Protecting Olivia [Fate Harbor 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Caitlyn O'Leary

  “I wanted to make sure we had a way to get rid of the bad apples. One of my teachers at school gave me the idea, and I ran with it.” Olivia grinned. “I wasn’t sure anyone would agree with it, but they did, so what the hell. The best part is, it worked!” she crowed.

  “Like I said before, with everything I’ve learned from their computers, and now this meeting, I just don’t think they had anything to do with the break-in. They really don’t give a shit about the Atlanta project. From everything you’ve told us, they were just posturing to prove they noticed something, like the annual charity statements,” Ian said.

  “That’s my take, too,” Olivia agreed.

  “Has that narrowed it down to Richard Phillips?” Chance asked.

  “Nope,” Joshua answered. “We have other players. There are folks at InfoDyne who are losing out on the contract. There is the accountant, Linus Upton, who worked the numbers with Richard on the InfoDyne deal. Then there’s Barry Hudson, your tax attorney, who was notified the day of Olivia’s attack that the project was on. Anyone who was notified, or could have been notified that Saturday about the Atlanta project, is a suspect. We’ve had Adam under surveillance and have taken him off the suspect list.”

  “Hey—” Olivia started.

  “Damn it—” Chance began.

  “Calm down, now,” Ian said, attempting to soothe the brother and sister. “We needed to eliminate as many suspects as possible before we could focus on the others. That’s just standard operating procedure.” He waited as both Olivia and Chance took in what he said and nodded.

  “That makes sense,” Olivia said, still angry that Adam had to be investigated but understanding their reasons.

  “So, who at InfoDyne are you investigating?” Chance asked.

  “I’m going to Boston on Monday, for a job interview,” Ian explained. “I’m meeting with their Chief Technology Officer. I should get a good read on the players then, and maybe I’ll be able to ferret out who is most likely to get involved in corporate espionage. My money says it’s someone at the top with the CEO. That slimy asshole, Frank Brotze, has bribed his way into so many deals only to leave a lot of companies hanging with bad work. If I can impress the CFO, I should be able to get a meeting with Brotze and get a look at his computer.”

  “Ian, that sounds dangerous!” Olivia exclaimed.

  “Kitten, this is what Ian used to do for a living with the Phoenix PD. He’s the best at it,” Joshua assured her.

  “My background with the Phoenix PD got me the interview. Supposedly, I’m tired of this little town, and I’m interested in making the big bucks,” Ian explained.

  “I’m more interested in the fact that Olivia is now known as Kitten.” Chance waggled his eyebrows at his foster sister.

  “Yeah, go ahead and keep laughing and I’ll explain about your fetish for women’s clothing.” Joshua and Ian both turned to look at Chance, who threw up his hands in defeat.

  “Hey, you’ve seen my wife! Can you blame me for wanting to buy clothes for her?”

  “Buy clothes for her? Josie hasn’t set foot into a lingerie store, shoe store, or department store for the last two years, because brother dear has bought her every stitch of clothing she owns. I’d say he has a fetish for women’s clothes.” Olivia snickered.

  “I have a Josie fetish,” Chance corrected in a proud voice.

  “You know, Livvy, you dress just fine, but you sure would look good in a French maid’s outfit,” Ian said in a deadpan voice. Joshua just winced as Olivia glared at him.

  “Dude, you really need to buy a clue about your woman. Now a dominatrix outfit, sure, I could see that,” Chance said with a grin.

  “That could be hot,” Joshua said.

  “Would you guys just shut the hell up,” Olivia said, beginning to blush. But she had a quick vision of a red leather corset, with long gloves and high-heeled black boots. It could work.

  “Olivia, are you ready to go?” Olivia looked up to see Josie Reynolds-Booth at the door of the office. As always, Olivia was amazed at how much energy and beauty was contained in such a small woman. Josie barely cleared five feet compared to Olivia’s five-feet-seven stature, but she commanded a room when she entered it. All three men immediately stood when she entered, and Chance went over to give her a hug and a kiss.

  “Zee, are you sure you’re up for this? Lissa kept you up late last night.”

