Nothing In Common, Except ...

by Edward Kendrick

  “I’d give an arm and a leg to be there when Russo realizes what’s going on,” Kyle said when Brax said “Done and done,” then closed down the computer.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Brax replied, shooting him a hard look.

  “Yeah. I know. I’m not planning on paying Connoisseurs a visit anytime soon. I learned my lesson.”

  “I would hope so. What do you feel like for lunch?”

  “Something neither of us has to put together. It seems like all you’ve been doing is feeding us, so I opt for ordering in, or going out.”

  “I know a nice restaurant within walking distance of here, if you like down-home cooking.”

  “Lead me to it,” Kyle replied.

  Brax did, glad to see that it wasn’t too busy. After they were seated, and had ordered their meals, he asked, “What are your plans once we’ve dealt with Russo?”

  “Go back to what I do best. And you?”

  “The same. We’re up to our ears in clients, so it’ll be nice not to have to juggle things around when something comes up involving Russo. There are only so many excuses I can make to placate Judd. At some point, he’s going to start questioning things.”

  “That explains why the museum thefts I’ve been working on all took place on weekend nights,” Kyle replied with a knowing smile.

  Brax nodded. “Whoever the thief is, he’s probably in the same boat. He’s got a fulltime job he can’t get away from without raising eyebrows. Besides, whoever heard of robberies like those taking place in broad daylight?”

  Kyle chuckled. “You should know.”

  “Me? Why Mr. Grayson, what are you implying?”

  Without blinking an eye, Kyle replied, “You run a PI business, specializing in security, so you know a thing or two about—”

  “Damn,” Brax broke in. “I forgot to tell you. Judd had a call from a Mr. Eliot Russell about our installing a security system in his business. With all that’s been going on, it slipped my mind.”

  “If it was Russo,” Kyle replied, frowning, “why use that alias?”

  “I wondered, too. Then I figured he has no way of knowing that you and I are connected. Or that I used to be the security expert who stopped him cold in his tracks when he tried stealing trade secrets from the company I worked for. After all, Judd and I don’t have our photos on our website.”

  “Smart move. It sounds like we were right when we figured he might start looking at security companies, if he thought someone from one of them was hired to break into his house.”

  “Let me check with Judd to see if he talked to Russell again.” After he had, Brax told Kyle, “He did talk with him. When he asked whether we did undercover work, as well, Judd told him that wasn’t one of our services. Russell thanked him for calling back and hung up.”

  “Guess you’re off the hook,” Kyle said, before asking, “You really don’t?”

  “Nope, though there are large agencies that do. We decided when we first set it up that we didn’t want to be involved with something that could keep one of us out of circulation for a few days to weeks at a time.”

  “Good call.”

  Their lunch arrived at that point, putting an end to their conversation for the moment.

  “Now what?” Kyle asked when they were finished except for their second cups of coffee.

  “First, we check up on Lynn Grant,” Brax replied, taking out his phone. “Doc Wilson, please,” he said when someone answered.

  “I was about to call you,” Doc Wilson told him, when he got on the line. “Ms. Grant is awake, and very much wants to talk to you, she says.”

  “We’ll be right over,” Brax replied. After paying for their meals, he and Kyle went into a nearby, and deserted, alley. Seconds later they were in the waiting room of the clinic.

  Doc Wilson joined them, saying, “She’s not in great shape yet, obviously, but she’s able to talk. Try not to tire her out.”

  “What did you tell her about being here?” Kyle asked.

  “What we decided. That the two of you found her, and brought her here rather than a hospital. Her response was, ‘Thank God,’ so I don’t think she’ll be upset with you.”

  “Unless she blames us for what happened to her,” Brax said as they followed Wilson to Ms. Grant’s room.

  “You’re looking better than when we last saw you, Lynn,” Kyle said with a smile, looking down at her. The truth, but not by much. Livid bruises covered the parts of her body they could see, and the various cuts on her arms had either been stitched, or were bandaged, or both.

