by Lexi Blake
“I was going to handle that.” He’d gotten a glimpse at her car. Someone had done a number on the tires.
“You had plenty to deal with this morning and I didn’t mind. I didn’t have time for a run. I’m scheduled to work out this afternoon anyway.” His brother had hopped into the passenger seat when he’d dropped Kori off. Jared had done it quickly, slamming the door as though pleased he’d managed to make the switch.
If Kai had been faster, he could have driven away then, but no, he’d been kissing his assistant.
His assistant who also happened to now be his sub. The thought of all the nasty things he could do to her at the office played through his brain. Not that he would get to do any of it since his brother was a tick who’d dug in and wouldn’t be removed. “Three whole days. That must have been hard for you.”
Jared sighed. “I really wanted her. Naturally it turned out she taped the entire thing and tried to sell it.”
Kai felt his jaw drop. “You made a sex tape?”
This was why it worked with Kori. They were the adults of their families. They both had horrible siblings.
Jared waved it off. “Lots, but that’s the only one that almost made it out. All those celebs who claim the maid stole our sex tape and leaked it, it’s all bullshit. Sex tape is one of the first things a good publicist will tell you to do. Well, unless you’ve got a small penis.”
He thanked god he’d been given a brain and didn’t have to live in Jared’s world. “Why didn’t you let yours get out? Apparently you might have an Oscar by now.”
“I liked her. I thought she liked me. I paid a lot of money to keep it off the Internet.” His brother sounded serious for once. “Everything I’d saved up to eighteen months ago. I’m good at starting over.”
Well, it wasn’t like his brother had ever been a financial whiz. Kai parked the Jeep in the McKay-Taggart visitor slot. He couldn’t help but notice there was a limo hanging out a couple of rows down. “You’ll make it back. It seems like you’re doing pretty well. I thought you had given up limos.”
“I let the guys use it. The studio pays for a driver. It’s part of my contract.”
Kai turned the engine off. “Your entourage is here? Upstairs? With Big Tag?”
“Not sure if they’re with him, but I asked Squirrel and the guys to start taking some notes, maybe some pictures so I can get in the character’s head. Don’t worry. Everyone loves to answer questions about themselves.”
“How many actual spies have you known?” Kai opened the door and hopped out, praying he could get up there fast enough to save some lives.
Jared was right behind him as he strode to the elevator. “I played a corporate spy on a Lifetime movie once. Have you seen it? Cyber Eyes Are Watching Her. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds.”
It sounded spectacularly crappy. “I don’t watch a lot of TV. Or movies.” Luckily there was an elevator open. He hopped on. “You can’t treat Ian like some movie consultant. He’s the real thing.”
Someone shouted out Jared’s name. He turned before he got on the elevator, his face going movie star bright as he waved. “Yes, it’s really me.”
Kai reached out and hauled his brother inside. “No time for autographs.” He pushed the button for McKay-Taggart. They now occupied the top two floors. “I’m serious about Ian. You have to be careful. Even now he’s involved in classified stuff. The company he runs still works for the government from time to time and they take those secrets seriously.”
Like the fact that Theo Taggart was alive somewhere. If Jared threatened that mission in any way, Tag would happily bury his body.
Jared grinned. “Real spy stuff. That’s cool. And I’m sure my guys are sitting in the lobby somewhere looking at their phones. It’s kind of what they do.”
“How are you still with Squirrel? I can’t see that kid does anything real for you.”
“You always hated him. And I gave him a job because he stuck by me when no one else did.” Jared looked straight ahead, his eyes on the elevator doors. “He’s not stupid. He can run errands.”
“I thought that’s what Lena did.” Kai knew it didn’t matter, but he wanted Jared to admit that Squirrel was mooching off him. He wanted to at least get that out into the open. So often Jared looked at the bright, shiny side of everything, refusing to see anything could possibly be wrong.
