Duplicity (Victory Lap Book 2)

by Mercedes Jade

  Had he picked up on her discomfort?

  “But you guys don’t have any rings,” Tess pointed out.

  “We’ll get simple ones,” War said.

  “Where?” Ashley asked.

  It was Sunday. Ashley was right. It wasn’t as if they could just pick up a bunch of matching rings that easily. If they really wanted something, it would be a trip out as soon as possible before the stores closed.

  “I’ll send Jacobson out,” War said.

  He promptly got up and pushed a button on the wall. It didn’t make a sound, although Tess had been expecting a buzzing tone. A little light did turn red below it, however, and then Jacobson’s voice came through the intercom.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Please come to the kitchen,” War said.

  He didn’t tell Jacobson for what reason, but that was probably easier to say in person. If they were sending him out for rings, then he would need to take all of their measurements.

  Tess exchanged a look between herself and the kids. This was out of their realm of experience.

  Imagine being able to go out and buy whatever you wanted or needed with no other thought other than selection or choice? Favourite colour was more important than which day you got paid.

  It would make her more comfortable at school if the guys got matching rings. The gesture is what mattered.

  She talked with the kids a bit about their weekend while the guys conversed with Jacobson about the rings they wanted. She was sure they were adding requests for the rings they wanted to get her.

  That was confirmed when Jacobson came over with a paper tape and started his measurements on all of her fingers, even her thumb!

  “So are we staying here tonight or going home?” Ashley asked once Jacobson had left them alone again in the kitchen.

  “Home,” Tess answered.

  “Here,” War replied at the same time.

  They both swung their gazes at each other across the table.

  “We need to discuss security first before we make any final decisions,” Bastion said, cutting between them with a voice that brooked no disagreement.

  “The kids need to be home. They’ve already been through too much lately!”

  Kade shook his head at her, disagreeing

  “Jason wouldn’t want you or Ashley to be at risk of getting hurt,” Keir said, backing up his brother’s look.

  “It’s our house. I’ll lock up and we’ll have the bodyguard watching the house, right?” Tess said.

  “Why don’t we iron out the details with the professionals instead of making any hasty plans?” War suggested. “They should be ready for us now.”

  The kids were invited in on the discussion.

  Tess was surprised. She knew the guys had only recently shared their stories with her. Wouldn’t it be too hard to reveal it to the kids, too?

  War cleared up that the kids were only to stay for the beginning of the talk quickly. The kids nodded, no whining about it at all.

  “Hi. Carl? Are you ready for us now?” War asked as he entered the large office he had led them all to at the back left of the house.

  It looked like it was used more for pleasure than business. There were shelves of books everywhere. Tess caught sight of some classic fiction like Frankenstein and Narnia. Who was the reader?

  “Yes, come on in. Please take a seat,” Carl said.

  He gestured to the chairs and couch in a sunk-in seating area. There was a fireplace on the wall nearest to the seating, although it wasn’t lit.

  Everyone sat. War introduced them all one-by-one. Carl shook hands, then he introduced his other colleagues briefly. Only one of them stayed with Carl. The same guy that had driven in the van with them from Bastion’s house.

  “Hans and I want to review the bodyguard assignments first,” Carl said.

  Each person was assigned a main bodyguard and a shared back-up. The back-ups were for when everyone was sleeping and would travel between different houses, monitoring from the outside.

  There weren't that many guards in the room to match up with everyone present. The ones that hadn’t arrived yet had an introduction over the Skype-like video conference that Carl ran on a laptop.

  “What about our mom?” Jason asked.

  “There will be a guard for your mother,” Hans assured them.

  Carl dialled up another guard.

  “Her name is Sam. We figured with everything your mom has been going through, it would be easier for her to accept an older, female guard.”

  Tess was impressed. She hadn't really thought about it. The important thing had been ensuring that her mother had protection.

  It was true that Maddy would feel less comfortable around an authoritative male. Whoever also thought about her mother's comfort was getting a gold star.

  “What about the hospital? It’s not like we can ask them to let the guard stay on the ward all day long,” Tess pointed out.

  “My mum already had a talk with the hospital,” War said. “It’s an unusual request but not anything illegal. The guard will be treated the same as any other family. They can stay on the ward as long as it is visiting hours. Else-wise, they will be allowed to remain on the property. The guards will simply stay in the parking lot by the front entrance overnight.”

  “I will take turns with Sam. If Ms. Sinclair is released from the hospital while we are still providing guard protection, we’ll simply combine our efforts with the guards for the Sinclair children.”

  Tess took a moment to realize the guard meant herself as well as the kids.

  “That sounds fair,” Tess agreed. “I mean, it sounds a bit like overkill to have all of these guards, but I can also understand that all of us are not together all the time. It means you need enough guards for when we split up.”

  There actually was a lot more involved in having privately hired bodyguards than Tess had considered. There was quite a group of them needing the service between the guys, the kids, and Maddy.

  “What about Ruby?” Tess asked.

