“Now I know you’re fine,” she said with a wink. She rested her hands on his chest, the warmth from her palms calming him for the first time since Hawk mentioned Teddy B. “I have feelers out. I’m waiting for one of my contacts to get back to me. Teddy B is quite the guy,” Spencer added as she stepped out of his arms, pulled out one of the stools at the breakfast bar, and sat down.
Drake grunted. “You have no idea.”
“Actually,” she said, “I do. One of my contacts has been watching him for quite a few years. She sent me the lowdown. Teddy B has been hated far and wide for a long time.”
Drake cocked his head. “Hated? That’s news to me. Teddy was the darling of English society.”
Spencer nodded. “Wasbeing the operative word. Turns out, he tried to pull that same investment scam he ran on you on several other people. And one in particular didn’t go well. Much like you solved the problem... they solved it, too. Only this time, the guy Teddy B tried to burn had connections—deep ones. Dangerous connections, you know. Once word got out, Teddy’s circle turned on him. So, he’s officially on the outs.”
Drake leaned back against the counter, a dark smile tugging at his lips. “Well, well, well. That’s nice to hear.”
Spencer grinned. “I thought you’d like that. Not only is he out of favor with his former crowd, but he’s tried to establish himself in different places all over the world. And from what I’ve heard, it’s not going well. Where he used to ride high, now he’s dealing with scum—the lowest of the low.”
She paused, then added, “Okay, I shouldn’t say that. I mean, it’s not street level, but he’s not working with the fine quality citizens he used to.”
“Not that the British aristocracy are fine quality citizens,” Drake said dryly.
Spencer snorted. “Not in the slightest. But you get my point.”
“So, who’s he dealing with these days?” he asked.
“From what I could gather, African warlords.”
Drake let out a bark of laughter. “That’s quite the comedown for Teddy B.”
She shrugged. “I think he’s even dealing with some terrorist organizations in the Middle East.”
Any trace of humor vanished from Drake’s face. “Now that sounds more like him.”
“But why would someone like that want to frame Gage?” Spencer mused, leaning back in the stool.
Drake could only shrug. “No idea.”
Spencer shook her head. “My friend at MI6 is going to dig deeper and get back to me. I pressed her on the urgency, so hopefully, we’ll hear something in the next hour or so.”
Drake’s eyes moved over the woman who possessed his heart. “So… we’ve got some time to kill,” he said with a suggestive smile.
Spencer popped a grape into her mouth, but caught sight of that look in his eyes. Her own lips curved.
“I don’t know that we have that kind of time.”
Drake’s grin turned wicked. “Aw, honey, I think we do.”
CHAPTER NINE
SPENCER
Spencer stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. Taking time for a quick rinse had been a risk. She certainly didn’t want to miss a call, but she had an important in-person meeting this afternoon, and showing up looking like she’d just had sex seemed like a bad idea.
She wrapped the towel around her torso, dried off quickly, and towel-dried her hair. With practiced speed, she brushed it back and pulled it into a ponytail. She opted for a navy suit with a white blouse for the upcoming meeting, then leaned over the sink to apply makeup in the mirror.
Drake was just stepping out of the shower.
“Who are you meeting with?” he asked.
She met his gaze in the mirror, her belly tightening. “There’s a guy at the NSA.”
Drake froze. “You’re meeting with someone from the National Security Agency?”
