Free True Deceptions (True Lies) by Veronica Forand Page A

hotel if she had a task to focus on.
    Boredom almost knocked her unconscious, but she revived at the knock that sounded on the door to the suite. She tapped on Simon’s door, telling him they had visitors. The memory of Tucker’s armed entry squeezed her gut. Her fear subsided a bit when Simon emerged from the bedroom with his gun in his hand. Thank God for overkill.
    He remained a step behind her with a relaxed expression in his face. Wearing black tailored pants and a black button down shirt, he looked like he owned half the city. Like a person who feared nothing. “Go ahead and ask who it is.”
    She peered through the peephole. Henry, Simon’s friend, stood directly in front of the door and Alex, his wife, stood partially in view as well. Despite the refraction of the small glass hole distorting their faces, they still appeared too perfect for words.
    “It’s Henry and Alex,” she said to Simon.
    He nodded to her, and she opened the door. Henry and Alex walked in, aristocrats to the core. It was obvious they’d been born to wealth and privilege. At least Henry was—she wasn’t sure about Alex’s background. Dressed in jeans and a navy blazer, he carried a small Louis Vuitton suitcase and placed it next to the coffee table.
    “Nice to see you again, Cassie.” Alex’s hair had no pink now. Instead she’d colored it a rich, dark chocolate. Her outfit, loose fitting pants and a silk blouse, matched her title more than the ripped jeans and oversize shirt she’d worn when they’d first met.
    Alex gave her a friendly hug, but Henry just stared with an eyebrow raised. Was he shocked to see her?
    Simon walked up behind Cassie and held her waist with one arm. “I needed some companionship on this trip.”
    He kissed Cassie’s neck and showered her with the affection he showed only in public. Her body, however, didn’t understand that the tender actions meant nothing to him. Heat slithered down her limbs, and she pressed closer, her head resting on his shoulder. She wanted him, especially since the other night on the floor. His kisses then had been heaven, whether they were real or not. She’d love to read his mind and know if he had feelings for her or if he was merely a master in artifice. Probably the latter.
    “Nice location,” Henry said as he and Simon shook hands.
    “It’s convenient.”
    Alex flopped on the couch. “What are the plans for dinner? I’m starving.”
    “I ordered room service for the two of us, but maybe we can go to a nearby restaurant?” Cassie asked, glancing at Simon.
    He shook his head. “I don’t want to be seen until the meeting.” Apparently, arriving in a Bentley at the most expensive hotel in the city wouldn’t get them noticed, but slipping into a small restaurant would.
    Alex picked up the phone on the table next to her and ordered what sounded like a pantry full of food, but she was speaking in another language, so Cassie wasn’t sure.
    “I ordered you grilled chicken and salad,” she told Henry, who nodded and went to the minibar to pour himself a drink.
    When all the meals had arrived, the four sat around the dining room table. Alex had a pile of food in front of her. Pasta, steak, some green beans, and a large slice of fruit torte. For such a little woman, she ate like a linebacker.
    Simon turned toward Alex. “We leave at five a.m. We should return by eleven.”
    She nodded. “I’ll be ready, as long as room service delivers some tea by four forty-five.”
    “Tea?” Henry asked.
    Alex shrugged. “Trying to acclimate to life as a British countess.”
    Simon had moved closer to Cassie and clasped her hand, but focused on Alex.
    “I don’t care what you drink, just be ready.” Simon then turned to Henry, ignoring Cassie, except for the slow, sensual circles his thumb was making in the center of her palm. “If you don’t hear from us by noon, leave without us.”
    Henry glared. “You better not be late. In and out, an easy transaction. I swear, Simon