Dax nodded. “So you’re going to have a fake wedding then and that’s the April Fools’ joke. I’m going to be honest, I don’t get it.”
Dax seemed determined to play dumb. That or all the Maui sunshine on his honeymoon had damaged his brain. “No. We’re having a very real, very legal wedding next April.”
“And you’re marrying my sister?” Dax said the words slowly, as though they would make more sense that way. “Roman and Augustine. Married. Okay, maybe that’s funny to someone, Roman. But since you’ve never had a sense of humor, I think yours is probably just lame. You should stop with the jokes.”
“Oh, my god, Dax. Stop tormenting him. I’ve already told Mom, and she’s really excited for us.” Gus joined Roman, wrapping her arms around him. “The truth is, Calder and I have been banging off and on since college. I finally agreed to make an honest man of him. Get with the program. Everyone else knew.”
While Dax stood gaping at her, the French doors behind them clicked open. Gabe, Everly, and Lara walked in, all dressed for dinner. Gabe cleaned up nice in his suit, while the ladies looked lovely in their sparkling cocktail dresses. But no one could match his Gus.
Dax frowned as if Roman and Gus’s news was finally sinking. “Gabe, did you know something was going on between Roman and my sister?”
“I know they had a white-hot affair back in the day and Roman’s been bitter about it ever since.” Gabe smiled their way and gave Gus a thumbs-up. “Thanks for letting him crawl back. He’s so much easier to deal with when he’s getting laid.”
“I did not crawl.” Well, not entirely. But he did like the part where he got to sleep with the most beautiful woman in the world every night. It was a definite perk.
Gus winked up at him. “It took him a while, but he learned.”
Yes, he had. He’d learned never to argue with his gorgeous, too-smart-for-him wife-to-be. He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. “I take my time, but I get it right in the end, baby.”
Dax was back to frowning. “Roman, that’s my sister. Do not kiss her around me. Don’t kiss her at all.”
Gus rolled those pretty eyes of hers. “Maybe he’ll settle down after we’re married. Or have some children. I’m taking the ladies to the next room. I’ve set up appetizers and a bartender. Don’t be too long.”
He took hold of her hand and pulled her closer as Holland started trying to explain to Dax why it was all right for him to kiss Gus. “Hey, you don’t have to leave. Zack wants to talk.”
She gave his hand a squeeze. “I know he does and he’ll feel better if he talks to his best friends first. I don’t have to be in this room to be part of the group. You five need a few minutes. It’s been a long couple of months, and Zack doesn’t have Liz, so he needs you guys more than ever.”
The ones who were left. Gus didn’t mention Mad, but it was as if crazy Crawford was in the room. Hell, he should have been.
“You’re right,” Roman murmured.
“Besides, you’ll tell me everything later, and I’m okay with that.”
He needed her to understand. “I choose you, Augustine. If you want to stay and listen, I’ll keep you by my side or I’ll leave, too.”
Gus flashed him one of those brilliant, world-warming smiles that lit up his days. “And that was all I needed.” She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him. “I love you. Now talk to your friends. I think it’s time to show whoever these Russian assholes are that they can’t mess with the Perfect Gentlemen.”
Oh, but the Russians were messing with them. Whoever had ordered that file clandestinely delivered to Liz’s room back in London definitely had the upper hand. Still, he took her words of encouragement to his heart. “I love you.”
It was so nice to say the words and know what she would say next.
“Love you, too.” She kissed him again, then leaned close, her voice going low. “Any word on the Deep Throat front?”
Gus was obsessed with finding the man. Not the informant, but the mastermind behind them all. She was absolutely certain it was a man—a man they never thought they would see again. He hated to let her down, but she must be wrong. That wasn’t going to happen.
“The private investigator I hired found absolutely nothing to support your theory. He also couldn’t find hide nor hair of the woman you described meeting in the cemetery. I’m sorry. I can keep looking, if you like.” He would hire another investigator and look into it if it made her feel better.
Exhaling a deep breath, she shook her head. “No, he’ll show up when he’s ready. We need to be patient. He’s out there. He has his reasons for the subterfuge, I’m sure. I’m going to have faith.”
He wouldn’t show up at all because he was dead, but Roman wasn’t about to state the obvious to his fiancée. Maddox Crawford was gone, and no conspiracy theory was going to bring him back.
