Seth nodded. “Very true.”
“You’re wearing a vest.” Hunter’s voice boomed through the room. He didn’t sound as if he wanted an argument or would even consider hearing one.
“Because that won’t be suspicious,” Fisher mumbled under his breath.
Hunter talked right over him. “And I stay with you at all times.”
For a second the other men in the room fell away. Will focused on Hunter. Could hear his voice because his rapid-fire orders echoed through the room. “Does this mean you finally trust me?”
“Yes.” A short bark of an answer. “Do you understand my conditions?”
It was the tone that pissed him off, but Will wasn’t about to fight about that now. “Yes to both.”
“Huh.” Zach shrugged as he stood up, coffee mug in hand. “I didn’t think that would be so easy.”
“I don’t have a death wish.” And he didn’t. Will wanted out but when he thought that and planned for that he was talking about getting out of his family, not life.
“Good, because you’re not dying today.” Hunter made it sound like one more order.
Fisher passed by Hunter and smiled. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re about to break your cardinal rule and put your boyfriend before the mission.”
“I can still shoot you and not care.”
“And just like that everything is back to normal.” Seth handed the black button back to Will. “We’ll scatter and get into position.”
Zach stopped in front of Will. “Don’t be a martyr.”
Somehow Will managed to nod. To keep his voice even. “That’s the plan.”
Fisher studied him for an extra second before speaking again. “For what it’s worth, you strike me as the only Rivers worth saving.”
“Agreed. And believe it or not, that’s a big compliment,” Zach said.
Zach, Fisher, and Seth filed out. They slipped through the hidden door and into the next apartment. Being closer wouldn’t work. The apartment was too small to hide a bunch of guys standing around with guns.
That left Will and Hunter alone. They had a few minutes only because it could all end here. Maybe it should. Will’s history included an entire family of murder-for-hire buffs and Hunter had his own baggage. Even if they wanted more, finding it and keeping it sounded impossible.
Will turned the black square over in his hand. Touching it would set off a chain of events that could change everything. He was about to make some joke about its size but something else slipped out. “Tell me I’m more than a job to you.”
Hunter blinked. “What?”
That wasn’t the way he’d meant to go. Will didn’t even know that words had lodged in his throat until they tumbled out in an awkward pileup. But still…“I don’t care if you mean it. I just want to hear it one time.”
Hunter slipped his gun out of its holster, checked it, and then put it back in. “The other stuff—us? We put that aside for now and deal with it later, but we will deal with it.”
And now he had the answer. Will actually felt something inside him shrivel. A hollow pain settled low in his gut as he realized the truth. He cared and it sucked.
Being with Hunter, both the sex and not, made him spin with the need for more. It made no sense but he’d fallen for Hunter. Not maybe. Not in the future when the danger had passed. Now. Maybe from the first time he’d ever seen him. Will wasn’t sure of the when and how but the thought had settled in and now it pulsed in every cell.
The gruffness, the determination. The man who went out on missions and tried to do right, if only to overcome the load of bullshit his father had piled on him. He was a little bit broken and pretty flawed. Will wanted it all. The reality of finally puzzling it out knocked into him. Made him want to find a chair and sit down.
“I guess that response will have to be good enough.” Will got the words out and headed for the kitchen.
Hunter stepped in front of him, blocking the path. Those broad shoulders didn’t leave room for either of them to maneuver very far. For a second he didn’t say anything. Then he admitted, “Yeah, you’re more than a job. The worry is that you’re everything. Do you understand what I’m telling you? Fucking everything.”
Everything. Will froze. Every part of him did.
For a second the word wouldn’t register in his brain. When it did, he reached up and slipped his hand behind Hunter’s neck. Pulled him closer. Then their mouths took over in a kiss that filled in every blank and whispered every word unsaid between them. It was a little rough, with the scrape of teeth and slip of tongue over tongue. There was nothing shy and questioning in this one.
But with the ticking clock and holy hell about to rain down on them, now wasn’t the time. Hunter had been right about that. Damn him.
