saw many of his favorite possessions on his way down. The statue of Venus perfectly positioned in an alcove so when the sun hit the stained-glass window a certain way, Venus appeared to be smiling. A few feet lower, he spotted the Van Gogh hanging not far from the west wing stairway. And just before he reached the bottom, he saw the enormously expensive crystal figurine of an angel. Three people had bid eighteen million euros for the piece, but he’d made the winning bid at twenty and had been enormously proud.
He had no time for regrets, no time to curse the ones responsible. No time to wish he had lived a different life.
With a resounding thud, his body landed on the cold marble tile.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Two Weeks Later
Montana
Wearing soft gray sweats, one of Liam’s chambray shirts with the sleeves rolled up, and thick wool socks, Aubrey sipped delicious French roast coffee as she gazed out the giant window of their bedroom. Snow-capped mountains, majestic and ancient, as far as the eye could see looked down upon her.
She had to be the most blessed person alive. Liam Stryker, a man of honor, who was gentle, kind, gorgeous, and incredibly courageous, loved her. So much had happened over the last few weeks, her mind had barely been able to grapple with the consequences of one thing when something else had arisen. She had been exhausted in both body and mind.
They had returned to Montana ten days ago. Liam’s stay in the hospital had been blessedly uneventful and brief. Upon their return to his home, they’d stayed secluded, cocooned by a white, snowy world on the outside and warmth and contentment within. Liam continued to heal and their love continued to grow deeper and stronger.
The only event to mar their idyllic world was the news that Rudolph Ulrich had been found dead in his home in Zurich. According to news media, Rudolph had tripped over a rug in the hallway and lost his balance. He had somehow tumbled over the railing of his balcony and fallen three floors. He had died instantly.
The world mourned a great business leader, innovator, and philanthropist. A monument was being discussed in Ulrich’s hometown. Flags were lowered to half-mast in three different countries to honor the man who had done so much for so many.
And while the world believed Ulrich had died tragically from a common household accident, a select group of people knew the truth. Rudolph Ulrich, while hugely influential and wealthy, had failed to live up to expectations.
Everyone was apparently expendable.
What the man had done and to whom he had answered were still mysteries. Liam had included her in all the research and numerous OZ meetings regarding who the members of this group were. So far, every lead had led to a dead end. It didn’t help that all the players they’d known about were now deceased.
How many members were there? No one knew. What was their purpose? What did they want? Power and money, obviously. But what else? What was their end game? Did they have one? No one knew any of those answers, but they were out there, manipulating lives, corporations, and governments.
Liam had told her that OZ would find the answers. Though he was optimistic that the mystery would be solved, he was realistic that it would take time. One thing he assured her was that OZ never gave up.
Today was Liam’s first day back at OZ. He didn’t anticipate needing to leave on an op anytime soon, but it could come at any time. And he would need to be ready to roll.
The fact that she had almost lost him and that he was back to putting his life on the line was an issue she tried not to think about. Never would she want him to change, but that didn’t take away the worry or concern. Liam Stryker was born to rescue. He had definitely rescued her.
She glanced behind her at the shelf he’d had installed. When they returned from LA, she had been mentally exhausted. Losing two of the people she’d loved most in the world, learning that one had betrayed her, and had almost gotten her killed more than once, and then almost losing Liam had put her in an odd state of numbness.
When he’d opened the door to their bedroom that first night back, a smile had lit up his face. “They’re here.”
Wondering what he was talking about, she’d peeked inside the room and had been surprised to