“Exactly. I’m a businessman.” He folded his hands on his lap. “You can call me Rey or Gatt, but I’m hoping we can refer to each other in another way.”
He didn’t reach out to shake hands. Will didn’t offer.
But he did want Gatt to get right to the point. “Meaning?”
“Your sister and I were very close.”
It was the way he said it. For the first time, there was a note in his voice. Maybe sadness. Hell, it could be boredom. But Will suspected Stacia and Gatt had indeed had some sort of connection. Twisted and fucked-up, probably built on a mutual love of killing things, but a connection nonetheless.
He took a guess. “You were sleeping together.”
“More than that.” Gatt ran a hand up and down his leg. “In her I found a like-minded partner. She was extraordinary and we were hoping to build a life together.”
“Marriage?” Will couldn’t even imagine Stacia doing something as mundane as getting married. Not unless the reception’s entertainment included a public hanging. The thought of her having kids was enough to send a chill spiking through him.
“Together both personally and professionally, yes.” For a second Gatt’s composure slipped. “For her to be cut down like that was a waste.” He barely got the words out through clenched teeth.
“You sound like you want revenge.”
“Your brother and his weakness led to her death.” That fast, Gatt’s voice returned to normal. The brief show of emotion, in this case wild fury, vanished.
“Interesting theory.” Except that it didn’t make any sense. Peter hadn’t killed Stacia. Never mind that she’d been the one to invite Zach into her inner circle. Doing that, she’d inadvertently welcomed the CIA into her life, and that was what had eventually ended her.
“He views Pentasus as his birthright. He never listened to her plans for expansion. Didn’t believe her when she said Pentasus had been infiltrated and more protection was needed.” The soulless smile returned. “She had a vision.”
As long-winded introductions went, that one wasn’t bad. Gatt had managed to sell Stacia, or the version he wanted Will to grab on to. But Will knew better. “As do you.”
“I’m hoping you do as well.” Gatt shifted in his seat and stretched an arm along the top of the couch cushion.
And there it was. The enticement. Will waded in slowly. “You understand that Peter has stepped into the void caused by Stacia’s death and believes he’s in charge.”
Gatt frowned as he shrugged off the concern. “That’s small thinking. You are also an heir. Your sister believed you would be the one to lead by her side. With her gone, you should be the one to take over. Now is the time to rebuild and restructure.”
“With your help, I assume.” Despite all the big talk, Will was pretty clear that Gatt’s grand scheme wouldn’t include keeping him alive long. There wasn’t any way this guy intended to share power.
Gatt nodded. “That would be my hope. Of course.”
The guy couldn’t even nail down a second of believable deference. He tried and failed. Will had to fight the urge to glance up at Hunter. They’d made it this far without Hunter jumping in and Will knew that was a miracle. It also spoke to just how serious it was that they stop Gatt and grab Peter.
“What do you get out of this arrangement?” Will asked. “Other than piles of money, of course.”
“A seat at the table.” Gatt dropped his arm and sat up facing Will head-on. “I supply firepower and resources, and I help carve out a new direction for Pentasus. I’d, let’s say, bring in the backbone of the organization.”
“You’d provide me with an army.” Men without conscience, all secretly beholden to Gatt and no one else. The perfect security for an already near-perfect killing machine. A very scary proposition.
“You’ll need loyal foot soldiers.”
Interesting use of the word loyal. “Bodies.”
Gatt shrugged. “Let’s call them employees.”
Hunter shifted, but Will ignored it. If he wanted to end the questioning, that was too damned bad. Will only intended to take this risk once, so he’d collect as much intel as possible. “What else do you get?”
“A percentage, as you smartly pointed out. Then there’s revenge. Peter out of the picture, just as Stacia wanted.” Gatt leaned forward as he counted off the benefits. “Look, I respect your family. Building Pentasus from nothing was an act of pure genius. But there are other players in the game now and the CIA is sniffing around. You can’t afford to be lazy or complacent.”
The last part grabbed Will’s attention. “You can eliminate the CIA threat?”
“Absolutely.”
This might be information worth knowing. “How?”
“I’ll explain once we have a deal.”
Was this a test? Would someone who was really interested in taking over his family’s business at any cost jump on the deal that quickly? Will doubted it.
“You are taking a lot for granted. Peter is blood, after all.” Will said that mostly because Peter had promised he’d be lurking nearby at all times. The plan to grab him and Gatt at the same time depended on that fact. Grab them both so neither would be tipped off and run. “What’s to say I don’t already have a deal with him? That you’re not being set up as we speak?”
Ed flinched. His hand shifted and his gun came up just a bit.
In a flash Hunter stepped in front of Will. “Don’t even think about it.”
Will could almost smell the impending bloodbath. To prevent Hunter from acting like a human shield, Will stood up. The move had Hunter stepping back…just as Will wanted.
“Hunter is very protective.” Will didn’t sit. Not when the opportunity to show strength loomed right in front of him. “It’s mutual. No matter what, he stays with me.”
Gatt smiled. “Understood.”
Will took one step. He grabbed Ed’s wrist and slammed it against the wall. Hit it a second time to send the gun falling to the floor. Before Ed could get his balance Will had him pinned with a hand wrapped around his neck.
