by Sheila Kell
“I’m not proud of it. It just happened.”
With a laugh, Rylee picked up her cappuccino. “Of all my brothers-in-law I could see you with, Brad would be the last one. I’d have expected Trent.”
Madison grimaced. “He did hit on me. I understand he’s married now.”
Rylee nodded. “Mm-hmm. To Kelly. She wasn’t there,” she added absently.
With a shift in her seat, Madison set her shoulders. “Well, it only happened once, and because of how he acted, I don’t want to be around him.”
Her sister stilled. “What do you mean how he acted? Did he hurt you? I heard he’s into tying women up, but I was assured it wasn’t worse than that. Wouldn’t be the first time the brothers didn’t tell me the entire truth ‘for my sake.’”
Yes, he had tied her up in Vegas, and the thought of Brad tying her up again sent a shiver of excitement rippling through her body. Damn traitorous body. Of course, she wouldn’t admit to that. Not even close. “No, he didn’t hurt me.”
“Then what happened?” Rylee asked over her cup before she took a sip and sighed.
“He—” Not sure how to put it, she started again. “He said something that I didn’t want to hear. Something that threw everything into perspective and ruined it.”
“What?”
She swallowed hard. Sharing this with Rylee wasn’t as easy as all the other things in life they shared. And they shared pretty much everything. This was embarrassing. “He said he could check sleeping with a supermodel off his bucket list.”
Rylee gasped and rage immediately filled her features. She jumped up from the sofa. “I’m going to kick his motherfucking ass.”
Without a doubt, she knew Rylee might do just that. She couldn’t have it happen where her older sister took up for her. “I don’t want you to get upset. First, I’m only sharing because you’re my sister, and we’ve always been close. Second, Brad did apologize and said that he didn’t mean to insult me, so I’d rather we keep this between us.” Wincing, she asked, “Who knows we slept together?” Please don’t say the whole Hamilton clan.
Rylee plopped back down on her seat. “As far as I know, just Devon and myself. I imagine Matt probably knows since he and Brad are super tight. Are you sure you don’t want me to kick his ass? Or, I can hold him down while you cut off his balls.”
She laughed at her sister’s gross and disturbing thoughts of such violence. Then again, she was probably joking—at least for the second scenario. “Now you can see why I don’t want to stay with him. If I need this protection the men are worried about, where else can I go?”
“Hmm. Let me think. With the sprouting of all the kids, most of the spare rooms in the brothers’ homes have become nurseries. Our couch is available, but you’re taller than it is long, so it probably wouldn’t be comfortable.” She grimaced. “The team heads out soon, which doesn’t leave anyone but Brad, unless you want to go to Kentucky with Matt. Jesse might be staying behind, but you don’t want to stay there. Talk about alpha and overprotective. And with no Kate as a buffer since I know she’s leaving too….” She shivered.
A pang of disappointment settled in Madison’s stomach. She couldn’t set up the business hiding out in another state. “Kentucky is out.” And, it sounded like Jesse might be out, but she’d keep that option in the back of her mind. And she would in no way be able to have a good night’s sleep on her sister’s couch.
She wanted to listen to the men about the danger to herself, but she just couldn’t see how things were that bad. No one shot at her personally, so that event was out, and the men who wanted to buy the club hadn’t even so much as threatened her. Yet, she trusted her sister like no one else. If staying with someone for the short term would put Rylee’s mind at ease and keep herself safe, if that really was the case, she’d suck it up and do it. Even if it had to be with Brad. She could be an adult around him, even if it drove her insane. Okay, bad pun. “Okay, Brad it is.” That nearly killed her just to say that. A thought hit her. “Speaking of Brad, he and I were invited to a dinner with the senator. I’m going to need a new dress. Are you up for shopping?”
“I’m always up for shopping. I’m not sure you should go if someone is trying to kill the senator though.”
