Turning, she lifted the bottle to him in invitation. At his nod Lilly took two glasses from the cabinet, rinsed them, then poured the drinks.
“You didn’t answer me,” she reminded him as she handed him a glass. “Why should I trust only you?”
Travis stared back at her, seeing Lilly rather than Lady Victoria as she stared at him, her green eyes flat and hard.
“Because if you think about it, if you remember or suspect anything about the past six years, then you know there wasn’t a chance in hell that I was the one to betray you.”
She sipped at the whisky, her gaze never leaving his for long moments as she considered his answer.
“You suspect whoever killed Father and attempted to kill me six years ago managed to find me?”
“It makes sense to me.” Travis shrugged his jacket off and tossed it to a nearby chair. “The day before you were shot, the doctor who supposedly did your plastic surgery was killed in a fire that destroyed his office and all his records. Somehow, someone has learned too much information about you, Lilly.”
Picking up his drink, Travis watched as Lilly leaned against the counter, sipped her drink, and stared at him thoughtfully for long moments.
“Supposedly,” she finally murmured. “Does that mean he didn’t actually do the surgery?”
He inclined his head in agreement. “Certain steps were taken to ensure your identity was well hidden.”
“That’s a lot of trouble to go to for a high-priced escort,” she drawled sarcastically.
Travis merely quirked his lips in amusement. She knew as well as he did that she had never sold her body.
She had shared her body with him, though. She had given him her innocence and formed a bond between them that he still didn’t completely understand.
Finally, when he said nothing more, Lilly shook her head before finishing her drink with a small grimace.
“Then I need to find my father’s killer to find my own,” she stated. “I imagine that killer is also the person behind the embezzling Father was investigating six years ago?”
Travis nodded. “That’s what I think. I suspect the killer has been tracking you for the past six years.”
Lilly’s quick little exhalation, a mocking sound, had Travis almost grinning. That sound normally indicated a flare of irritation.
“Father drove himself crazy searching for the person responsible for the embezzling.” She pushed away from the counter and paced across the room, a thoughtful frown marring her brow. “And I have no doubt MI5 has continued the search.”
“No doubt.” Travis’s gaze focused on her ass beneath the snug leather pants as she paced.
The sight of it was enough to steal a man’s breath.
“If Mother suspects I’m investigating what happened six years ago, then she’ll have me hospitalized for sure.” She shook her head, the silken strands of dark hair rippling against her shoulders, tempting his fingers.
“Did your father have any suspects?” Travis asked, attempting to pull his attention back to the subject.
“Several,” she admitted as she turned back to him. “He just hadn’t given me names. I was still being trained. Certain information MI5 was hesitant for me to have. Father followed those dictates.”
“Did you have any suspects?” he asked.
Lilly paused at that.
“Lilly, now isn’t the time to hold anything back,” he warned her.
Her arms crossed over her br**sts defensively.
“There was no one person that tied into all the accounts targeted,” she answered, her expression mutinous. “My original suspicions were way off base because of that.”
“And they were?” Travis pressed.
“My uncle, Desmond, and my brother. Other than my father, they had access to the Harrington funds that were targeted but not to the other targeted accounts.”
“Your brother Jared works for a very exclusive law firm,” he pointed out. “The clients targeted were also represented by that firm.”
Jared Harrington as well as his uncle Desmond were still suspects as far as the Elite Ops were concerned.
“Yes, but not all of them. At least three other families who had no such connections were targeted as well,” Lilly said. “Besides, Jared wouldn’t have done such a thing. He especially would have never killed Father.”
“Yet you suspected him of embezzling,” he pointed out. “He and your father argued often about the business as well as about the title.”
“Jared wouldn’t kill Father . . .”
“You’re defending a man who essentially disowned you.” Anger surged through Travis at her defense of the other man. “Perhaps he wants you dead, Lilly. With you out of the way, he doesn’t have to share the Harrington inheritance.”
“Stop.” He could see the pain glittering in her eyes now. “Jared wouldn’t do it. I know he didn’t because Father and I eliminated him and Uncle Desmond as suspects.”
Travis’s lips thinned. As far as he was concerned, Jared and Desmond Harrington were still at the top of the list.
“Stop!” She lifted her hand as his lips parted to argue further. “I’m certain I can easily prove Jared isn’t involved. But to prove it, I’ll first have to gain access to the family financial vault. It should be easy enough. I know Desmond and Jared share the online financial vault.
I’ll see what I can find.”
But that didn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt to do so. Travis moved to her, the need to comfort her, to ease the confusion and pain glittering in her eyes, was overwhelming.
“Lilly.” He drew her against him, his hands caressing her slender hips. “We eliminate Desmond and Jared and then go on from there. But make sure they have no contacts with anyone listed in that investigator’s report on the past six years of your life.”
His money was still on Desmond, but Jared was in the running.
“Check files and financial reports Desmond brought with him.” He wanted her to find the information Desmond had in the office. “Go through the online vault. Get the account numbers and I can go from there. We’ll do this together, love.”
He reached up, his thumb caressing her trembling lower lip. “You know how to do this.”
“Because you trained me?” Breathy, filled with sensual awareness now, the sound of her voice stroked over his senses.