Booty Call (Forbidden Bodyguards Book 2) (7 page)

Jeff forges on, distributing a consultant’s report about the details of a public offering. It means nothing to me, but the tension in the room is palpable.

Questions are asked by some of the board members, but by the time the meeting wraps up, I have no more clarity about what’s going on than I did before the meeting started—other than the bombshell, of course.

Jeff wants to sell our company.

I don’t know how I feel about that.

As the video feed broke off, the door swung open and Alicia stepped inside.

Obviously, she knows that we’re here, and Jeff organized it…does she know what the board discussed? She must. It’s not actually a secret.

I decide I don’t care if I’m violating some secret. “What’s going on?” I ask her.

She offers a polite smile. “Your brother thought you should know,” she said as she let the door close behind her. “In case your mother tried to involve you in the discussion.”

Beside me, Will crosses his arms. “She controls our shares. We don’t need to be involved.”

“Of course.” Another polite smile. “If you’ll just wait another moment or two, your brother should dial in for a private conversation.”

Right on cue, the screen lights up again, and she punches in a code before leaving the room again.

This time, Jeff is front and center on the screen. He’s back in his office, it looks like. “Will!” he booms. “You made it.”

Our youngest brother gives him a raised eyebrow look. “What’s with the cloak and dagger stuff? We couldn’t have Skyped or something?”

Jeff laughs, but it’s a fair question. It’s entirely possible that our brother has lost objectivity when it comes to what’s reasonable to ask of another human being.
 

I glower at him. “It’s not funny. You inconvenienced me, and had Will fly across the country. For what?”

“I couldn’t broadcast a regular stream, it had to be internal, and we don’t have any facilities in California. If Will was getting on a plane, it might as well be to where you are, right?”

I guess. “All so we could hear first hand that you want to sell the company?”

“Take it public.”

“What does that mean for us?”

He blinks into the camera. “You’d get your money.”

“I don’t want any strings-attached-cash, Jeff.”

Beside me, Will nods. “We don’t need your money.”

“For one thing, it’s
your
money, and speak for yourself, baby brother. Scott there has himself a cash flow problem. But that’s not why I’m doing it.” He sighs and rubs the back of his hand against his forehead. His perfectly tailored suit moves effortlessly with him, and I’m reminded that my brother is every inch the wealthy billionaire now. “I want to focus my attention on new projects, with my own venture capital. I don’t want to report to a board and do what’s best for a large company. So think of that what you will, but I want out, and since neither of you assholes are interested in stepping up…”

Ah. Fuck. I nod. “Okay, I get it. You don’t want to continue to sit on the board and recruit a new CEO?”

“That would be an even longer, more drawn out process.”

“And what if the board doesn’t go for it?”

A shadow crosses his face, then he looks straight at us. “There are companies that would stage hostile takeovers. At the first rumors of board disagreement…”

“Is that what you want us to do? Leak the news?” Will shakes his head. “Don’t involve us, man.”

“No. God, no. But if you’re approached…we should have a common response. United front.”

Possibly against our mother. But I nod, because for all our differences, we’re brothers, and we have each others’ backs. “Okay.”

We talk for a few more minutes, agreeing on what Will and I will say—deny—if we’re approached by business reporters or representatives from other companies. Then Jeff signs off and we head back to the lobby.

I need to fill Will in on the papers Jeff had me re-appropriate from that Georgetown townhouse. Papers I documented carefully before couriering to him in New York.

“Do you have time to get coffee?”

Will gives a long, regretful look at Jeff’s blonde assistant standing watch and nods. “I’ve got two hours before I need to be back at Reagan.”

“Let’s go.”

An hour later, neither of us understand exactly why Jeff is so interested in mineral rights or nanotechnology, but we’re in a hundred percent agreement that we don’t want any part of it.

“It doesn’t really impact on my life,” Will says, shifting on the booth seat across from me in a run-down diner we found just off the interstate. “Do you think he’ll want our help once he goes his own path?”