  It only seemed right. Ruby could be turned into a target if Greg or Jensen’s gang traced things back to War.

  The kids had stayed here all weekend and Tess had flown on the Stewart family jet. The motorcycle gang had clearly targeted them at the airport, so they had to know who had been arranging the flight.

  It was worrisome that the powerful connections and wealth War had casually flexed didn’t deter the gang at all from their attack. Other people would have found out that they were flying on a private jet and decided it was safer not to pursue them as targets.

  Maybe that meant Jensen and his gang had more to lose than any of them had realized. None of them were safe from being targets if high stakes were being played.

  “Mrs. Stewart has private security arranged by her husband. We will coordinate with them, but her husband is overseeing that part himself. The detail has already started and her guards are out with her on the doggie chore currently,” Hans answered.

  War nodded.

  “Da arranged it as soon as I told him what had happened.”

  “You told him about our dad?” Ashley asked.

  Her younger sister looked nervous. Their family was hiding a pretty dark past and used to keeping it secret.

  “The information we are told is kept confidential between us and the clients. We need to know to do our jobs properly, Miss Sinclair. If a family member is a threat, we especially need to know, so we will intervene before anything happens. We must know who you trust and who you don’t trust. There can’t be secrets. Those are dangerous in protection work.”

  This time Carl had answered. Both he and Hans acted professionally. They had quite the set up with coordinating all the guards, video conferencing, and explaining things efficiently to their group.

  There were even a few telephones and computers set up on the desks on the other half of the room with wires running everywhere. They really made this look like an ‘operations’ in the little time they h
ad been given.

  “So does everyone have their guard assignments? You know who will be providing your protection? There will be no replacements without prior coordination. When you do meet in person with your guard, you will set up a safe password for true emergencies to identify someone else you can trust. If anyone else approaches you without that password, even if you think it’s one of the other guards, you are not to go with them.”

  Carl again.

  Everyone nodded.

  “Good. I would like to discuss the investigative part of our work now,” Carl said. He looked over at War. “Do you want everyone to be present for this discussion as well?”

  War shook his head.

  “Some of this stuff is between you and the individual clients only. We’ll talk to you one-on-one. Let’s all head back out, so the office can be used for individual interviews.”

  “Who goes first?” Tess asked.

  “You,” War replied.

  Why her? Surely the guys needed to talk to Carl about the investigation first?

  Tess was still mostly an outsider to it all. Greg was involved, but other than that fateful encounter after her visit to Daniels, she wasn’t as mired into the situation as the rest of them.

  All she could think about was the burn that Jensen had left on Kade’s neck. A threat and a dark promise. Kade and Keir needed help more than Tess.

  “I’ll stay with you if you want,” War offered as the rest of them turned to leave.

  “Yeah, I would prefer that,” Tess admitted.

  Bastion stopped at the door, turned back around, and gave her a penetrating look.

  “Don’t let her be a hero,” he said, keeping his eyes on her even though the comment was directed at the guards and maybe War.

  Tess felt her back go up with her natural response to Bastion when he bossed her around. Just what he had intended, she imagined, although he also knew the warning was necessary.

  She stuck her tongue out before responding.

  “Go. I’m surrounded by guards. What kind of trouble do you think I can get up to with someone to follow me around all day long?”

  The kids had exited the room, but her guys were all still here. Bastion leaned back against the doorway and wall, crossing his legs at the ankle in a casual pose that said he had all day to waste if he needed to get her to behave.

  It was worse than a mom telling you to sit at the table until you finish eating your peas. The torture was the wait and that was all on you!

  Tess sighed.

  “Yes, Bossy, I’m going to discuss my part in this mess and I won’t hide things or make a plan to fix everything on my own,” Tess said. “Now skedaddle,” she added with a dismissive wave of one hand towards him.

  Bastion moved slowly, uncrossing his ankles and straightening up from his lean on the doorway. Nobody else spoke, giving them the moment to communicate wordlessly.

  Tess swallowed, hearing it in her ears.

  “Come to my room when you’re done here,” Bastion said.

  Always summoning her to his room! She glanced at Carl, feeling shy.

  “Moving in with your bestie like you’re roommates at college already, huh?” she mumbled.

  It was just loud enough that Bastion might have heard, but she had meant it for Carl and Hans.

  “I’ll help you unpack when I’m done,” she added, looking at the guards.

  Bastion snorted a laugh, his typical response when she amused him but he was being too polite to point out what was so funny.

  “Take the fourth room on the right,” War suggested.

  Bastion waved at them all and exited, closing the door softly behind him.

  “Miss Sinclair, if you would take a seat again, we can get started.”

  Carl was all business.

  Tess felt it was the right tone to set. She took a seat, and with War beside her, explained in a short time what happened with Greg at her house.

  The background to her messed-up family was summed in three sentences. One about the drinking and abuse. The second to refer to the separation. A summary statement that Greg was bad for the whole family and they preferred to keep away from him for their own well-being.

  War spoke up after she laid it out without enough emphasis on the danger.

