The Talented Mr. Rivers

by HelenKay Dimon

  Seth frowned. “We’re tracking them, remember? Find, identify, and eventually take down.”

  All good points. Solid. Commonsense. Hunter ignored them in favor of speaking the truth. “I don’t like it. I don’t trust Peter.”

  Will stepped right in front of him. “You shouldn’t, but I’m his road to Gatt. Right now Peter needs me, or he thinks he does, and he has never needed me. I am the key and you know it.”

  The room seemed to tilt. Seth opened his mouth, looked ready to jump in, then pulled back.

  Hunter thought about saying something and rushing right over every argument. Demanding to get his way. Then he looked at the other men in the room. They were in sync. They agreed. He was the outlier, which meant that, rather than spending their time preparing they’d end up fighting about what to do next.

  Reality snapped into place. Hunter prided himself on always having an alternative plan. This time he didn’t. Peter would come. Arrive and attack. That wheel had already started spinning, which meant Peter would break down that door soon. Now the only thing left to do was to even the odds in Will’s favor as much as possible.

  He stared at the man who’d come to mean too much too fast. The one who challenged him out of bed and made him hard in it. “You have ten minutes alone with your brother.”

  Seth being Seth, he scoffed. The grating sound echoed through the room. “And then? Really, what kind of threat is that?”

  A man couldn’t try to do the right thing and show a little bit of trust without someone pissing all over it. “Maybe you should worry about your own love life.”

  “At least you admit you have one.” Seth winked at Will before looking at Hunter again. “That’s progress.”

  That was more than enough of that. Hunter had no idea what he felt or what he had to do to make it go away, and he was hoping there was some antidote because this caring-for-a-guy-and-not-wanting-him-to-die thing was bullshit. But he sure as hell didn’t want to have a group talk about it.

  He turned back to Will. Tried not to let his gaze tour over his face but knew it did. “I am going to be watching and listening. If he kills you…”

  “What?” Will had the nerve to smile.

  “I’ll be ticked off.” Made sense to Hunter. That was the one emotion he could handle.

  This time Seth laughed. “I can’t figure out if you’re a hopeless romantic or just hopeless.” Then Seth looked at Will and, pointing to Hunter, told him, “Actually, while you’re with Peter, I’ll be strangling him.”

  “Good plan.” Will touched a hand against Hunter’s shoulder. Let it stay there a beat too long before his fingers slipped down Hunter’s arm. “Go. I promise I’ll be fine.”

  “I will be right back.” Hunter had to force his legs to move.

  Will’s gaze locked on Hunter. “I know.”

  —

  Seth slipped through the opening the second after Hunter made a show of stepping into the hall. Conversation ceased and doors shut. Everyone played their part, leaving Will alone and open to an unwanted but necessary visit.

  He figured he wouldn’t have to wait too long. The only question had been how Peter would make his entrance. Knowing his love for drama, Will wouldn’t have been surprised if his big brother stormed through the window.

  He had actually just turned to see if that was even possible when an arm snaked around his neck. The alarm hadn’t sounded. The floor hadn’t creaked. The door hadn’t closed with its usual click. There was no noise until the rough hold settled on Will’s throat, threatening to cut off his breath.

  A thump to the side of his thigh knocked his body off balance. He struggled to stay up and on his feet as the weight behind him dragged him to the wall. His chest slammed into it. Only the quick shift of his arms and the flattening of his palms against the stones kept Will from smashing headfirst.

  Peter’s deep voice boomed in Will’s ear. “Surprise.”

  Will fought off a flinch, refusing to give Peter the satisfaction of gaining the upper hand. It took every ounce of control to keep from fighting back or reaching for one of the weapons on him. Instead, Will went limp. “I thought you might be here soon. That’s why I sent Hunter out for food.”

  “Dumb move, baby brother.” Peter pinned Will to the wall with his weight. “You see, I don’t like disloyalty. There’s a high price to pay for that sort of thing and sharing a bloodline won’t absolve you. I’d suggest you ask Stacia if I was telling the truth, but she’s dead.”

  Without warning, Peter shifted. The tight band around Will’s throat eased before it dropped completely. Then the gun appeared. Peter aimed it right at Will’s temple. Held it there.

  Adrenaline coursed through Will. His muscles tightened and the need to shove and punch and kick—fight dirty but fight smart—swamped him. Instead of giving in, he inhaled. Drew in as much air as possible in an attempt to cool off from the inside out.

  “You’re talking about the Gatt meeting.” Staying rational proved almost impossible. Every time Will’s voice tightened he remembered the game. Remembered the stakes. “I knew you were listening.”

  “If so, then you know you made a big mistake in talking with the man.”

  But Will could feel some of the tension leave Peter’s body. Anger still held him hostage but his grip loosened and he pulled the gun back so it no longer rested against Will’s face.

