Two hours later, Gus hugged Everly as she and Lara prepared to return to their rooms—and their husbands.

“Why don’t you come to the dinner thing tonight?” Everly asked. “Gabe would love to spend time with you.”

And then she would have to watch Darcy the Ever Perky plaster herself to Roman’s side. No, thanks. “Liz and I need to finish some work tonight. I’ve got details for a morning meeting to prep and review with her. But tell Gabe I expect some time with the two of you.”

Everly glanced back to the cluster of comfortable chairs where Liz and Lara were talking with hand gestures and frowns. “Is she all right?”

Gus doubted that very much. Oh, Liz put on a big smile because they hadn’t been alone, but she rather thought her friend was running on pure Southern charm and old-fashioned gumption. “She’s a professional.”

“Zack is…” Everly began, then stopped and her jaw tightened. “Well, he’s being a stubborn ass, but I’m sure Zack thinks he’s doing the right thing by not letting her quit.”

Gus agreed since no reasonable man would want to keep an angry woman around. Normally, she’d snoop until she could confirm her suspicion, but she couldn’t call Holland and ask her sister-in-law to break trust with her brother, especially during their honeymoon. She hated to ask Lara for roughly the same reason. Her affection for the quirky girl had grown over the last few days, so she hated to put Lara in a position that might threaten her marriage. Everly understood something else was going on behind the scenes, but she wasn’t talking. Gus gave Gabe’s wife the side eye. She might be able to break Everly, massage and maneuver her into coughing up whatever information she had. Maybe. But she didn’t try. Not only was she getting soft, Gus was beginning to wonder if she could live with the answers.

It was precisely why she held back from everyone except Liz. She couldn’t risk them, couldn’t ask those women to choose between her investigation and their husbands.

She was fairly certain Roman wouldn’t give an inch. He’d press whomever until he got exactly what he wanted, but she’d decided a long time ago that she would never sell her damn soul the way he had.

After a pause, she gave Everly her blandest smile. “I’m sure that’s exactly what Zack thinks. Of course you know that’s not true, right? Liz has offers from some of the best PR firms in the country, so holding her back is actually hurting her bottom line, and I don’t understand what possible reasoning he could have.”

She studied Everly, watching the way the redhead tensed. Everly was good, but she was also emotionally invested. She squeezed Gus’s hand in a way that told Gus she hated being less than honest. But Everly, Lara, and even Holland knew something she and Liz didn’t. Gus had been certain of that for months, and it probably had everything to do with the men they were married to.

The Perfect Gentlemen loved to keep their secrets.

“There might be a lot going on behind the scenes you don’t understand,” Everly hedged.

Yes, there obviously was. “But it’s nothing you can talk about. I understand and I’m not going to ask any of you to break trust with your husband. But Liz and I aren’t married to a man from the inner circle. I know everyone would love for us to have blind faith, but I’ve been burned by one of them before. Tell Zack it would be better for everyone if he let Liz go. I don’t know what he’s up to, but all his caveman power play will accomplish is to crush her, and I won’t stand for that. Tell him he can deal with Liz fairly or he’ll be dealing with me.”

Everly cursed under her breath. “If I hadn’t promised…”

Gus held up a hand. “I know. Believe me, I do.”

Everly and Lara left the parlor to get ready for dinner. And perhaps to yell at a couple of men.

Gus handed Liz her Grey Goose gimlet and started to pour one for herself. She was damn happy she was a planner because she wasn’t sure what she would do if she had to mix the drinks herself right now.

Even hours after her encounter with Roman her hands were still shaking, her body still hot. What the hell had almost happened? She could still feel the heat from his big form brushing hers, making her nipples hard and aching. He’d come so close to meshing their mouths together again after so many long, empty years. Even after she’d promised herself that she’d never let him close again.

But had she pushed him away? No. She’d stood there and almost let him kiss her.

Nope. She wasn’t going to lie to herself. If Darcy hadn’t barged in, she would have welcomed him. Her brain had switched off in that moment, and all that had mattered was being close to him once more. The years had melted away and she hadn’t cared that he was an ass of massive proportions who didn’t deserve her.

Ugh, her female parts had no sense when it came to that ruthless, disgusting, no-good, dickless bastard. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. She’d felt the brush of his cock against her earlier and had never quite forgotten what he could do to her with it… But the rest of her assessment? Spot on. Roman Calder hadn’t changed one bit. He still had the whole Madonna/whore view of women. He wanted the whore in his bed, tucked away from prying eyes. That would be her role. And he’d obviously selected the annoying, way-too-perky Darcy as the perfect arm candy to show off to the world.