  “He held a gun to her head. The man should be brought up on charges. If you catch him trying anything illegal, I want you to get it on video. We will strongly urge Tess to prosecute.”

  Tess’s mouth went dry.

  Her father was the law. Had been long enough to matter when it came to pressing charges. His old buddies at the precinct had a way of making evidence disappear.

  Maddy would pay the price if the kids fell out of line. Didn’t the mother always?

  “Just keep him away from me, Mom, and the kids. Don’t give him the chance. He’s likely to sniff out our protection if he gets too close. Dirty cops are still cops, ya’ know?”

  Hans reached for one of her knees and laid a gentle hand on top. It got her attention, but didn’t make her feel too uncomfortable, especially with War beside her.

  “This isn’t your father’s old precinct. The charges will stick. We do this for a living, Miss Sinclair. Nobody wants your father to break the law, but if he does, we’re going to collect the evidence and let you decide. You are safe now.”

  Tess nodded, throat tight.

  “We would like to take some extra steps with that goal in mind,” Carl said.

  He picked up a pretty butterfly-shaped hairpin with rhinestones. Ashley would have loved it. Tess preferred less ornamentation. The simple gold ring that Bastion had given her was more her style.

  “This is a bug,” Carl told her. He handed the butterfly to her.

  “Pretty bug,” she commented.

  “It is in your hair except for when you shower. This is small enough for you to even sleep wearing it.”

  Tess frowned down at the bug. “You want to spy on me?”

  “We want to keep closer tabs on you in case your father slips our defences, or more likely, sends someone else. This is a recorder for evidence. It won’t stop you from getting hurt. This isn’t a weapon. It’s collateral.”

  Hans was keeping quiet. Carl was taking the lead on this one.

  War gave her hand he was holding a squeeze.

  “You control what is done with anything recorded. They will sign a contract with you regarding it if you agree to wear the bug.”

  This put the control in her court. It was merely collecting evidence. Didn’t mean she had to do anything with it, once collected.

  “Okay,” she agreed.

  She clipped the bug in her hair and signed the contract once War ensured she understood it thoroughly. She turned down his offer of a lawyer to counsel her.

  “We also want you to wear a fake wire,” Hans said, holding up a little clip with a wire attached to it and a tiny-looking recorder.

  That could have come straight out of a movie.

  “Why?” Tess asked.

  “We prepare for worst case scenarios, Miss Sinclair. This is what they’ll be looking for if you’re taken. The real bug will be overlooked,” Carl explained.

  “I’ll give this to you for now. It goes under your clothes, so a female bodyguard will show you how to put it on later,” Hans added.

  She accepted the bulkier device from him.

  “This is going to stand out in the change room at school,” Tess said with a sigh.

  “You don’t have gym this semester,” War pointed out.

  He was right. There was no way out of wearing the fake wire.

  “Do you have any questions for us?” Carl asked.

  Tess shook her head. It had been enough just to listen to them. Questions would come later, after she had time to process everything on her own first.

  “Can you get Kade to come back next?” War asked. “Tell him to wait about ten minutes, to give me time to talk about my situation alone.”

  War didn’t have a situation. He was the
only one not over his head in this mess.

  Tess nodded agreement anyway. War was helping all of them out. If he wanted to talk privately first, then who was she to question it?

  War was the least pushy of her guys, even though he wasn’t afraid to get physical with her when he needed, like that shoulder-carry out of Daniels. The biggest guy of her boyfriends could also be the most timid.

  He liked to give her space, let her choose to come to him. Coax and seduce her.

  It also made him the most dangerous. The devil that she’d named him.

  War would never lie to her, but mislead? If he thought it was for her own good?

  Luce would make a devil’s bargain to keep her safe, and she’d better not forget it.

  She was escorted to the door by War after shaking hands again with Hans and Carl. She waved goodbye.

  War leaned over her shoulder to whisper in her ear.

  “Tell Bastion last but not least. Make it count.”

  She blushed.

  War could only be talking about sex. Technically, Bastion was the only guy in their group she hadn’t gone all the way with yet. Not for lack of trying. Orgasms had been had and she wasn’t complaining.

  Now, she had something to really look forward to when she went to Bastion’s room.

  16

  Bastion

  Too Hot to Handle

  The knock on the door startled him.

  In his house, there were a couple of creaky stairs and a floorboard. He knew exactly how his stepmother sounded walking over them.

  It provided enough time to go out the window or to decide to lock himself into his ensuite for a shower.

  He couldn’t lock his bedroom door. They had removed the deadbolt.

  Hard to argue a good reason why he couldn’t have his privacy on the toilet, however, so Mummy Dearest had lost that one. She was forced to give him a modicum of privacy.

  If it sounded like she was being inappropriate, she was, completely and absolutely. Except it wasn’t because she wanted to get in his pants.

  Thankfully.

  Not that the girls she shoved into his bedroom were much better. Or the lectures about how he should be thinking about the family name, doing his duty as heir.