understand.”
Ian’s hands came up, his head falling back as he groaned in obvious frustration. “Just because Liam’s dick likes her doesn’t mean she’s not guilty. When did Liam freaking O’Donnell become the world’s leading authority on judging people? Can I remind you of a few of the choices his cock has made before? Cindy Lou Waitress from hell? She took a baseball bat to his car because he didn’t call.”
“I never said I would call. I barely knew the girl.”
“Ah, but you fucked her, didn’t you? I believe it was in the back room of a Hooters.”
“Ian, this is unnecessary,” Alex said.
Ian ignored his best friend. “How about the twins you screwed and then found out they were secretly taping you and putting up their sex tapes on the Internet under the heading ‘Hot Badass With Huge Cock’? Were they innocent, too?”
That was just about enough of Ian. Liam felt his fists clench. “I swear to god if you say one more fucking word, I’ll come over the table, Ian. I won’t give a shit that we were friends once.”
Ian growled right back. “I’m trying to help you, asshole. You don’t know a real thing about this woman.”
“Like you tried to help Sean?” Eve asked, her voice a calm note in the storm of anger that swirled around the room.