by Lea Hart
SCOUNDREL
McCallan Brothers
Book Three
Lea Hart
Copyright © 2019 by Lea Hart
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Lea Hart
Visit my website at www.leahartauthor.com
DEDICATION
For My Daughters, My Heartbeat
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Janell Parque for her editorial wisdom.
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When you least expect it, something amazing will come along. Something better than you ever imagined.
CHAPTER ONE
Seth strode through the hallway of McCallan Security and knew his restlessness had grown fangs. He’d been jumpier than a cat for more weeks than he could count and prayed the assignment he’d just accepted was the answer.
Dropping his bag next to his desk, he heard his middle brother’s telltale heavy footsteps coming down the hall and blew out a long breath. “Cue the lecture,” he mumbled before settling into his chair.
“Where the fuck are you going?” Zach barked.
“Los Angeles.”
“For how long?”
“Forty-eight hours, possibly thirty-six.”
“You better be going for some R&R and not some bullshit gig with Anthony.”
“This is the last one.”
“That’s what you said after we got back from Taichung.”
“I mostly mean it this time.”
“And what sort of crap does Anthony have on tap for the assignment?”
“It’s straight up hacking.”
“And what else?”
“That’s it! All I have to do is install a couple of Trojans on a network. Nothing could be easier and less dangerous.”
Lifting his chin, Zach narrowed his gaze. “Off the books assignments for the government are never easy and this sounds like some suspicious hinky shit.”
“What’s suspicious?” Cole called out as he ambled in and took a seat.
Seth studied his oldest brother and hoped like hell he wouldn’t join in on the sermon Zach was bound to unleash. “I have a gig in LA and Zach’s winding himself up because he thinks it’s too easy to be believed.”
“Who’s involved?” Cole asked before tenting his fingers in front of his face.
“Tick Tock.”
“That’s Isabel Stillman’s group, and since she’s a fucking spymaster, I’m dead on with my assessment,” Zach said quietly. “Any time she’s involved with something, a trail of dead bodies is pretty much guaranteed.”
“As long as it’s not any of the good guys bleeding out, then I’m okay with it,” Seth replied with a grin.
“Sometimes the distinction between who’s on what side is a little unclear,” Cole said quietly. “And the bullet hole you came home with last time proves the point beautifully.”
“I’m working with a civilian on this assignment, so the danger level should be minimal.”
“What poor soul got roped into working with the CIA?” Cole asked.
“A woman named Tessa Sanders who apparently is the way in.”
“I don’t like it,” Zach said as he unwound his arms and started to pace.
Cole glanced over at Zach and let out a frustrated breath. “We’re keeping our nose out of his business, remember?”
“You made that promise. I didn’t,” Zach replied.
“I’m leaving this afternoon and will be back by Saturday night at the latest. And, I’m guessing the most challenging part of this assignment will be getting through LA traffic on a Friday afternoon.”
“What do we know about this civilian?” Cole asked.
Seth walked over to his mini bar, poured three shots of bourbon, and then handed them out. “Tessa Sanders is the executive assistant to the president of a private jet company but lists her occupation as an actress on her LinkedIn profile.” He took a sip of his drink and gave his brothers a confident smile as he took a seat. “As far as I can tell, her greatest career accomplishment was the five years she spent as a princess at Disneyland.”
“No shit?” Zach said as he walked around the desk. “A real-life princess? This I need to see.”
Seth slid his finger over his monitor and the file he’d compiled on Tessa populated his screen. “This is my new partner.”
Zach let out a whistle. “Maybe Anthony is playing cupid because that’s one attractive woman.”
Cole stood and leaned across the desk. “Not going to be a hardship working with this one ‘cause she’s a smoke show.”
The sound of heels clacking against the floor had all three of them looking up, and when Cole’s fiancée stopped inside the door, Seth let out a chuckle. “Did your radar go off, Kelly?”
“No, but maybe it should have since my man is looking guilty.”
Cole sauntered over and moved his finger along Kelly’s arm. “Babe, I’m as innocent as a lamb.”
Snorting, she looked over his shoulder and trained her eyes on both Seth and Zach. “What has he done?”
“Nothing, he probably just feels bad since he was admiring my new partner’s looks,” Seth said before taking a slug of his bourbon. When his brother’s head whipped around, he held up his hands. “Truth is freedom, man.”
Kelly patted Cole’s chest. “Admiring a beautiful woman isn’t wrong, and I’d never be upset with you because it’s completely natural.”
“That’s some kind of bullshit, babe. Since we both know there’s no way in hell that me looking at another woman isn’t going to light your fire and have me suffering for days.”
