“Albertini?” Shuffling came over the line. “Do you mean Quint Albertini?”
“No, no. Quint’s brother.” The Albertinis were, well, numerous. Rory had five brothers, and Serenity couldn’t count how many cousins there were. She couldn’t wait to be related to all of them. They were a fun and very supportive group, and she’d always wanted to be part of a big family.
“Oh, let me see. Well, I have a Tarrant Albertini who works for the forest service, but he’s more in management over in Oregon.”
That was probably another cousin. There were many she hadn’t met yet. “No, no, no. His name is Rory.” She spelled the name. “Albertini.”
“All right. Hold on a sec.” Rapid typing came across the line. “Gee, I’m real sorry, miss, but we don’t have a Rory Albertini working for the forest service in Idaho.”
Her stomach clenched. “You certainly do,” she said. “He often leaves to fight different fires. I believe he attended some conference in Colorado about forest management just last month.”
“Hmm, let me check.” More typing came over the line. “There wasn’t any forest management convention in Colorado last month. I’m the guy who books those things for all our employees.” Then the man fell silent. “I’m really sorry.” The sympathy in his voice caught Serenity hard.
“Oh. Well, thank you. There must be some mistake.”
“I think there might be,” he agreed quietly.
She wanted to throw up. Why would Rory have lied to her? “All right. Bye,” she said, ending the call. Rory didn’t work for the forest service? A knock had her standing quickly. She lifted the hem of her gown and hustled through her small home to open the door, hoping Nonna had arrived with news.
Instead, Rory stood there, a scratch on his jaw and flowers in his hands. She stepped back.
“Hi.” His blue eyes glimmered. “Holy everything. You look gorgeous.” His nostrils flared.
She forgot all about the fact that he’d just seen her in her dress before their wedding and stared at him.
Rory Albertini was something to look at. He was over six feet tall with piercing blue eyes, a chiseled face, and thick, black hair. Yet his smile always got her. His upper lip quirked to the right in amusement and something else—something all Rory and dangerous. Mischievousness danced in his eyes until he turned intense, and then it was an altogether different look.
She put her hands on her hips. “Where have you been?”
“Oh, man.” He shook his head. “I’m so sorry. We had a forest fire over in Montana. I was with Quint. He stayed to finish the eastern quadrant, but he should be back in a few days.”
The lie was a slam to the solar plexus with a beefy fist. Or maybe a bat or anvil. She took another step back. Her mother’s second husband had lied and cheated, and he’d been good at it. He’d also been very handsome and charming…like Rory.
“You lied to me,” she said, her voice shaking, her world crumbling.
He didn’t argue. Instead, he studied her face as if reading every thought she’d ever had. He didn’t ask how she knew. He didn’t inquire about what investigation she’d conducted. He just looked into her eyes and saw the truth—yet another of his impressive gifts. His hand dropped and the flowers brushed his leg.
“You need to leave,”she spat. “I don’t care who you were with. It’s over.”
“I wasn’t with anybody.”
“Whatever. We’re done,” she said.
He sighed, his chin lowering. “Listen, I’m not supposed to tell anybody this, but you have a right to know since we’re getting married. I don’t work for the forest service.”
“No shit, Rory,” she burst out. His lips twitched as if he were trying not to smile. Her temper grew.
“I work for the CIA, sweetheart, and I have since I graduated college. The forest service is a front, and search and rescue is just a hobby.”
Her mouth gaped. “That’s the biggest line of baloney I’ve ever heard.”
“No, it’s true,” he argued. “I’m not seeing somebody else, and I haven’t been off doing anything illegal. I work for the CIA. Very few people know.”
She had to lock her knees to remain standing. “You’re lying.” But was he? All of a sudden, so many things made sense. The weird phone calls, fast trips, and his easy slide from lighthearted to serious right before he left. “Is it dangerous?” she asked before she could stop herself.
“Sometimes, but I’m good at my job,” he said evenly. “I knew we’d have to discuss this eventually, but I didn’t want to do it quite yet.”
Betrayal cut through her, even though she actually believed him. And yet…why should she? He was an excellent liar. “You lied to me so easily.” She shook her head. “I had no clue.”
