Liam kept his head down as he came to a bleary consciousness. He wasn’t sure what his insane bastard of a brother had shot him up with, but he would bet it was ketamine. It was what he would have used. It was a veterinary tranquilizer that wasn’t too hard to get if a criminal had the right contacts.
He forced his breathing to stay even, his body to relax. He opened his eyes slightly, thankful he’d let his hair get a bit too long. Carpet was under his feet, and not cheap carpet. It was a rich red and looked to be Oriental. He very carefully tried to move his arms. Rope held him tight. His hands were behind his back, and he seemed to be sitting in a chair. Was anyone behind him? Was it safe to start on the ropes? They were tight, but he could force his hands to work. He just needed to find the knot.
And Avery. He really needed to find Avery. He couldn’t see her from here, and he couldn’t hear her. Was she still out? How much time had passed?
A deep voice filled the room. “I can see you moving, brother. I haven’t completely forgotten my SAS training. You might as well open those eyes wide and see what I have for you.”
Dread curled in his stomach. Was she already dead? If Avery was gone, then he would have one job in the world to do. He would make sure his brother suffered. Then he would find and kill the traitorous Mr. Black, Eli Nelson—whatever he wanted to call himself. He would be dead.
Liam brought his head up, the world spinning just a little. Even as his eyes focused, he could feel the knot. Rory had always been lazy. He’d left the knot where Liam could manipulate it. It wasn’t a mistake Liam would have made. The pads of his fingers started to work it. “Nelson was a distraction then?”
Rory sat behind a large ornate desk. He’d ditched the contacts, and his deep green eyes showed through. Their mum’s eyes. “He’s my partner. He has been from the beginning. When we realized you and your crew were here, he obligingly provided me with the distraction I needed to take care of you. He’ll take care of your team, of course.”
Would he? Nelson didn’t have the firepower to take care of Ian and certainly not on the streets of London. Nelson was cool as a cucumber. He wouldn’t do a damn thing without planning it out. And why did Rory think Nelson hadn’t known about them? Nelson had sent out his calling card and practically invited them to come to England.
Who was the real distraction?
And where was Avery? He couldn’t just ask the bloody question. Rory was a sadist of the highest order. Liam had tried to curb the tendencies, but he’d failed. If Rory knew how much he loved Avery, it could mean a long, painful night for her.
“You worked with him on the op that nearly got me killed.” It wasn’t a question. Liam knew the answer, but he needed to keep his brother talking. He had to get out of the ropes and figure out where Avery was and if he could save her.
“I did. Nelson contacted me. He saw my potential. He also saw a chance to take over a very lucrative arms dealing market. There was no uranium. That was all a ruse to get Leonov to bite. Nelson came across Leonov and found out about the bonds. Ten million easily transportable dollars, but he couldn’t get close. Somehow Taggart heard the stories and started the op before Nelson could get everything in place.”
“So Nelson sent along a very handy distraction.” Ian’s wife had been a means to an end.
Rory shrugged. “I wasn’t involved in that part of the business. I just know Nelson took over at the right time, and we got the bonds. Nelson then killed Leonov and together we took over his business. Leonov had a nice contact list going, but we decided we could do better.”
His brother, the entrepreneur. “And you became Thomas Molina.”
A satisfied smile lit Rory’s face. “The trouble is transporting the bloody weapons. So many checks these days, but everyone wants to help poor, starving children. We just needed a well-respected charity to be willing to help stow away our weapons.”
Where the hell was Avery? Despite the sedatives still in his veins, he could feel his heart rate speeding up. What the bloody hell had Rory done with Avery? What pain had she already been put through? Just let her be alive. He’d help her heal. He’d be with her. He’d hold her and love her and put her back together. She just had to be alive.
And he was losing it. Calm. Cool. Unemotional. He had to stay professional or they would both be dead. And Rory seemed to want to talk. Liam’s shoulder was killing him, but he forced his fingers to work without moving his arms. The knot was right there. There was a game they played at Sanctum. Tie up the Dom and see who was best at getting out. Ian was the Rope King, but Liam had come in a close second.