by Lynn Hagen
We were in a booth, allowing Chad to keep his casted leg stretched out in the aisle. “First, I never got to thank you for helping me stay at Russo and Associates,” Chad said. “Although I would’ve preferred to work for Mr. Russo instead of Mr. Phillips. But, ah, whatever. At least I got my foot in.” Chad snickered. “No pun intended.”
I had no idea who Mr. Phillips was or what department he ran. I could barely remember the names of Max’s partners. Except Mr. Drago. How could I forget that dickhead? “I tried to keep our arrangement secret.” I took a bite of my tuna melt. Damn, it was good. “But I told you I couldn’t get away with pretending to know how to be a glorified secretary.”
“Personal assistant,” Chad corrected then narrowed his eyes. “Exactly how did you manage to keep my job after Mr. Russo found out you were a fraud?”
I felt horrible. I really did, and I’d tried to talk Mr. Russo into hiring Chad when he’d discovered who I truly was.
After the sex, of course. I’d tried to talk to him after that hot and steamy office sex, but Mr. Russo had insisted on keeping me. I had no clue, either. I sucked at my work, and he’d talked about getting a temp until Chad’s leg was healed, but the money he’d offered for me to stay on was too much to resist.
“I guess I’m charming.” I gave my twin a strained smile. I wasn’t about to tell him that I negotiated his salary after I’d been on all fours on Max’s desk. “How’s your leg?”
Thankfully we’d gotten to the cafeteria a few minutes early. The place was now packed with people in business suits, the line extending to the door. Some kept looking at their watches, others tapped their foot impatiently, but most were on their phones. Seeing those people standing there in their power suits made me feel like an even bigger fraud than I was.
Shit. I’d forgotten to tell Max that I was leaving for lunch. He was going to kill me. I hadn’t even left a note on my desk to tell him where I was going.
“So tell me about the trouble you’re in.” Chad took a huge bite of his meatball sub. I wasn’t going to point out that he was a sloppy eater and probably shouldn’t have ordered anything with sauce while wearing his white shirt.
“I don’t have a problem.” I looked out the window, watching the people hurry by, the buses roll past me, and the cars that were bumper-to-bumper as they tried to get to their destinations. There were trees lining the curbs outside the building. Unlike the parking spaces that took up the back of the building, I was glad the cafeteria faced the front. The view would’ve sucked if we’d had to sit there and stare at a sea of cars.
“You shouted into the phone not to go to your place.” Chad wiped away the sauce that had dripped onto his chin. Most people were fascinated when they saw us together. They said we were exact replicas. Even our parents had a hard time telling which one was which.
But there were a lot of differences between us. His blond hair was darker. His nose was a bit wider. His eating habits were less-than-stellar. Chad was also a bit more aggressive, although he was prone to whining and begging when he needed to. He was a lot more stubborn, too. Like a damn dog with a bone, especially about our phone conversation.
“I was at a friend’s, and I’d left some sex toys lying out.”
Chad choked, pounding a fist into his chest. He glared at me as he set his sandwich down. “You didn’t have to give me those details.” He grimaced. “Now I got that image stuck in my fucking head.”
I separated my hands about ten inches apart. “It’s this long and vibrates like a dream.”
“I’m warning you.” Chad’s glower turned into a full-blown smile. “You’re so nasty.”
“Self-gratification is not nasty. Everyone does it.” I finished half my sandwich then pushed the rest aside. “I bet you have toys hidden in your bedroom.”
Chad turned a lovely shade of red. “My leg is fine, though it itches a lot. I can’t wait to get the cast off.”
Score for me. I’d gotten him to the change the subject without him needling me for more information that I couldn’t give. I normally didn’t hide things from my twin, but the world I’d stepped into was far too dangerous for him to know about. It was best I kept him safe by keeping him in the dark.
I was glad he wasn’t pissed at me for stealing his job. Well, technically I hadn’t. He was still a personal assistant, just not with Max.