I shake my head. “Can you imagine the three of us trying to run a company? It would be a disaster. And you’re deploying soon. Hopefully many more times before you’re done flying. You don’t think to think about this shit.”

“And what about you?”

That was the million-dollar question. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I use that excuse to buy myself a second. Will laughs at me as I check the message and reply, probably too damn eagerly.

A: If I told you I was going to be studying late…

S: I’d give you a drive home.

A: In that case, I’m studying late tonight.

Something inside me shifts. I don’t care about Jeff’s crazy plans for nanotechnology or mining or anything else. I just want my brothers—both of them—to be happy and do whatever they want in life.

For the last four years, I haven’t had that pleasure myself. At first, that was my father’s doing. But now, I’m my own worst enemy. It’s time for that to stop.

I look up at my brother. “I’m gonna try and live a normal life for the first time in forever.”

Will gives me a disbelieving look, but I don’t care. I’m already typing back a response.

S: Let me know when and where, and I’ll be there.

—nine—
 

Alison

I ignore Hailey’s busy-body stare. “I’m not telling you anything about Scott.”

“He used to be my bodyguard.”

“And now he’s not.” And I’m not telling her about what we’re doing. Which isn’t much. But I do have his phone number, and I use it, and it makes me happy. Even if all I use it for are nearly platonic late-night rides home.

She sighs. “You’re my sister.”

“That doesn’t give you unrestricted access to my inner thoughts.”

“Party-pooper.”

“Go get your makeup done.”

My sister’s getting married today. It’s a secret wedding of sorts—she only told me last week that it would be at a courthouse here, and the date. I thought they might elope to Vegas, but this is more them.

We’re getting ready at her place. Right now she’s getting her make-up done, and I’m in her room, staring at her wedding dress. It’s strapless and short, just to the knee, and it’s perfect for the urban setting. We picked it out in February on our trip to New York, and I love it more now than I did then—I’d wanted her to get something floatier, made of chiffon, but this is almost retro, with the stiffer silk.

I’m kind of overwhelmed by the fact that my sister is getting married today, but she’s going to look like a million bucks when she does it.

“Your turn,” Hailey says softly from behind me. I turn and look at her. Her hair is twisted in a princess-like updo and her makeup is flawless. Dark eyes, nearly nude lips with a touch of pink. She looks like a bride.

I want a minute alone with her. I smile. “Tell Tegan she can go next.”

Hailey’s friend from work is the only other person she’s going to have at her wedding. My chest goes tight at the thought, and I reach out my hand and wiggle my fingers at her.

She joins me on the bed. “No making me cry now that I’ve got my makeup on.”

“Okay.” But I can already feel the tears welling up. I make my eyes as big and wide as they can go and think of multiplication tables. When that doesn’t work, I get up and shove a few tissues into the secret pockets in my dress. Even if I can avoid the tears right now, when Cole actually puts a ring on Hailey’s finger, I’m going to be a mess.

I look at her matching big eyes and grab a few tissues for her, too. I don’t have many bridesmaid duties today, but making sure she has something to dab away the tears is one of them.

My other job is to make sure she’s wearing something borrowed. I brought three things with me, because I wasn’t sure what would be right. I dig the jewellery pouch out of my backpack and re-join her on her bed.

It’s hard to have family heirlooms when your family is creepy and gross, but our grandmother had been a wonderful woman…I was pretty sure. She hadn’t much liked our grandfather, which the more I discover about my family makes me think she must be a good person. At least a good judge of character.

I stifle a shudder at the thought of marrying and having children with such a bad person.

Like our own father. And mother.

I hold out the pouch. “Borrowed options.”

“Oh!” She beams. “I hadn’t even considered doing that. But it makes sense. And I’ve got blue panties on.”

“Too much information.”

She blows a raspberry at me and opens the pouch.

Inside is a strand of pearls from our grandmother, earrings of mine that I just really like, and a bracelet that Taylor gave me when I was nine. I explain each of them to her, and her fingers linger on the bracelet from Taylor, but finally she reaches for the pearls.
 