Fucker.

“I hate him,” Liz said, staring into her glass.

“I do, too.” Both of them. Normally she adored Zack, but Roman was finally proving to be a terrible influence on him. His chief of staff and bestie had taught him how to take something good, crap all over it, set it on fire, then have the gall to wonder what the hell had gone wrong.

“I didn’t drink too much on the plane.” Liz sighed and sat back. “Oh, I have now and I’m sure I’ll pay for it tomorrow, but I had one vodka on the flight right before we landed. He decided that was some kind of sign that he couldn’t let me out of his sight. He forced me into his car and gave me the most ridiculous lecture about being professional and…let’s just say the man is not professional. He’s insane and he can’t keep doing this to me. I quit.”

“You know you can’t.”

“I sure as hell can.” Liz sat back. “I won’t work again, according to that asshole, but maybe I don’t have to. Maybe I can take up the hobo life. I like trains.”

“You like trains that have first-class accommodations.” This was not their first conversation about Liz’s professional future. “Sweetie, I don’t think they have a bar in hobo-class seating.”

“Okay, that’s terrible,” Liz admitted. “Maybe I can marry an incredibly wealthy foreign leader and get him to nuke Zack. Only Zack though.”

“Throw Roman in. It won’t be hard. They’re always together. I swear those men would have been far happier if their sexuality had permitted them to marry.”

“I called Zack a spineless moron in front of the whole staff.”

Shit. “And what brought that on?”

“I was testing a theory.”

“He’s not going to fire you.” They’d been over this before.

Liz groaned. “I know. What is he doing and why?”

“I suspect he’s hiding something. This is likely a way to keep you close so he can watch after you, all the while maintaining distance in the world’s prying eyes. Zack thinks he’s in danger and he’s trying to both protect you and stay clear.”

“Why wouldn’t he just tell me that? We’ve been friends for years, Gus. Years. I’ve been his advisor on everything from campaigning to dealing with his father to how to avoid war with North Korea. I don’t understand why he would stop talking to me. It makes no sense at all.”

“Because he’s male and that means his brain is unfortunately wrapped up in his dick, and his thought process depends on which one is getting the most blood flow.”

“Well, I’m sure it’s his dick that’s making all the decisions right now.”

She knew what Liz thought. Gus wasn’t so sure. “I find it interesting that he’s gone from being dateless to taking out more single girls than The Bachelor in a few weeks.”

Liz’s face fell. “He told me he was sick of not having a love life. He was ready to move on from Joy, and waiting until after he left office would be too much of a hardship. He also said he never meant to hurt me, but he doesn’t have romantic feelings for me. I’m apparently like a sister to him.” She gritted her teeth. “A sister.”

Bullshit. “Do you want me to push this? I can fix this if you need me to. I might have to burn a bridge or two…but I can.” She had some sway with Zack. Of course, if he was covering up the secret she suspected, then she didn’t really know Zack at all.

Zack couldn’t be the one who had Mad killed. God, she prayed he hadn’t.

If she was wrong, if her faith in him was misplaced, it would rock everyone and shatter everything she and her loved ones had held dear for decades.

Liz shook her head. “No. Leave it. I’m going to stop fighting him and simply do my job. I’m not going to hate him. And one day I won’t feel anything for him at all. That’s the goal.”

“And if he’s doing all of this to protect you?”

“Then he can’t possibly trust me,” Liz said sadly. “And something more meaningful between us would never have worked. Zack was a stupid, girlish dream on my part. I need to wake up. I don’t know who he’s turned me into. A shrew. I can’t believe I yelled at him like that.”

Maybe what Liz needed was a distraction. “You could help me out.”

Liz leaned forward, her voice going low. “You’re still looking into Maddox Crawford’s death?”

Gus glanced behind her, making sure they were alone. “Yes.”

“Okay. Tell me what you have. You know I thought this was a wild-goose chase, but I have to wonder. So much is happening behind closed doors now.”

“It’s like they’ve battened down the hatches and we’re left on the outside,” Gus agreed. It wasn’t the first time she’d found herself watching that door close with Roman and her brother and their friends on the other side. Now their wives were part of their inner circle, too. Somehow that hurt more than it should.

Liz sat up suddenly. “We don’t need them. And you know what? We can’t trust them anyway. Share what you know and we’ll figure out the rest. Did my source at the FAA give you anything?”

