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This was a complication he didn’t need. Wheeling out of the chair, he headed to the bathroom Sophia had sequestered herself in and rapped on the door.
“Sophia, open up. Please.” The door cracked enough for him to shove his boot over the threshold. “Emily Dane is outside.”
Her eyes flew wide. “Oh crap, I promised I’d call her by now. I completely forgot.” She threw open the door and frowned when he blocked her attempt to get around him. “What’s the problem? She’s my best friend.”
He leaned over and tried not to breathe in her scent or pay attention to the graceful whorls of her ear. “She doesn’t know I’m alive. I think it’s best if she remains ignorant of that fact for her safety and yours.”
The green in Sophia’s eyes sparked. “She knew I was meeting with Nathan this morning. Now you want me to lie to her?”
The look she shot him conveyed a bitterness that weighed on his conscience. “Why am I surprised? Distrust seems to be your default.” She tried to elbow past him. “You may not trust her, but I do.”
He continued to block her path. “And if she discovers I’m alive, it’s not your life you’re trusting her with—it’s mine.”
Guilt snagged him at her gasp, the hurt blooming in her eyes. “Until I know it’s safe, I want you to stay out of sight. I mean it.” He left her at the bathroom door, his neck tingling from the daggers her furious gaze was likely throwing at his back.
“You’re a big jerk, you know that?” Before he could react, Sophia raced past him to the front door, threw it open, and stepped outside. “Emily.”
Bloody Hell.Lachlan followed.
Nathan stood at the top of the steps with his back to the door, hands on hips, head bowed in defeat.
Lachlan speared his fingers through his hair to keep from wrapping an arm around Sophia and hauling her back into the house. He should have known she wouldn’t listen. Emily was staring up at him open-mouthed.
“Why don’t we invite Ms. Dane inside.” Frustration knotted the back of his neck and colored his voice.
Emily marched up the stairs, brushed past Nathan like the six-foot-six SEAL was a minor inconvenience, and elbowed Lachlan aside to wrap Sophia in a hug. “Thank God, I was so worried.” She gave Sophia a stern look. “You were supposed to check in.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” The guilt on Sophia’s face found a home in Lachlan’s chest.
The blonde released Sophia and turned on him with an accusing glare. “What kind of bastard lets people think he’s dead?” She stabbed a finger at his chest. “You and your secrets have put Sophia in danger.”
He bristled. “Which is why I had Nathan bring her here today. We’ll make sure she stays safe. You should return to your job in Paris.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed, a dangerous flush staining her cheeks. “In other words, butt out?”
“Enough.” Sophia’s voice sliced through the room with a hard edge he’d never heard before. “Lachlan, I need to speak to Emily. Alone.”
He glanced at Nathan, whose gaze was fixed on Emily Dane like he was trying to memorize every inch of her. Lachlan cleared his throat to break his mate from his trance.
The big man looked over at him and shrugged. Nathan grabbed a beer from the fridge and shuffled into the living room to settle into one of the leather armchairs in the living room.
Lachlan gritted his teeth and joined him, plopping his boots on the coffee table. Nathan took a long drag of his brew and grinned at him. He glared in return. Nothing was funny about this situation. Sophia needed to tell her friend to leave town, keep her mouth shut, and let him take care of everything.
“I cannot believe he didn’t tell you he was alive sooner,” Emily hissed. “What a jerk.”
“Shh, keep your voice down.” Sophia’s gaze darted to the men seated in the living room and collided with Nathan’s icy blue one. He winked before shifting his attention to linger on Emily. Lachlan sat stone-faced and didn’t look her way.
When she turned back to Emily, she noticed Nathan wasn’t the only one getting in some subtle scoping. “I haven’t told Lachlan about my arrangement with your father yet. He’ll think I betrayed him.”
Emily whipped her head back toward Sophia. “You’re trying to save him. Why would he think you betrayed him?”
“He has major trust issues. Remember what I told you the day he came to the condo and—” She paused, heat sweeping like a slow tide from her toes up to the tips of her ears at the memory of what had occurred after he arrived.
“You mean when you and he had S.E.X., Miss Prude?” Emily’s lips pursed with an effort not to laugh.
“Yes.” Sophia glared at her friend. “His female translator betrayed him and his team on a hostage rescue mission. People died, and Lachlan blames himself for trusting her.” She paused, glancing again at the men in the living room. “He wants me to stay here so he can protect me, but I’ve got to find a way into LAI’s computers. Your dad is the only one that can dig deep enough now to see through the trap someone laid to frame Lachlan for arms trafficking.”
Emily’s face pinched. “Maybe Lachlan is right. Whoever is behind this was willing to commit murder, possibly twice, if Fred Biller’s death wasn’t a crime of opportunity. Maybe you should lay low and let my dad handle this.”