  “You think I would draw him into the open just for fun? The point was for you to lay eyes on him. To check out the competition.” Will kept talking. Kept trying to reassure. It was either that or risk Hunter coming in, ruining the plan, and shooting anyone with the last name of Rivers.

  The gun moved a little farther away. “Risky.”

  Will’s breathing evened out. The unsteady race of his heartbeat started to slow. “We needed to know what Gatt was offering. Unfortunately, he didn’t cough up many details.”

  With a hand on Will’s shoulder and a hard shove, Peter spun him around. The brothers stared at each other for a minute. Neither said anything.

  “That was your plan.” Peter didn’t ask it as a question.

  Standing there, just inches apart, Will could almost see Peter thinking. Almost hear the thoughts running through his head. Peter doubted but wanted to believe. He’d built his life and Pentasus’s reputation on being able to assess situations and make the hard calls. He tended not to take a lot of time or ever doubt later. He acted or reacted and then moved on.

  Knowing that made Will want to rush his words and try to convince. To spit them out as fast as he could. But that didn’t fit with the persona he needed to create. The next few moves were about showing control and leadership while instilling trust. “You were right. He made contact.”

  After a second of silence, Peter nodded. “He plans to kill you.”

  That appeared to be a popular option at the moment. “Of course. But now we know what we’re dealing with and can plan accordingly.”

  Peter’s arm fell to his side, taking the weapon out of immediate firing position. “You’re not leaving the family business?”

  “Despite the load of crap Gatt is trying to sell, you and I both know Stacia did not want me helping her. That’s bullshit. She would have shot me first.” Will realized that might be the one true thing he’d said since stepping into the club to meet Gatt.

  “True.”

  “But we can do it.” Will reached out and put a hand on Peter’s shoulder. The move felt clunky and he worried it came off as false, but it was too late to take back now. “You have the knowledge and the contacts. I can be the new face. The new heir stepping up to take a leading position.”

  The tension vanished. Peter even smiled…or as close as Peter got to having a human emotion like happiness. “It is a trustworthy face.”

  “That comes from a lifetime of lying. I call it practice for running Pentasus.” Will squeezed his hand on Peter’s shoulder before letting it drop. “Let me work with you.”

  “You have to prove yourself.”
>
  Their father’s favorite line. A powerful punch of nostalgia hit Will. No matter what he did, it was never enough. He was too smart, too weak…not ruthless enough. He’d already walked down this road and now Peter expected him to take the ride a second time.

  But this time he had an answer. The setup, pitting man against man—that was the right answer. “That’s what I’m doing with Gatt. I’m cutting down your competition.”

  “What about Hunter?”

  “He stays. Non-negotiable.” He’d stick around for now or however long Seth insisted and wallow in risk, but Hunter could not be a target, and that was a vow Will would keep. “I like the things he does for me.”

  Peter’s eyebrow lifted along with the corner of his mouth. “You mean to you.”

  As if Will wanted to talk about his sex life with his boundaryless brother. “That too.”

  “I don’t trust him.”

  The words echoed through Will. Trust, the one thing that had always eluded him. The family didn’t practice it. He had a hard time developing and sustaining it with others. “I don’t trust anyone. Why do you think I had him leave the room?”

  Peter nodded as he put his gun away. “What’s the next step?”

  “I let Gatt think I’m siding with him. We’ll set up a trap and spring it.” It was an all-purpose mission meant to take them all out. Will just hoped it was enough. “That way you get to see who’s been working behind your back.”

  “I like the way you’re thinking.”

  That left one more thing. One thing he didn’t talk through with Seth and Hunter but something Will knew could trip them all up. And it didn’t hurt to make the point just in general. “But you don’t get to listen to us.”

  Peter’s expression went blank. “What?”

  “I removed the listening devices you planted in here. You honestly think I didn’t notice?” Will shook his head. “Man, you need to find your sexual thrill somewhere else.”

  “The idea was to keep tabs on Hunter.”

  Will got that, and that’s why he’d tackled the issue, but still. “I’ll watch Hunter.”

  “Apparently,” Peter said. “So, tomorrow with Gatt?”

  “Yeah. I’ll let you—”

  Peter shook his head. “No need. I’m close by and watching. I’ll know when to move in.”

  He morphed from a lighter mood to deadly serious in the span of two seconds. Will could barely keep up, but then he guessed that was the point. Peter won by subterfuge. Will just had to be better at the game.

  “Will your people be ready?”

  “They’re already in place.”

  Now there was a scary-as-shit statement. It made Will wonder about Hunter and his current whereabouts. But there was only one way to check on him, and that meant showing Peter the door first. “Let the games begin.”

  Chapter 18

  Hunter was starting to think he’d never sleep again. He lay on the bed with the comforter bunched beneath him. He’d stripped down to his boxer briefs and spent the last hour staring blankly at the dark room, not seeing anything but shadowed shapes and running through every mission scenario in his head.