Smoothing out his shirt, she pursed her lips. “If I see an attractive man, then I’m certainly going to take a moment and appreciate the good Lord’s work. In fact, it would be an insult to the Creator if I didn’t.”
Seth watched his brother’s shoulders hunch up as the air around him stilled. Jealousy and possessiveness didn’t begin to describe the way Cole felt about the love of his life, so him not getting his tail in a twist was just about impossible. “Take a breath, brother.”
“He’s fine,” Zach commented. “Why don’t you two go hash it out in Cole’s office?”
“There’s nothing to hash out,” Kelly replied with a big smile. “We’re two healthy adults and occasionally noticing the opposite sex is expected.”
“Who have you been noticing?” Cole asked. “And please include first and last names as well as any identifying tattoos or scars.”
“Do you want the short list or the long one?”
“Top five will do,” Cole gritted out.
Kelly ran her eyes over Cole and bit her bottom lip. “I can’t seem to remember since the one that always catches my eye is standing right in front of me.”
Seth watched his brother’s shoulders drop, and the fog of jealousy disappear from over his head. “Well played, Kelly.”
“Thank you,” she replied with a wink. “I find the occasional reminde
r of what’s good for the goose is good for the gander helpful.”
“Hold my calls,” Cole called out over his shoulder as he hustled them toward the door. “I need to remind my woman why no other man will ever take my place.”
Zach let out a laugh and sat down. “Our brother has met his match.”
“You have too,” Seth replied as he set down his drink. “There’s no better fit than you and Cecily.”
Nodding confidently, Zach finished his drink. “Don’t I know it.”
“Have you two decided when and where the wedding is happening?”
“We’re thinking destination wedding since neither of us has ties to Bakersfield anymore. Her family is in Seattle, and we’re here, so we may just go to Hawaii.”
“Sounds like a solid plan.” Crossing his leg over his knee, he let out a breath. “Which leaves me as the lucky bachelor of the family.”
“Not for long, Seth. Yours is coming, and I bet it happens when you least expect it.”
“Not likely since I avoid that shit like the plague.”
“God laughs at statements like that and will soon be sending you the one person you can’t resist or deny,” Zach stood and waved his hand toward the computer monitor. “Maybe the Disney princess is going to be your one true love.”
Letting out a snort, he crossed his arms. “Falling in love has wrecked your mind and stolen your balls since that’s the sappiest shit I’ve ever heard.”
“Finding Cecily has fixed my mind and my heart, and just between you and me, she’s damn welcome to my balls.” Throwing a wink, he grinned. “Because she sure as shit knows what to do with them.”
“Gah, stop talking,” Seth groaned as he closed his eyes.
“I can’t wait until you find someone who sets your world right.”
“My world is right, and I don’t need a damn woman to make me an idiot,” he replied, watching his brother walk out of his office with an indecent smile on his face. “Smug bastard.”
He drained his drink and studied the pictures of his new partner and decided describing her as a smoke show was a hell of an understatement.
Not that it mattered either way since he wasn’t in the market for any long-term entanglements. He’d leave that nonsense to his brothers and continue to enjoy his bachelorhood ‘cause there wasn’t anything better than having as many choices as possible.
***
“Packing sucks,” Tessa mumbled as she looked around her small apartment littered with moving boxes.
“Then don’t do it,” Garrett said as he pushed aside a stack. “Stay here and don’t upset my perfectly ordered life.”
Glancing at her best friend, she noticed his frown. “I love you, G. But I have to try this before it’s too late.”
“I don’t want you to go to New York.”
“So you’ve said, but we both know I’m not going to make it in this town. I need to give the Big Apple a chance before I get too old.”
“You’re only twenty-nine and have plenty of time to make it here. There’s no need to rush anything.”
“Because parts become more available the older I get?”
“What’s wrong with becoming a character actress?”
“What’s right with it?”
“Fine, abandon me. It’s not like I depend on you for my sanity or morning coffee.”
Crossing her arms, she tried not to react to his theatrics. “Maybe you should’ve become an actor instead of a makeup artist because your flair for the dramatic far exceeds mine.”
“Don’t I know it,” he replied as he twirled around. “It’s a shame, though, that most of my best material is wasted on you.”
“A tragedy to be sure.”
“You know what’s a tragedy?”
She stepped back and narrowed her eyes. “Is it my hair or my makeup?”
“Neither.” Patting her arm, he tilted his head. “But let me shuuze your look before you leave the apartment.”
“If you must.”
“What was I talking about?”
“Tragedy…which pretty much sums up my career.”
“No, it certainly doesn’t. And if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times; there is nothing wrong with being the queen of feminine hygiene commercials.”
