TheFugitivesSexyBrother

by Annabeth Leong

  “Yeah, Raul?” Matthew didn’t waste time when the man on the other end picked up. “I’ve got some information Fernando will be interested in, assuming you guys can make it worth my while. There’s a woman coming after him, and I know all about her.”

  Chapter Two

  “Hola.”

  Javier Bonavita glanced up from his computer screen, then hurried all the way to his feet when he saw who was standing in his doorway. Looking at Fernando, his smooth and dangerous older brother, was a little like looking into a funhouse mirror. The two men had inherited their father’s dark skin and wide nose and their mother’s warm brown eyes and thick curly hair. But where their resemblance stopped, a wide gulf opened between them. Fernando’s every gesture spoke of strength and tightly controlled power. He was a man used to being obeyed. Javier, on the other hand…

  “When was the last time you combed your hair?” Fernando’s nose twitched a little and Javier cringed at his distaste, desperately wishing he’d taken a few minutes that morning to clear some of the laundry off his floor. “Why do Americans behave like children for so long? In Colombia you would be a married man by now, with a family and responsibilities of your own.”

  Javier swallowed, the sting of the words traveling down his throat and into his stomach, where he would digest them slowly over the next several hours. He kept his voice as light as he could when he answered. “You’re as American as I am. Or they’d have sent you back to Colombia along with Mom.”

  “Well.” Fernando never willingly discussed their mother. He stepped into the room, placing his feet so they never touched any of Javier’s mess. He peered at the tangled code crawling up and down the computer screen. “Are you working on something for me?”

  Javier considered lying to make himself sound better. His brother would never know the difference.

  He could not go through with it. His ingrained habit of loyalty would not allow even this small betrayal. “It’s a side project,” he admitted. “I’m checking a browser for security flaws.”

  “You know I don’t want you taking on other jobs. I need you available to me at all times.”

  “It’s not a job. I’m doing it for fun.” Javier didn’t know how to explain it. Fernando appreciated his computer skills, but could never comprehend the compulsion Javier felt to wrestle with certain kinds of puzzles. Javier’s mind never left off trying to understand the tangles around him—and he liked to keep his brain as occupied as possible with problems that actually had solutions. Javier couldn’t stand to think too much about their father, or their mother or their little sister, Sabi. Or Terri.

  But he didn’t want to appear weak in front of Fernando. Javier tried to close off his face so not even a whisper of his thoughts could reach his brother.

  Fernando stared at Javier. “Doesn’t look like much fun,” he said. “I bought you that Mustang. Why don’t you take it out for a drive?”

  “I don’t have anywhere to go.”

  Fernando shook his head. “Is that a joke?”

  “Not really.”

  “What’s the matter with you? You used to have a sense of humor.”

  Javier shook his head, touching the diamond stud in his right ear. Fernando’s eyes immediately narrowed. He drew himself to his full height, stepping away from the computer. “You need to forget that woman. She wanted you to be someone you’re not.”

  “Whatever you say, Fernando.”

  “Have you been doing any of the things I asked? Why can’t you keep your apartment in better condition? You know either or both of us might need to leave town at a moment’s notice. You can’t afford this mess.”

  Javier shrank back before his brother’s anger, then blinked, seeing Fernando clearly for the first time since he’d walked into the room. Fernando’s jaw clenched, muscles standing out along his neck. He wore all his gold rings and the bulges in his pockets could have been getaway cash. He moved tautly, his hands kept in positions too precise to be natural. Fernando was scared out of his wits.

  Love and loyalty took the upper hand within Javier, easily beating out his own hurt and anger. He reached out to his brother. “Tell me.”

  For a second Javier thought Fernando would crack the veneer that always separated them. Maybe Fernando would admit he didn’t have all the answers after all, that his efforts at control never gave him quite what he wanted—that his life and Javier’s weren’t really so different. The corner of one eye gleamed with what could have been a tear.