  “Thanks for reminding me that I’ve earned a girl’s day out. I’m sure Olivia could use a testosterone break. Right, Olivia? Ready for a little estrogen recharge?” She looked over at Olivia with a sparkling smile.

  “You have that right, sister,” Olivia agreed as she joined Josie. “So what’s on the agenda?”

  “We are meeting up with Elise, Kara, Karen, and Betty for margaritas. Unfortunately, mine will be virgin since I’m still breastfeeding,” Josie said, in a somewhat petulant voice that had everyone laughing. “Then we are going to spend some of Chance’s money at the spa in Snoqualt. It’s getting close to Betty’s anniversary, so we are going to get her buffed and beautified for Butch.”

  “That sounds wonderful.” Olivia grinned.

  “Hey, who is the designated driver?” Ian asked in concern.

  “Leif and Caleb are our chauffeurs,” Josie said, referring to one of Kara’s brothers and his best friend. “We’ll have lunch and then go to our spa appointment.”

  “Okay, what time can we expect you back?” Ian asked.

  “Seven-thirty,” Josie answered. “Chance, You’ll call me if you need me, won’t you?”

  “I promise, now go enjoy yourself.” He bent down and kissed his wife. Both Joshua and Ian kissed Olivia good-bye, as well, and she left with the tiny dynamo.

  “I’m so glad Olivia is doing that, she can really use a day of pampering with the ladies,” Joshua said.

  “I’m glad she’s doing that, so we can talk about how we can kill the bastards who fucking shot our woman!” Ian ranted, his rage finally surfacing.

  Chance and Joshua’s faces both took on dark looks. Then Chance cautioned, “Careful, Ian, they’re still in the house. Let’s wait until they’re gone before we really get down to business. What’s more, I know Sam wants to be in on this conversation as well.”

  Sam came into Chance’s office after Leif and Caleb had picked up the women. “So you better have some good news,” he said, looking at Joshua and Ian.

  “We’ve pretty much narrowed it down to four people. The Boston PD is taking this seriously, and they are doing a lot of questioning, but they can’t get away with the clandestine stuff that Ian is doing,” Joshua explained.

  “What kind of clandestine stuff? Will it keep us from being able to prosecute the bastards when you finally find out who’s trying to kill Olivia?” Sam asked.

  Ian looked stricken. “Slow down, Sam. First, you weren’t there when Olivia was fucking shot. Do you have any idea what that did to me? To Joshua? Jesus, man, it was like our lives almost stopped right there.” He looked from Sam to Chance, unable to say more.

  “I thought she was dead. I heard the shot, I saw her go down, and I saw blood on her upper body…” Joshua’s voice cracked. “Ian had already figured out there was a shooter in the crowd…He yelled, ‘Gun’…” This time Joshua’s voice was thick with tears.

  Sam and Chance looked at one another. They realized Ian and Joshua were talking about their sister, whom they loved. But they were imagining it was their beloved Josie who had been shot. They understood Ian and Joshua’s grief and terror.

  “I thought she was dead…” Joshua said again, his grief palpable.

  “If you think we’d do anything to fuck up getting these assholes the maximum prison sentence, you are just stupid,” Ian said in an angry voice. “Personally, I’m hoping that whoever it is resists arrest and just ends up dead.”

  “Just so long as you don’t do something stupid and end up in prison, Ian. That would kill Olivia,” Sam said. “I’ve never seen her so happy as she is with th
e two of you. Please, don’t do anything to hurt her,” he said in a heartfelt voice.

  “We plan to protect her on all fronts. Our goal is to keep Olivia safe, and happy. Right now, keeping her safe is the most important thing, and that means finding the people who are out to get her,” Joshua said emphatically.

  “So out of the four people, who do you think it is?” Chance asked.

  “I think it’s about InfoDyne, so my guess is Brotze or Phillips,” Ian answered. “By the end of next week, we’ll have everyone under surveillance, and then next week, the Atlanta project will be voted as a go. That will shake everything up. I figure we’ll get our answer then. But we’ll have to put a tight net around Olivia.”

  “We have a top-notch security system here,” Chance said, indicating their house.

