Reviving Olivia (Project DEEP Book 7) Read online

  Damon reached out, snagged her around the waist, and pulled her against his chest, unable to go another moment without kissing her.

  He set his lips on hers, loving the little gasp she gave him and the way her body melted slightly into his.

  After a few seconds, she broke the kiss and pushed him away. “Seriously, though,” she admonished. “I should suck it up, stop worrying about my stupid identity, and call my dad. Who cares if I’m outed and people find out who I really am. It seems the really dangerous people already know. And lives are at stake.”

  Damon hesitated, not wanting to have to tell her what he and Spencer had discussed with regard to her father when she wasn’t in earshot.

  Spencer cleared his throat and set a hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “Livvy, I’m concerned about your father’s possible involvement.”

  “Involvement in what?”

  “Blue Cell.” He visibly winced as he spoke.

  Olivia’s eyes went wide, and she jerked back, bumping into the dresser. She shook her head. “No way. There’s no way in hell my father is involved with Blue Cell.”

  Damon didn’t want to leave Spencer to take all the heat, so he jumped in. “I hope you’re right, but there are too many coincidences, Livvy. We can’t ignore them. We can’t take a chance.”

  “What are you talking about? What coincidences?”

  “For one, your father is a diplomat in Russia while we now know that the Russian government has been buying scientific findings from Blue Cell for years.”

  “And you think my dad’s participated in this crime?” she asked incredulously, setting her hands on her hips.

  Spencer took over again. “No. But we can’t ignore the fact that it’s suspicious. That and the fact that you happened to be hired by Dr. Joseph Boyden who happened to have stumbled on information about Blue Cell and then happened to take you out of the equation. Too many coincidences.”

  She shook her head again, vigorously. “No way. My father doesn’t even know where I am or what identity I took. He let me go. He gave me this new life.”

  She glanced from Spencer to Damon, tears forming in her eyes. “I refuse to believe he lied to me. That would make my entire life a lie.” She wrapped her arms around her middle, shivering.

  Damon stepped closer, but didn’t try to touch her. She was closed off. “No one is suggesting your father didn’t love you. I’m sure he did. He raised you by himself and gave you every opportunity. And when he realized you needed something he couldn’t give you, he protected you by letting you go. The absolute test of love. I totally believe that.”

  “Then why are you questioning his loyalty to the country?”

  “Because people can be both things at once. Just because he might have gotten messed up with Blue Cell doesn’t mean he didn’t love you at the same time.”

  She chewed on her bottom lip in that distracting way that made Damon want to reach up and run his thumb over the offended spot. He didn’t, though.

  She ran both hands through her long, damp waves. And then she slid away from them, stepped into the living area, and paced the room. The blinds were only open part way, the slats tilted upward so that someone would have to be in a helicopter to see into the suite.

  Damon glanced at Spencer to find him wringing his hands together. His hair was a hot mess on top of his head. Serious bed head that made him look cute. If the situation weren’t so dire, Damon would reach up and ruffle it just to see it fall into its usual place across Spencer’s forehead.

  Damon shuddered internally as he considered how often he’d thought of Spencer as a kid. He was definitely no kid. Not after the way he’d been last night. His dick… Oh God. Damon jerked his gaze back to Spencer’s face. To find Spencer shooting him a questioning look, eyes wide as if he was hoping Damon could think of what to say or do next.

  Olivia finally spoke, rambling while she paced. “Shit. What if the reason my father let me leave Russia and assume a new identity had nothing to do with my sexual preferences and everything to do with keeping me safe from something else entirely?”

  “It’s possible,” Damon said, grateful that she was piecing this together.

  Spencer stepped closer to Olivia. “If that’s true, it wouldn’t be safe to contact him.” Spencer swallowed, glancing nervously at Damon as if to ask him if he should tell her everything he was thinking or not.

  Damon nodded. It would be best to come clean with her. Keeping secrets wasn’t going to help their chances at a future together.

  Of course Damon wanted to slap his own forehead for even thinking such ridiculous long-term thoughts. For one thing, there was no way to know how the three of them might feel about each other after they left this confined space. None of them could predict that.

  Besides, it was one thing to romp around in bed with two people as a fling or for a weekend every once in a while. It was another thing entirely to live one’s life in a ménage. It was too stressful. Few people could pull it off in regular society without developing so many issues that they started to resent each other.

  Damon gritted his teeth at the thought of ending this, however. Sure, it was recent and intense and in its early stages, but in his gut he knew for the first time in his life that he felt whole with these two human beings.

  It was impossible to know for sure how either of them felt, and there was no way he could open that can of worms. They’d had an amazing night, blown off a shit ton of steam, and now it was day. Time to get back to work.

  Now wasn’t the time to forge relationships, especially not unconventional ones that society would shun each of them for even contemplating.

  If Damon ever did find two people to share his life with, he was well aware that hours and hours of negotiating would have to take place to even extend their liaison past one night together. Three people would have to compromise and agree on so many things. He’d considered the implications a few times in his life.