  Javier barely breathed for fear of ruining the moment, but then Fernando rubbed the corner of his eye briskly and his face shuttered. He smiled the empty, charming smile he wore whenever they went out together to clubs and bars. Javier had always wondered why women never seemed to see the impenetrable walls just behind that expression. Disappointment surged into his chest as Fernando clapped him on the shoulder, the thud of his hand reinforcing the distance between them.

  “Stress with work, that’s all. Sorry I’m in here nitpicking you.”

  “Right. No worries.” Javier shifted uneasily. Where are you going? he wanted to ask, but the words died on his lips. Yet another subject Fernando wouldn’t discuss with his naïve kid brother.

  “Listen.” Fernando’s eyes watched a point above Javier’s shoulder. “There’s a woman who might come looking for me.”

  “What happened to Carolina?”

  “Carolina?” Fernando’s face paled.

  “Yeah. I didn’t know you broke things off with her.”

  Fernando recovered and shrugged. “We were never that serious.”

  Javier wasn’t fooled. Carolina’s name had gotten a bigger reaction than he’d seen from his brother in months. He filed away that piece of information for later and dropped the discussion before he upset Fernando. “So this woman who might look for you. What do you want me to tell her?”

  Fernando cleared his throat. “Actually, if you can avoid talking to her, that would be best. It would be ideal if she thinks you’re me.”

  “Excuse me? What kind of jealous lover is this? Won’t she know the difference?”

  “Don’t let her get too close, Javier. I need a head start. I need your help,” Fernando winced as the words passed his lips. “Can you give me that much?” The request smacked of truth and desperation. Javier didn’t dare to press for more.

  He sat down at his computer. The questions he couldn’t ask pressed in on him painfully. He cast a longing glance at his neglected browser code. “Yeah, sure,” Javier said.

  “Great. I want you to stay at my place and work whatever computer magic you can to make it seem like it’s me in there.”

  Fernando’s tone remained casual, but the impact of his words stretched that charade to the limit. Javier waited for a moment, but his brother didn’t reveal anything else. Finally he nodded. “I’m going to need a couple hours to pack.” He didn’t say days. He read urgency in every line of Fernando’s body.

  “Good,” Fernando said, and bolted from the room.

  Javier stared after him. A little prodding might get him a lot of information. A quick look at Fernando’s recent call log, or even a simple search on newspaper articles. But he decided he didn’t want to know. His brother would never put him in real danger. Fernando wanted Javier to believe he was facing a jilted lover, so that was what he would face, no matter what he suspected.

  * * * * *

  Emily set her sandwich down in her lap and squinted. The sun washed over the river before her, glittering there, but it did little to warm her. Soon it would be too cold to have lunch here. She leaned back on the concrete stairs leading down to Waterplace and glanced at the dark-haired woman beside her, sighing. Neva didn’t have a lunch with her—when Emily asked, she’d said she was on a diet. She only did that when she thought she had a chance with a guy. Emily might have bigger problems than the always-unpredictable New England weather and her perpetually empty bank account.

  Neva had been pretty much her only friend since she’d moved up fro
m Newport, but they obviously needed to clear the air about a few things. “So,” Emily said, careful not to watch Neva’s perfectly made-up face. “You and Matthew?”

  Neva didn’t answer for so long that Emily wondered if she’d heard. Finally, she muttered, “Kind of. Why?”

  “Kind of?” Emily kept her tone casual. She wasn’t jealous. Really. She had to ask for professional reasons. Neva had always been an important source of information for her. She needed to know whether she could count on her friend to help with the Bonavita job.

  “I’ve gone home with him a couple times.”

  “But you want it to be more.”

  Neva’s head whipped toward Emily, her dark curls snapping back from her face. “I’m not a child, Emily.”

  “I wasn’t saying that. I’m just trying to find out what’s going on.”

  “You told me you were done with him.”

  “I am. More than done. Believe me.” Emily gritted her teeth. Matthew Lodi looked like a walking fantasy, but as a boyfriend he pretty much defined “nightmare”. Sure, when she’d seen him at Guy’s, her body had responded to his size, his well-developed muscles and that damn leather jacket of his. Matthew couldn’t have been more of a cliché—shaggy blond hair, driving gloves, dark sunglasses and every other bad-boy accessory. She shook her head to clear her mind of his sculpted chest and the tiny lotus flower tattooed over his heart.

