Oh, jeez. This wasn’t—
“I would like to formally introduce everyone to my right-hand lady, Bethany Meadows.” His voice seemed to flow around her. “Bethany and I have worked together for years, and I knew that I wouldn’t turn this place into the vineyard of my dreams without her.”
Surprise rocked through her at his confession.
Everyone was glancing her way now.
Vanessa, Saxon’s assistant, was staring at her, too. Only there was a sort of understanding in the other woman’s eyes, as if she’d just made a discovery. Our little romp in the office makes more sense if we’ve been lovers for a while, huh? In that moment, she could practically read Vanessa’s thoughts.
“Bethany…” Saxon beckoned to her, opening his hand.
She headed toward him. She made sure to take slow, careful steps in her heels. The last thing she wanted to do was take a header in front of all those people.
His fingers curled around hers. His lips tilted just a bit.
Once, she’d thought he was so far removed from her world. Too dangerous. But staring at him right then, the suave businessman before her…
I’m not sure I fit into his world at all.
Saxon was a man who could literally become anyone in the blink of an eye.
And if he could be anyone, then did she really know him at all?
More staff members—a group all wearing white—bustled out. They held delicate glasses and bottles of wine. Laurent Wine.
This wasn’t just some cover story. This was a whole life that Saxon had obviously planned for himself, for a long time. A life that he’d brought her into.
His hold tightened on her. “Time to celebrate,” he murmured. Then he inclined his head. “Drinks all around!”
The wine started flowing. Soon, everyone present had a glass, and Saxon still held her hand.
She glanced over at Sloan. His gaze was on her, and it was assessing. Behind him, Vanessa was smiling.
With his left hand, Saxon lifted his glass. “To the future,” he said.
Elizabeth lifted her hand and the wine glass she’d been given.
“To the future,” the others all repeated, smiling.
Elizabeth thought she was the only one who heard Saxon whisper, “May it be nothing like the f**king past.”
They drank the wine.
And the tension she felt got even worse.
***
Elizabeth was too nervous around him.
Considering the way their last meeting had gone, that nervousness wasn’t particularly surprising.
Note to self…try not to jump her the next time you’re alone.
He walked toward the windows that overlooked his sprawling property and his gaze assessed the countryside in front of him. This place was so damn fantastic.
I won’t ever be in the streets again. This place will be my paradise. I’ll be safe here. Elizabeth will be safe here.
It was a fresh start, for them both.
His phone rang. He pulled it out and recognized the number on the screen. He was alone in his office, so Saxon knew it was safe to take the call. “Tell me she’s clear,” he said.
“Working on it,” Victor replied, voice grim. “I need a little more time.”
He glanced over his shoulder. The door to his office was still shut. “You talked to Luther.”
As far as Saxon was concerned, it would be easier to just kill Luther Bates and move the hell on, but Victor hadn’t been sure the hit on Elizabeth would actually be canceled by the guy’s death. Not if the money for the job was being held in an account someplace.
“He’s offered me a deal. I just need a little more time, and your lady will be cleared.”
Your lady. Yes, Saxon thought of Elizabeth as his now. Was that wrong? He’d bled for her, been ready to kill for her…and, after all the dark years he’d spent undercover, didn’t he deserve a chance to have something? Someone? Elizabeth stirred emotion to life within him. She made him wonder what it would be like to have a wife, a partner in life. He wasn’t going to just let some bastard destroy her. “I think we should have gone with my method.”
“You can’t just walk into a federal prison and kill a man!”
Saxon sighed. “Didn’t Luther just kill a man in there? Some unlucky bastard named Titus Rowe?” He’d read about that, when he’d been digging into Luther’s life and trying to find anything that they could use against the guy in order to force him to back away from Elizabeth and cancel that hit.
“He killed him, and I think I know why.” Victor’s words came a bit faster. “There’s a woman missing, her name is Zoe Peters, and, from what I can tell, she vanished the day before Luther took the shiv to Titus Rowe’s throat.”
His fingers tightened around the phone.
“Luther said if I find the woman, if I bring him proof of life, then he’ll call off the hit on Elizabeth.”
“And you believe him?” Saxon was calling BS. “Vic, you can’t trust a guy like him. You know that.”
“I know I don’t have a lot of options, and I know that I am doing this. You’ve been through hell for me over the years. Now it’s my turn to pay you back.”
Victor didn’t get it. Saxon had done all of that undercover work because Vic was family—a link that went deeper than blood ever could. He’d wanted to protect his family. “If you need me, I’m there.”
“No.” Vic’s denial was immediate. “You’re out, you’re safe with that shiny new life of yours. A life that includes Elizabeth now. Keep her safe, and I’ll cover this end.” Static crackled over the line. “I will find Zoe Peters.”
Saxon knew that Victor tried to never make a promise that he couldn’t keep.
The line went dead. For a moment, Saxon didn’t move. He stared out at the land before him. The sun was setting, the sky a mix of red and gold. The scene looked like something out of a fancy painting.
And it’s all mine.
He’d saved every penny over the years and sank a fortune into this place. That fortune had come to him the hard way. He hadn’t just worked for the FBI in the last fifteen years. He’d risked his life more times than he could count, and when you were dealing in life or death situations, the pay-out could be serious. So he’d taken that pay-out, then doubled, tripled his money during his days in Vegas. And when the vineyard had come open, when he’d realized what he could do with a little winery out here…