True Deceptions (True Lies) (33 page)

The door was open, and he could hear people wandering up and down the halls. He turned his head to look out the window and saw his heroine fast asleep in a vinyl chair. His Cassie. Her long, lean body stretched off the chair with one leg propped up on the windowsill to prevent her from sliding to the floor.

She looked beautiful. And he might have lost her. A tidal wave of pain reminded him why they were there. He groaned and tried to shift over—not a wise move. It hurt even more. His next groan woke Cassie up. At first, she seemed disoriented, but when she noticed his eyes open, she jumped to his side.

“Are you okay?” Her face was distressed, the creases in her forehead deep.

He nodded. His expression grew into a smile because nothing could be wrong in the world when she was next to him, alive and healthy.

“What are you so happy about? You almost died.” Both hands caressed his face. “The doctor said you wouldn’t have a hole in your chest if you’d been wearing the vest. The one you gave to me.” Her composure broke, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

His smile lifted. “It was a gift.”

Shaking her head, she brushed the tears from under her eyes. “It was a stupid gift. I was so worried about you.”

“You had the vest. I have you.” He lifted his hand to touch her face; a few tubes followed. The tears didn’t detract from her beauty. He could only stare in wonder at the bravest, most intelligent, amazing woman ever. “Dane told me you saved my life.”

“No. You rescued me from the military base, and then fought off a group of armed soldiers to protect me. You’re the hero.”

“I’m no hero. I just needed you safe.”

Grabbing a tissue from the table beside her, she blew her nose and swallowed hard. “You scared me. You were facedown in the mud and completely still. Blood was everywhere. I don’t think I could have gone on without you.”

“You’d better be able to go on without me. Junior needs you.” His reply came out strained, followed by a raspy cough.

She nodded. “Promise me you’ll retire as soon as we get home. Junior and I need
you
.”

He kissed her perfect lips and tried to imagine life without death threats and backstabbing traitors. “Soon, angel. I have a few loose ends to tie up.”

T
wo weeks later, Simon had nothing finished. At least his wounds had improved. He could stand on his leg, although the cast was still there, and he needed crutches. His chest wound, however, was healing more slowly. The constant effort to inhale made him crazy. And to make matters worse, the doctor forbade him from flying until his lungs gained strength. He was stuck in Korea in the hospital for a few more weeks. No privacy, no decent food, and Cassie’s unwillingness to get naked for him increased his determination to get the hell out of there.

She sat on the corner of his bed and faced him. “The minute they give you the okay, we’re on a plane back to England. I promise.”

“I’d rather be in a North Korean prison than in this little room.”

“You’d piss off the guards and be dead in a week.” Dane sauntered into the room, placing a dish of kimchi and large slices of tuna on a side table. His yawn escaped, despite his attempt to cover it with a devil-may-care smile. He’d flown back and forth from Seoul to San Francisco twice since Simon had been hospitalized. Simon suspected he visited partly to keep tabs on his competition, and partly because Dane felt the same bond of brotherhood with Simon as he did with him.

“Mind if I have some dinner with you?” He hugged Cassie and slapped Simon on his good shoulder.

“Only if you have what I’m looking for,” Simon replied.

“I’ve found out some very useful information. My British sources have confirmed that Tucker directed the team to take Cassie and leave her in North Korea.”

“I want him dead,” Simon said with an eerie calm while helping himself to Dane’s tuna.

“The only question is quick and effective, or long and drawn out for maximum pain.” Dane seemed to consider both options.

Simon preferred long and painful.

Cassie frowned. She still held tight to her pacifist beliefs, despite her ability to take down armies single handedly. “Maybe he could suffer from an almost fatal accident, then live out his life in disgrace. Or we could talk to the authorities? They’ll arrest him. We have three witnesses.”

Dane and Simon glanced at each other, disappointed in her statement.

“He
is
the authorities, angel. You and I are poor witnesses, considering we don’t exist, and Dane couldn’t testify against someone in a rival agency.”

“And that leads to my other news.” Dane grinned. “Do you know some internal affairs guy named Keller Petch?”