That was a good point, but she couldn’t decline. It was a senator. Granted, she was registered to vote in New York, not Maryland, but still, you didn’t decline those types of invitations. “I’ve got Brad. Remember?” She hoped he didn’t try to back out of the invitation. And getting back near the senator with the potential of bullets flying required Brad at her side for protection. “Besides, we’re carrying some high-end merchandise, and what better place to begin to find that type of clientele. Politicians send someone to buy lingerie for whoever is warming their beds at the moment.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “All I’ll have to do is mention the boutique when someone asks me what I’ll be doing now and voilà.”
“That reminds me. We still need a name for the boutique. Devon says we should call it His Dreams.” She shook her head. “He just wants promo for HIS.”
Madison chuckled. “What about Her Dreams?”
“No. I think we need something different.
“How about La Belle? A friend recommended it, and I like it.”
“I love it!” Rylee exclaimed.
“Good. La Belle it is.” Madison smiled, pleased they agreed so easily on a name. “Now, let’s go through this lingerie and see what we’re going to carry. You’re going to love the Madison pieces made by Javier.”
“Did someone say lingerie?” Devon walked into the living room with his son on his arm. “My wife could always use some.” He winked at Rylee, who stood and kissed both him and the baby.
That’s what she wanted. Would she find it in Brad if she tried?
AT HIS HEADQUARTERS, where Brad and his brothers prepared the team for their mission to Belgium, Brad’s thoughts kept reverting to Madison. He’d known when he’d woken that she’d been gone, and his gut had clenched with worry. Yet, when he’d found out she was at Devon and Rylee’s—and they both were there—he settled, but made her promise to come straight back to his place when she was done for the day. For some reason, she hadn’t been argumentative when he’d said it, so Rylee must’ve convinced her to not take things lightly.
Had his brothers had this problem trying to protect their now wives? Not that Madison would be his wife, but she was just as slippery, and it drove him insane. He hoped he fared better than they did at the time.
More importantly on his mind was that damn dinner with the senator. He didn’t want to go. After all this time, he still couldn’t face the Secret Service brethren he’d cut ties with when he’d resigned. He harbored embarrassment and anger over the situation. He’d not been allowed to convince anyone that he’d been innocent. So, before he was potentially fired, he’d resigned. Even if they hadn’t fired him, he couldn’t have remained working in the agency. Trust. It had been lost, never to be regained.
When his phone rang, he excused himself from the gathering of the Hamilton brothers who lived locally, saw who was calling and smiled. He’d expected this call at some point before the dinner. “Hi, Dad.”
“What’s this I hear you’re going to a fundraising dinner at Senator Walden’s?”
He’d assumed that was the type of dinner he and Madison had been invited to, but hadn’t pursued the topic. If raising money was the goal, the two of them would be left alone for the majority of the evening. Thank the fuck for small favors.
“Yeah, well, Madison saved the senator’s life, so she invited us to attend. It’s not like we could say no.” Even though he’d wanted to, he knew that he couldn’t, not with his father in politics. U.S. Senator Blake Hamilton’s sons knew when to toe the line in the political arena for their father’s reputation.
“Madison who? And, if she saved Sharon, why did you get invited? Are the two of you an item?”
Probably wishful thinking on his father’s part. Brad was th
e lone remaining unmarried son. It’d been six months since they’d had a wedding in this family and people were getting antsy for him to tie the knot. He enjoyed his freedom too much to settle for one woman long-term. Short-term dating worked. Besides, he watched his brothers become pussies chasing around their wives. No, thank you.
He explained about the accident and how he’d come upon it. The saving of the senator. The shots. The invitation. His father had remained mum during his recitation. “Madison Maxwell is Rylee’s sister. You met her in Vegas at the wedding.” He sighed heavily. “And no, Dad, we’re not an item.”
“Oh. Pity. She’s a looker, and if she’s Rylee’s sister, she’s bound to be a good person. Maybe you should take this opportunity to escort her to the dinner for something more. And, I’m not talking about just sex, son.”