“He’s my friend. Just drop it, Kai,” Jared said in a stubborn tone. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“I wouldn’t understand friendship?” They were good at falling back into old patterns. Kai would come out accusing his brother of acting like an idiot and then Jared would say Kai never understood. Nothing had changed in fifteen years.
“Not really. How many friends do you still have from childhood?”
It was a decent point, but he had one of his own. “I didn’t have a lot of them. I was too busy taking care of you.”
“Fine. Blame me. How about from the Army? Have many friends from those times?”
He didn’t. He had some guys from his unit he called from time to time to check in on them. “They live in different parts of the country and most of them are at different stages in life. And I’ve made a lot of friends here.”
“Well, when they’ve been around for ten years or so, get back to me.”
There was something deeper going on in his brother’s head, but at that moment, Kai didn’t care. His inner therapist voice was only a whisper really, telling him his normally sunny brother was hiding something. Jared didn’t push this way. But right then, Kai didn’t give a shit. “Just because I don’t pay a group of people to stay around me all the time because I can’t stand to be alone with myself doesn’t mean I have a problem making friends.”
Jared turned and his eyes were lit with an anger Kai had rarely seen in his younger brother. “I wasn’t talking about making them. You’re good at that. Everyone wants to be your friend. I was talking about keeping them. Is anyone good enough for you? Is there anyone in your life who measures up to the Great Kaiser Ferguson’s standards? Or do they all end up being stupid and human and flawed like me?”
“Flawed? You call sleeping with my fiancée a flaw?”
Jared shook his head. “You hated me long before that.”
Hate was a strong word and not one he used often. “I don’t hate you.”
“Bullshit.”
He took a deep breath and realized maybe he had issues with Jared, but Kori was right. He needed to face them. He had to stop getting surly every time the chance to deal with Jared came up. “I don’t hate you. I might not have fully forgiven you for what happened with Hannah, but I don’t hate you.”
“You don’t even know what happened with Hannah. You have no fucking idea what happened to me while you were gone. You left me behind.”
“I went into the Army so I could help support you, you asshole.” How did his brother do this to him? With anyone else he would brush off the accusations and try to find the heart of the matter. He was trained to do this. He’d been called every name in the book by his patients, who often mistook anger at the world for anger at him. He could handle it. In some ways, it was part of the healing process. But the minute his brother walked in, Kai was right back, standing in that living room where his brother had betrayed him utterly.
God, maybe he did hate Jared a little.
“I didn’t need money,” his brother ground out. “I needed someone who gave a shit whether I lived or died. Hell, I didn’t even see any money.”
“What is that supposed to mean? I sent it to you every month. It’s not my fault you spent it on hair gel or whatever the hell you spent it on.”
His brother’s eyes widened. “Are you fucking kidding me? The great and mighty Kai has no idea. Well, that’s rich, brother. I guess you don’t know everything.”
What had happened? “I sent the money, Jared.”
The elevator doors opened and Lena was standing there. She was dressed in what looked almost like a copy of the dres
s she’d worn the day before, though this was a slightly different shade of black.
“Thank god. This place is horrible,” Lena complained as Jared stepped off the elevator. “Everything about this particular movie is simply awful and you need to think about that proposal I sent you. You’re better than this.”
Jared gave her a smile, but Kai was starting to realize that Jared smiled at everything and everyone and in every circumstance. There was a difference though. This smile was tight and didn’t come anywhere close to Jared’s eyes. “It looks pretty nice to me.”
“Ugh, they have babies and everything. It’s like a suburban nightmare in there. And they could use a decorator.” Lena looked down at her phone. “I’ve already gone by and done all the stuff for the police report and Ms. Williamson will find I’ve filled out all the insurance forms as well. Someone is coming at one this afternoon to pick up the car and she’ll have it back by four. The tires will all be top of the line, but there’s nothing I can do about the fact that the car itself is pathetic and sad.”