“Keller Petch? Never heard of him.” Simon glanced over at Cassie who shrugged.

“Funny how my sources are better than yours.”

“Get to the point, O’Brien.”

“He was the MI6 go-to guy for eliminating rogue agents. A few hotshots had found his name and tried to hire his services. Tucker, the only bureaucrat caught in the sting, had sent two or three analysts to their deaths, because they’d come close to fingering him in a number of rackets. Regrettably for Tucker, Petch simply moved the people to safe houses while gathering evidence to convict him.”

Cassie stood up. “So they have him?”

“No. He disappeared. There are a lot of people searching for him right now, so Simon and I may never get to murder him as planned.” Dane looked as disappointed as Simon felt.

Chapter Thirty-Two

T
ime passed as though in a vacuum. One month after being rescued from No
rth Korea, Cassie transferred Simon to a large suite at a hotel close to the hospital. The move away from the hourly monitoring lessened Simon’s constant anger and agitation. He spoke on the phone with Dane every day, and she made plans for their return to England.

When the thrill of their new surroundings got old, they took short field trips to enjoy the summer weather and the lush parks in the area. One particularly beautiful morning, Simon escorted Cassie to the lobby of the hotel and slipped her into a limousine, but didn’t get in himself. Instead, he left her with Dane, newly arrived from a ten-day business trip.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“No. I’ll catch up to you.” Simon struck the side of the car to tell the driver to move.

Would Simon send her away without him?
“What’s going on?” She looked over at Dane.

“It’s a surprise.” He waved to Simon, standing at the hotel valet stand with a devious smirk on his face.

“For me?”

“From Simon.”

The two men appeared too happy. She didn’t trust either one of them.

High rises and huge apartment complexes created an urban view out her window for the first thirty minutes. Soon, however, they were traveling along a smaller road and up a mountain. The car stopped in front of what looked like a temple surrounded by an emerald forest. It was something out of a fairytale.

“We’re going to a temple?” she asked.

“This is the Pavilion of the Three Purities. Pure water, mountains, and humanity.”

“And Simon couldn’t join us?”

A huge grin spread across Dane’s face, but he didn’t answer her. He jumped out and instead of opening her door, trotted to the back and grabbed a large bag from the trunk. The driver helped Cassie out.

Dane, the bag hanging over his arm, clutched Cassie’s hand and pulled her up the stairs.

A man dressed with a long white satin robe with a red scarf flowing over his shoulders stood at the entrance and greeted them.

Dane bowed to the man and then shook his hand. “Minister Jeong. Nice meeting you finally.”

“Welcome Mr. O’Brian. This must be the bride. Congratulations, Ms. Watson.”

“Bride?”
What the heck were they up to?

She shot a look back at Dane. Why did he know her other alias and not Sunny Smith?

“Relax, Cassie. It’s all good.” Dane placed his arm around her. “Surprise. You’re getting married.”

“Today?”

“Right now. Hurry up and get dressed.” He handed her the bag and pushed her into a small room to the right of the lobby of the main building.

She shut the door and stood in shock for a moment and then began to laugh. Simon wanted to marry her here in South Korea. The control freak usurped the choice of the time, place, and the style of the gown. It didn’t matter. For the chance to keep him in her life, she’d marry him anywhere, even if that meant letting him take complete control of her wedding day.

Inside the bag was a flowing gown in white silk organza with cap sleeves. She pulled it out. Simon had even purchased nylons and white heels to match. No veil? Maybe he wasn’t as perfect as he liked to tell her.

She opened her purse and brushed her hair, leaving it long and unadorned. After fixing her makeup, she dressed in the outfit he’d chosen for her. It fit perfectly, as expected, including some extra room for Junior’s growing little body.

Dane knocked on the door before opening it and paused when he saw her. “Damn, Simon’s one lucky bastard.”

“Thanks.” She turned her back toward him and pointed at the zipper caught halfway up her spine. “Could you finish zipping me up?”

“With pleasure.” He pulled it up and placed his hands on each shoulder. “I hope you don’t mind if I’m the only witness.”

