by Marie Force
“Jasper, is it true? Are you Henry Kingsley’s son and heir?”
“Are you leaving Quantum to run Kingsley Enterprises?”
“How have you kept that secret all these years?”
“Do Flynn and Hayden know about your bloodline and your billions?”
A thousand scenarios cycle through my mind as I cling to Ellie, who’s tucked up against my side, her head down and her face, hopefully, shielded from the photographers.
“Hey!” one of them shouts. “That’s Flynn’s sister! What’s her name? She works for them!”
“Jasper, are you with Flynn’s sister? How long have you been together?”
I tighten my hold on her and power through the scrum. We’re nearly to the main door when I see Gordon Yates, our director of security in LA, come running in with a few of his guys. I’ve never been so happy to see anyone. Like a military unit, they surround us and escort us into an SUV that’s waiting at the curb. I’ll deal with my car later. Apparently, I have much bigger concerns at the moment.
“What the fuck is going on?” I ask when Gordon has us sealed off from the melee. As the SUV pulls away from the curb, they follow us, banging on the windows. “How do they know everything?”
“Your father gave an interview about his upcoming jaunt,” Gordon says in a clipped tone. A former Marine, Gordon carries his tall, muscular frame with military bearing, and he still wears his blond hair in a boot-camp buzz. “He was asked if he’s concerned about the future of his company if something should happen to him. He waxed poetic about his son and heir, Academy Award-winning cinematographer Jasper Autry, who works under his mother’s maiden name so as not to capitalize on the Kingsley name.” Gordon withdraws his phone from his pocket and reads from his screen. “‘Everything my son has accomplished, he’s done entirely on his own, and I couldn’t be more chuffed. But he’s also well aware of what’s expected of him in the future. I can pursue my passions in peace knowing my family and business will be properly cared for should the worst happen.’”
“That son of a bitch,” I whisper. I’m stunned but not as surprised as I should be that he’s found a way to let me know he fully intends to deliver on his threats unless I fall in line.
Ellie takes my hand and holds it between both of hers. “So what if people know who you really are? That doesn’t change anything.”
“It’s a firestorm, though,” Gordon says grimly. “The swarm at the airport is only the start. The offices are surrounded, and they’re staking out your homes in the city and at the beach.”
“We’ll go to my place, then,” Ellie says.
“I’m sure that by the time you get there, they’ll be waiting for you,” Gordon says.
I sense her panic and want nothing more than to reassure her.
“We’re taking you to Kristian’s place in the city,” Gordon tells us. “It has underground parking, and he’s made the apartment available to you both for as long as you need it.”
That tells me they think we’re in for a siege.
“The others are meeting you there to figure out next steps,” Gordon says.
I watch the city go by in a blur outside the SUV’s darkened windows. “He’s blackmailing me.” I can hear the weariness in my own tone. I wonder if they can, too.
“Excuse me?” Gordon says, his brows narrowing.
“My father is blackmailing me. He has pictures of me from the time I left home right up to this week, pictures that would ruin my career and reputation as well as Ellie’s.” I can’t add that he has pictures of the other Quantum principals, too. Not in front of Ellie.
“How… What…”
“I have no idea, but he has them, and it’s bad, Gordon. As bad as it gets.” I look him directly in the eye, hoping to convey that it’s far worse than I’m able to say in mixed company.
His mouth falls open before he snaps it shut. As our director of security, he’s going to take this breach harder than anyone. I also have no doubt that he’ll work harder than anyone to ferret out the mole in our midst. We’re quiet the rest of the way to Kristian’s place on the top floor of a high-rise in Hollywood, which has undergone a renaissance of sorts in recent years.
While it’s not the most exclusive neighborhood in the city, Kristian likes the easy access to the office, downtown and his place at the beach. Thinking about things such as why Kristian chooses to live here rather than the more obvious choices of Silver Lake, Beverly Hills or Los Feliz gives me something to think about other than the potential disaster hanging over our heads.
My cell phone rings, and I glance at the caller ID. Mother. I take the call, because I always take her calls, no matter what. “Hello, Mother.”
“Jasper, I’m appalled that your father would do this to you,” she says without preamble. Her anger is palpable even with almost six thousand miles between us.
And she has no idea what else he’s trying to do to me. “It is appalling, but sadly not surprising. I went to see him.”
“When?”
“Yesterday, or was it today? I’ve lost track of the time zones. I’m back in LA now.”
“You didn’t mention you were coming.”
“It was a last-minute thing. I wanted to see him before he takes off on his latest quest for world domination.”
“He’s a fool.”
“On that we agree.”
“I take it the visit didn’t go well?”
My bark of laughter is filled with irony.
She sighs. “And now he’s lashing out.”
“You could say that. He’s actually blackmailing me with photographs that would be extremely embarrassing to me and others if they were to be released.”
“Blackmailing you? Over what?”
“Over my resignation as his heir.”
“You told him…”
“That I’m not coming back to London. Ever. My career and my life are in Los Angeles.” I smile at Ellie as I say that. “I want to have a wife and children who are not burdened by the weight of obligation from the day they are born. I want my life. Not his.”