  “You also have Josie and the baby,” Ian said, shaking his head. “I’m having a security system installed at my place on Monday. Both Joshua and I have licenses to carry concealed weapons. Our law enforcement backgrounds will serve us well while we’re protecting Olivia, we’ll be armed at all times.”

  “Olivia is going to hate that,” Sam said.

  “I don’t care what Olivia Ann thinks,” Joshua said. “Her safety trumps her sensibilities.”

  “Amen,” Sam said.

  “So how do you plan to keep her on lockdown?” Chance asked.

  “Right now, we don’t have to,” Joshua said, “thank God. Lockdown starts after the board meeting.”

  “So you really think they’ll send someone to here?” Chance asked.

  “Yep, I think that Olivia is a target for two reasons. They’re worried she remembers the conversation between the two guys who almost killed her three months ago. Plus, the fact she is pushing through the project makes her a double threat to their interests. I really think that her choice of using the university computer-science department and their interns on this project over InfoDyne is the motive for the attempt on her life. If that business model succeeds, and there’s no reason the university shouldn’t be able to outperform InfoDyne’s sloppy work, InfoDyne will most likely be out of the loop on other future roll outs as well.”

  “Yeah, but even if these people were successful in their elimination of Olivia, I’d just take over the Board in her absence, and I’d push the university IT link through on my own,” Chance said.

  “But would you really?” Joshua asked. “Or would you be so grief-stricken that you’d just let the Board make most of the decisions?” Everyone watched as Chance considered the question.

  “You’re probably right, I’d just go with whatever the Board decided. I wouldn’t give a shit,” Chance agreed.

  “Exactly,” Ian said.

  “That still doesn’t explain how you’re going to be keeping Olivia busy and out of danger before she goes on lockdown. She must be going crazy not having access to AHC,” Sam said.

  “Leave it to me. I have some ideas,” Joshua said with a smile.

  “Damn it, Joshua, I don’t want her leaving the house,” Ian said, emphatically.

  “Ian, she’s safe until the board meeting. That’s when she’s going to be a target again,” Joshua assured him.

  “Oh really, asshole? Well, she got shot before the fucking board meeting, now didn’t she?” Ian all but shouted.

  “I know there’s a threat. The other board members don’t know that Kathy and Paul have changed their vote. And Olivia’s not in Boston, she’s here. We can’t keep her locked up, our woman won’t put up with it. You have met Olivia Prescott, right?” Joshua asked incredulously. Ian ran his hands through his hair, obviously upset.

  “I don’t know what to do. I just want her safe,” Ian admitted in defeat.

  “We all want her safe,” Chance said. “You just have to trust your partner.”

  “We’ll keep her under lockdown after the board meeting. But for now, I’ll stick to her like glue,” Joshua promised.

  “Okay, but what are you going to do to keep her busy? Should we have even let her go out with the girls?” Ian asked.

  “Leif and Caleb went with them,” Joshua said, referring to two former Special Forces officers who had recently retired. Leif was the older brother of one of the women who had gone out with Olivia. Caleb was Leif’s best friend since childhood. “The girls just think they went as their drivers, but we sent them as protection, and they’re armed.”

  “Shit, I can’t believe I just thought of that now,” Ian said, with a tone of self-disgust.

  “Ian, would you please calm down? There are two of us, that’s the beauty of this relationship,” Joshua said soothingly.

  “He’s right,” Sam said. Sam had been mostly quiet, watching the byplay between everyone at the table. “Ian, you have to remember that Olivia is one of the most capable women you’re ever going to meet. She was literally raised on the streets of Los Angeles until she was almost five years old, and she remembers that. That’s the reason she’s so fierce and holds a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do. She won’t be put into a safe little box. If you try to do that, you’ll lose her. And as for not thinking about her safety today, I think subconsciously you knew that Joshua planned it, and that you could trust your partner. That’s what being in a triad is all about. I trust Chance implicitly, and he trusts me.”

  “Except in the kitchen and to pick out clothes for Josie. I don’t trust Sam in either of those arenas. But I thank God every day that if anything ever happened to me, Sam will be here for Lissa and Josie,” Chance said fervently.