“Don’t ever touch your gun in my presence again. And no one goes after Hunter but me.” Will didn’t break eye contact with Ed. “If you want to work for me, you need to learn to obey.”
After a few seconds Gatt laughed. “Very impressive. Ed, listen to the man. He may soon be your boss.”
It took another minute of silence before the tension pounding off Ed subsided. He finally nodded. “Right.”
“Good choice.” Will shoved Ed once more before letting go.
Pretty boy, my ass.
“It would seem your sister was right about you.” Gatt stood up. The condescension remained. So did the air of superiority, but he did look at Will differently now. “She told me to forget the pretty face and collegiate façade. She believed that deep down you understood that sometimes violence was needed to even the playing field. That you appreciated loyalty and everything the Rivers name brought you.”
“I am very aware of my family’s legacy.” And the trail of bodies that went along with it.
But he’d made his point. Even now Ed watched him. Also kept his damn hand away from the trigger.
“Then let me help you preserve it,” Gatt said.
How noble. Will had to fight not to roll his eyes. “I’ll contact you.”
Gatt’s fake smile faltered. “You’re not ready to make a deal?”
Will could feel the heat from Hunter’s stare, but this was the right move. He could feel it. “Would you agree to wage civil war in your family and take on a new business partner based on some background research, fifteen minutes of in-person assessment, and one conversation?”
Gatt managed to look thoughtful. “It would depend on the deal. For example, I hope you’re not planning to hear Peter’s offer, then play one of us against the other. That would be a serious miscalculation on your part.”
“But it does sound like something Stacia would have done.”
“She knew Peter needed to step do
wn.”
Such a nice way of phrasing it. Will didn’t believe that for one second. “More like be eliminated.”
Gatt held out his hands palms up. “That choice is yours, of course.”
Right, sure. “I like everything you’ve said and how you’ve said it. I’ll officially decide tomorrow.”
“Are there advisors you plan to discuss this with?”
“I don’t need advisors.”
Gatt’s smile returned. “I think we’ll work well together.”
“We’ll see.”
Gatt gestured to Ed to head for the door. Then he nodded to Will. “Gentlemen.”
A second later he was gone, leaving Will wanting to sit down. Somehow he stayed on his feet.
The two of them were alone in the room and neither said a word. Will couldn’t think straight long enough to come up with anything. He’d used all his reserves and even now the adrenaline pinging through him threatened to knock him over.
Hunter kept staring. Stayed silent but fumed. His cheeks had turned red and his eyes remained wide and half wild.
After a knock, Seth slipped into the room. He looked ready to say something when Hunter finally opened his mouth.
“What the fuck was that?” Hunter’s whispered yell skated the line between controlled and shaky.
Seth winced. “I gotta hand it to you, Will. You were pretty damn convincing.”
“That was the point, wasn’t it?” Jesus, these two were never happy. When he played the role well, they doubted him. When he asked questions, they wrote him off as incapable. The whole never-satisfied-and-always-pissed thing was getting old.
“Well?” Hunter took another step and stopped right in front of Will.
Seth started talking. “Peter made a play with the owner and listened in from a distance. He had access to all the video and tape we did but he didn’t move in.”
That seemed to distract Hunter. “But you’re tracking him, right?”
“Zach was using some fancy equipment to trace the location and get men there to watch Peter. At a safe distance, of course. Can’t afford to spook these men yet.”
Part of Will expected Peter would hang back. He could be reckless but he was smart, too. He knew everything rode on him gaining full control of Pentasus. He couldn’t afford to let Gatt anywhere near his contacts. That meant biding his time, which admittedly was not one of Peter’s stronger attributes.
Hunter frowned. “Is someone following Gatt?”
Seth exhaled. “Fisher and Zach will join him in a second.”
“Let’s hope they don’t lose him.”
Will listened to the back-and-forth between Seth and Hunter. “It won’t matter.”
Hunter’s frown only deepened. “Because?”
“We baited the trap. Both Peter and Gatt will come for me now.”
They both looked at him but Hunter was the one to speak first. “You’re going to be fine.”
That sounded good in theory. Will knew the problem came with reality. “We all know at least one person is going to end up dead in this.”
“Not you.” Hunter’s voice rose on the last syllable.
Will tried to shrug but he just couldn’t do it. Not on this subject. “We’ll see.”
Hunter balled his hands into fists. “I wish you’d stop saying that.”
“So, now we wait,” Seth said.
“That’s not really my favorite thing.” The idea of hanging around, counting down until the end, made Will want to crawl out of his skin. It was the right move but a tough one to do.
Hunter shook his head. “You’ll adjust.”
That was just it. Will was more worried about surviving whatever Gatt and Peter threw at him next.
Chapter 17
Frustration burned through Hunter, fueling his strength. He had enough adrenaline pinging around inside of him to rip the apartment building down stone by stone. More than once he thought about doing just that.
The whole scene back at the club had him on edge. Will had been too calm, almost too convincing in the role of the son trying to decide how to handle the future of the criminal dynasty he’d inherited. He’d played Gatt, or at the very least held his own against a man known to gun down the children of his enemies just for fun.