“Less opinion, please,” Jared said.
“Fine,” Lena continued with a sullen sigh. “I’ve set everything up for the club next Tuesday, but the big scary guy asked if he could be included along with some chick he’s trying to bang.”
“Scary guy?” Kai asked. That could likely be anyone at McKay-Taggart.
“One of the big Viking dudes. The young one. Chase? Maybe. I called him Sven, but he didn’t answer to that.” Lena continued checking off things on her phone.
“Case Taggart. He’s been very helpful so far. If he thinks hanging out at the new nightclub will help him get laid, he’s more than welcome. Call the manager and tell them to expect two more. Also find out what his lady drinks and make sure it’s available.” Jared stepped up to the main doors. “I got the schedule you sent me. I’ll be here most of the afternoon if anything changes, but I don’t particularly want to be interrupted. And work on the hospital thing.”
Lena made a gagging sound. “Fine, but I’m taking the limo and going shopping.”
She stepped into the elevator Kai had been holding for her, and never once had she looked his way. She seemed to have the preternatural ability to walk in high heels without ever looking up from her phone.
“What hospital thing?” Watching his brother with Lena had been interesting. Jared had shoved all the emotion from the elevator down and dealt with her professionally. He would bet his life Jared hadn’t fucked her. They seemed to keep a certain distance.
Jared’s jaw tightened as though now that they were alone, the emotion was back. “I like to visit children’s hospitals in the cities I’m in. A lot of kids watch Dart. It makes them happy.”
“I’ve never seen articles about you doing that.” All the articles he’d seen were about Jared’s love life. Not that he really read them. They sometimes came into view on the Internet.
“I keep it quiet. The kids are terminal or very sick. They don’t need reporters in their faces. Look, I can handle hanging out here on my own. I’ll rent a car so I don’t inconvenience you again.”
“Apparently we should talk. I think there’s something I don’t know about that day.”
Jared was about to speak when Grace walked into the lobby. Jared immediately plastered a brilliant smile on his face. This one definitely reached his eyes. Jared’s smile for all the pretty women of the world. “You must be Mrs. Taggart. I can’t tell you what a pleasure it is to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you and let me say, Serena’s descriptions of you in The Mercenary I Loved don’t do you justice.”
Grace flushed a pretty pink and let Jared take her hand. “That is very sweet of you to say but don’t believe everything you read. Serena makes us look more exciting than we really are. Please call me Grace. Welcome to McKay-Taggart.” Grace looked over and seemed to notice Kai. “Hello, Kai. How are you today?”
Confused. Elated. Excited. Wary. All the good emotions had to do with the woman he’d left at the office and the bad ones with the man standing in front of him. He had to admit that his brother was different in some ways. The old Jared wouldn’t have thought to visit a bunch of kids. “I’m great, Grace. I’m supposed to meet with Ian. Is he here?”
“Go on back to his office. He’s waiting for you.” Grace smiled back at Jared. “And how can I help you?”
“You could get me reservations at your husband’s restaurant for starters. I have to warn you, though, I’ll probably have some photographers following me.” Jared frowned as though it would be an imposition. “If that’s trouble, I can order takeout, but I’ve heard your husband is an amazing chef.”
“Who would stand to gain so much from you eating at his place,” Grace replied. “We would love to have you. We’ll keep a table open for you while you’re here. Feel free to walk around and ask anything you like. Your friends are already here. I set them up in an empty office, but apparently Brad decided to run up stairs or something.”
“He’s very active. Thank you for putting up with all of us.” Jared turned back after giving Grace a wink. The minute she was back at her desk, he leaned over. “I’ll go and see if I can shadow someone since you’re meeting with Ian. I’ll stay out of your way.”
He stopped Jared when he turned to walk away. “Hey, that’s a nice thing you’re doing for Sean. Top will get a lot of publicity if you’re seen there and you know it.”
“I like to be seen in all the hot places.”