  Ian looked at the men who were raised as brothers to Olivia, realizing that they were right.

  “Okay, Joshua, let’s get back to your plan to keep Olivia occupied and happy until the board meeting, while I’m working in Boston—spill!” Ian resumed.

  “First, Leif and Caleb have volunteered their services to stay close.” Ian visibly relaxed as Joshua continued. “I’m going to take Olivia to the different shelters in and around Snoqualt to do some volunteer work. I’m not taking her into the Seattle area, which would be too big of an area to cover. If we stay on the Olympic Peninsula, however, that will be manageable. There is also a school for homeless kids in Snoqualt that is going to be short a teacher Wednesday through Friday of next week.”

  “That’s perfect.”

  “Holy hell, I didn’t know about a school for homeless children right there in Snoqualt!” Chance exclaimed.

  “Down, boy,” Sam said, putting his hand on his partner’s arm. “Now you do, and Olivia will give you the 4-1-1 on it after she’s done substitute teaching.” Sam looked down at the conference room table and shook his head.

  “What?” Chance asked.

  “Now, you know why I don’t tell you everything I see during my day,” he said, referring to his job as a social worker.

  “What do you mean?” Chance asked.

  “I mean, you can’t fix everything, Chance. That’s a large part of what I’ve learned at my job, and your nature is to want to fix everything. Sometimes the best you can do is just to listen and offer a shoulder to cry on.”

  “Your job is to fix things!” Chance protested.

  “Nope, my job is to try to keep kids physically safe, and keep families together. Sometimes, I know that it’s not the best psychological or emotional place for a kid, but my job is to keep the child with the family. I’ll try to get the family into counseling but that doesn’t always happen, and I have to focus on those situations where I know I can make a difference.” They all watched as Chance absorbed what Sam had said.

  “I really don’t like the fact that you feel like you can’t tell me about your work life. I understand there are things you can’t change, and I want you to be able to share that with me. You tell Josie, don’t you?”

  Sam nodded.

  “From now on then, I want you to be able to tell me, too,” Chance said.

  “Sure, brother—you got it.” Sam smiled at his partner.

  “But I am going to see about helping to fund that school in Snoqualt,�
�� Chance said, turning to Joshua. They all laughed.

  Chapter 14

  “Do you really think Ian is going to be all right?” Olivia asked for the third time that morning. She turned to look at both Joshua in the driver’s seat, and Caleb who was sitting in the back seat of Ian’s super-cab truck. Even though Olivia was totally in love and lust with her men, she couldn’t help but admire the sleek good looks of Caleb Samuels. He was a tall African-American, with a shaved head, who was at least six foot three. His broad shoulders matched Ian’s. She and all of the ladies that she had gone to lunch with had discussed his physical attributes while they had been in the steam room at the spa.

  It was Kara who had been the most eloquent, as she explained she had known him the longest, since he was her brother’s best friend. “He is ‘chocolate sex on a stick,’ and if I didn’t know that he and my brother came as a pair, I’d be all over him.”

  Olivia remembered questioning Kara about the two of them coming as a pair.

  “Since they were teenagers, they’ve always shared their women. I know that they totally want what my parents have. They want a ménage relationship. I think that’s why they retired from the army together, and they’re buying the property to build an auto restoration shop here. They know that Fate Harbor is the perfect place to have a committed triad relationship.”

  “Ian’s going to be fine, Olivia,” Caleb answered with a small smile on his face. Olivia blushed, realizing that she had been staring at the man as she replayed Kara’s words.

  “How can you be sure of that, Caleb?”

  “I’ve played poker with the man, and he’s setting up a computer system for Leif and me. He’s brilliant, and he can bluff like a motherfucker. He’ll be fine. They have no clue that he’s anything but Ian Ransom, firefighter, looking for a good-paying job.”

  “But, he was in Boston with me,” she almost wailed.

  “Won’t make a difference. Even if he’s confronted about being there, he’ll be able to play that off as a coincidental favor due to his friendship with Chance. You’re not giving your man enough credit, Olivia.” He looked at her sternly, and she could easily see how he had commanded a Special Forces team. She felt herself relax.