That hot hunk was all mine, and until Max kicked me to the curb, I wasn’t giving him up.
“What in the hell is that guy’s problem?”
I looked up at Chad’s question. Standing right outside the window was a guy who was watching us eat. He wasn’t homeless. And if he had been, I would’ve taken the rest of my sandwich outside to him. No, this guy wore jeans and boots, a designer shirt, and had on an expensive-looking leather jacket. He was too well groomed to be living on the streets.
He also looked vaguely familiar. There were two more guys with him, and no one could mistake them for being anything other than muscle. They were bulky, sinister looking, and stayed at the guy’s back.
“Hey, buddy, move on,” Chad yelled at the window, making heads in the cafeteria turn.
“Will you stop that?” I whispered loudly as I looked around. “You’re drawing attention over here.”
“If my meatball sub looks that good, he can come in and order his own instead of watching me eat mine.”
The stranger and his thugs moved on, but I’d noticed how he’d looked between Chad and me with furrowed brows. When I looked over my shoulder, I noticed the stranger enter the building. He was in the lobby just outside the cafeteria.
Then I recalled where I’d seen him before.
Movie star gorgeous with a patch of brown hair over his eye.
Fuck!
He was the guy who had shot at Max while I’d been in the car. I whipped my cell phone out and called my boss, my hand shaking as I watched the guy watch me. He was probably trying to figure out which one of us was the guy who’d been with Max that night.
“What’s wrong with you?” Chad asked. “You paled, and you’re shaking.”
“Where the hell did you go?” Max asked when he answered. “I had lunch brought to us.”
“I’m in the cafeteria downstairs,” I whispered.
“You need to tell me when you’re taking your break,” Max snapped. “I can’t have you just disappearing when—”
“He’s here.” I wished I could duck down, but I would have to explain everything to Chad if I did. “The guy who, you know, that night with the car after you picked me up outside the corner store.”
“What’re talking about, and who’re you talking to?” Chad demanded. “I knew you were in some sort of trouble.”
“Is that your brother?” Max sounded as if he were running. “Stay put. I’m on my way down there.”
I didn’t plan on going anywhere. I was too afraid the thug would gun me down if he got close enough. Or try to take me and use me as a bargaining chip to get to Max.
Chad looked ready to beat me over the head with his crutch, but I refused to give away Max’s secret. Besides, my twin would never believe me even if I told him the truth. Men who could change into wolves? Even I’d had a hard time believing that, and that was after I’d seen Max’s sharp teeth.
I looked straight ahead and spotted Scary Gary coming into the cafeteria from the back door. I was still angry as fuck that he’d tried to attack me when he’d scented my blood, but right about now, I would take any help I could get.
Gary sat at the table next to us, and when he put his arms on the table, I saw the butt of a gun tucked in a shoulder holster concealed under his jacket. Two more men—I didn’t recognize them—came through that door and positioned themselves by the exit that led to the lobby.
The shooter from that night looked right at me, dipped his head in a nod, then turned and walked out of the building, taking his buddies with him.
Max walked with long strides from the bank of elevators. He didn’t even look around for danger.
My breath caught. He was looking right at me, laser focused, uncaring of the people around him.
“Back upstairs, now,” he barked at me.
Chad looked confused but wisely kept his mouth shut. I left my food and drink at the table and followed my boss without saying good-bye to my twin.
Gary and the other two followed us. They got onto the same elevator. The ride was dead silent, and I felt like I was heading to the principal’s office and about to be expelled for something I didn’t even do.
When we entered Max’s office, he closed the door and turned toward me. I gasped and took a step back. His canines were showing.
“Sit on the couch.” He walked away and started pacing at his desk. I did as he commanded, too afraid to sass him. “Do you know the danger you put yourself in by leaving the office?”
“It was lunch with my brother,” I argued. “How was I supposed to now that thug would find me?”
