by Avery Gale
When Jax joined them, he asked, “Did the note mean anything to you?” At the older man’s raised brow, Jax took the envelope from his hand and turned it over reading the beautifully scripted note, “This key will unlock your heart.” Looking up at John, he asked again, “Does that mean anything to you at all? My guess is the key word there is heart.”
John seemed to consider Jax’s question as they slowly began making their way back up to the Hunts’ large mansion. They’d almost reached the patio where the others were waiting when John stopped and said, “I met Elizabeth when she worked at the Heart of Texas Bank downtown. I know Rita always thought that story was romantic, so I’m guessing she’s trying to tell us where the box is located that this key will open.” Yeah, that was Fischer’s guess as well, the million-dollar question was, what was in the box that had set this damned scavenger hunt in motion?
Elizabeth Hunt was a typical Southern lady and insisted they eat dinner before making any decisions. But the truth was, after seeing the buffet she and her cook had put together it hadn’t taken much to convince any of them to stay. Jax leaned back in his chair and groaned, “Miss Elizabeth, you have nearly rendered me useless. I’m not sure I’ll even be able to walk to the car let alone fold myself inside.” When she waved him off, he laughed, “Thank you. It was amazing and I’m going to have great fun rubbing it in to my mom that your apple fritters are better than hers.”
“Don’t you dare, I swear I’ll take a switch to you myself if you do. I’ll never get invited to another of her cooking parties—and those are very coveted invitations, you know.” Her mock horror had Jax throwing his head back and laughing out loud. From what Fischer understood, the two women had been friends for years and their friendly cooking competitions were some sort of legend among their small inner circle. Fischer held back his laughter when he thought back on Lara’s numerous cooking catastrophes—clearly their lovely woman had missed out on the cooking gene.
Chapter Fifteen
Lara had become somewhat desensitized to double takes over the years, her long, wavy light blond hair, petite curves, and gregarious nature meant she often caught the attention of both men and women. But today she was garnering more notice than usual because of the men surrounding her as she walked into the bank. Fischer was often teased about his movie star looks for good reason, and with Peter being not far behind—both literally and in appearance, women were tripping over themselves to look at them. Her grandfather was very distinguished looking as well, and he’d laughed when she’d said he looked dapper in his tailored three-piece suit.
All the attention was so utterly ridiculous she was having trouble holding back her laughter. Her grandfather met them at the curb and escorted her inside while Fischer was at her other side. Peter was following them, having told her he had her “six”, which Fischer had explained it meant he’d be watching her backside—Lara figured that it was either some sort of military lingo or guy code for looking at her ass.
Jax McDonald was standing just inside the entrance, which meant Kent and the man they called Taz had probably been outside watching them even though she hadn’t seen them. Jax was standing next to a man who kept looking nervously at her grandfather and for the first time Lara truly noticed how enormous Jax was. Every other time she’d seen him standing close to another man, it had been a member of the Prairie Winds team and they were all so tall his height hadn’t seemed so startling. But now, standing next to the man who her grandfather introduced as the bank’s president, Jax seemed every inch of his almost seven foot height—it was no wonder the poor man leading them to the safe deposit box area seemed so nervous.
While the bank president spoke quietly with the woman at the counter, Lara glanced over at her grandfather, she could see he was fighting a smile. Lara let her eyes ask the silent question and his grin widened as he leaned closer, “Frederick had the hots for your grandmother, but I stole her right out from under him. I keep money in this bank just so I can rub it in his nose occasionally.” For the first time Lara got a glimpse of the man beneath her image of him as her grandfather and she realized they could easily become very close if she’d just let her guard down.
Leaning over, she pressed a quick kiss too his wrinkled cheek, “It’s easy to see why she chose you.” His pale blue eyes became glassy with unshed tears that he quickly blinked away and his whispered “thank you” warmed her heart.
It didn’t take long to determine the key did indeed fit a box in their safe, once they’d all crowded into the small private room used for those wanting to access their valuables, Lara flipped open the lid and gasped. It wasn’t just the contents of the box that shocked her, but she was immediately struck by the magnitude of the problem she was facing. People had been killed for a lot less than lay in a rectangular metal container on the counter in front of her. Missionaries my sweet ass…
Peter prided himself on rarely being surprised by the crazy shit people did—up until this moment he had honestly believed years of being privy to their thoughts meant there wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen or heard. But he’d been wrong—very, very wrong. There were several small clear plastic bags filled with various sizes of what appeared to be cut diamonds and more bags of uncut gems as well. Beneath those were bearer bonds—lots of them. While the gems were valuable, they were likely going to be eclipsed by the bonds that were the financial instruments of choice for anyone trying to conceal their business transactions and evade the IRS. Hell, Peter had been on more than one op involving money laundering and he knew how often these bonds were used to move huge sums of money from point A to criminal B.
