The truth could only help her here. She needed these people on her side. But it was so hard to talk about. Especially with Ian’s accusations running through her head. “She was ten years old. The only reason my father took her to the hospital is that I agreed to comply with his training. My father was the head of the Denisovitch syndicate. My mother ran when she was pregnant with Chelsea. She realized she didn’t want her daughters being raised by a monster. She paid a man to smuggle the two of us out of the country. We lived in North Carolina for ten years. She thought he’d forgotten about us. He hadn’t. He killed my mother and took my sister and me back to Russia. I was a bit rebellious, to say the least. He realized that Chelsea was his best method of controlling me so he broke her legs one day. I did what he asked after that.”

“How terrible,” Serena said, her eyes tearing up.

Terrible didn’t begin to cover it. One day she’d been a happy junior high kid whose mom adored her. She’d had a future. She’d wanted to go to college. The next her mother was dead and her only future was with the Thieves-in-Law. “My father ran drugs and women, and Eli Nelson tried to make him out to be an arms dealer. Nelson used my love for my sister to get me to run an operation for him. He told me he would off my father if I would just spend a couple of weeks distracting a CIA operative for him.”

“Ian.” Eve sat forward, an encouraging look on her face. “You were trying to save your sister.”

Well, at least they were giving her more room than Ian had. “Yes. I didn’t know Ian then. My mission was to spend a little time with him. I didn’t expect to marry him. I didn’t expect to love him. He would have done the same for Sean.”

“Yes,” Jake said. “He would have. So why are you back?”

Grace brought in a tray of coffee and donuts. “The donut shop delivered. Why did you order ten lemon filled?”

“It’s Ian’s favorite.”

Jake sat back. “So you love the big guy. Damn, good luck to you.”

Grace looked down at the four dozen donuts Charlie had ordered. “Ian doesn’t eat donuts.”

Charlie waved her off. “He thinks he can’t handle carbs. He loves them, trust me. Now can we get to the point of this meeting? Is anyone interested in Eli Nelson, aka Mr. Black?”

Serena sat up, a notebook in her hand. “I am.”

Great. The novelist was interested in what she had to say. So all her hard-won data only meant something to the chick who would combine it with double penetration and lubricant in a literary extravaganza. “Look, this is serious. I want everyone except members of the team out of this conference room. This is not playtime, people. Eli Nelson isn’t a joke.”

Grace frowned her way. “Yes, I know that. I have a metal plate in my head to prove it. You’re not telling me anything we don’t already know. Except that you’re here without Ian. I know Serena. Serena is here because she’s a member of our little family. No matter what Sean says, you haven’t proven anything to me so far. So I would tread carefully or we’ll call security and have you taken out.”

Damn it. She’d lost Grace the minute she’d questioned Serena. So there was a “girl power” thing going. She didn’t need to piss them off, but she did need to make herself clear. “I’ll make my marriage license available to you.”

Simon smiled, but it was a predatory thing. “We won’t need to call security, love. I’ll escort you out myself.”

Yeah, she was sure he would escort her out in the nastiest way possible. “I’m here because I love Ian. I’ve already bled for this team.”

“Grace, she saved Alex,” Eve explained.

“She’s the reason Evans’s whole terrorist plot was brought down,” Serena added. “I was there. I might not have been right there, but I know she was helping. They wouldn’t have taken him down without her.” She turned to Charlie. “I’m only here because I’ve been spotting lately and Jake and Adam are twelve kinds of freaked out about me losing the baby. I can wait in Adam’s office if you prefer.”

Yep, she was a bitch. God, life was easier when she hadn’t cared about her conscience. “No. Please stay, Serena. I’m sorry. I’m trying to do something I’ve never done before—be professional. I want Ian to be proud of me.”

“He’s likely going to be mad pissed off at you,” Liam pointed out, but even he was studying her with something other than complete rage.

She perked up a little, thinking of just how well Ian had spanked her in the past. He had a very strict set of rules.

“Yes, I’m totally counting on that.” She sobered up. “I understand that the majority of you have zero reason to trust me. Adam, what else have you discovered about me in the last twelve hours, because I’m betting you haven’t slept a wink since Alex figured out who I am.”

Adam sat up straighter, his eyes lighting with enthusiasm. “I’ve figured it all out, honey. You’re deeply interesting. Your name is Charlotte Dennis, born Charlotte Denisovitch, though I think maybe that name change wasn’t completely legal.”

