It Takes Two

by Allie K. Adams

  “Breanne Harrington. Maiden name Willows.”

  “Skip Bree,” he growled and rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t need any other focus on her. The memory of what they’d shared together not more than two hours ago still lingered on his mind and kept him at a constant state of arousal. He wanted to get this done and get back to her.

  The sister-in-law came up next. “Whitney Harrington. Sehr schön.”

  Jeremy couldn’t argue. Whitney Harrington was very beautiful. With crystal blue eyes that women used contacts to achieve, but she had naturally, and thick wavy blonde hair that fell right at the shoulder, she reminded him of a young Grace Kelly. Classic, ageless beauty.

  But she still didn’t hold a candle to Bree. No one did. She had mesmerizing gray eyes that creased ever so slightly at the corners when she smiled. And she always smiled. Oh, and that hair. Long, long black curls cascaded to the middle of her back. Her skin, a deep cream that looked like she’d been permanently kissed by the sun always had Jeremy’s mouth watering. Now that he’d tasted her—well, sort of since it was really Jason between her legs—he wanted more. He wanted to experience her firsthand.

  “Sehr schön,” Jeremy agreed as the image of Bree in that chair, Jason driving her to climax while he swallowed her cries, conjured up in his mind.

  “Whitney Harrington just turned thirty in March. Is Bree’s right hand at Goggles, Inc. Nothing happens at Goggles without her knowing about it. She should be who we get close to.” Shaw grinned.

  “Down, boy. Bree is our client, not Whitney.”

  “Scheiße.”

  “But, to make you happy, why not keep eyes on her?”

  Shaw grinned like a little boy. “Ja.”

  “What else?”

  Shaw sent his fingers flying across the keyboard. No one could match the speed of Wolfgang Shaw when he typed or yielded results. Well, maybe Charis Snyder. It would be epic watching the two go head-to-head in the ultimate hack off. Both took computer geek to an entirely new level. “CPA is clean. He dabbles in da gray on his taxes, but otherwise is harmless. He’s more of da key your car than slash your tires kind of guy.”

  “A weasel.”

  “Ja. Ran names of old schoolmates one more time, just to cover all bases. No connection between any of them and chatter we pick up, so they’re clean.”

  “Who does that leave?”

  “Dis guy,” Shaw said and pulled up the driver of the sedan on the screen. “Bailey send me dis. Da image too blurred to get a hit.”

  “Can’t you sharpen it?”

  “Dis is the sharpened image. I even go after other cameras in city trying to track down dat car to get a plate.”

  Jeremy pinched the skin between his eyes. “Let me guess. No clear shots.”

  “Nein.”

  Swell. So far this day turned up a whole lot of dead ends. At least he left Bree with Jason. A quick flick of his attention back to the monitors told him Bree was still there, still pissed, and Jason still trying to calm her down. He’d have to owe his brother for this.

  It would have been just as easy for Jason to come into HQ to run the intel with Shaw. Jeremy could have stayed there and kept Bree company. But he didn’t trust himself when it came to her, didn’t trust himself alone with her. She had a power over him, a power she’d had over him since high school. He needed Jason there with him to keep his senses or he’d lose himself in her. He’d lose his objectivity, his sanity, and God only knew what else.

  He could handle losing all of that and more in her. What he couldn’t stand, what he’d never recover from, was if he lost her. Because of that fear, he needed that twin bond, to keep some sense of distance from her, at least until they worked through this. Jason didn’t love her, not like he did. He joined them, brought Bree pleasure unlike she’d ever known, but did so more for Jeremy than for himself.

  He really owed his brother for this.

  “I hack into their network to monitor all emails in and out. I set up phishing software to sniff out keywords. If anything comes up, I let you know.”

  “Parking garage?”

  “We have enough cameras to start our own store,” Shaw pointed out and brought up the images on the main screens to demonstrate. Whitney came on the screen as she walked to her car. As soon as she pulled out, a set of headlights flashed and drew their attention to it. Then, as they watched, a black sedan pulled out behind her and off the screen.