“Finally,” she says. “I’ve been hoping for years that you’d take a stand.”
Her confession shocks me. “You never said so.”
“You had to get there on your own. I couldn’t and wouldn’t suggest it. I’m walking a fine line between the two of you. I always have.”
“He’s out to ruin me, Mother.” And others I care about, my closest mates, my partners, my family.
“That’s not going to happen. You leave him to me.”
“I’m not sure anyone can change his mind about this, even you.”
“Don’t be so certain. I’m on my way to London today to see him before he leaves. I’ll take care of it.”
“While I’d never doubt your ability to influence him, I hope you’ll understand that his threats are serious enough that I feel compelled to take my own action to protect myself and the people I love.”
“You do whatever you feel you must. And when you’re ready, bring your lady love to see me.”
Her support and kindness restore my faith somewhat. “I will. Thank you, Mother.”
“No thanks needed. Be well, Jasper. I’ll be in touch.”
After the line goes dead, I glance at Ellie, who is smiling.
“Am I allowed to say that I love your mum?”
“She’s the bee’s knees. Always has been, and thank God for that. Without her to give some balance, he would’ve driven me completely off my trolley.” I’ve never told my mother, my sisters, or anyone for that matter, about some of the tactics my father employed to keep me in line. Those “tactics” left scars on my soul that I carry with me to this day.
“Off your trolley?” she asks, her brow raised.
“Crazy. Mad. Nuts.”
“Ahhh, gotcha. I can’t wait to meet her.”
Ellie’s unwavering conviction along with my mother’s determination have given me something I’ve been sorely lacking since the meeting with
my father—hope.
Chapter 20
We arrive to chaos at Kristian’s. Apparently, a pipe has broken in his kitchen, and he’s desperately trying to contain a flood.
“Let me.” Ellie runs toward the kitchen, grabs a wrench that Kristian left on the counter, drops to the floor and shimmies under the sink. Watching her, I’m incredibly aroused by how sexy she looks as she cranks the wrench and gets the water to stop, but not before she gets completely soaked in the process.
“That was amazing,” Kristian says, stunned by her competence.
I’m ridiculously proud—and randy—as she emerges from under the sink, her white T-shirt clinging to her lovely breasts.
Kristian hands her a towel and looks away from her wet T-shirt while I continue to stare.
“How’d you learn to do that?” he asks.
Ellie wipes her face with the towel. “Saturday mornings at Home Depot. You’d be amazed what you can learn how to do in a couple of hours.”
“I’m seriously impressed,” Kristian says. “And extremely grateful. A flood on the top floor doesn’t bode well for friendly relations with the neighbors below.”
“Our stuff is in Gordon’s car,” I say. “Could you loan her something dry?”
“Of course.” Kristian disappears into his bedroom, leaving us alone in the kitchen.
“That was rather brilliant, my love. I’m also very impressed.”
She shrugs off the praise. “I like knowing how to do stuff.”
This woman can afford to hire someone to do anything she needs done, but she’d rather do it herself. If I weren’t already gobsmacked by her, I would be now.
Kristian returns with a T-shirt for Ellie, and she ducks into the half bath off the kitchen to change. “How bad is it?” he asks, cutting right to the chase when we’re alone.
“Worst case.”
To his credit, my closest friend doesn’t seem angry with me, though he has every good reason to be. I’m not sure how I’d feel if my sexual preferences were being used to blackmail one of my partners.
“Whatever you’re thinking,” he says as he uses a couple of beach towels to mop up the water on the floor, “stuff it. You didn’t cause this. You’re a victim just like the rest of us.”
“I dragged you all into it.”
He looks up at me, his brow raised. “By being born?”
The utter ridiculousness of it all hits me then, and I release an uneasy laugh. “Something like that.”
His dark hair is mussed when he stands upright, his blue eyes heated with what might be rage, but it’s not directed at me. “Whoever sold us out is going to regret the day they ever tangled with the Quantum partners.”
His show of support means more to me than I’ll ever be able to tell him. “I haven’t said anything to Ellie about the rest of you being dragged in. That’s not up to me.”
“Understood.”
Flynn arrives a short time later, with two nieces and three nephews in tow. Kristian invites them to check out his game room while Flynn gives me a wary look that, knowing him, probably has more to do with my relationship with his sister than the threat of his secrets being made public. “Jasper.”
“Flynn.”
We circle each other like rabid dogs. “Where’s my sister?”
“In the loo getting changed after saving Kris from catastrophe.”
Kristian brings him up to speed on the near-flood. “Your sister is Wonder Woman.”
“Not sure I’d go that far,” Ellie says when she joins us wearing a much bigger shirt than the one that got wet. I miss the wet one. She greets her brother with a kiss to his cheek. “Behave yourself, or I’ll beat the shit out of you.”
“As if you could,” Flynn says with a huff of indignation.
“I wouldn’t mess with her after what we just witnessed,” Kristian says.
I nod in agreement. “Seriously. She’s amazing.”
Ellie rolls her eyes at our effusiveness, but I can tell she’s enjoying the well-deserved praise. “You need to get a plumber in here to replace that pipe.”
“The super called the emergency line, and someone is on their way. I hate to think about what might’ve happened if you hadn’t gotten here when you did.”