It hadn’t been, but her mother had been desperate. “Mom thought an American name would help.”

“Your father was a son of a bitch. He was a brutal, violent man, and he didn’t limit it to his business.” His eyes softened slightly. “He didn’t break you the way he did Chelsea.”

She didn’t like to think about those times now. “My torture was more mental than Chelsea’s, but I assure you I was put through his rigorous tests. My father believed his children should be strong or they should be dead. We’re lucky, Chelsea and I.”

“Is the syndicate still looking for you?” Adam asked. “Is that why you’ve had thirty-four residences in the last five years?”

Had it been so few? It felt like a hundred. “Yes. My uncle took over after my father was killed. Uncle Mikhail took Dad’s death personally. He blames me. He should. I traded my work for Eli Nelson for his assassination services. At the time, I didn’t feel like I had a choice. I could work for my father and hope he didn’t kill my sister or I could hope Nelson upheld his end of our bargain. He did, in the end, though he tried to take more than we’d originally bargained for.”

“He wanted you to continue to work for him?” Adam asked.

Jake huffed, sitting back in his chair. “Shit. He’s looking for you, too.”

Charlie shrugged a little. They weren’t telling her anything she didn’t know. “Not personally, but he’s sent plenty of assassins after me. I might have stolen a whole bunch of his money.”

“I knew there was a reason I liked her,” Eve said. “You know, besides the whole saving my husband’s life thing.”

At least she had one person on her side. “Chelsea and I have been on the run ever since. I’ve had one goal in life. I’m going to get my husband back. I’m going to make everything up to him and spend the rest of my life making him happy. I’ve done some terrible things, but I’m trying to do good now. I’m trying to make things better, and the best way I can do that is by helping you bring down Eli Nelson. Chelsea and I managed to damage him financially about a year and a half ago.”

Adam’s eyes went wide. “Shit. You’re the reason he was dealing with the Chinese. You stole his backup money.”

And just like that, she was back in the doghouse.

“Most agents keep a stash in case they get burned. Normally it’s like a hundred grand or something, but not Eli. No. He was dirty as hell and it had paid well. He also liked to make certain business investments. When I took his two million, he owed a nice chunk of it to some South American gentlemen. Yeah, he had to think fast to make that up. It’s probably why he went with the bearer bonds finally. I know he’d planned on keeping them for his retirement, but I forced him into the open. I’m sure you blame me for that, O’Donnell.”

“I got a nice girl out of it, so we can call that one even.” The Irishman was still studying her, but he’d relaxed a bit. She didn’t think he had his hand on the trigger anymore.

“Where’s this sister you’ve talked about?” Simon asked.

“I didn’t know you had a sister, Kris. I mean, Charlotte.” Jesse looked like someone had taken him shopping, possibly the Brit. He was in a suit and tie that he only looked slightly uncomfortable in. She had to admit, he cleaned up nicely.

“Yeah, again with the undercover thing,” she replied. “I thought I would come in and see if someone shot me before I brought my sister in.” That wasn’t the only reason. Chelsea didn’t get out much. She preferred to live her life in front of her monitor. “But I have the information she’s uncovered. I thought we could talk it through before Adam does his thing.”

“You know where Nelson is?” Jake asked.

“I know what he’s interested in. I can’t get a good line on him, but I have some ears to the ground. He’s been spending a lot of time in India the last couple of months.”

“India?” Simon asked. “Mumbai?”

“No, he’s been seen in Goa. Southern Goa to be exact, though the reports have him running all along the western coast of India.”

“Goa?” Adam asked. He had his laptop out, his fingers already flying across the keyboard.

“It’s the smallest state in India, but it’s right on the coast so it’s known for its tourism. Europeans flock there for holiday. I thought we could send Simon in to take a look, maybe ask a few questions. He could easily be mistaken for a tourist if someone pulled the stick out of his ass and stuffed him into some board shorts.” She ignored his huff and opened the packet she’d sat up all night making for her new crew. “If you’ll look at page three, you can see I have a list of businesses he’s frequented in the area using one of his known aliases. Unfortunately, unlike London, these seaside towns aren’t outfitted with CCTV cameras on every corner, so I’m having to rely on informants and his paper trail. You’ll see that he’s used several guide shops. I can’t tell if he’s buying products or services because he’s been using cash there. He might be on to me because my informant in the area has gone silent.”