“There isn’t a whole lot right either, and you may be surprised to know it’s not how I see supporting myself.”
“But you really stood out in the last one with the maxi-pads.”
“No one does a better sympathetic smile than me.”
“Moving, that’s what your performance was.”
“Words to hold on to,” she replied as she pushed the full box to the side. “But let’s face it, if I don’t try the stage before I need my first facelift, then I’m a fool.”
“There are plenty of stages here for you to try.”
“I need a new town with new energy.”
“I guess it’s not the worst idea since the small laugh lines around your eyes are not helping you land parts.”
Pressing her fingers to the skin under her eyes, she wondered how bad they really were. “I’ve been using the potions and lotions you’ve given me.”
“Botox is the only thing that’s going to make a difference in those wrinkles.”
“I’m not injecting botulism into my face.”
Swishing his hand around, he rolled his eyes. “Talk about being dramatic.”
“Whatever, I’m not doing anything for many, many years to come, if ever.”
“I want you to stay and finally grab that golden ring of success, so if you don’t want Botox, let’s get you some fillers so you can be dewy and fresh.”
“Stop!”
“Fine, I’m only trying to help.” Tilting his head, he made a fish face. “You’re pretty enough just the way you are.”
“Next time you deliver a line like that, can you put a little more effort into it?”
“I’ll try.”
“Thanks,” she replied, running her hands over her face. “The truth of the matter is that I’m a competent actress with satisfactory looks and that’s nowhere near enough to make it in Los Angeles. I think the only way to change the trajectory of my career is to walk around town half-naked and put up a sex-tape that gets at least a hundred thousand hits.”
“Let’s be real; you’re going to need a least a half-million hits, and the tape should feature an A-list actor to make the kind of noise we’re talking about.”
“I feel so much better now.”
Shoulders slumping, Garett let out a breath. “I should just keep my mouth shut.”
“It might be time to admit that I don’t have the game to really make it, since I don’t date to advance my career, have no salacious pictures circulating, and teach children’s acting workshops on the weekends. I’m basically living my life as if I never left my hometown in Oregon.”
“Except you’re paying higher rent, deal with a lot more traffic, and can’t go home for Sunday supper.”
Laying her head on a cardboard box, she let out a sigh. “Now, I feel better.”
“At least you get to be a cool CIA operative before you leave town.”
“We’re not supposed to talk about it, and I’ll probably be in a lot of trouble for even mentioning it to you.”
“I’ve not breathed a word to anyone, and we both know you would’ve burst if you kept it all to yourself.”
“True.” Lifting herself up, she pushed her shoulders back and let out a sigh. “It’s too bad my day job has proven to be the most exciting part of my life.”
“I assume you’re referring to the upcoming gig and not the last two years of horrible, tortuous, and soul-numbing days, right?”
“Of course,” she replied, tightening her ponytail. “I’ve been thinking that if the next two days go well, then perhaps I should consider the spy game full time. It could be a great Plan B if New York doesn’t pan out.”
“No offense, but I don’t think you have the spy personality.”
“Your poker face sucks, and you like to talk way too much when you get nervous. I think operatives have to be comfortable with not sharing every last thought in their head.”
“I only share the important ones.”
“I know; it’s just that they’re all important to you.”
“Better out than in.”
Garrett let out a laugh and squeezed Tessa’s shoulder. “You’ll never suffer from emotional constipation.”
“It’s genetically impossible, given the fact my father is a therapist and my mother is a winemaker. When I turned twenty-one, if one couldn’t get me to talk, then the other would just keep filling my glass until I shared everything.”
“A recipe for healthy adulthood if ever there was one,” Garett commented. “Hey, you never told me how much you’re being compensated for this little side hustle.”
“Enough to fund my move across the country and give me a nice little nest egg.”
“Seems fair, considering you’ll be walking away from your job after it’s done.”
“I agree, but honestly, I feel a little bad since I can’t warn the other employees that the company might not be around for very much longer.”
“Does PJ Aviation collapse without Ian?”
“It’s certainly possible since having the owner dragged off to Federal prison might give a few customers pause.”
“Washing off the taint of trafficking drugs, guns, and Lord knows what else certainly isn’t going to be easy; that’s for damn sure.”
Leaning back, Tessa pulled on a loose string from her shorts. “Do you think it’s possible to impress everyone enough to garner an invitation to the farm?”
“I assume you’re referring to the CIA training facility and not an actual farm…”
“Yes, Garrett, that would be correct.”
“Just wanted to make sure.”
“So…”
“Is this a question where I tell you what you want to hear or the truth?”