“You’re a perfect witness.” She did like Dane around, but wished Henry and Alex had been able to visit them as well. But no one could know where they were, not even Simon’s family.

Dane kissed her on the back of her head and turned her around. “I don’t have much in the way of family, but I count Simon as my closest friend in the world. And now you. No matter what happens in the future, I’ll always have your back. Always.”

“I hope I never need anyone to watch my back in the future. I’d like to become a boring soccer mom with a desk job.” She clasped his hands. “You should find someone to help you settle down as well.”

He pulled back in mock horror. “How about helping me find a wild and willing woman in every city I land instead?”

“You don’t need any help with that.”

“I’m losing my touch. I couldn’t steal a certain blonde beauty away from a brute of an Englishman.” With a wink, he led her to the door.

He handed her a bouquet of white roses and Tiffany blue hydrangeas tied with white ribbons, and linked his arm in hers. They turned outside to a garden and a beautiful spot overlooking miles of scenery. The bright sun and the hundreds of white flowers decorating the area created a magical quality of space and air. The pure white dress billowed out from her waist and flowed several feet behind her. She wore three-inch heels, which lifted her to an inch taller than Dane. She wouldn’t be taller than the groom, however.

Simon stood in a tuxedo, waiting for her. A glossy black cane with a brass handle leaned on a chair beside him. He’d cleaned up beautifully. Demanding, difficult, yet totally decadent. His grin dressed up his face with the confidence of a man who never lost.

Dane handed her over to Simon after helping himself to an innocent kiss on her lips. Simon’s grin never faltered. He pulled her to his side and placed her flowers on his chair.

“I hope you’re ready for this, because I couldn’t wait to marry you.” He brushed his lips over her ear. His warm breath and the feathery caress shot shivers down her back.

“Patience is the most important quality for a field agent,” she whispered back.

“I’ve waited for you my whole life, that’s long enough.”

Clasping their hands together, the minister asked them to recite the vows they’d written to each other.

Written vows?
She hadn’t written anything.

Simon reached into his pocket, pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to her. “I took the liberty of writing something for you to read.”

“You wrote
my
vows?” She didn’t mean to squeak, but seriously? He better not have written anything about obeying, because he already got his way more often than not.

He grasped her hands again. Those beautiful blue eyes of his deepened, and his face became stoic and firm. “I, Simon Dunn, promise to love you forever and be your protector. I give you all my worldly possessions, my future, and my heart. I will forfeit my life for yours without hesitation.”

Cassie stood tongue-tied for a second, trying to understand exactly what he’d committed to her. Pretty much everything. She didn’t want him to die for her. She’d already lived through that hell. She wanted him safe at home playing with a dozen children. Her mouth opened to protest, but he shook his head to stop her from speaking.

“There’s more.” He brought her fingers to his mouth and kissed them. As he lowered her hands, that adorable grin emerged. “I promise to help raise our children and to support you in every way I can. I promise to agree with you whenever your thoughts and opinions line up logically with my mine. And I promise to cook vegan as often as possible as long as it doesn’t weaken my strength or the health of our children.”

She burst out laughing.

The minister, his eyebrows raised, didn’t seem to approve of the addendum, but nodded toward Cassie. “Go ahead.”

She let go of Simon’s hands and glanced down at the paper he’d given her. It was best not to see what he wrote before she read it, in order to remain calm. Her hands shook as she began. Two simple sentences:

“I, Cassie Watson, promise to love you forever. I promise to never risk my life for yours, because our children need their mother.”

She stopped and looked at him. His expression, dead serious, caused tears to flow in her eyes.

Her head fell forward into his shoulder, and she remained there, trembling in his arms, until the minister said something about being husband and wife.

“I can’t promise that,” she mumbled.

“You just did.”

He lifted her head and kissed his bride with a fierce possessiveness he rarely showed in public. He took everything he could as he deepened the kiss. Simon would always try to control every aspect of them as a couple. Cassie, however, held an equal amount of control in their relationship, because she held his heart.