Chase (Lakefield Book 4)

by Jennifer Vester

  I nodded. “I want to talk to Drew as soon as he gets back in from wherever he is.”

  Aiden stood up and came around the desk. “He’s probably dragging one of my guys through the mud on the back of the property. We really have enjoyed having him here. I’ll get someone to bring him back up to the house.”

  Holden and Logan opened the door to leave and I heard a loud bellow from somewhere in the house.

  Aiden grinned at me. “Speak of the devil.”

  I stood up and looked out of the study room door at the scene in the living room.

  Owen and Noah were both blocking Brock as he yelled at them while Holden stood his ground behind them and started yelling back. Another security guard, I recognized as Jake from the night I stole the car, approached from their flank while Logan rolled his eyes in the background.

  Brock caught sight of me and started trying to push through his brothers.

  Aiden left the room, shutting the door behind him. I heard an ear-splitting whistle and the deep timbre of Aiden’s voice as he yelled out a command. I couldn’t imagine being on the receiving end of that voice. He sounded like a bear growling. A very angry bear.

  There was more yelling then it ceased.

  I played with my hands in my lap and imagined that Aiden was likely taking control of the situation. He had always been their leader both in and out of the military. Even though they all came from different branches they were united by the mixed group they had served in together and had remained steadfast friends.

  The door opened but I didn’t turn toward it. Suddenly there were arms around my waist as I was lifted up into Brock’s solid chest.

  He started feverishly kissing the side of my face, then my mouth.

  “I love you Andromeda.”

  Hearing his words, spoken as his lips grazed mine and locked in his arms sent jolts through me.

  “Brock,” I whispered. His scent filled my nose and overwhelmed me.

  “I’ll never get used to hearing you say my name. I missed you,” he said and back me up against the study wall.

  Someone cleared their throat just as his had cock pressed into me.

  “Go away!” Brock barked.

  “I would love to but this is my study asshole,” Aiden’s amused voice said. “Get another room later. Right now, we need to talk.”

  Brock gave me one more kiss on my lips and I was thankful to be interrupted. Every time he was near me I forgot half of what I was thinking and I needed to remember I was angry at him right now.

  But those kisses. He was like a starving man with his first taste of food.

  I straightened as he eased away from me, then tugged gently at my hand and led me to the chair in front of Aiden’s desk. I let go of his hand and folded it in my lap.

  Brock glanced at me and gave me a stern look.

  I scowled back at him. He could bite me right now. I was getting back to angry mode.

  Aiden spoke, “Brock as of right now I’m placing you on administrative leave. You need to go relax for a while and cool your heels.”

  “Okay, reason?” Brock asked.

  “Let me be blunt,” Aiden said as he leaned forward and placed his hands on the desk. “Did you kill Andi’s parents?”

  “I hear the tourism trade in Russia is absolutely some of the best these days. I might look in to that,” Brock responded.

  I flicked my eyes at Aiden and saw his lip twitch but otherwise he stared intently at Brock, who in turn stared intently back.

  I frowned and interrupted. “I could give a shit either way. They’re dead, I don’t care about that. Do you care?”

  Brock held Aiden’s eyes a moment longer then turned to me with the same serious face. His eyes searched my face but his intense stare didn’t falter. He was locked down with no emotion but those eyes told me the entire story. They were the only things that gave his secret away to me. Those murky green pools looked relieved.

  Aiden pursed his lips. “I can’t have people going off the range and frankly it makes you just as much of a liability as Holden was last year. Can you at least assure me that none of our men were utilized?”

  Brock gave Aiden a narrow-eyed glance.

  Aiden leaned back in his chair thinking for a moment. “Okay, I’ll take that as a no. Next question, did you have anything to do with the shooting and the bomb at the hotel.”

  Brock growled. “Fuck no. Andi was there and that’s one of our properties.”

  I grimaced at the statement. That didn’t exactly mean he couldn’t or wouldn’t if it wasn’t one of their properties. It sounded like something Holden would do or say, not Brock. Or the Brock I thought I knew.

  Aiden nodded. “Okay, did you have anything to do with the gas leak in Oklahoma, the commuter train accident or the stock market plunge after your girlfriend’s face was posted on the internet?”

  My eyes slid slowly to Brock’s passive and blank face. No reaction. Had he caused all of that just to keep my face off the news? My mouth opened slightly but nothing came out.

  “Electronics are unreliable. Leaks happen, commuter trains occasionally get stuck in tunnels and the stock market is unpredictable. Did I ever tell you I wanted to visit Venezuela?”

  Aiden rolled his eyes. “Well at least our stocks didn’t dip.”

  Brock nodded. “That would have been unfortunate.”

  “Considering you own quite a bit of stock in the company, yes it would.”

  Brock shrugged.

  Aiden stood up and pushed my files across the desk. “Two months of administrative leave. I want a full psych evaluation before you return to work. None of your contract bullshit evaluators. I’m sure you’ll still pass the damn thing with flying colors but make it in-house.”

  “Done,” Brock responded.

