Page 70 of Trust
Both women looked at him. Lani looked irritated. Emily looked like she approved.
“I get that, but I think it might be beyond the personal. I mean, this might have to do with Kingston.”
“We looked at that,” Emily said.
“I know, but we might need to do a deep dive into things and see if anything was done before we took over. Kingston has been around for decades.”
Of course, she was right. Lani was one of the smartest women he had ever met.
“Let’s not worry about that right now. Let’s get over to your brother’s house.”
Ian Smith watched Ben pace back and forth in front of the window. He shared a look with his new partner, Eden Carlyle. They had known each other for years. When he had been MI-6, she had been CIA. Small-boned with light blue eyes and blonde hair, most people who didn’t know her would think she was fragile. Most would discover that she was lethal too late to save themselves.
“Mr. Kingston, I think you need to calm down,” Eden said. “We’re doing everything we can to find your wife.”
“You’re just standing here.”
Another shared look. This time, he saw his own agitation reflected back at him. They knew how to play the game with someone like Kingston.
“We’re here in case there’s a call. We have other operatives out searching.”
He stopped in his tracks. “Can’t you track her phone?”
Panic tinged the edges of his voice. That was definitely real. “No. She has it turned off. We’ll find it as soon as she turns it back on.”
It could have been damaged in an abduction, but Ian wasn’t about to say that. Keeping the client calm was the most important thing. His boss had stopped by and seemed to calm Kingston a little, but it hadn’t taken long for the irritation, and he was sure fear to come back.
Before Kingston could say anything, the front door opened.
“Hey, Mix, we’re here.”
He rolled his eyes. Emily was a pain in his ass.
“Mix?” Eden asked, one eyebrow rising. He knew that look.
“No. You donotstart using it.”
Emily stepped into the room. “Mix, baby, how’ve you been?”
“I will not answer to that name. And I saw you yesterday.”
Emily ignored him and walked further into the room. She was followed by Lani and Jakob. Ian didn’t often get star-struck, but he was a Brit and a fan. He had been irritated that his sister had met his favorite actor before he had. He’d had to fight the need to gush over him when he’d taken him to Lani’s safehouse.
“Eden? This is wonderful,” she said, coming forward to hug the other woman.
“That’s Lani and Hollywood.”
“Jake? What are you doing here?”
“I was at Lani’s when you texted.”
And that told Ian that Ben’s best friend might not trust him. From how he held onto Lani, Ian would bet it had everything to do with the woman.
Ben studied them, his gaze ping-ponging back and forth. “What the hell?”
Lani walked forward, her steps sure and her gaze locked on her brother. He had been brought up to speed about her relationship with Ben and how it had deteriorated after he’d met Royal. But…he saw the love there. He also knew there had been Dillon agents with her constantly, and all of her communications were being monitored.
She wrapped her arms around Ben.