  Neva snorted. “You don’t look done.”

  “Is it that obvious?” Emily shook her head. “He stole from me, Neva. He followed my leads, picked up my quarries and turned them in to Guy. He thought I’d be happy that he bought me dinner with money he made off my work. He has no respect for me as either a bounty hunter or a person. He told me he wanted me to give up my martial arts classes so I could focus on learning to cook better. No need to worry about protecting myself when I have him. It doesn’t matter what I think of his body. I have to be done with him. It’s a matter of self-respect.”

  “Wow, thanks.” Neva’s bitter expression reminded Emily of the context of their conversation. Emily’s face fell. She bit her lip and searched for an apology, but Neva shook her head before Emily could come up with any appropriate words. “I get it, Emily. You’re pursuing a career, not looking for marriage. But I have to say that it sounds pretty nice to have a guy who wants to protect me.”

  “Matthew didn’t really want to protect me. He wanted to undermine me.”

  “That’s you, Emily. I’m not strong like you.”

  “Yes, you are, Neva!”

  Neva raised one plucked eyebrow and tilted her head to the side. The delicate lines of her nose and cheekbones made her seem like something breakable. “I just look things up for Guy.”

  “Do you really think that, Neva? I know better and so does Guy. You’re a good skiptracer. You’ve given me invaluable leads on tons of jobs. You know where to look for things and what to do with what you find. Remember that guy a couple months ago? You went to the DMV and figured out he owned a motorcycle we didn’t know about? I’d never have found him if I hadn’t put the word out to watch for that motorcycle.”

  “Don’t flatter me. A real skiptracer knows hacking. I can use a computer, but only for basic things.”

  Emily frowned. How many times had she let herself get demoralized because of her ideas of what a “real” bounty hunter ought to do and know? “What you do works, Neva. And I wouldn’t trade it. I don’t like hearing you put yourself down.”

  Her friend sighed, flipping one long earring off her shoulder. “Matthew said I shouldn’t let my job stress me out so much. He said Guy asks too much of me, and I stay at the office too late.”

  “Was he trying to get you to join him for happy hour at the time?”

  Neva pursed her lips but didn’t reply.

  “Listen,” Emily said, “I don’t begrudge you him. He’s a great-looking guy. He’s good in bed, if you’re into what he’s into. I’m not going to try to talk you out of going after him. But I have to ask if you’re sure about what you’re doing. Guy wasn’t happy that you called Matthew about the Bonavita job. I think it shook his trust a little.”

  “His trust? You say it like Guy even knows my name.”

  “Of course he knows your name. You’re great at what you do. I’ve been trying to tell you that. But it’s not just that…” Emily hesitated, not sure whether she ought to finish her sentence.

  “What?” Neva examined her fingernails. Too casual. Emily bit her lip, then decided to take the plunge.

  “The reason you called Matthew was pretty clear. I think Guy was a little hurt.”

  Neva’s eyes snapped up. “Emily, do you have to bring that old crush up? Guy’s had his chance. I fawned over him for three years and he never made a move. I’m not going to let myself waste away. I’m looking forward, not back.”

  The tremble in Neva’s hands betrayed her brave words, but Emily didn’t have the heart to call her on it. Her own body clearly hadn’t gotten the memo about Matthew. “Suit yourself. But I didn’t bring this up to get into all that. Really, I wanted to ask if our usual deal is in place for this job. Since Matthew seems to want to steal it from me.”

  “Emily! How could you think I’d sell you out for him? You know I’m always good for what we agreed—my administrative help in exchange for ten percent of whatever you end up taking home.”

  “That’s the deal.” Emily tried not to let her voice go grim. She believed in doing right by Neva, but that ten percent always hurt. By the time Emily paid Neva, passed out a reasonable number of bribes and put gas in her tank, she usually didn’t have much left to take home. Her dire financial situation made her press Neva harder than she otherwise would have. “Do you want to make the same deal for Bonavita? I’d love your help, but I don’t want you to feel caught in the middle.”