“Nana would like it if I wore these,” she says quietly.

I let it go for now, and besides, those are the most bridal of the choices. And they match her lips perfectly.

Tegan knocks on the open door. Her blue-striped hair is styled in a way to show off the stripes perfectly, and her face is made up in a similar way to Hailey’s. Funky elegance.

I’m digging this wedding.

“My turn?”

Tegan nods. “And then we can help the bride into her dress.”

Hailey squeals, and I grin.

I’m not much of a romantic, but there is something super infectious about the love and excitement bouncing around this apartment. My step is light as air as I head to the stool to be made-up.

—ten—
 

Scott

Love makes people crazy.

Even though I’m not working for The Horus Group anymore, Cole asked me to do him a solid on his wedding day. He’d followed his future mother-in-law out to Harpers Ferry earlier today, and now, while he gets married, he wants me to keep track of her.

Crazy.

On the other hand, it’s the second time the small town in West Virginia has hit my radar this month. So I can sit on Amelia Dashford Reid for the afternoon, then go poking around an abandoned mine site that was referenced in the documents my brother had me steal for him.

Alison’s not the only one with a crazy family.

I’ve already been inside the restaurant where Mrs. Reid is having a meeting in a private back room. I planted a listening device on the tray the waitress will take into the room. If I get lucky, she’ll leave it in there. If not, I’ve got a heat monitor on the wall. I can see on my phone that the three people that started the meeting are still in there. It’s not ideal, but it’s what I can do with little notice.

While I’m waiting, I slouch lower in my seat and pull out my phone.
 

S: You heading to the courthouse soon?

A: Just getting made up. In lingerie, want to see?

S: Don’t tempt me.

A: Can’t help it. Seriously, I’ve tried.

S: Just the mental image is enough to wind me up, brat. And I’m working.

Fuck, I’m so messed up over this girl. I don’t know what I want, other than her, without any of the messy consequences of wanting her. My cake and eat it, too. Greedy bastard, I am.

A: Where are you?

S: On a job out in the country

A: Will you be back tonight?

S: Nah, probably not

A: I’ll save my studying for tomorrow, then

S: No big wedding party?

A: Just a dinner. I’ll be home before it’s too late.

The invitation was a mile wide.

I wasn’t going to take it.

Not tonight. Not after I spent the day stalking her mother, not on the day her sister got married.

S: Another night

A: Promises, promises

S: Oh, ye of little faith

A: I should have some faith?

S: Did I not say I was picturing you in lace and nothing else? Yeah, babe. Have some faith.

She sends a smiley face in response, and then goes radio silent. Her sister is getting married, after all. I can’t hog her attention.

I return my attention to the heat signatures. There’s some movement in the room, and the waitress hasn’t even gone in yet. Crap.

The front door of the run-down building opens, and out walks an older, portly man I’d recognize anywhere. He’d been my covert boss for nearly three years.

If Cole wasn’t getting married right now, I’d be getting his ass on the phone.

What the hell was Alison’s mother doing meeting with the head of PRISM? The international black ops agency funded a lot of different organizations, including—until recently—The Horus Group, but nearly half its mandate was carried out by covert agents, trained by the CIA, and sent into the field completely on their own.

And then hung out to dry if and when their missions fail—an experience I’ve had first hand.

At least I wasn’t assassinated. Something to be said for being relatively small potatoes in the world of international espionage.

I don’t know what Cole’s gotten wind of. I don’t want any part of this, unless I need to be a part of this…Fuck.

I watch the director get in a car with a driver that I’d spotted when I arrived. It heads back in the direction of Washington. Amelia Dashford Reid comes out next, on the arm of a man I don’t recognize. I snap photos, send them to Wilson, the hacker partner in The Horus Group, and set my truck in gear.

Wherever they go, I’ll follow. And when I finally get home tonight, I’ll have the world’s longest shower and wash off all of this grossness. This isn’t the life I want anymore.