  Oh, shit.

  That confirmed it. Bree wasn’t the only target.

  “Get eyes on that car, Shaw. Now.”

  “I’m on it.” He clicked the keys like mad, hacking into Seattle’s traffic cams and anything else he could. Even with Shaw’s quick fingers, they still lost sight of that damned sedan. If they lost Whitney Harrington as a result of this, Bree would never forgive him.

  Hell, he’d never forgive himself.

  Rage and fear burned into his stomach, yet cooled his senses. He knew what he needed to do. Sprinting to the door, he called his orders over his shoulder. “Shaw, find that car. Get me that driver. And, for the love of God, make sure nothing happens to Whitney Harrington.”

  “My pleasure. I personally see to it. What are you going to do?”

  He glanced up at the monitors of his place and the fear he’d channeled to keep him focused and alert now threatened to consume him. Bree stood, grabbed her purse, and headed for the door. When Jason tried to stop her, she did exactly as Jeremy thought she would—she curled her fingers into a fist and took a swing. Luckily, she missed.

  “I have to get back before she ends up killing my brother.”

  “Maybe dis time you keep her clothes on?”

  Shit. Shit. He didn’t acknowledge Shaw’s jibe. He had to get to Bree before she talked Jason into letting her leave. “Just stay on Whitney Harrington. Get a team out there to intercept that sedan.”

  “Ja.”

  Jeremy drove like a madman as he raced back to his place. Even at ten at night the traffic sucked in Seattle. He weaved in and out, risking oncoming cars and anything else that stood in his way of getting to Bree in time.

  * * * *

  “Let me go, Jason.” Bree tried to jerk her arm free, but his fingers dug into her flesh.

  “Just listen. It’s not safe for you out there.”

  “And it’s not safe in here, either. I already told you not to worry. You and Jeremy obviously have ulterior motives for keeping me hostage.”

  Concern filled his blue eyes. “Christ, Bree. Is that why you think we want you here?”

  “Why else?” She jerked her arm again. This time he let her go. She didn’t wait for him to change his mind and threw open the door to leave.

  “Bree, wait!”

  She rushed to the elevator and punched the button. Luckily, the doors opened right away and she stepped in. When Jason tried to join her, she slammed her hands into his hard chest and pushed him back. “No! You don’t get to dictate where I stay. I’m going home.”

  “Shit,” she heard Jason bark out as the doors closed.

  The elevator took forever to reach the ground floor. By the time the doors whooshed open, she fully expected Jason to be standing there, waiting for her. Instead, she walked out into an empty lobby. Her heels clicked against the floor as she hurried outside. She’d hail a cab and get the hell away from this building before either Bowman stopped her.

  The warmth of the August night washed over her, reminding her of the heat in Jeremy’s touch. Damn him for doing this to her. Damn Jason, too. There were no threats against her. If there were, they would have surfaced by now. She stepped off the curb to wave down a cab.

  “Bree!”

  She turned to glare at him, a warning to tell him he’d better not try to stop her, but slowed when she saw his eyes widen in sudden shock. He shook his head and bolted for her.

  And then she saw why. Bright lights blinded her. She lifted an arm to shield her eyes. The squeal of tires filled the air. Her heart hit her throat as she realized t
he danger they’d been warning her about. No hacker would come after her, not like this. Her feet froze to the pavement as the car sped right at her.

  “Breanne!”

  She heard someone scream her name not even a split-second before something hard slammed into her, throwing her to the ground. Her head hit the pavement, and she saw stars. Dazed from the blow, she was only vaguely aware of Jeremy’s body covering hers, his arms over her head, as he barked out expletive after expletive.

  A gunshot rang out, and then another, echoing through the night. Jeremy pulled her closer to him and held her tight. She gripped him for dear life, hyperventilating and fighting the fear spiking her heartrate. When a third shot rang out, a sickening thwack! caught her attention and had her blood stilling.

  “You son of a—fuck!” Jason roared. She caught sight of him just as he spun around from the impact of the bullet.