  “Yeah. I’m a real beauty,” she replied sourly, her words barely above a croaking whisper. “At least they took the damned tube out.”

  Brax pulled over one of the chairs to sit beside the bed. “Are you up to telling us what happened?”

  “Shit happened, damn it. Can’t you tell?” She scowled at Brax.

  Brax chuckled. “Still as feisty as ever. Can I presume it was Russo who did this to you?”

  “Oh, yeah. The bastard.”

  “Why?”

  “He wanted to know how I knew him,” she replied, her voice getting stronger. She pointed to Kyle. “He said he found you snooping around Connoisseurs, asked you why, and you said you were a friend of mine and you were looking for me.” Lynn shivered violently, only calming when Brax put his hand on her shoulder. “When he described you, I told him I had no idea who you were, which was true, since you didn’t tell me your name. Neither of you did.”

  “He didn’t believe you, I take it,” Kyle said.

  “Not even.” She shivered again. “So he tried to force me to tell him.”

  “He gets off on that, from what you said about your friend.”

  “No kidding. At least he didn’t cut…” She touched her face. “He threatened to. I guess I passed out before he got the chance.”

  “How did he get into the apartment?” Brax asked.

  “He’s got a key, because he pays the rent. One of the perks, as he calls them, of being part of his stable.” She grimaced, then frowned. “How did you two get in?”

  “The door was open,” Brax lied. “Just a crack.” He held up his hand, two fingers barely a quarter inch apart. “As soon as we saw that, we figured something was wrong, and checked.”

  “Thank God. Doc here said if you hadn’t found me when you did I might have died.” Looking down at the bruises and bandages on her arms, she sighed. “It might have been better if I had. No john’s going to want me now.”

  “There are other things you can do with your life,” Kyle said, taking her hand.

  “Name one.” She shook her head. “Even if there was, he’d find me and finish the job. He wants to know who you are, big time.”

  Doc Wilson stepped forward, saying, “We’ve talked about that, Lynn. If you’ll testify against him, you could go into a witness protection program afterward. I told you, I know someone who can arrange for that to happen.”

  “If he doesn’t find me first,” she replied, not looking at all mollified by his words.

  “I’m sure the police have a safe house where you can stay until the trial,” Brax told her. “But first you need to talk to them and tell them everything you know about his call girl business.”

  “Incriminating myself when I do.”

  “Not if you turn states evidence. That will give you immunity from prosecution.”

  Lynn looked at the men surrounding her bed, asking in a tentative voice, “Can I think about it?”

  “Of course,” Doc Wilson said. “I’m sure you’ll come to the right decision. Right now, though, you need to rest.”

  “I never said thank you,” Lynn said to Brax and Kyle, her gaze going to each of them in turn. She barely smiled. “I’d ask who you are, but I’d rather not know, just in case.”

  “Batman and Robin,” Kyle teased, squeezing her hand.

  “Then you must be Robin. He was the cute one,” she countered. “Will I see you again?”

  “We’ll k
eep in touch. I promise,” Brax assured her before he and Kyle left the room, waiting in the hallway for Doc Wilson. When he came out, Brax said, “Do your best to make her talk to the cops. Okay?”

  “I plan on it. The minute she decides she’s willing, I’ll call my friend so he can arrange everything. The sooner Russo is out of the picture for good, the better.”

  “Not that he’ll stick around if she does agree to press charges,” Kyle said sourly. “He’ll just vanish and reinvent himself…again.”

  “Not if we can help it,” Brax stated.

  Doc Wilson cocked an eyebrow. “What are you two planning?”

  “Us? Nothing.” Brax winked. “You know me. I’m as innocent as the proverbial lamb.”

  Doc Wilson snorted. “More like the wolf in sheep’s clothing. But I suspect the less I know, the better.”

  “Exactly, and thanks for helping to keep her safe.”

  “No problem. Stay safe, yourselves.”

  “Planning on it,” Brax replied.