  Neva shook her head firmly. “I wouldn’t let you down, Emily. You’ve never taken a job like this before. If I’d thought you’d want it, I’d have called you.”

  “Thanks. The vote of confidence means a lot to me. And I’m sunk without your leads.” Emily drummed her fingers on the steps beside her, then picked up her sandwich for another big bite.

  After a minute, Neva cleared her throat and took Emily’s hand. Her long, manicured nails dug into Emily’s palm. “Why did you take this job?”

  “I need the money, Neva. You know that.”

  “I’ve heard you turn Guy down before when he offered you bigger bounties. A lot of them weren’t half as dangerous as Bonavita and you still wouldn’t take them. It can’t just be the money.”

  A half-grin slipped through Emily’s guard. “Well, Matthew was really pissing me off that day.”

  Neva let out a laugh. “That’s all it took? I’ve heard Guy practically beg you.”

  Emily frowned. “Guy’s always had faith in me. He’s always said I can. And I love him for it, don’t get me wrong. I think he’s a really good man. But there are so many more people in my life who say I can’t. Matthew is just the latest addition. And…I’m tired of it. Really, completely done with it.”

  “That’s great, Emily. That’s what I mean when I say you’re stronger than me.” Neva nodded, her approving expression firm. She reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope.

  Emily opened it and blinked. “Jeez, you’ve got everything here except what color lunchbox he carries.” She paused on a picture—much more flattering than the mug shot Guy had shown her. In a business suit that strained to contain his muscles, Fernando Bonavita’s image provided another sharp reminder of the emptiness in Emily’s bed.

  “He’s cute, isn’t he?” Neva dissolved into giggles immediately at Emily’s glare.

  Emily rolled her eyes. “‘Cute’ is the last thing I need to be thinking about my quarry.” She swallowed hard. “But yeah, he looks really good.”

  “Right?”

  “There’s something about his eyes though. They’re too hard. He looks too much like a killer. I couldn’t be with a man li
ke that. And look at that suit! Obviously he takes himself way too seriously.”

  Her friend clucked her tongue. “You’re so picky!”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to bring Bonavita in? I hear the money’s good and I bet he’s a better date than our friend Matthew.”

  It was Neva’s turn to roll her eyes. “Unlike you, I don’t know the first thing about self-defense. But I think I’m earning my share, right?”

  Emily grinned back. Her afternoon suddenly looked a lot busier.

  Chapter Three

  Javier’s smart phone buzzed in his pocket. He paused his video game and glanced at the screen. The vibration originated from the custom application he’d written to monitor the motion sensors he’d set up around the perimeter of Fernando’s house. Returning his attention to his computer, Javier quit the game and pulled up a view of the exterior cameras.

  A girl was crawling beneath Fernando’s hedge. Even with the cameras, Javier would never have seen her if the motion sensor hadn’t pinpointed her exact position. She held her body low, wore clothes that blended in perfectly with the hues of the yard’s greenery, and moved slowly enough that she wouldn’t attract the casual eye.

  Game time.

  Plans and strategies tumbled through Javier’s head, but he remained still for a moment, frozen by discomfort. No jilted lover Javier could imagine would act this way, approaching the house like a single-member SWAT team. He squinted at the grainy image of her. He supposed she was a woman, not a girl, but she was a slip of a thing. Her body seemed slight in comparison to the thick, tawny hair bound at the back of her head. Skin only a shade lighter than the hair peeked out of the camouflage clothes in a few places—Javier caught a glimpse of a light-brown shoulder blade and the back of a thigh. He remained glued to the screen, fascinated by her strange grace. She didn’t seem like his brother’s type at all.

  Javier cleared his throat, struggling again with suspicions he didn’t want to acknowledge. But what harm could it do to play along? That girl couldn’t hurt him, and more than anything he wanted to repay Fernando for all the years he’d looked out for his kid brother. It wouldn’t hurt to earn recognition as an adult in the process. Maybe if he could gain Fernando’s trust he’d be rewarded with true explanations instead of obvious fabrications like this one.