Gus hesitated. Maybe this was a mistake. This investigation could get dangerous, and she wasn’t sure Liz could handle more proof that Zack might be dirty. She sighed. Break her friend’s heart or provide the distraction Liz needed? Not an easy choice.

“Don’t you hold out on me, Gus. If I’m going to stay here and survive, I have to be able to help someone. You’re my closest friend. Don’t push me away, too.”

Damn it. Liz knew exactly how to get to her. “All right. Yes, I’ve been looking into Mad’s crash and I’ve found a few things that don’t add up. Did you know Zack personally asked for all the details of the FAA investigation? While it was active?”

“Mad was one of his best friends. I know it doesn’t look good to have the president stick his nose into an active investigation, but it’s understandable.”

“Twenty-four hours later, the FAA abruptly changed their initial determination from likely criminal action to pilot error.” She switched seats to move closer to Liz. The Secret Service was always around somewhere, and unfortunately they played a part in creating this complicated web. “I talked, off the record, with your friend there and she says the unofficial gossip is that Zack requested that they close the investigation.”

“Why?” Liz looked stunned. “I know that Mad called Zack’s private line the day before he died. They were arguing about something. I didn’t hear much, but I think it was about Gabe’s sister. She worked for Mad for a while or something.”

Or something was right. She knew what the rest of them were trying so hard to keep from the public. Gus had known all along because she’d played fairy godmother to those two. “I convinced Mad to give Sara a job at Crawford. She needed some intern hours to finish her MBA and I convinced her that working at Crawford would be more impressive than working at Bond Aeronautics.”

“The rumor is she’s pregnant,” Liz murmured quietly. “I suppose Mad was… Well, Mad had earned his reputation, maybe even more than the rest of his friends.”

“Mad was in love with Sara for fifteen years. And his reputation might have been well earned, but there was so much more to him. He was such a good friend. I’ve never known anyone more loyal than Mad.”

“You had an affair with him, right?”

Ah, the gossip mill. “I wouldn’t call it an affair. Mad and I understood each other. We were close friends and when we weren’t involved with anyone else, we would go to bed together. I enjoyed Mad a lot, but I wasn’t in love with him. And he wasn’t in love with me. We cared about each other. Mad helped me through some dark times.”

“That’s why you’re so determined to figure out what happened.”

“Yes. Even if I don’t like the answer.”

“I might hate Zack right now, but I still find it hard to believe he had anything to do with Crawford’s death. And why would Zack kill Mad over Sara? I would think he would rather have had a shotgun wedding than a funeral. He wasn’t even seeing her at the end of his life, was he?”

“No. He’d broken it off with her a couple of weeks earlier. I was out of the country at the time. I called him, and he wouldn’t say anything except that their split was for the best and he would talk to me when I came home. He died before I got back.” Gus wished every single day that she’d cut her trip short and raced to his side. “The last couple of times we talked, he seemed on edge. He was definitely more secretive than usual. Maybe even a little paranoid.”

“But he didn’t tell you why?”

“No. He refused to go in depth over the phone, even to discuss why he’d broken things off with Sara. He just kept reiterating that their relationship hadn’t worked out. But I didn’t believe him because I’d seen them together. And I know something no one else knows. Something I haven’t told anyone, so I expect you to keep it secret, too.”

Liz nodded. “My loyalty is all to you now, Gus. We’re in this together.”

They were the outsiders. Despite the fact that she hated how Liz had been made to feel, it was good to have someone she could count on. “I helped Mad pick an engagement ring for Sara two weeks before he broke up with her. He wasn’t even thinking about separating from her then. He was in love and he was planning a lavish proposal. Something changed, and it wasn’t his heart.”

“That sounds familiar,” Liz muttered in frustration.

“Yes, I think whatever caused Mad to dump Sara is what caused everything else to turn upside down. If we figure out why Mad was killed, I suspect we’ll figure out what Zack and the others are hiding. And why he’s suddenly decided you’re like a sister.” Gus rolled her eyes.

“I can’t go down that path,” Liz insisted. “I’ll be your investigative right hand because I want to help you, but I won’t keep gnashing my teeth about why Zack no longer wants me. The answer to that question is meaningless, but I’ll work with you however necessary to find the truth about Mad’s death. I know how it feels to lose a friend, one I had complicated feelings about.”

Joy. Like everyone who knew the woman, Liz had loved her, but she’d also loved Zack. Hell, Gus had complicated feelings about Joy herself.

Joy might have married Zack, but their union had been more of a friendly partnership. The man Joy had really loved was Roman.