  * * * *

  It was after three when they returned to Brax’s apartment. Kyle said, as soon as they landed, “You know, with things coming at him from all angles, and especially if Lynn does press charges, he might decide to do as I said and disappear.”

  “I know. Maybe it’s the time to reveal ourselves as the reason behind his problems. Not right this minute, but as soon as he starts feeling the heat from what we’ve done.”

  “Which could be any time after tonight,” Kyle replied. “When no one shows up for his party, and with the word already out that his girls aren’t as clean as he claims.” He nodded. “The Feds should already be investigating him. As soon as one of the agencies makes its move and their people pay a visit to Connoisseurs, he’ll go ballistic—and probably pull a vanishing act, the coward.”

  “Exactly. So we have to figure out how to draw him to us in a controlled situation before that happens. Something where he thinks he’s discovered who’s responsible for what’s happening and comes after us.”

  “That could be a problem. Unless…” Kyle went to the living room window, staring out over the city. Finally, he turned back to look at Brax, saying, “Caleb.”

  “I’m not sure we should bring him into this,” Brax replied.

  “He already is. Russo dumped me at his business.” Kyle rested his butt on the windowsill. “He’s got warehouse space at the back of the building.”

  “True,” Brax replied. “Filled with the furniture and carpets.”

  “How hard would it be to move everything to the walls so there’s a large, empty space in the middle of the room?”

  “Let’s take a look.” Brax gave him an image and seconds later they were standing in the alcove housing the back door to the building. He used his jammer to disarm the security, which in the warehouse, he told Kyle, consisted of the security box, motion sensors, and cameras. “That’s why we’re out here at the moment, since Caleb would have activated everything when he left.” He unlocked the door and they went inside.

  Most of the space was filled with rows of furniture. There were racks along the side walls holding rolled up carpets.

  “Even moving the furniture, there still wouldn’t be a lot of room to maneuver,” Brax pointed out.

  “How much do we need? It would only be the three of us.”

  “If he doesn’t bring reinforcements.”

  “We’ll come up with a reason why he shouldn’t,” Kyle replied, his forehead furrowed in concentration as he began pacing. “He already knows I’m interested in him, and he wants to know why, and who I am.”

  “If he did go through your room at the hotel…”

  “He wouldn’t have found anything with my name on it. Like I said, my real ID and my laptop were in the hotel safe. So…” Kyle continued pacing. “I call him. Offer him a deal.”

  “Such as?”

  “For the right sum, I’ll back off. Otherwise, I continue my harassment, as well as handing the Feds the information I stole from his safes. At this point, he doesn’t know we’ve already turned it over to them.”

  “We hope. If he does, he’ll already be halfway to Timbuktu.”

  “Only one way to find out,” Kyle said, taking out his phone.

  “Hold up. Don’t call until the morning. We need to set up here, and he won’t know how badly we’ve screwed up his party until tonight, even if a couple of the invitees did call him when they got the email.”

  “I was only…”

  “Let’s go back to my place,” Brax said. “I’ll make the call to find out, but from the phone I used last time.”

  * * * *

  When they were back there, Brax took the phone from his desk drawer and dialed the number for Connoisseurs. When someone answered, he said, “This is Mr. Acer from Magellan Catering. It’s imperative I talk with Mr. Russo.” When the woman asked the nature of his call, he said, “It’s about the last-minute cancellation I received on his order for tonight. I need to be certain he’s the one who made it, and point out to him that he’ll still need to pay us.”

  She put him on hold for a moment before coming back to tell him that Mr. Russo was on another line and would call him back within ten minutes. “I hope so. He has our number,” Brax replied before hanging up.

  Kyle chuckled. “Maybe we should have cancelled Russo’s order before you called. Poor Mr. Acer is going to wonder what the hell’s going on when Russo gets in touch with him.”

  “He’ll live, and we found out what we needed to know. Russo’s still around. I’ll call Caleb to let him know we’re going to use the warehouse, and why.”