“Top is small. There are a ton of other restaurants in Dallas with higher profiles, some that would likely pay for you to walk past the front of the place.”
Jared shrugged. “They seem like nice people.”
Maybe his brother wasn’t so shallow. “Like I said, I appreciate it. I know I might not have friends from childhood still hanging around, but I do have friends and I am grateful when someone helps them out.”
Jared nodded. “Anything I can do.”
His brother had done a lot for him today. For him. For Kori. “Thanks for helping with Kori’s car, too. What was Lena talking about when she asked if you’d looked at her proposal?”
He had to admit, he was curious.
“Her mother runs a studio. Lena thinks I’m wasting my life making comic book TV shows and movies like Love After Death. She’s not into genre entertainment. She wants me to do a bunch of small indie films. Something with award bait to it.”
“Why not?”
“Because I have fun making Dart. I’ll have fun doing this. I know a lot of people in the industry look down on genre stuff, but it has something to say, too.”
“That a douchebag with a bunch of darts can do push-ups?”
Jared stared at him for a moment. “That ordinary guys can be heroes. That it’s not all bad out there. I can pick up a newspaper to tell me the world is shit. I don’t need a film to tell me that, but there are days when I need to turn on the TV and be reminded that it can be good, too. That’s what I do. That’s what I want to do. I want to make people happy. I don’t see how that’s a bad thing to do. I don’t see why that makes me less of an artist.”
Kai stopped, looking at his brother in a slightly different light. Maybe there were times he’d been the asshole. “It doesn’t. It’s good, Jared. You need to do what makes you happy.” If he didn’t stop, he was going to get emotional, and he didn’t have time for that right now. Still, he couldn’t leave Jared like this. “Why don’t I show you around here? Ian’s office is in the back. I can give you a quick tour.”
A cautious smile this time. “I would like that. This is the top floor, but I read that there’s a second floor.”
The tension seemed to go out of the room. Oh, Kai had no doubt it would rear its ugly head again, but they needed time and privacy for that conversation. “The second floor is fairly new. It used to be a law office. They moved to a private building and Ian took over the space. The business covers a lot of security needs, but they’re broken up into different teams now that MT has gotten so big
. The main floor is for the central team. They work for corporations and do some government work. Downstairs there’s a team specifically for physical security, both buildings and people. There are five highly trained bodyguards on retainer and the nerd squad specializes in security systems. On this floor, we have several conference rooms, the main one right here on the left. What the hell?”
Adam and Jesse both had a leg up on the conference room table, stretching their big bodies as Brad pressed a hand to Jesse’s back.
Yes, he had to figure out what was going on there. He opened the door. “Dare I ask?”
Jesse looked up. “Hey, Kai. Brad here is showing us how to properly stretch out our hamstrings. I keep pulling my left one when I run. Nearly took a damn bullet in LA last week when Si and I were on assignment. It stiffened up on the flight last night. I’m getting old.”
Adam shook his head. “I’m not old. I just spend too much time behind a desk. Brad’s going to give me a comprehensive workout plan. Jake doesn’t believe in intellectual pursuits and somehow he never gains sympathy weight. Serena’s pregnant again. I have to keep off the weight or I’ll be the less hot but still intellectually superior husband.”
So it was a typical day at McKay-Taggart.
“You can come and work out with me,” Jared offered.
Adam gave him a thumbs-up. “That would be awesome.”
“I’ll get these two in better shape. Let’s go run some stairs. See how that hammy holds up now that you’ve properly warmed it.” Brad clapped his hands together like it was the best thing in the world.
It sounded horrible to Kai. Of course, he’d always accepted that he was the less hot but intellectually superior brother. Kori didn’t seem to mind that he wasn’t a gym rat who pounded pavement or lifted weights four hours a day.
Jared watched as the trio started toward the stairs. “That has to be Axel from The Doms with the Golden Whips. It was one of my favorites.”