Free Love and Let Die by Lexi Blake Page A

his brother. They were family. It was what family did.
    Or at least that was what Ian had taught her. Family didn’t give up. Family kept going even when one of them was a complete nitwit jerkwad who called his wife a whore.
    Simon was staring at her as though mentally fitting her for a straightjacket. “I don’t know about that.”
    Eve McKay set down her ever-present travel mug of coffee, a grin on her face. “Come on, Simon. You know why you’re here. You’re curious. Just like the rest of us.”
    Adam clapped his hands and tossed his body into one of the chairs. “I’m thrilled. I think Kris is going to set Ian on his ass, and I’ve been waiting for that.”
    She liked Adam, but she had to side with her Master. Despite the whole punching him in the face thing—which she would totally do again—she was trying to be a good submissive and that meant siding with her Master. It was obvious he had some difficult employees. “You should respect Ian, Adam.”
    Adam frowned. “I thought you would be more fun than this.”
    Eve leaned over. “Alex told me Ian has a black eye.”
    Adam fist pumped. “Fuck, yeah. You go, girl.”
    Serena slapped at her husband’s arm. “Be polite.”
    Jake was on the other side of Serena, a mug of coffee in his hand. “He doesn’t know how. He thinks tact is a made-up word.”
    Adam frowned. “Well, we all know tact just means lying about shit. How many of us cheered when we found out Kris was Ian’s long lost wife? Come on.”
    Eve, Jake, and Serena raised their hands.
    “Well, I was just pissed to find out she’d lied about her name.” Jesse Murdoch was sitting beside Simon, a sour look on his face.
    “I was undercover.” She didn’t really like Jesse. He’d totally shot her.
    “So was I but I used my real name. It’s confusing to keep changing names,” Jesse shot back.
    He was a little behind the curve, but she’d sworn to be kinder to all of God’s creatures, even the slow ones. “Sorry, Jesse. It’s Charlotte. I’ll try to be more clear in the future so you know the full name of the woman you’re shooting and leaving horrific scars on.”
    She was perfectly satisfied with the way he blanched.
    Simon chuckled under his breath. “She’s got you there. Don’t be such a fucking idiot. I’m your damn sponsor. Don’t make me look bad.”
    “I’m only here to find out what you know about Eli Nelson.” Liam O’Donnell wasn’t playing around.
    God, she felt like shit when she looked at him. The only way to deal with Liam was honesty. “I know I’m the reason he had the chance to blow up the apartment you were in and send your brother running with the bearer bonds. You might not believe it, but I didn’t know what he was planning. He didn’t let me in on it.”
    Liam hadn’t brought his wife with him. Charlie knew this wasn’t entertainment for him. This was serious. She’d betrayed more than just Ian. “Would it have changed a damn thing knowing what would happen?”
    She hated the answer but had to be truthful. “No. Eli Nelson had my sister by then.”
    “Your sister, Chelsea Dennis. She was taken from her elementary school in North Carolina by her father, Vladimir Denisovitch, and brought to Moscow. He kidnapped her right off the playground. You were older. Did he use your sister to get you to go with him? Or were you afraid because he’d murdered your mother by then?” Adam asked, proving just how smart he was.
    Charlie felt her jaw drop. She thought Chelsea had buried that information. “How do you know that?”
    “Is your sister the hacker?” Adam’s eyes flared as though he’d found a challenge.
    Charlie nodded. “She’s the best in the world.”
    Adam sat back. “Second best. Tell her she didn’t go far enough. No information is ever really lost. You just have to know which threads to follow and which lead to nowhere. I have amazing instincts. It’s not just about talent. I’d met you. I didn’t know if it was you or someone