“Pretty easy to see why the agency has been so interested in Lara’s parents.” Peter wanted to laugh at Jax’s understatement, but the simple fact was her parents had painted an enormous target on their only child. Hell, just having the key was dangerous, Jax’s voice brought him back to the moment, “Christ, what were they thinking setting her up like this? Damn we didn’t bring enough backup to get this out of here, I’m not even comfortable leaving with the key.” And as if the Universe had heard him, Jax’s phone rang. His frown got Peter’s attention but he didn’t have time to tell Lara what he was hearing before Jax ended the call. “Let’s get this back in the safe right now, people. We’ve got company coming.”
Just as they walked out of the bank’s vault area they came face to face with Special Agent Eric Roberts. Peter felt Lara stiffen beside him, “What are you doing here?”
“Good morning, Lara. Is this your grandfather? Special Agent Eric Roberts, sir.” Roberts extended his hand but sensing his granddaughter’s hostility John Hunt simply raised his eyebrow and looked at Roberts as if he was some sort of insect. Yeah, Peter was liking John Hunt more by the minute.
‘Damn, I really like our woman’s gramps. Easy to see where she gets her moxy.’ Peter agreed with Fischer’s assessment and he looked forward to getting to know the older man.
‘I couldn’t agree more. What the fuck does Roberts want and how did he know we were here?’
‘I don’t know, but I’ll bet your team is scrambling to find out.’ And wasn’t that an understatement? Peter was betting the Prairie Winds team was mobilizing quickly, they’d be pulling together in a big hurry, but in the meantime, Peter felt sure the West brothers were calling in local favors and they’d have backup rolling in hot and fast very soon.
Lara turned to her grandfather and briefly explained how she’d met Special Agent Roberts. The more she explained the angrier her grandfather looked until Peter was actually starting to feel sorry for Roberts as he squirmed under the older man’s glare. When she finished speaking to him, John Hunt turned to Roberts, “We were just leaving, Mr. Roberts. If you have questions for my granddaughter in the future, I’ll ask that you contact my legal team and they’ll contact her at their earliest convenience to set up a meeting time that is mutually agreeable.” Peter barely held back his snort of laughter at the look on Roberts’ face. Yeah SPAC, that’s what a slap-down by a p
rotective grandfather with the bucks to back it up sounds like.
Jax flashed a quick hand signal to Peter letting him know they needed to move it quickly and Peter gave him a slight nod of understanding. “Come on, Lara, let’s get a move on, we have another appointment and we don’t want to be late.” He was grateful she seemed to understand what he was doing and moved quickly toward the door. Just as they stepped around Roberts and his sidekick who had evidently been too insignificant to introduce, they were surround by members of their team and Peter noticed a couple of guys standing to the side that seemed to be scanning the area as well.
Kent leaned forward and quickly pointed out who they’d brought in, but one of the men Peter had noticed wasn’t among those. “I see him, we’re watching him as well. And unless he’s got a whole lot of backup outside, we’ll handle him quickly. I’d like to get you and Lara out of here and then a couple of us will introduce ourselves.” The gleam in Kent’s eye made Peter almost wish he could hang back and watch that for himself. He’d seen Jax and Kent’s “introductions” before and they were usually pretty entertaining, but he wasn’t about to give up protecting Lara just to watch his teammates beat information out of some flunky.
Peter had secured the key to the safe deposit box in his wallet and he was glad they’d electronically tagged it last night as a precaution. He was still trying to absorb the enormity of what they’d found in the box and he knew Lara was struggling as well. Fischer hadn’t seemed as affected and Peter wondered about that as they settled in the back of the car. Without even being asked, Fischer took Lara’s hand in his and said, “I know you all are shocked by what you saw in the box, but I can’t really say the same. And if you think about it I think you’ll understand why. Your parents have been in all the right locations to meet the kind of people who deal in untraceable currency. And while I’m not sure how they managed to accumulate so much and get it back in the U.S. without drawing suspicion to themselves, I can’t say that I am surprised they managed it. Were there times when one of your parents would be gone for several days at a time?”
When Lara nodded, Fischer continued, “I’d be willing to bet those absences coincide with visits to the bank. The big question is, what did they do to earn it? I know Eric Roberts is determined to find out what’s in the box and how it came to be there. And I’m sure his bosses are wondering how much of the chatter they’re hearing is factual. I can read Roberts like a fucking book and he knows that even if they have no legal claim to the contents of the box, they’ll hold it all until hell freezes over and all the while claiming its evidence.” And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Kent and Kyle West are dying to hire my brother.
Peter knew Fischer wasn’t speaking hypothetically, he’d have heard every single thought Agent Roberts’ had. Peter also knew Fischer’s pause was to let Lara absorb what he’d said—not because he was finished.
After several long seconds, Fischer seemed satisfied Lara had taken in what he’d said and he continued, “According to Agent Roberts, your parents were working for the CIA and the agency knew full well about the payments they were receiving—what they don’t know is how much money is actually involved and they’d like very much to get their hands on it but don’t have a legitimate claim to it.”