  Where would they live? What would they tell others? What would their sleeping arrangements look like? What would the rules be with regard to sexual interactions when one party wasn’t around? If it was decided that two of them would marry, which two? How would they handle jealousy?

  The list was long. Exhaustive. Not something any of them were prepared to ponder today or tomorrow or even next week.

  They’d spent one sweet night together. Damon needed to accept that it might not even happen again. Or that it probably wouldn’t happen after they extricated themselves from this mess.

  Besides, the two people he was so enamored with were very young. He had years of experience. They were both in their early twenties.

  He jerked his attention back to Olivia as Spencer advanced on her. He grabbed her around the waist, halting her pacing and pulling her back against his chest. His hair fell across his face as he leaned in and gently kissed her neck. “Livvy…”

  She sighed and set her hands on top of his. “I hate the way I tend to bend to your will a little bit when you use that ridiculous, childish nickname on me.”

  Spencer smiled against her neck. “Ah, so I’m officially permitted to call you Livvy now?”

  “Maybe. Jury’s still out. I haven’t fully decided yet.”

  “I feel so honored at your consideration.”

  Damon smiled. At least she was cracking jokes. It was an improvement.

  “Anyway,” Spencer continued, “I know this is hard for you. It’s a lot to face, but Blue Cell has incredible minds working for them. I know because I used to be one of them. They hire the best of the best.”

  “I know what you’re going to suggest, and I can understand why you would think my father might have known the identity I was given, but I still know in my heart he would never do anything to put me in harm’s way. He would never have let someone preserve me for ten years. That’s ludicrous.”

  Damon closed the gap between them and took Olivia’s face in his hands. “How about Spencer and I get showered and dressed, and we make something f
or breakfast, and then after some caffeine, we all sit down and consider the pros and cons?”

  Olivia nodded, leaning her forehead against Damon’s chest.

  He closed his eyes as he threaded his hands in her hair and held her tight. She felt so damn good against him.

  And the man behind her who slid his hands to Damon’s waist doubled that warm feeling.

  There was every chance in the world that these two much younger people were dabbling on the fringes of a forbidden lifestyle with no intentions toward a future together. Why would they be thinking of the future? They were young and free.

  Damon was so fucked.

  Chapter 14

  Two hours later, Olivia was sitting on the sofa, her feet tucked under her, her gaze on the computer she held in her lap when someone knocked on the door.

  She nearly jumped out of her skin.

  Damon stood from the armchair, but before he headed for the door, he set a hand on her shoulder. “It should be our grocery delivery. Relax.”

  “Shit. Right.” She ran a hand over her face. She’d totally forgotten they would be getting groceries this morning. It was hard to keep up with all their needs while they remained sequestered in one hotel room after another, relying on the internet as a way to survive.

  She still hadn’t wrapped her hand around the capabilities. Damon and Spencer took just seconds to tap around on their computers and make things appear at the door like magic. Technology had left her in the dust while she’d been preserved for ten years.

  She tried to slow down her racing heart as she watched Damon open the door and take the bags from the delivery guy. As soon as everything was inside, the guy reached into his back pocket and produced an envelope. He handed it to Damon. “Some guy on the street paid me to give this to you.”

  Damon stiffened, not reaching out to take the envelope.

  Olivia couldn’t blame him. She didn’t want to touch it either. Nothing like this had ever happened. That meant they’d been found yet again and whoever was following them was done with the charade. The idea scared the hell out of her.

  Damon slowly took the envelope. “What did he look like?”

  The guy shrugged. “Forties maybe. He wore a ballcap and spoke so quickly before disappearing that I hardly had time to process what he wanted from me.”

  “What color hair did he have?”

  “Brown, I guess. I couldn’t really see it well.”

  “What was he wearing?” Damon inquired next.

  The guy at the door wiped his hands on his jeans. “Shit. Is someone in trouble?”

  Damon stood straighter. “No. Of course not. I’m just curious is all. He was probably one of my coworkers who didn’t want to take the time to come upstairs.” Damon produced a fake smile.

  The guy glanced past Damon to stare at Olivia. Spencer was behind the door. Probably for the best. Finding two people sequestered in a hotel room was one thing. Adding another guy would be downright suspicious to most people.

  The guy chuckled. “Okay, well, y’all have a nice day.” He waved as he wandered down the hall.

  Damon shut the door and spun around at the same time Olivia nearly leaped over the armchair and Spencer took two strides forward.

  Damon’s hand was shaking, so Olivia took the envelope from him.

  Spencer rubbed his hands together nervously. “Not sure I want to see the contents.”

  Olivia had a horrible thought and lifted her gaze. “What if it’s anthrax or something?”

  Damon groaned. “Great. Now we’re all losing our minds.”

  Spencer snatched the envelope from Olivia and set it on the table. “She’s right, though. Let’s be careful with it.” He turned around and grabbed a knife from the drawer. Next, he found a sandwich baggy. Moments later, he was holding a corner of the envelope in one hand and slicing the flap open with the other.

  When it was open, he shook out the contents onto the table. One piece of trifold paper.