“That thug…” Max pinched the bridge of his nose. “That thug is Antonio Malkovich. He runs the entire east side, and he’s not a man to trifle with. He’ll stop at nothing to get his hands on someone I care about and to use you against me.”
I was blown away. Had Max just said he cared about me? Had I heard him correctly? Maybe my fear was overriding my common sense and I heard what I wanted to hear.
“I can’t have you wandering around by yourself,” he said. “You should’ve told me you were taking your lunch break. I would’ve sent Gary with you.”
“Um, no offense, but the guy tried to attack me. Why would you trust him around me?”
A wonderful smell wafted toward me. I looked over at Max’s desk and saw containers. That had to be the lunch he’d ordered. Now I felt famished and wanted to ask if we could eat, but Max looked too damn pissed, so I kept my mouth shut and waited for him to finish chewing me out.
He strode over to the couch and pulled me to my feet. The next thing I knew I was curled in his arms. “You can’t take those kinds of chances, Derek. I would’ve decimated the entire east side if he’d done anything to you. I would’ve gone to war for you.”
The impact of his words left me stunned. When the hell had he grown feelings for me? We were getting along better, but…damn.
He grabbed my upper arms and looked down at me. “You’re getting a bodyguard.”
“Just as long as it isn’t Gary.” The words had slipped free before I knew what I was saying. “Or Edward. No offense, but for some reason, he hates me.”
“I think we need to talk.” Max pulled me down onto the couch. I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear whatever he had to say. He’d disclosed too many frightening details to me already, and I was still trying to come to terms with everything.
A wolf shifter. A crime boss. A lawyer. Wasn’t I dealing with enough already?
“You’re not going home, Derek. Not while this is going on, and I’m not sure I can let you go even after I’ve dealt with this problem.”
I had no words to offer. Was he saying I was his prisoner? Was he asking me to move in with him? I’d already been shaken up at lunch, and my thoughts were jumbled. “Can you spell that out for me?”
Max smiled. It was a smile that could and would steal so many hearts. “What I’m saying is that I’ve fallen in love with you and want you to move in with me.”
Whoa! Talk about dropping a bomb in my lap. Although the things he was saying were making my heart thunder, I wasn’t completely sure I wanted to be in his personal life on a full-time basis. Not with all the violence and the insanity.
“Can I think about it?” I knew that wasn’t the answer he was looking for, but that was the only response I had right now. This had all started a few days ago when I’d stepped onto the top floor of this building, trying to lie my way into a job. Had I known all this at the time, Chad would’ve been on his own.
“Fine, but there’s no negotiating your bodyguard, Derek.” He got up and walked out of his office, leaving me sitting there reeling.
* * * *
I was trying to figure out the schedule Penny had just tossed onto my desk, wondering if I’d ever get this personal assistant thing down pat when my cell phone rang.
Most of the things on the sheet were words I’d never heard of before—litigations, adjournment hearings, a deposition tomorrow at two, and a lunch meeting with Mr. Bruske Friday. My damn head started hurting trying to figure all that out.
Penny and Max acted as if I’d gone to law school. Maybe I could get one of the interns to interpret this for me. Then again, they’d duped me about the tea, so I wasn’t sure I could even trust them.
I set the schedule aside and answered my phone, wondering how I could help Max with all this. “Hey, Chad.”
The other side was silent for a moment before I heard a deep, light chuckle that didn’t belong to my twin. “You shouldn’t have left him alone in the cafeteria. I must say, seeing you two together was confusing, but after beating the truth out of your brother, I now know you’re the man I want.”
I gripped my phone as my breathing became shallow and my heart raced. “You leave him out of this.”
“I wish I could, and no more harm will come to him if you come alone to the lobby.”
Someone in the background screamed, and I shot from my chair. “Stop!”
“Then do as I say, Derek. Come alone and come now. You have five minutes or Chad will suffer even more.” Antonio Malkovich hung up. I assumed it was him because no one else wanted to get to me. Not that I knew of.