  “Jason!” Bree cried and tried to get to him, but Jeremy wouldn’t allow her to move. “Let me go, Jeremy. Jason’s been shot.”

  He stiffened and looked up as his brother staggered back. Jason lifted the gun in his hand and took aim.

  “Jason! No!” Jeremy hollered as Jason fired. The bullet shattered the back window of the sedan. The car went squirrelly. He shot again. This time the car took a sharp swerve to the left and slammed into a power pole. It cracked and slowly fell over, right on top of the passenger side. Power lines broke off and sparked as they dropped, then bounced off the pavement like giant black snakes spewing venom of blue sparks. The driver stepped out and pointed a gun at Jason.

  “No!” Jeremy ordered. “Leave him breathing.”

  Jason shot first, blowing out the man’s knee. He collapsed, roaring in pain. As he fell over, he came in contact with one of the downed power lines and shrieked as his body convulsed. Lights went out around them, leaving the entire neighborhood in the dark, the only light coming from the arches off the downed lines.

  “Shit.” Jeremy stood, pulling Bree with him. Willy raced out of the building and over to them. Jeremy thrust her into his arms. “Get her inside.”

  “Let me go! Jeremy!” Bree reached for him as Willy lifted her and carried her inside. She struggled to break free. She couldn’t leave the twins out here, fighting her battle.

  “Keep struggling, Mrs. Harrington, and I will tie you up for your own safety. Now stop.”

  She did, the idea of being tied up as she watched the man she loved dealing with her problem too much for her to take. Numbly, as time slowed, she watched from the dark lobby, protected by Willy’s large frame as she fought to step around him. Jeremy jerked his phone from his pocket and barked something into the line. Within seconds, the sparks from the angry power lines ceased.

  And then it was eerily quiet. Still. The man’s body just lay there. Bree turned from the sight to look at Jeremy. Only she didn’t recognize this Jeremy. His blue eyes were like ice. Cold. Calculated. His square jaw set and hard.

  He knelt next to his brother and pressed on his shoulder. They said a few words, Jason nodded and accepted Jeremy’s help. He moved to his brother’s other side and lifted him up by draping his arm over his neck. He grabbed Jason’s gun and tucked it in the back of his pants before helping his twin to the building.

  Willy opened the door for them. “You good?”

  “Call Seth McKoy. Tell him to bring his kit. And Willy? Get Bailey and Shaw on this. I want to know how that goddamn driver knew she was here.”

  “Sí. I’ll do right away.”

  Jeremy wouldn’t look at her until they got them all into the elevator. Jason rasped as he labored his breathing. “Sorry I killed him, bro.”

  “Sorry I got you shot,” Jeremy lobbed back.

  “You didn’t get me shot. I let him shoot me. The scar will add to my street cred.” They both laughed.

  How could they find humor in this? She was within a breath of completely freaking out.

  Jeremy rested his eyes on her. At once they softened, ever so slightly. “Now do you believe me?”

  Yes, now she believed him.

  EIGHTEEN

  “She hasn’t moved from that corner for over an hour,” Jason pointed out as Seth McKoy checked on the gaping canyon left by the bullet. Andrew Parrish, a big, bald man with arms the size of most people’s thighs, had been called in to relieve Willy. One of their best agents, as well as one hell of a cook, he and Jeremy always got into arguments over the better ingredients of a dish.

  “She’ll be fine.” Jeremy paced as McKoy frowned. He didn’t talk much. With classic McKoy features of deep blue eyes and dark brown hair, Seth stood out from his siblings by keeping his hair longer, wilder like Jason’s. He was smaller than his brothers, as well.

  He glanced at Bree. “She’s in shock. I can give her a sedative to help her sleep.”

  “I’ll help her sleep.” Parrish wiggled his eyebrows playfully and flashed a wide grin.

  Jeremy shot him a look that shut him the hell up. “You’re lucky I like you.”

  “Told you,” Jason muttered. “He’s all kinds of touchy when it comes to her.”

  “No shit.”