Will broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Hunter’s. “No matter what happens, you take out Gatt and Peter.”
“That’s my job.”
“Listen to me.” Desperation rose in Will as he pulled back a few inches and stared at Hunter, willing him to get this. Hunter already had morphed into protector mode but Will still needed him, for just a few seconds, to be the guy who didn’t switch to autopilot and act like a shield.
“Go ahead. Say it.”
“I don’t want to die and I sure as hell don’t want to leave you. I have no idea exactly what this is between us, but it feels big. I’m hoping for a chance to figure out if that’s true.” Will swallowed back whatever was clogging his throat. “If it comes down to saving me or catching them, you catch them.”
Hunter nodded. “I’ve got this.”
“I’m serious.”
“Keep the glasses on because I want you to be able to see everything happening around you.” Hunter looked down between them and touched Will’s hand. “And press the fucking button.”
—
The sharp knock came five minutes after Will followed the order. He was surprised the door didn’t blow off the hinges or slam open. A knock struck Will as almost too normal for this meeting. But the timing was a concern. The idea of Gatt waiting out on the streets near the apartment filled Will with a new wave of dread.
Hunter opened the door and Gatt walked in with Ed. No entourage or contingent of armed men. Not that Will could see. But he did notice the expensive suit and air of superiority. Gatt carried himself like a man who stank of wealth. Like someone going to a fancy business lunch rather than to a meeting to discuss the best way to run an operation that killed for cash.
He could have walked onto the street out of any expensive hotel or off a yacht or private plane. Now he walked into the small space. Went straight to the windows and opened the curtains. Light streamed in from the outside for the first time in days. Will appreciated seeing sunshine but didn’t like the added vulnerability. The windows were just one more place from which the bullets could come.
With a subtle nod Gatt sent Ed scurrying around the rest of the apartment, walking the perimeter and checking behind every door. Hunter just followed, the way Will guessed a real bodyguard might do.
“You did as promised.” Gatt stopped in the center of the room with his back to the door. Faced Will. “I appreciate that.”
Interesting how he acted as if there were a choice. Will was sure Gatt would have tracked him down, bullets first, if the button went unpushed much longer. “You’ll find that you can trust what I say. Even if you don’t like it.”
“Interesting accommodations. Not the style I would expect for a Rivers.” Gatt’s gaze covered every inch of the room. Slipped up to the ceiling and then down to the floor.
Ed held something a little bigger than a phone in his hand. He studied the screen and after a few minutes nodded. Will knew then they were checking for listening devices or searching the room somehow. That made sense. What didn’t was that the room appeared to be clean. That could only mean that Ed needed new equipment. Either that or Seth had quickly shut off whatever needed to be shut off to preserve this cover story.
> With that out of the way, Will could concentrate on Gatt again. “Haven’t you heard? I’m supposed to be dead.”
“Yes, that.” Gatt smiled but the gesture looked hollow. “The first thing we’ll do is shake some of that Rivers money free from Peter. I’ll also restore your staff and the guards. I’m afraid Peter has been too busy hiding to handle the family’s affairs properly, but you won’t make that mistake.”
How helpful of him. Will almost wondered if Gatt could deliver on all those promises. Getting money for a dead man was the interesting one. “You’re worried about Pentasus’s clients.”
“There are other suppliers, but I’m confident we can reestablish trust. They just need to see that Pentasus is fully operational. These people trusted your father and Stacia. Now they’ll trust you.”
Will leaned against the back of the couch. “You can make that work?”
“Consider it my partnership gift to you.”
Will admired his ability to stay on task no matter what. So, Will tried another tactic. His main job centered on stalling long enough for Peter to get there. The team couldn’t afford for either of them to be tipped off and run. Gatt and Peter excelled at hiding underground, which meant they needed to be dragged into the light, and this might be the only chance.
But they still had business to hammer out. Real or not, Will had to sell his role. “I didn’t actually accept your proposal yet.”