This, the school nerd. The guy who liked to claim being away absolved him of his family’s guilt. He’d won that round. Gatt might not know it, but Hunter did, and the thought didn’t bring one ounce of comfort.
Hunter knew the thinking wasn’t fair. Will had done exactly what they asked him to do. Fear over Will’s safety seeped in. Slid under his defenses until his desperation blinded him to almost anything else.
Even now, back in the apartment with their clothes thrown on the bed and every light on, he paced. Walking usually helped him sort through problems. Gave him a direction. In this case, he knew one thing—he should have let Will leave town days before. At least then he’d have been out of the fray. Others could have watched over him and protected him while Hunter tracked Peter down and eliminated him once and for all. Cut out the family bullshit and the spiking danger and end this thing.
It was as if a switch flipped inside him. Seeing Will step up and walk into danger and not even blink…he was better at this than Hunter expected. Better than he should have been on this mission with his limited training. But Hunter’s interest was purely personal. He’d fought for everyone else for so long. Often for people who didn’t deserve it but had something to offer to Germany or another government. This time he’d fight for Will. No matter what that meant.
“Will, I need you to know—”
“You need to leave.” Will’s voice broke through Hunter’s mental gymnastics and stopped the conversation.
For a second Hunter was convinced he’d misheard. But when he stopped walking and glanced up, both Will and Seth were staring at him. Not a good sign. Hunter guessed he’d inadvertently been acting as if he were alone while company hovered right there.
Still, Will’s comment made no sense. “Excuse me?”
“Peter is going to show up.” Seth didn’t blink as he jumped in and laid out the reality. “No question about it.”
No shit. They’d all but spray-painted and lit a path right to their door. Hunter didn’t think anyone, certainly not someone with Peter’s skill level, would miss the clues or the opportunity to take out the person he now had to believe was competition.
And that’s why Will would not be alone. Not now…and Hunter refused to think about later. “He can visit with me right here in the room.”
That was the only option. Hunter didn’t want to hear another. Will would have a bodyguard, wanted or not. Hunter would not hesitate to shoot. There. Done.
After a lifetime of doing what was necessary for the job and questioning anyone who let personal feelings creep into a mission, Hunter got it. Separating one from the other was no longer possible. Maybe it never had been. But now he would figure out how to remove Will from the middle and take Pentasus out. Even if that meant him going with it.
Seth’s unreadable expression didn’t change as he leaned against the back of the couch and switched his gaze from Hunter to Will and back again. “Actually, for this plan to work we want Peter to talk.”
Hunter was not a fan of Seth’s habit of explaining the mission parameters as if he were speaking to a kid. Hunter decided to fire back. “But we don’t want him to kill Will. Got it?”
“Okay, listen.” Will stepped between the other two men. Actually filled the space and forced all of the attention back onto him. “Peter won’t touch me.”
“You think after overhearing that conversation with Gatt that Peter’s not going to come after you with a loaded gun?” Hunter shook his head. “You’re too damn smart for that.”
“He goes everywhere with a loaded gun. My point is, I can handle him.”
Damn if he didn’t look like he believed it. Will didn’t shift his weight, didn’t break eye contact. He stayed serious with his shoulders stif
f and his mouth locked in a straight line.
Hunter hated all of that.
“Since when?” Hunter reluctantly admitted that this side of Will—all tough and determined—was pretty damn hot. Hunter appreciated the show of strength but that was it. Bottom line was Peter could kill without any debate. Hunter hoped—hell, he had to believe—that Will was not built that way. That made the brothers different and that difference, no matter how small in practice, put Will at risk.
“I know what you think of him,” Will said. “Hell, you’re not even wrong. But he did protect me growing up. He pushed for me to go away because he wanted me safe.”
Hunter knew Will needed to believe that, but it was essential that Will be realistic. “He wanted you out of the way.”
Satisfied he’d made his point, Hunter thought about pacing again.
“I am a fucking grown-up.” The fury in Will’s voice nearly shook the walls. His body language didn’t change but his voice grew scratchy.
Apparently the point was not made.
The sound, the words, had Hunter stopping for a second. After pissing all over Fisher and Seth for talking about Will’s age, Hunter refused to believe he’d wandered into the same trap. He searched his mind, trying to come up with the ways his comments were really about something else…anything else.
After a moment of stillness, Seth stood up and looked at Hunter. “Come with me.”
Oh, shit. The boss tone. This is why Hunter worked alone. He got to make the decisions. He acted without a vote from a committee.
“No.” He knew that wouldn’t work with Seth, but Hunter’s thoughts jumped around and a ball of anxiety spun in his gut. The idea of walking out on Will grated against his nerves. “Not without Will.”
“We’ll be right next door.” Seth touched a button on his watch and the wall between the apartments started to move again. A subtle clunk, then the slide. “This is easy, Hunter. You make a scene of going out for food, then circle back once I get you word Peter is in the building.”
That meant wandering away and not being close if Will needed him. Hunter hated that plan. Hell, he hated all of the suggestions being batted around. “And what about his people?”
The Talented Mr. Rivers Page 17