  He didn’t know what to say. What to do. The woman of his dreams—his woman—was almost blazed down by a maniac in a black sedan. And on his watch. He’d sworn to protect her, not get her killed. He’d failed. Grabbing his phone, he hit the numbers for Shaw. “Tell me you have something.”

  “Not since da last time you called.”

  “Goddamn it, Shaw. Find me that driver.”

  “Da driver was dead when TREX got there.”

  Jeremy pinched the skin between his eyes and drew in a deep breath to calm down. “I know that. I meant find me who hired him.”

  “Den you should have said dat. She stay with you tonight?”

  “Yes.”

  “I turn up da music.”

  Damn it. He didn’t need to look so weak in front of the rest of them, all frontline agents, but when it came to Bree, he couldn’t help it. Jeremy ended the call and shoved his phone into his back pocket.

  While rubbing his hands on his pants, he took his time making his way over to her. Once he knelt in front of her, he took her hands in his and studied the bandage on her forehead. McKoy had checked and double-checked for any damage caused by her slamming her head into the pavement. Jeremy had tried to roll and block the impact with his body, but there hadn’t been enough time. Now, as the guilt ate into him at how close he’d come to losing her, he could barely breathe. “Bree?”

  With so much reluctance it actually caused him physical pain, Bree finally drifted her troubled gaze down to him. That look slammed into him, twisted inside him, and clawed into his very being. The pain. The realization. Her eyes, red and swollen from crying, now stared at him hollowly.

  He squeezed her hands. “Talk to me.”

  “I’m fine,” she said in a voice that echoed into his soul.

  “No, you’re not fine.”

  “Jeremy—”

  “Stop it.” He fisted her hands. Hard. She furrowed her brow. “You are not fine. Someone tried to kill you tonight.”

  She closed her eyes and her chin quivered. Tears streamed down her face. Yet, she refused to show anything more than that as a sign of emotion as a result of what happened earlier. “I’m tired.”

  “Let me take you to your room.”

  “No.” She grabbed his hand when he tried to pull her to her feet. “Take me to your room. I want you to hold me.” A quick sob yanked at his heart. And those damn tears kept coming. Large, silent, heartbreaking tears that made him want to hold her into his arms until this all ended.

  But he couldn’t. He had too much to do. Now that they had the driver—breathing or not—they had a lead. They could track him back to whoever hired him. Jeremy didn’t have a minute to waste. “Bree—”

  Her breath hitched as another sob caught her. “I want to feel your arms around me. I need to know you’re okay.”

  “Me? After what happened, you’re worried
about me?”

  She nodded as she sucked in a sharp breath to stop another sob.

  Jesus and Christ. She’d almost been killed and she was more concerned about him? She had serious issues with her priorities. Damn, if knowing how much she worried about him didn’t affect him. How it affected him. His heart hurt for her. For a split second he saw her down on the ground, the driver succeeding in taking out his target, and he had lost his Bree forever.

  “Don’t leave me.”

  He cupped her face. She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes. More of those damn heartbreaking tears escaped and he held his breath until his emotions went back into check. “Never.”

  “Is there anything else?” McKoy moved to the door. “If not, I have a report to write.”

  “We’re good,” Jeremy said, never looking away from Bree. “Have a great night, Seth. And thanks for your help.”

  “Just doing my job.” He opened the door, glanced out in the hall, gave a nod at the two men flanking the door, and then closed it behind him.

  “Come on, baby.” Jeremy pulled her to her feet. “Let me take you to bed.”

  She sucked in another sharp breath as she looked at Jason. “Oh, God.”

  He smiled and even managed a wave. With a shrug that made Jeremy cringe, he said in his best Monty Python impression, “‘Tis a mere flesh wound.”

  She laughed as the tears flowed. Damn, it warmed his heart to see her smile.

  “Are you…” She let out a sob and covered her mouth. Jason stood as Jeremy wrapped her in his arms. When Jason joined him, the brothers held each other’s gazes.

  Are you?

  Jason gave him a nod and Jeremy knew his brother, his best friend, would be okay.