Gatt’s fake smile slipped. “I assumed that’s why you used the communication device we provided. I’d hate to think this is a courtesy decline.”
“Nothing so dramatic.” Will balanced his hands on either side of his legs. Dug his fingers into the top of the couch in an attempt to burn off at least a little of the energy surging through him. “But we do need to come to an understanding before we start.”
“I’ll take that as a positive sign that you know what you need to do for the company, and that includes working with me.” Gatt folded his arms in front of him and nodded. “So, what is it you need?”
“I am in charge. Always and completely.” Will waited an extra bit to let that order settle in. “No negotiation on that point. We are not equal nor will we be.”
Gatt’s body language changed. He switched from smooth, almost relaxed, to tense. Ready to pounce and rip apart anyone in his path. “Of course.”
“No, I really need you to understand this.” Will stood up because suddenly he wanted to be on his feet and ready. He blamed Hunter. As Will watched, Hunter stalked around the room, sticking close to Ed and never taking his gaze off Gatt or his man. “We both know this is about you seeking a large piece of Pentasus. A very large piece.”
With each word, Will saw Gatt’s mouth flatten more. The strain showed on his face and pulled at the corner of his eyes.
“There’s no question we can come to terms.” Gatt wasn’t looking around the room and mentally tearing it apart now. No, Will seemed to have his full attention.
“But I can’t spend my days worrying you’ll undermine me and my orders as I work to rebuild my father’s legacy.” Will glanced over his shoulder as Ed shifted and moved slightly out of his peripheral vision.
“Understood. Trust in a partnership takes time to build.” Gatt sounded so reasonable.
Will knew better. With this guy a partnership would always be in flux and susceptible to his need to control. Not that Will planned to spend even one second truly mulling over the terms. Right now his bigger issue was with Ed and his insistence on hovering right behind his shoulder. Will was not a fan of being stalked or having people shift outside of his line of sight. Apparently neither was Hunter because he all but growled.
Will turned and stared at the bodyguards. “Gentlemen, it would also be helpful if you two didn’t look ready to kill each other at every turn.”
“Ed knows how important Mr. Cain is to you,” Gatt said.
Hunter’s gun came up. “Then he shouldn’t stand behind him.”
“Ed, you’re making my new partner nervous.” That’s all it took from Gatt for Ed to shift into Will’s view and move almost even with him. “There. Is everyone satisfied? Can we go on to the plan for moving forward?”
Will was about to answer when the door burst open. Peter slipped inside. He held a gun as he shut the door behind him.
Bang. Bang.
The sound was so much quieter than expected that Will didn’t know what had happened at first. Then he saw the silencer and the rage behind Peter’s eyes. That had been a kill shot.
The crashing thud had Will spinning to the side. Ed no longer stood next to him. He was on his knees, listing to one side. For a second his body swayed, then his gun dropped and cracked against the floor. Ed followed, falling into a heap without making any attempt to break his fall. Just slipped bonelessly down and landed in a sprawl by Will’s feet.
It took another second for Will to see the blood soaking through his dress shirt and the hole where his heart should be.
The whole scene unfolded in a few seconds. But Peter had their attention now. Only Gatt didn’t hold a weapon, but Will was pretty sure he was carrying. It was the panic part he seemed to be skipping. Gatt had all the emotion of a guy licking stamps.
Peter’s gaze traveled around the room and landed on Gatt. “Now the meeting can start.”
Chapter 20
It took all of Hunter’s control not to shoot Peter right in the forehead. Any other time, any other guy, he might have. Mission parameters called for Peter to be brought in, but Hunter knew that exfiltration often led to an unnecessarily high body count, and Will would not be one of them.
Hunter also didn’t want to be the guy who killed Will’s brother. They might be estranged and their sibling relationship all screwed up and twisted, but they were family. Even the people he didn’t expect it from often picked blood over anything else.
He kept one hand on the gun and held up the other in an attempt to get everyone to focus on him and keep from shooting. “Let’s all calm down.”