  Keeping his fingers inside the baggy, Spencer managed to unfold the paper and flatten it on the table while Olivia silently freaked the fuck out in her mind. As soon as she leaned over to read the note, she froze.

  E,

  You have to know I would never reach out to you if I didn’t think it was extremely important. I had hoped to never interfere in your life again, but circumstances have made that impossible. I need you to know that my only goal is ensuring your safety at all costs. I would give up my life for yours. That has always been the truth.

  There are things I need to tell you, and I’d prefer to tell you myself. Obviously, you’re aware that people are watching you and following you. They are my people. I hired them to keep you safe. No one else has managed to locate you yet. But I’m afraid it’s time we spoke.

  I’m sending a man to your door at four o’clock. He will knock five times and then leave a package outside your door in the hallway. It’s a secure phone. I’ll call you on it shortly thereafter.

  Peace,

  A

  Olivia read the message twice before the shaking started. First her hands and then her entire body.

  “Livvy?” Damon was on her in an instant, his arms around her as he pulled her into his embrace.

  The shaking wouldn’t stop.

  He picked her up and carried her to the couch and sat, holding her in his lap. “I’m guessing you recognize something I don’t in that message.” He brushed her hair from her face as Spencer lowered himself onto the coffee table, his knees touching theirs.

  “Who’s E? And who’s A?” Spencer asked.

  Damon answered. “I’m betting E is for Evelyn.”

  She nodded, trying to find her voice. “A is for Ash. Or Ashton. My father’s middle name. His own father went by William, so my dad went by Ash. At least with his friends. Professionally, he’s more known as William.”

  “Are you sure it’s from him?” Spencer asked. “Could someone be trying to trick you?”

  She shook her head. “No one else would know we always ended our conversations with Peace. It was our thing. Phone calls. Notes. Even when I left for school.”

  Damon nodded slowly. “So, you feel confident it’s from your father?”

  “Yes. I can’t believe it. I haven’t had contact with him in six years.”

  “He hasn’t had contact with you in sixteen,” Spencer pointed out.

  A tear fell from her eye, and she wiped it away. “I always try to put it out of my mind. If I don’t think about it, I won’t miss him. I kind of pretended we’ve been estranged or even that he died.”

  “Well, it must be incredibly important if he has people watching you at all times and he’s afraid for your life.” Damon was right. And that scared the hell out of her. He smoothed a hand down her back and glanced at Spencer. “I think we should call Dade before the package arrives.”

  “I agree.”

  Olivia stiffened. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against Damon’s shoulder. “Okay. Call him.”

  Damon was concerned about Olivia. She’d done nothing but pace the room, bite her nails, and fret the entire afternoon. He knew she was a mixture of excited and scared. Excited to finally be able to speak to her father after all these years, but scared out of her mind because he wouldn’t call if the situation wasn’t dire.

  Spencer had done everything in his power to calm Olivia. He was better at that sort of thing than Damon. Normally, he could make her laugh, distract her, joke with her. Today was not one of those days, however.

  Damon glanced at his watch two thousand times between three thirty and four. At four o’clock, Damon was standing at the door looking through the peephole when a man in a low ball cap and loose navy jacket walked up to the door, set a package on the floor, and knocked five times. He left immediately.

  Damon waited for him to be gone before he opened the door and snagged the package. When he spun around, he found Olivia and Spencer two feet behind him, both shuffling their feet nervously.

  Damon didn
’t hand the package to Olivia, even though it was presumably for her. In fact, he pointed at the far side of the room. “Both of you, go crouch behind the couch just in case.”

  Spencer shot him a piercing look and cocked his head to one side as if to communicate that if the package contained a bomb, they were all dead no matter where in the suite they were located.

  “Humor me,” Damon murmured.

  Spencer took Olivia’s hand and led her to the other side of the couch.

  The package had no markings on it. It was a simple padded manila envelope. Damon cut open one end carefully with kitchen scissors and then let a box slide out onto the table. It was indeed a phone.

  The contents matched the description, and he finally lifted his head. “You can come out now.”

  Olivia was white as a sheet as she approached and took the phone from Damon’s outstretched hand. “Is it on?” she asked.

  “Yes. It’s fully charged and ready to go.”

  “So, now we wait,” she whispered.

  Spencer cupped her elbow. “Let’s sit on the couch.”

  She nodded and followed his lead.

  Moments after Damon flanked Olivia on her other side, the phone rang. The sound was like a bomb going off, for as hard as they all flinched.

  Olivia’s hands were shaking as she answered the call and held the cell up to her ear. “Hello?” Her voice was weaker than Damon had ever heard. His usually confident, feisty woman was totally trampled by the prospect of speaking to her father.

  “Hey, sweetie.”

  Olivia closed her eyes as tears ran down her face. She handed the phone to Damon, mouthing, “It’s him.”

  Damon put the phone on speaker and held it between the three of them. “Sir, you have three of us listening in.”

  “Ah, good. I was hoping you two would join the call. My daughter will be too shaken up to remember everything I have to say.”