By the time they reached the penthouse Jax had already called to say they’d spoken with the man who had been watching and were satisfied they’d discouraged him from any further interest in Lara. Evidently the young man had shared a number of classes with her in college and when he’d seen her enter the bank he’d followed hoping for a chance to speak to her. It hadn’t taken Micah Drake any time at all to verify the man’s story and then Jax had sent him on his way. “Now we just have to deal with Eric Roberts. But I’ve spoken with John and he’s making some calls, it seems my dad isn’t the only one with contacts in the pentagon.” Peter didn’t even try to hold back his laughter, Jax had hated his father’s connections when they’d been SEALs because his dad had kept very close tabs on his son—something their superiors found extremely annoying and they’d rarely missed an opportunity to complain about it.
“But I have to admit, I think John’s plan is solid. If he can get Roberts reassigned based on his previous personal relationship with Lara, we’d be able to take advantage of the lag-time to move the contents of the box. And I’m in complete agreement that moving the goods is our best bet to flush out anybody who has an interest—and that includes Lara’s parents because my gut tells me they are hiding rather than in danger.”
Peter moved out on to the patio so they could speak privately, “I agree, but I’m damned mad about the danger they’ve put Lara in. We got lucky this morning that the young man you talked to was just a former classmate, but I don’t think we have a prayer of flying under the radar unless we get Roberts reassigned or at the very least distracted enough about the prospect that we get the stuff out of there. And then we’re still going to have to deal with whoever has been watching the bank—and my guess is there is a contact on the inside.”
“Agreed and we’re already working on it. That box has been rented for over twenty years so we know they have a contact inside the bank, and I’m betting it’s one of the bank’s long term employees so we’re starting there.” Jax paused briefly and even though he didn’t need to tell Peter what he was thinking, he did, “I’m sure you’re thinking the same thing everyone else is, the bank president is the obvious choice—but to be honest it’s almost too easy.”
“What did John have to say?”
Jax’s laughter sounded through the phone, “John agreed, he claims the man wouldn’t do anything he thought might hurt Elizabeth. Evidently the man is still carrying a torch for Lara’s spirited granny.” Peter didn’t have any intention of following this conversation any further south, getting involved in Lara’s grandparents’ love triangle wasn’t a place he was going to go—at least not willingly. “Okay, I’m assuming by the uncomfortable silence you are not interested in the rest of the story so I’m just going to say the bank president isn’t alone at the top of our suspect list. We’re going back to the suite, because our wives are feeling neglected. We’ll meet at the club later and figure out what to do about securing those bonds—damn those things are far too liquid for my comfort.”
Peter completely agreed, any piece of paper that could be converted into cash by anyone holding it needed to be in a safe place, hopefully John Hunt had a suggestion. After hanging up, Peter stepped back into the penthouse to the sound of flesh slapping flesh followed by a soft gasp. Stepping into the living room, he had to hold back his chuckle at the sight of Lara’s very bare ass over Fischer’s lap. Each cheek was sporting a single handprint so evidently he hadn’t missed much of the action.
‘Want to catch me up, brother?’
‘Miss Sassy here was determined to go to the club. She seems to think she needs to work. As if her fucking job would be in jeopardy if she missed a day or two because we want her safe.’
Okay, his brother was obviously working himself up into a good mad—probably time to get involved. Even though he knew Fischer would never truly hurt her, that didn’t mean Peter was entirely convinced either of them was thinking clearly at the moment.
‘Two more swats then sit her up, I want to talk to her and you’re angry.’
Peter saw Fischer stiffen just before his silent, ‘Fuck!’ drifted through Peter’s mind, letting him know his younger brother had come back from the edge. The last few days had been an emotional rollercoaster ride for all of them and this battle of wills really shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.
Chapter Sixteen
Lara didn’t know why she was pushing Fischer, but her mouth wasn’t listening to her brain so she just kept digging herself deeper and deeper. By the time she found herself over his lap with her bare ass stinging, she was so emotionally overwrought it was a wonder she hadn’t melted into a big pile of goo. She wanted to go to work and feel normal again. So much had happened in the past few day
s that she felt like she was constantly fighting just to stay afloat in the sea of churning emotions she’d been tossed into. And she was just tired of everything being out of control—even if she had to act out to do it, by God she was going to take a little bit of control back.
When Fischer lifted her off his lap and set her on her feet, Lara looked up to find Peter studying her. “Strip and kneel.” Peter’s command made her shiver even as she kicked her jeans and panties the rest of the way off and then removed her shirt and bra. Settling to her knees, Lara felt a strange sort of peace move over her.
This was familiar and settling, here she felt in control because even though she was handing over everything to her Masters, it was her choice. And putting herself in their hands let her relax for the first time in days. But there was still the niggling insecurity that they were only her Masters for the moment, Fischer had said they wanted her forever, but they still hadn’t made any real commitment to her and it was becoming harder and harder for Lara to remain hopeful they would eventually collar her. And who would blame them for walking away? Hell, her life was spiraling out of control faster than she could pick up the pieces, let alone fit them back together.
She knew they were both watching her and the silence in the room was almost deafening. Lara just let her mind float while she waited for further instructions and it wasn’t until she felt Fischer’s fingers wrap softly around her wrist that she realized she’d been absently stroking her bare throat. “Baby?” Oh craptastic. As if he wasn’t already mad enough, I have just shown them both what a terrible sub I am. Yeah, just another reason for them to send me packing.