“Are you in charge?” Peter swung the barrel of his gun first in Hunter’s direction, then pointed it at Will. “Is that how you’re running this meeting, baby brother? Letting the help take over?”
Everything this sack of shit said made Hunter itch to pull the trigger. But Gatt wasn’t firing and Hunter needed to know why. Seth also needed time to get his men in place and take out whatever shooters waited. The goal remained the same. Top to bottom, bring in as many of them as possible. Clear them off the streets once and for all.
Will didn’t drop his gun. Didn’t even flinch. “His job is to protect me.”
Seeing Will in control fueled Hunter. Fisher’s crack about putting Will before the mission had hit too close. Hunter had never sacrificed the work for good sex. Never would, but Will was more than that now. Still, the answer couldn’t be that Will came before the lives of all those people Pentasus would destroy. That Pentasus survived because he’d developed these unwanted feelings he couldn’t kick. But with Will staying solid, not panicking, Hunter’s job got easier.
“I thought that’s what you needed me for, or was the whole ‘I just want to go to school’ thing an act?” Peter asked in a mocking tone. “I’m starting to wonder exactly how capable you really are.”
Will’s fingers tightened on his gun. “Very.”
“Now might not be the best time for a family argument.” Hunter’s goal was to warn Will, but he was fine if Peter got the hint, too.
Gatt didn’t need another opening. If he saw weakness between the brothers, he’d strike. His clear plan was to wipe both of them out eventually. As far as Hunter was concerned, any suggestion that Will might not be helpful to the cause in the present situation was a huge mistake.
“Agreed. But it is interesting you would show up now, Peter.” Gatt took a step in Peter’s direction. Still didn’t show any weapon but taunted anyway.
Hunter guessed that meant Gatt knew something no one else did. For the first time Hunter appreciated having a
team. And Seth had better be working all of this out right now.
“Is it?” Peter’s arm lowered. Not the whole way down, but low enough that his gun aimed at stomachs and not heads. “Why are you surprised? Will works for me.”
“Is that true? Because the way I see it there is more than one Rivers heir in the room. Either can take the lead.” Gatt barely moved but ended up standing next to Will. “I’m betting on your baby brother in this game.”
Peter smiled. “Who do you think invited me here today?”
“Gentlemen.” Will had everyone’s attention now. “Have either of you thought that maybe I don’t want a partner at all? That luring you both here was my way of removing the competition once and for all?”
Easy. Hunter stood two steps back from Will. His fake position as bodyguard required it. He could dive in if needed. That didn’t mean he wanted Will to invite more wrath.
But Gatt didn’t seem impressed. Truth was, he looked almost bored as the tension spun up around him. “I planned for that contingency.”
Peter snorted. “You aren’t the only one who came here with reinforcements.”
“Oh, really?” Gatt shifted to the side and small red lights blinked to life on Will’s and Peter’s chests and stomachs. Five or six each. Guns trained on them. Shooters right outside, maybe in buildings across the street, ready to fire and unconcerned with the people in the street below.
Gatt gestured to the window and Hunter’s gaze followed. He swore under his breath. He knew he should have kept the curtains closed no matter what Gatt wanted or what Seth had said about that being a possible entry point for his men. He’d been knocked off stride, so wrapped up in trying to work out every angle in his mind and the ways to keep Will safe that he’d missed an obvious one.
“You may have brought your guards, but my men are everywhere.” Gatt wasn’t hiding his satisfaction. For the first time his smile looked genuine. He seemed to be enjoying the power play. “Guns on the floor. Now.”
“Fuck.” The word slipped out before Hunter could call it back.
“Don’t feel bad, Mr. Cain. No bodyguard would be able to protect Will from all those guns aiming at him right now. Your one would be useless.” Gatt folded his hands together in front of him. Looked every inch of the man in charge of this show. “But we don’t need to end the meeting in a bloodbath.”
The Talented Mr. Rivers Page 20