I thought about going to Max, but Antonio said I had five minutes. I couldn’t take any chances. Not with Chad’s life.
After scribbling a quick note and leaving it on my desk, I raced for the elevators.
Chapter Nine
Maximus…
“Where’s Derek?”
Penny shrugged. “He was seated at his desk when I gave him your new schedule a few minutes ago. He’s probably in the bathroom or letting the copy machine eat him again.”
Penny Durkin knew Derek wasn’t the man for the job and resented the fact that I hadn’t fired him. She staked her reputation on her ability to hire the best, and Derek was a blemish to her record.
I liked Penny. She was hard-nosed, but she kept the law firm running smoothly. “I tell you what,” I said. “Why don’t you hire someone for my schedule and Derek can just answer phones and run errands.”
She pursed her lips, as if considering my offer. “He won’t be a part of my team. I won’t have him ruining my reputation. He will be your responsibility.”
That was more than fair. I wasn’t going to fire Derek, but I really did need someone who knew what they were doing, someone familiar with law and readying the necessary paperwork for my meetings and court hearings. “Deal.”
Penny had a pleased look in her eyes as she walked away. I’d gone over to Derek’s desk to call his cell when I spotted the note he’d left. My heart squeezed tight, and my gut clenched.
Antonio has Chad. Have to save my twin.
“Fuck,” I shouted as I ran to the elevators. I had no idea if I would even catch Derek and, if not, where Antonio would take him. The guy ran the entire east side. There would be endless places to stash the human.
On my ride down, I called Lucas. “Antonio just blackmailed Derek into coming to him.”
“How?” Lucas growled. “I swear that human of yours is a pain the ass.”
“Watch your mouth,” I said. My reaction to Lucas’s comment only sealed my fate that I had fallen in love with Derek. I wanted to knock Lucas on his ass for what he’d just said. “I need your help.”
“You know you have it. Tell me what you need me to do.”
Brothers for life. That was what we’d sworn to each other when we were younger. When my father was beating the shit out of me for being gay. When Lucas had killed his uncle for molesting him. When Reese had killed a guy and we’d helped him bury the body. We’d been twelve at the time, and the guy had been beating on Reese’s mom. When Gabe had g
one through a dark, depressing time in his life and we’d been there for him, stopping him from contemplating ending his life.
That was how we’d clawed our way to the top. When you came from hell, you could only go upward. We’d hustled our asses off to put ourselves through law school. Together, we helped each other study, helped each other with personal problems, with fucked-up families, and we’d come out on top.
We’d challenged the last council members and won our place in our world. I would be fucking damned if I allowed Antonio to take that away from me.
“I need you to make some calls.” The elevator was taking forever. I paced the small car, running my hand over my head. “Find out where Antonio took him.”
I would need to know if I was too late catching Derek from leaving the building. God, why hadn’t he come to me for help? Why hadn’t he told me about Antonio? I would’ve dropped everything to help him, to keep him safe and out of harm’s way.
Antonio was a fucking psychopath. A year ago one of his men had tried to skim some money from their gun sales. Antonio had dug a six-foot hole in the woods, tossed the guy in, and set him on fire while he was still alive.
Another time he’d kidnapped a rival’s sister and passed her around to his men then sent her back to her brother in pieces. I should’ve put a bullet in his head years ago. I hadn’t interfered, telling myself that was the way of our world. But it wasn’t. I’d turned a blind eye, and now fate was getting her revenge.
Revenge she rightfully deserved, but not with Derek. Fuck no. The human was innocent in all of this, and I would be damned if I allowed him to pay the price for my cold heart.
A heart that continued to thaw the more time I spent around Derek. A heart that truly regretted not doing anything about Antonio and the crimes he’d committed against humanity.
Right before the elevator doors opened, I swore to myself that, if Derek made it out of this alive and unscathed, I’d put an end to the cruelty of my people. No more turning my head and pretending it wasn’t happening. No more telling myself that what my kind did was just.