  Aiden narrowed his eyes at him. “Get your shit together and figure out your priorities brother. I need you functioning.”

  Brock looked over at me. “My priorities are crystal clear. My shit is out of order though.”

  “Andi’s grandmother will probably make a visit soon. Andi, come see me tomorrow and we’ll have a talk or you’re more than welcome to stay here. We have plenty of space.”

  I nodded. “Thank you, I’ll take you up on that.”

  Brock growled under his breath.

  Aiden left through the door and Brock leaned in to play with my hair. I tried to remain calm and impartial.

  “Your grandmother?” he asked.

  “I called.”

  “You’re upset,” he stated. “Can I at least have a chance to figure out who she is before you meet her? I haven’t had time this last week.”

  I took a deep breath and stared at the folders on Aiden’s desk.

  “It’s already done and I looked her up. You’re not the only one with a computer. The internet said she’s a saint.

  Brock huffed. “And we all know how reliable the internet is.”

  I frowned at him and swiped at his hand. “Look, I don’t know who she is but she reached out. Guess we’ll find out soon enough. She hasn’t chipped me, lied to me and caused a bunch of crazy stuff to happen in my life. So, we’ll see what happens. Right now, she’s more reliable than you are.”

  He flinched and his jaw set.

  “So yes, I’m upset, Brock. You do stuff and sometimes I can get it but you go too far no matter what your reasoning.”

  “If this lady shows up sometime soon then honestly I’m thinking of taking our chances on her.”

  His hand reached back up to softly touch my hair again but he didn’t respond. His eyes looked thoughtful.

  I sighed. “So, you let Maggie and Robert go?”

  He nodded. “Yes, anyone that was sitting at the table the night you were outed by Robert got drug in to be convinced that they heard absolutely nothing that night. As it turned out, it wasn’t necessary.”

  I frowned at him. “So, the arrest was what? A ruse to keep people quiet?”

  His fingers slid across my cheek. “Kin
d of. It’s complicated.”

  I moved my head back out of his reach. “So, was it a lie? Why didn’t you just tell me what you had done to keep my secret safe? Wasn’t it bad enough that Gabriel turned out to be your brother or that you chipped me? Brock, this is so stupid. Was the security breach a lie?”

  “No, it’s real. The publicity behind Maggie and Robert being picked up allowed me to publicly make a statement about the leaks. Aiden wanted to keep the breach quiet but that wasn’t really getting us anywhere. He didn’t want to announce it because he thought it wasn’t as much of a concern as I did. The people we pulled in provided an opportunity to show that I was taking any and all leaks at the company seriously.”

  “So, you pulled them in because you suspected them and forced Aiden’s hand?” I asked.

  “I don’t think any of them had anything to do with it. In Maggie’s case, she was actually in the server room but apparently just trying to hit on one of techs. She was messing around with something to get his attention and he reported it because they’ve been told to report everything. As a security measure, they called the police. A little over the top but I wasn’t exactly mad about it because it provided an opportunity. She didn’t hear anything that night.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Over the top. Just like their boss who frequently doesn’t practice any restraint. She doesn’t seem like the type anyway.”

  He shrugged. “Robert needed a reminder about confidentiality so I had him picked up too on bogus information. Aiden said he talked to him about what he said at dinner but I really didn’t want to take the chance that he didn’t take it seriously. The rest of the people at the table either didn’t understand what they heard or were too distracted to notice what Robert had said. The only reason they were pulled in was because it killed two birds with one stone.”

  “Well that’s at least something, although not exactly nice to Aiden.”

  Brock looked down for a moment then back up at my face. “I run his tech company. I’ve been given the responsibility of keeping some of the most highly confidential data in his business secret. He may not agree with my methods or agree with what constitutes concern in my realm but any data breach from the cafeteria to the executive office is my responsibility. Frankly, it pisses me off.”

  I frowned at him in frustration. “Do your brothers know all of this?”

  “Not all of it.”

  I let out a sigh. “Brock—”

  “What I feel for you is real, Andi.”

  I shook my head. “Just stop for a minute. I can’t think about that right now. Where’s Angela in all of this? Did she get taken in and scared into not talking as well, since she was at the table too?”

  He shrugged. “No need. She’s extremely discreet and we pay her well enough, not to ask questions. She’s on a short leash.”

  I wanted to ask whether it was his leash but remained mute. That would sound a lot like jealousy and I didn’t want to talk about how I still felt for him.

  He opened his mouth to say something and I cut him off.

  Picking up the folder I shook it at him. “You already knew what my life was about before we even started talking. I found this in your desk.”

  He frowned. “That’s not true. I had that drawn up the day after the party, when I was doing the press conference. It was ready at Aiden’s house when we were dropped off. I knew something was off from my research. I knew that your background didn’t make sense at all. I had no idea about the things you went through or the things you managed to endure. I think about it now and my life at twenty-two. I wish I had bumped into a twelve-year old girl on the street and helped her run away to a better family. To my family, or any other place but the one you were in.”

  I grimaced at him. “Did you kill them?”