I’m the world’s worst wife. I can’t stop thinking about him. He makes me feel special.

Liz slid a hand over hers. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned Joy. I know how hard it is for you to think about her.”

Gus let the sorrow wash over her. Embracing that and shoving aside her jealousy was the only way to deal with her complicated feelings. “I loved her. She was like my sister.”

“And yet you never told her about you and Roman.”

By then, it hadn’t mattered. She’d seen how madly in love her friend was. “I think she suspected. But the information would have done nothing to help her. It would only have made things between the two of us difficult. And you know I wouldn’t want to come between lovers.”

Liz shook her head, blonde hair tumbling. “Never lovers. I know for a fact they never even kissed.”

Like she suspected that Liz and Zack had never kissed. But the pretty blonde didn’t understand what Roman’s platonic adoration had meant. “He respected Joy. He thought she would be his perfect wife, which meant never giving into passion because the woman on his pedestal is some fifties housewife with perfect hair, a placid smile, lovely pearls, and a voice she never raised above conversational tones. I loved Joy, but if she’d ever married Roman it would have been a disaster. He would have walked all over her and she wouldn’t have liked keeping up with him in bed.”

“I’m sorry I brought it up. I guess I thought that since so much time has gone by, maybe you and Roman would get close again.”

Oh, they’d gotten close, and she’d needed the reminder about why he was suddenly willing to get close to her again. He was horny and she was convenient. That was all she’d ever been to him—an easy lay within easy reach. Joy had been the Madonna. Gus had no illusion; she was always going to be the whore.

Roman hadn’t wanted her child. Would he have welcomed Joy’s?

She shook off that thought. She didn’t think about the night she’d miscarried. Not ever. Except once a year when she got drunk off her ass and Mad held her hand while she cried.

Who would hold her hand this year?

“There’s nothing between me and Roman. There wasn’t anything back then, either. It was all hormones and forbidden thrills.”

Liz raised a brow at her. “Maybe for him, but not for you.” When Gus didn’t reply, the other woman accepted the subject change with grace. “So, what’s our plan? What can we do to investigate while we’re in the UK? Don’t we have to wait until we’re back in the States?”

Gus was relieved she had something other than Roman to focus on. “No, we definitely have details to dig up while we’re here. I visited the airport Mad used on his last flight.” She pulled out her phone, flipping through some of the files she kept there. “There was nothing in the security footage from the airport itself. Shockingly, the CCTV footage was taken by the FAA and now it’s mysteriously gone missing.”

“Shit.”

“But I’m smarter than that. That airfield is remote and there’s only one gas station near it. So I paid to get their security footage for the twenty-four-hour period preceding Mad’s crash. There were three cameras. I found this on the one that covers the cash register. Look familiar?”

She showed Liz the slightly grainy photo. It showed a young man wearing a baseball cap, pulled low on his head, but the camera angle was perfect to reveal his insanely chiseled jawline and those eyes no one could mistake.

Liz gasped. “That’s Matthew Kemp. He’s on Zack’s detail.”

She’d double-checked her assumption, using facial recognition to verify the match. “It is. So what was a Secret Service agent doing in close proximity to that airplane not four hours before Mad took off? Especially when the records show that Matthew Kemp was in DC that day working on pre-security for a fund raiser?”

“That’s a great question. Tell me what I can do to help you find the answer.”

“Well, I heard a rumor that Mr. Kemp and one of his peers have the night off and that they plan on hitting a nearby pub.” Gus had intended to go alone, but it would be so much easier if she had a wingwoman with her. “I thought I might arrange to bump into Kemp, get to know him a bit, figure out some way to look at his phone and see who he’s been calling.”

“That could be dangerous.” Liz looked nervous about that possibility.

“Absolutely, but I only need you to distract him while I download his device. I have spiffy items from my friend in the NSA. The kind of gadgets that probably won’t ever hit the marketplace, if you know what I mean. And if he catches me…” Gus knew she was no ninja, so she’d given this some thought. “Well, I’ll tell him that I was so interested, I couldn’t wait to leave my contact info on his phone in the hopes he’d call. I’ll bat my lashes and flash cleavage, if I need to. He’s a man with an ego; he’ll believe it.”

“Zack and the others have a dinner tonight. I was told to stay here.” Her lips curled up and a stubborn light hit her pale eyes. “But I think a change of clothes and a touch-up of the hair is in order. We should definitely have some fun tonight.”

And maybe catch a killer.