  Caleb wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about the idea, but agreed to allow it, as long as he was involved. They set it up to meet there later in the evening, to move the furniture.

  “What do we want for dinner?” Brax asked, after ending his call with Caleb.

  “Something simple. Or better yet, nothing, and go for a run instead. I’m so tense I’m about to explode.”

  “It’s going to work, Kyle. We’re going to bring him down—permanently.”

  “We hope.” Kyle clenched and unclenched his hands. “I’m not a fighter, Brax. I never have been. I’m an investigator. I prove that so-and-so burgled a home or museum or gallery, then turn the information over to the authorities. Put me up against someone like Russo and…” He shook his head. “Come with me?”

  “To run. Damned straight. Where we went before?”

  “I don’t care. Just—somewhere, away from the city.”

  “Come on.” Brax set the alarm, locked up, then they went down to the car. Twenty minutes later, they’d parked and teleported to the edge of lake where they’d swum a couple of days previously. Shifting, they took off running. Eventually, Kyle slowed down to a lope as he made his way back to the lake, with Brax right behind him. It was fully dark by then, except for the half-moon, its light reflecting off the water.

  Kyle went to the edge, drinking some water before he shifted. When he had, he sat, his arms wrapped around his knees, immersing himself in the soothing sound of the water lapping the shore. He wasn’t aware that Brax had shifted, too, and was seated beside him, until Brax put an arm around his shoulders.

  “Feeling better?” Brax asked.

  “Yeah. And we should probably get back before Caleb wonders where we are.”

  “We have time.”

  If anyone were to ask, what happened next didn’t really surprise Kyle. Although he hadn’t acted on it, he’d wondered more than once what their having sex would be like. He suspected, from a few looks Brax had given him over the past week, that Brax felt the same.

  So when Brax kissed him, Kyle had no real qualms about returning it. After the second kiss, they ended up sprawled on the ground, hands and lips exploring each other’s bodies. Kyle would willingly have let Brax fuck him—if they had lube.

  “But we don’t,” Brax said in exasperation when Kyle pointed that out. “So…” He slid down, his hot mouth engulfing Kyle�
�s cock.

  Kyle gasped, then pulled away, but only long enough to turn, so that he could go down on Brax at the same time. Pent up need made their coupling short but explosive as, all too soon, they came, their orgasms shaking them to the core.

  Brax kissed Kyle again, when they had recovered, asking with a mixture of elation and amusement, “Feeling better?”

  “A hell of a lot more than I did the first time you asked,” Kyle replied, dropping a kiss on Brax’s lips. “However…” He pulled out of Brax’s embrace to clothe himself with a thought.

  “Yeah. I know. Caleb is probably wondering where the hell we are,” Brax agreed, doing the same.

  They teleported back to the car, returning to the city. Brax parked a block from Caleb’s building then they teleported into the warehouse, once Brax had called Caleb to be certain he’d turned off the security. As they did, Kyle wondered if what had happened would be the first time, or the only time. Probably the only time. When this is over, we’ll go back to our normal lives—him, here, me halfway across the country. He knew that was the truth, and accepted it. But it didn’t mean he had to like it.

  * * * *

  Caleb was in the warehouse when Brax and Kyle landed. He took one look at them, sniffed, and said, “You’re late, but you’re forgiven.”

  “Meaning?” Brax replied.

  “I think you had other things that took precedence.” Caleb grinned, then turned serious. “I suggest we move as much of the furniture as possible into my office and the showrooms. I’d rather not have things damaged, if you’re planning on fighting Russo—and whomever he might bring with him.”

  “We’re going to try to avoid his doing that,” Kyle told him.

  “Smart. Still, I’ll be here, too,” Caleb replied. “I’m not much of a fighter, but I can hold my own when it comes down to it.”

  “That’s more than I can say,” Kyle said. “I’ve never been in a fight, in my wolf form.”

  “If we plan it right, we won’t have to fight,” Brax stated. “We want him dead. There’s no reason it has to be by tearing his throat out.”