  He stood up and looked down at me with a grimace. “You just said it didn’t matter to you either way so why ask me?”

  I shook my head and looked up at him again. “Forget it, I don’t care. They were scum. What I do care about is that you went there. You can’t kill everyone that’s ever hurt me and that’s a dark path that I can’t even imagine you going down. Is that even you?”

  His face looked stern. “I don’t regret it and never will. I told you that I would do anything to keep you safe and those two — fuck them, they hurt you.”

  “Okay, fine. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Not ever. How am I supposed to know the truth about this folder?” I asked as I picked it up and waved it at him. “There are no dates. They could have been from months ago.”

  “I just told you.”

  “Brock, having a reputation for getting all the information that no one else can find looks really bad here. I don’t know what to believe. And then that stuff you just told Aiden? The stuff you lied to me about Maggie and Robert?”

  Brock sighed.

  I stood up and gave him my full attention, hoping to make him understand. “I can deal with that other thing and just accept it for what it is but can you understand that if you ask for truthfulness then it should be returned? If you got this information months ago, you just betrayed everything we ever shared. Which isn’t a whole damn lot but even that little sliver of trust with you is obliterated by this.”

  He glanced down at the file in my hand. “I want a date with you.”

  I gave him an exasperated look. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “No, I want a date,” he stated again.

  I threw my hands up and tilted my head at him. “That’s not an answer about this file and you’re being evasive again! Your brothers seem normal so I know insanity at least skipped those two, but are you mental? You said you were going to offer me an explanation and I still haven’t heard anything that remotely explains why any of this happened or why you lied.”

  “Go on a date with me and I’ll explain. We’ll have some fun and talk.”

  “No,” I said. My irritation was growing and I needed to get away from him.

  When I tried to take a step backward, he reached out and dragged me against him.

  I let out a small gasp. “Let me go, Brock.”

  “No,” he whispered against my ear and nearly made my knees buckle when he kissed that damn spot. My stupid, traitorous body reacted the same way it always did when I was around him.

  I pushed at him. “Stop trying to use my body to convince me. You’re just going to distract me.”

  He stopped and smiled but didn’t let go. “Better? How about I love you? Will you go on a date with me if I tell you that a few times?”

  I rolled my eyes. “If you’re going to use love as a leveraging mechanism then you have no clue what it is. It means nothing unless it’s freely given without any sort of hope to get it in return. You’re no better than my parents if you’re going to use your love to manage me into something you want. It hurts as much as any slap to the face.”

  His face fell but he needed to hear it.

  “Andi, that’s not what I was trying to do. It’s hard to explain but I feel like— Jesus that sounds so girly. I’m okay with chasing after you for the rest of my life if that’s what it takes. I’ll ask for a date every day.”

  I felt my throat constrict just thinking about love right now. “First, don’t chase after something, specifically me, just because you can.”

  Brock huffed and tried to speak.

  I shook my head. “I’m using your word here, Brock, since it feels like to me, that you think this has been some adventure in trying to catch me. Second, don’t chase what you have no intention of catching. Third, don’t chase after things that you can catch and do, only to fuck it up once you’ve caught it! I loved you or thought I did and my heart feels shredded at this point so don’t make it worse!”

  He gently eased his grip on me but the storm in his eyes raged.

  “I’m not trying to shred your heart, Andi.”

  “Brock, I may not know a whole lot about men but one thing I do know is that some men love the chase but not the prize. Some
men chase women because they think they’ll get something that’s missing from their lives. Then when they see it’s not in that particular woman they stop and leave.”

  He gave me a sour look but said nothing.

  I sighed. “Your sister has been missing for a long time and when you tell me that you wish you could go save the twelve year old me, it sounds like you want to save that little girl because you couldn’t save your sister. Some of this just really feels like that and I can’t do it. Please don’t do this to me, if at this point, it’s about the feelings you have about your sister. Just walk away if that’s the case.”

  His hand came up and slid behind my neck. “I promise that’s not what this is about and I only meant that I wish I could have saved the woman I love from a horrible childhood. Have dinner with me and we’ll talk. Just for the record, I’m going to keep telling you that I love you. I’m sorry this got fucked up but I do deeply love you.”

  He spoke again before I could reply. “No strings. No expectations. Just a meal between two people that need to talk about some things. It’s better than hanging around here all day and watching the trees grow outside.”

  I sighed and eased myself out of his grip. “I’m sure there are other things to do around here.”

  “Like getting ogled by Holden’s security team?” he muttered.

  “Too soon Brock, don’t get your boxers in a twist.” I turned toward the door and opened it. “Okay, dinner. Jeans and t-shirt or something a little more dressy?”

  His eyes swept down my body and my skin started to heat. “Little more dressy, please. I’ll take you somewhere nice but private.”

  I pointed my finger at him. “Not too private. Two people that need to talk. That’s it.”

  He held up his hand. “Of course.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him.

  He laughed. “I promise. Nothing crazy. I’ll wait until date two for that.”

  He walked through the door ahead of me and I veered right as he veered left.