Rogue Alliance

THIRTY



When Shyla rang Victor’s doorbell, she half expected Brennan to answer. When Victor pulled open the door he grabbed her into a big hug, a small part of her felt disappointed.

“Oh, I’m glad to see you, Gorgeous! I’ve been thinking of you all week.”

Shyla was caught off guard by his unusually gregarious nature.

“I’m glad to see you, too,” she said, “it’s been a weird week.”

Victor shut the door behind her and led her down the hall, his hand at the small of her back.

“You can say that again,” he said, “I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that. I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life. But I’ve got one of the best lawyers in the state and he’s already sorted through most of the mess. It was all just a big mix-up.”

“That’s one hell of a mix-up, Victor. Aren’t you going to elaborate?”

She stared him down her eyebrows raised expectantly.

He paused.

“Why don’t we have a drink first?” he said.

Shyla followed him down to the parlor and placed her coat and scarf over the back of a bar stool.

“I’ll have Patron on the rocks, please.”

“Of course,” Victor smiled,

Instead of taking a seat on the sofa, she stood facing him and waited for an explanation. He didn’t look nervous. He looked perturbed that she was demanding more of an answer from him. She doubted he was used to anyone who pushed his boundaries. She doubted that she should be the one to do the pushing.

“Listen, Shyla, I’m not going to go into detail, but I have friends and I have enemies. It’s what happens when you have money. Let’s just say, that I made friends with the wrong people who have a different work ethic than I do. That’s all.”

“Okay, and by work ethic, you mean legal versus illegal?”

Why was she being so obtuse? It wasn’t like her. Maybe Shawn was right, maybe she did have a death wish.

Victor shifted his weight and cocked his head to the side. Shyla didn’t like the look on his face.

“Speaking of legality,” Victor said, “why don’t you tell me about your run in with the law a few years back, Shyla?”

To hide her own expression, she took a sip of her drink. It was like fire.

“A few years?” she asked innocently, “I don’t recall anything in particular a few years back.”

“I’ll be more specific then,” Victor said, giving a wicked smile, “how about nineteen years ago, when you were about fourteen years old?”

Shyla swallowed hard.

“Sounds to me like you already know a few things all on your own, so why would you need to ask me?”

Victor set his glass on the bar and walked toward her with the stealth of a cougar hunting its prey. He walked around her, running his index finger along her jaw line, down her neck and around her shoulders as he encircled her.

“I thought I’d give you the chance to tell me yourself. Typically, I don’t have a problem with secrets. I have plenty of them myself. But seeing on how we’re…together, it does bother me to think that maybe you’re keeping things from me.”

He stopped in front of her and looked her in the eyes. She met them and hoped he couldn’t see her doubt.

“I don’t hide it from anyone,” she said, “but I don’t announce it either. I live here, where it all happened. Half the town remembers. I can’t hide from it here. Why would I try?”

“I can understand that,” Victor nodded. He started pacing slowly around her again, “I had just hoped that we were at a point where you felt you could be open with me.”

The way he was making her feel, stalked and out of control, was testing all of her reserve to maintain her calm. She wanted to lash out at him and put his pompous, arrogant ass in place.

“I do feel that way. I should have said something before. It just never was the right moment,” she looked over her shoulder and met his eyes, “I’m glad you know now.”

With a delicate smile he leaned in and gave her neck a soft kiss. She shivered with revulsion.

“Is there anything else you would like to share, Shyla?”

The breath on her neck gave her the chills. She could sense that he was fishing for more information and she was suddenly acutely aware that he knew more than he was letting on. Shawn, Eli and Hal, had all been right. She should have never walked back into Victor’s life, thinking that her cover was solid. She needed to get out of there.

“No,” she said in a breathy whisper.

The phone rang. It startled her.

“So jumpy tonight,” he chuckled, “just hold tight. It’s Brennan. I need to take this call real quick.”

He stepped away but didn’t leave the room.

“Hello?”

Shyla’s mind was racing. Should she try to wait out the rest of the date or should she come up with a lame excuse and bolt right now?



*



Brennan was confused. Victor didn’t sound shocked or angry. He sounded amused, dangerously so.

“Huh, is that right?” he mused, “That is interesting news, Brennan.”

“Uh,” Brennan hesitated, “well, it definitely confirms our suspicions, sir. How would you like me to handle this?”

“Oh, no need, Brennan” Victor chuckled, “I’ll take care of this myself. You did great work. I appreciate it. See you when you get home.”

Brennan heard a click and then a dial tone.

He rubbed his sternum. There was a sudden fire in his chest. The cylinders of his mind were turning and grinding as he thoroughly processed what Victor had insinuated. Shit! It was after six on Thursday night. Victor and Shyla had a date. She would have been at the house during the phone call.

Bolting out of the limousine he rushed across the tarmac toward the plane.

“We need to get home fast,” he shouted. “There’s been an emergency.”

Flashes of violent possibilities of how Victor would handle the situation filled his mind. The thought of Shyla, at the mercy of Victor’s rage, made him cringe with guilt. He had wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on, but had been short-sighted, without playing out the consequences of discovering such burdensome information.

What had he done? If anything happened to Shyla, it would ultimately be his fault. He had enough blood on his hands. He couldn’t stand the idea of having Shyla’s on his conscience as well.

Glancing at his watch, he did the math. It would be a well over and hour before he was on the ground, in the car, and at Victor’s doorstep. He hoped he would make it in time.