Another click of the doors, then Zack and Connor strolled in.
“That’s my cue to leave,” Gus said. “Take care of him. He looks tired. I’m trying to be patient because I know how hard the last week has been on him, but he needs to start treating Liz better. She wasn’t even invited tonight. I asked if she was coming to dinner and she had no idea what I was talking about.”
He leaned over, letting his forehead rest against hers. “I can’t force him to see the light, baby. I don’t want to hurt Liz, either, but including her in his life has to be Zack’s choice. I’ll talk to him, but I can’t promise anything.”
She sighed, a contented sound. He knew the feeling. Being able to touch her, to connect with her, soothed him, too. They hadn’t stopped being passionate. They still argued, but always with the knowledge that, more than anything, they were passionate about each other.
She straightened up. “Ladies, I’ve got a bartender ready for us next door and some of the most delicious canapés you’ve ever had. Also, the bartender is an aspiring model. He’s got some very funny stories for us.”
The women perked up, laughing and talking as they strode out of the room.
“Model?” Roman asked.
Gus shrugged. “Hey, we’re taken, not blind. You should see what I have planned for our girls’ night out.”
Gabe stared after the women. “Gus is a bad influence.”
Connor put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You hadn’t figured that out yet? She’s a terrible influence, and I’m so glad she’s here with us.”
“Everly and Holland like to shoot people. Lara runs a political tabloid, and Gus eats reporters for breakfast,” Roman pointed out. “We have a type, guys. They’re all troublemakers.”
“I just want something clarified,” Dax said. “Why, exactly, was my sister kissing you? And why would she mention having your children?”
He was going to murder Dax.
“Because she loves him and she’s finally where she belongs,” Zack said. “And I’m very grateful to her for stepping in and handling some of the duties that traditionally belong to the First Lady. I can’t ask Elizabeth anymore. And thank god Gus knows us well. I believe she arranged a very nice bottle of Scotch tonight. I could use a glass.”
His woman was kind. “Gabe, please get a glass for Dax, too. He looks like he needs it.”
Zack addressed Connor. “Are we good on the dead body front?”
Connor took his seat. “Absolutely. I worked with a completely trustworthy London firm, and they even got me dossiers on the two henchmen. Both known associates of the Bratva. No big surprise there.”
“And Kemp? What else do we know about him?” Roman asked.
“I managed to ensure his record will say he died in the line of duty. His body was found outside of the house in London, on the grounds where he was keeping a lone wolf terrorist from reaching the president. It’s all classified, of course, but that’s what we’re telling his family.” Clearly, Connor had been working his ass off. “As for who he took his marching orders from, I’ve got nothing so far. I checked through all of his personal things. I even went throug
h his apartment this morning. His phone and his financials are clean. If he was doing this for money, he hid it impeccably well.”
“Why else would he do it?” Dax asked.
Loyalty. Duty. Honor. Country.
The why wasn’t the question, but rather who. Who could convince a Secret Service agent to chase Russian coverts through England without telling his boss? It would have to be a smooth-talking son of a bitch who’d known how to properly motivate Kemp.
Roman shrugged. “You can guess. We have to consider that Deep Throat will target another agent. He’ll want to stay close to the president.”
Because he seemingly wanted to help.
“And Darcy Hildebrandt?” Zack asked.
“Is of no concern to me.” Connor shot back. “If the Brits knew she was a double agent, they can bite my ass. If they didn’t, then they should have. She flew under the radar. Spies do that. It’s the way the game works. If they find the grave, they’ll discover that she was buried with two known members of the Bratva, and the Brits are smart. They’ll realize someone did their dirty work for them. It’s the way our friendship survives. They help us. We help them.”
Roman was willing to let it go, though Gus still teased him every day that he kind of, sort of dated a double agent who’d tried to kill them. “Then it sounds as if we have cleared up as much as we can from the trip.”
“Yes, especially since I hear there’s a new charity serving the English countryside’s cat population,” Zack said with a sly smile. “The Roman Calder Society for Felines.”
He groaned. “Gus did that. Though she funded it with my cash. She’s already got all my passwords and access to my accounts. Your sister is going to cost me a fortune.”
Dax finally smiled, his face lighting up. “Excellent. Now I feel so much better about you sleeping with her. Wait until you get her bill from Neiman Marcus. That woman loves good shoes.”