Brad groaned. He did not want to have this conversation with his father. Who wanted to discuss sex with their parent? He’d been given “the talk” at fifteen, and that had been one of the most embarrassing conversations they’d ever had. Even though his older brothers had already given him the lowdown, he’d had to sit through his father fumbling the topic. He had to get the conversation off this track of thinking. “What did you want, Dad?”
“First, I wanted to make sure I was right. Get your tux ready. It’s formal. And, please leave any attitude at home. You’re representing the family. Second, I’ll be there with Elizabeth, so you’ll have someone to speak to in the sea of strangers who’ll want to talk nothing but politics and money.” After a pause, he added, “There’s going to be Secret Service there. Are you ready for that?”
As Brad’s gut clenched at the thought, he wondered how he would react if it was someone who’d been part of the scandal was working the event. Someone who could’ve potentially set him up. He’d just have to work through it if he planned to escort Madison so no perv went after her. “I’ll be fine.”
“Okay. How are things otherwise?”
Leave it to his father to cover what he needed first and save pleasantries for last. At least he’d added them. Elizabeth—Brad’s stepmother—must be rubbing off on his father. “Things are good. The team will be leaving soon, so will AJ and Jake.” He hadn’t been slated for the trip, and he was thankful since Madison needed him.
“Is this the Belgium detail?”
His father wasn’t a part of HIS, but he kept his finger on the pulse and knew what his sons were doing—whether good or bad. “Yes. It’ll be Rylee’s first one back after Mitch was born.”
“You’re not going?”
“No, neither are Jesse, Devon, and Matt. We didn’t need everyone for this one. The extra members of the team we hired are up and ready for the assignment so we let them take it.”
“Use the time to find a wife,” his father said with a chuckle. “It’s about time you did. I want more grandchildren.”
Fuck that. “Come on. You’ve enough grandkids already on the way.” His sister, Emily, was due to deliver any day now. She was as big as a house. Caitlyn—Matt’s wife—was pregnant with twins. Then, there was Kelly—Trent’s wife. She was also pregnant. He was sure his brothers believed the philosophy of barefoot and pregnant since Brad had welcomed a slew of nieces and nephews in the past two years.
“I’m waiting on you. Try to be nice to Madison. Maybe you’ll get lucky.”
If only his father knew how lucky he’d already been. His libido felt the kick of recalling the memories of having her in his arms. He scanned his surroundings, making sure no one from the agency was around and adjusted himself. Damn, that woman can get me hard just at the thought of her naked.
In response to his father, he knew not to argue that Madison might not be his type or that she might not like him. His father was a master debater and his sons always lost, so he just answered, “Of course.”
“Good. Good. I’ll see you at the dinner.” His father disconnected the call before Brad could respond, not that there was anything left to say. At least his dad would be at the dinner.
With the dinner still implanted on his mind, he decided to talk it out with his twin. After a couple of taps on his phone screen, Matt answered on the second ring.
“Hey, what’s up? Did we miss something on the conference call earlier?” Matt asked.
“No. It’s not the conference call. We’re all set in planning. Now it’s just packing and any last-minute travel problems. It’s about a dinner I have to attend. I’m stuck, and I’m not sure I can do it.”
“Then don’t. When have you not said ‘fuck you’ and done your own thing?”
Brad winced at how crass he sounded from his brother’s mouth. Although it was true. He hadn’t been such a big asshole before he’d left the Secret Service. What happened changed him, and not in a good way. “I have to go. Madison’s going, and I can’t leave her to those lechers in politics. Dad excluded,” he tagged on the end.
“Madison? Rylee’s sister? Have I missed something? You gave me the particulars about the rescue and shooting on the side of the road, but what does that have to do with this?”
He sighed wearily. He was tired of repeating everything. “The senator invited Madison and me to a dinner. A fundraising dinner, Dad said. I’m going to protect her, but….”
His brother took up the lead. “The Secret Service will be there.”