“No problem.” To Flynn, she says, “Where’s Nat?”
“She’s picking up Aileen and the kids at the airport.”
I notice Kristian perks right up at the mention of Natalie’s friend from New York, who’d been fighting breast cancer when Flynn met Natalie. He used his connections to get her in with some of the best doctors in New York, and she’s been doing much better. We’re looking forward to seeing her and her kids for the first time since Flynn and Nat’s wedding last month. I realize that no one is looking forward to seeing her more than Kristian is.
Interesting.
Hayden and Addie arrive with Emmett, Marlowe and her assistant, Leah, in tow. Now that they’re all here, I can no longer postpone the inevitable meeting with my partners.
“We need a few minutes alone,” Kristian says. His meaning is clear—partners only. Ellie and Addie have worked for us long enough to know that occasionally we have to tend to business that is confidential. Leah, who has been with Marlowe for more than a month now, is starting to catch on, too.
Ellie gives my arm a squeeze before she joins Addie and Leah on the sofa in the living room. The rest of us follow Kristian into his home office.
I pull the photos out of my satchel and hand them over to Emmett, who studies each one before passing it on.
“Motherfucker,” Hayden whispers when he sees the one of himself and Addie at Black Vice. Their embrace is relatively innocent, but the scene behind them is hardly innocent. “You really think your father would actually release these photos if you don’t fall in line?”
“I really do.”
“Jesus. And I thought my family was fucked up.”
Flynn stares down at the photo of Ellie and me that was taken at Black Vice. The muscle pulsing in his jaw ramps up my anxiety. “What’re our options, Em?”
Emmett runs through the series of actions he’s already taken, including requesting an injunction in London that would prohibit Henry Kingsley from releasing the damaging photos. Due to the international element at play here, it’s tricky but not impossible, Emmett reports.
“I appreciate what you all are doing and how well you’re taking this serious breach of your privacy, but I’m not willing to risk it. I’ll give him what he wants. I’ll resign my partnership at Quantum—”
“No,” Marlowe says, “you won’t.” With her red hair contained in a ponytail and her face devoid of makeup, you’d never know she’s one of the top box office draws in Hollywood. However, right now, right here, she’s my friend and partner, and her green eyes are ablaze with anger. “You won’t make that kind of sacrifice on my behalf. I’m a big girl. If those photos get out, I’ll deal with it, but I don’t expect you to abandon your life and career to protect me.”
“Neither do I,” Kristian says, his gaze steely and determined.
Hayden hesitates, and I know he’s thinking of Addie and not himself. “I don’t want that either. I can’t imagine this job or life without you smack in the middle of it. You’ve got to fight him.”
All eyes turn to Flynn, who is staring at a photo of him and Natalie taken at Club Quantum. He looks at me. “Is my sister pregnant?”
“I hope so.”
“Whoa,” Marlowe says. “How about bringing me up to speed?”
“Seriously,” Kristian says. “What the hell?”
“Jasper?” Flynn says with a smirk that makes me want to punch him—except that maybe, if we can get through this nightmare, he might one day be my brother-in-law. I contain the urge.
“When we were in Mexico, Ellie told me she wants to have a baby. She said she’s tired of waiting for Mr. Right to come along, and time is running out. I offered to help her. One thing led to another, and we’ve both confessed to having had feeling
s for each other for a long time.”
“Holy shit,” Marlowe says. “How’d we miss this?”
“I always sort of suspected,” Flynn says.
I scoff at him. “You did not.”
“I did, too! She looks at you a lot when you’re not aware, and you do the same. If you don’t believe me, ask Natalie. I told her there was something brewing long before you woke me in the middle of the night to confirm it.”
Now I’m gobsmacked for a whole other reason. I thought I’d been so subtle about my affection for her. Apparently not so much if Flynn picked up on it.
“So she’s already pregnant?” Marlowe asks.
“We hope so. We’ve been giving the project a tremendous amount of effort.”
“Not another word,” Flynn says, holding up his hand, “or I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
Though I’m still heavily burdened by anxiety and the fear of what might happen if the photos are made public, I can’t help but laugh at the face he makes.
“The way I see it,” Flynn says, “the only place you belong is right here with my sister and my future niece or nephew.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I tell him, thankful for his support and friendship.
“Then we’ll fight,” Flynn says. “We’ll fight with everything we’ve got, and if the worst happens, we’ll deal with it. But no one is going anywhere.”
“I can’t tell you what it means to me…” My throat closes around a lump. I look down at the floor while I try to get my emotions under control.
“You’re one of us, Jasper,” Hayden says. “And when one of us is threatened, we all are. The far bigger issue, in my opinion, is who the fuck took those photos and how the fuck did they get into our club and Devon’s?”
“Sebastian and I are already working that angle, and we’re going to loop Gordon in, too,” Emmett says. “Believe me, Sebastian is as enraged as you are to hear we’ve had a breach, and he doesn’t even know the full extent.”
“There’s no chance…” Kristian shakes his head. “Never mind.”
“What were you going to say, Kris?” Marlowe asks.
“Nothing. Doesn’t matter.”