Nodding, even though his brother couldn’t see it, he responded, “Yeah. I’m not sure I’m ready to be around them. What if it’s someone from that time? They’ll know me, and we might get kicked out. That’d be an embarrassment for Madison and Dad.”
“First off, they won’t kick you out. You were invited by the senator, so they can’t do anything unless you were a threat to her. You know that.” He took a breath and continued. “Second, this is a prime opportunity to finally do something and find more information about that night. Maybe you’ll learn enough to clear your name.”
One night in Columbia, a Secret Service team that had been sent in advance of the president, screwed up and a big scandal ensued. Brad had been pulled into the mire whether wittingly or not.
It started with a prostitute who hadn’t been paid and went to find someone who’d listen to her. Then it snowballed into a nightmare of a story for the men and the public. Prostitutes were found in some of the rooms with Secret Service agents.
Brad was woken with a prostitute in his bed. However, he didn’t remember picking her up. In fact, he’d never do that. Or so he thought. Two thoughts came to mind: that he’d been drugged and set up or that he’d gotten drunk and stupid. He’d fought for the drugged and setup possibility, but it’d gotten him nowhere with his superiors. Since they didn’t believe him, they wouldn’t test his blood, and he couldn’t leave and get it tested himself because they had been restricted to the hotel pending a quick trip back to the States for disciplinary action.
Matt was the only brother he’d told the entire truth to, but he imagined his other brothers and his father had an idea. Thankfully the Secret Service hadn’t released his name when he’d resigned in relation to the scandal.
Assuming he’d been drugged—which he thought was the only way it could’ve gone down—why was the question floating in his mind? Of course, who committed the act of drugging him was a necessary evil to find out the true story. And if he found out he’d actually been drunk and stupid? What then?
That thought was why he’d stopped pursuing the situation. But, he had to man up and be strong enough to deal with a reality that was embarrassing and infuriating. “They won’t speak with me while they’re working. But you’re right, of course. I need to start asking questions.” He loved telling his brother that. Brad could imagine Matt’s head swelling already at the comment.
“Of course I am. You might want to get Dad to help.”
“No. Absolutely not. I don’t want him to know.” At least not for sure.
“Listen to me, he can get you to where the Secret Service agents you need to speak with are working and can probably find out whe
n they’re off duty so you can corner them and ask questions since everyone was tight-lipped after the incident.”
Matt made a valid point. He could reach out to those that were in Columbia, but cornering those who avoided him wasn’t a bad idea. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Good. Now, tell me again why you have to go with Madison to this shindig?”
“Well, I was invited. Besides, she’d be unprotected, and we both know what kind of men attend these things. They seem so harmless on the outside, but inside they’re disgusting sharks.”
“Last I remember, she’s a grown woman. Considering the fan base she’s dealt with over the years, I bet she can handle herself.”
Damn his brother’s logical brain. He wouldn’t tell him he was right again. Once in a conversation was enough. “I’m going. That’s all there is to it. Besides, you know with Dad going and knowing I was invited, I can’t back out.”
Matt chuckled, and Brad wanted to reach through the phone and wring his neck.
Changing the subject, Brad asked, “What do you know about Richard Casden and Jeremy Rogers?”
“From the strip clubs?”
“Yeah.”
A whistle came over the phone. “As far as I remember, they’re bad news.”
“That, my brother, is the other reason Madison isn’t going anywhere by herself. Casden and Rogers want to buy the club.”
“I didn’t realize Madison and Rylee were selling it.”
“They’re not. They’re turning it into some store Madison calls a boutique. Whatever the hell that is.”
Matt laughed. “Well, I don’t think they’d harm her or Rylee.”
“We think differently.”
“We who?”
“Your brothers.”
“Did you guys have a meeting without me?” Matt sounded like he was pouting, and Brad felt that pang of longing his brother must feel not being in the mix all of the time.
“Are you pouting, oh brother of mine?”