  Tomorrow the plan would hatch. Gatt, Peter…Will. Hunter knew it was the right call, but that didn’t make it a good call for his sanity. To Seth, Will was little more than collateral damage. Absolutely expendable. He’d been a Rivers since birth and Seth didn’t put much stock in any of the family members.

  Hunter got that. Hell, he’d thought the same way when he first walked into the Rivers house. Even when he worked on the legitimate side of the family business. The malice and hate blanketed everything. The family members had this shiny veneer. Pretty on the outside and pure evil through every other inch. The only question mark had been Will.

  Vigilance wouldn’t be enough tomorrow. He’d have to be ready for anything and prepared to make any sacrifice. The BND and CIA wanted answers. Few knew about the mission, but Seth had relayed the response from above: Don’t fuck this up.

  He’d gotten the message. Now to accomplish the task without forfeiting anything else.

  “Just so you know…” Will rolled onto his side and faced Hunter. “I can hear you thinking.”

  That sounded like a bad thing. Hunter pretended it wasn’t true because the idea of them being that linked only ratcheted up his anxiety and added to the list of things that could go wrong.

  Aiming for relaxed and hoping to sound disinterested, he didn’t lower his arm from where it stretched out above his head or move the other hand from where it rested on his stomach. “Go back to sleep.”

  “Not likely.”

  So much for keeping the back-and-forth to a minimum. Well, if Will wanted to talk, then they would. Hunter just had to control the topics. “Your brother said some things tonight…”

  “You had Zach sweep the place.” Will pushed up on his elbow and balanced his head in his hand. “There are no other listening devices in here besides theirs. We’ve been careful with the rest of your team by not letting them be seen. They’ve been coming in and out through the secret wall, which is still fucking creepy.”

  Not really the point, but okay. “No arguments here.”

  “Or are you worried about where my loyalties lie?” Will exhaled nice and loud. “Again? Or should I say still?”

  “It’s not like that.”

  Will blew out another long breath. “God, Hunter, can’t we get off this destructive merry-go-round?”

  He could get as dramatic and angry as he wanted. Hunter had to go with his gut, and his gut told him to broach the subject. That meant turning on a light, so he could try to read Will’s reactions.

  Hunter reached over and clicked it on. A soft yellow glow filled the room. It also let him really see Will. The rough scruff around his chin. The exhaustion tugging at his eyes. The hair raked by his fingers. That perfect face.

  He couldn’t get sidetracked by any of that, regardless of how tempting it was. “You were convincing.”

  Will frowned. “Wasn’t that the point?”

  Yeah, Hunter wasn’t in the mood for logic. “You talk to Gatt and sell it. You talk to Peter and sell it. I’m sure you can see my concern.”

  “And now you’re thinking I’m selling you a line, too.” Will fell back on the pillows, staring up at the ceiling.

  Hunter wanted to look at him, to talk this through. Instead, he stayed still and watched the same ceiling from a different angle. Likely counted the same lines and boxes outlined in trim. “I did wonder.”

  “You are the only thing I’ve ever taken for myself.”

  The comment sounded so big in Hunter’s head. “Will, I’m not sure what to—”

  “I kept people at a distance because I feared my family would swallow them whole. That space faded away when I met you. I didn’t want to treat you as an employee and keep sleeping around and not caring or feeling anything.”

  “You didn’t have sex with anyone else once I became your bodyguard. Not that I know of.” Hunter had dreaded that day. Will was young and handsome and the time could have come…it just never had.

  “I didn’t want anyone but you.”

  “That makes me happier than I want to admit.” But even saying that much probably amounted to an admission of sorts.

  “I knew Stacia and Peter would think it was a bad idea if I gave in to how I felt about you, but I didn’t care. I wanted you and kept you close and eventually…well, the sex wasn’t exactly a surprise.”

  “So, I was inevitable.” Hunter wasn’t sure he liked being put into that box.

  Will looked at Hunter. “I’m talking about wanting more than sex with you. I hesitated to do anything about that because being with me put you on their radar.”

  Hunter didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know if he even could say anything.

  “Of course, now I know you can handle it.” Will closed his eyes for a second, then opened them again. The intensity remained, but his voice had changed. Grown resigned, almost sad.
“You don’t exactly need me fighting your battles. Maybe you don’t need me for anything. I can’t really tell.”

  The dragging tone had Hunter’s emotions scattering in his head. He flipped from frustrated and questioning to something else. Something that turned his stomach over and scraped his insides raw. He didn’t recognize the sensation but he worried he could name it—panic.

  They lay a few inches apart but the divide between them felt as if it had stretched wide enough to park a truck there. The uncomfortable silence engulfed the bed. Neither of them moved but the mood in the room took on a dark overtone. This conversation wasn’t about the danger and being ready for tomorrow. This was much more personal.

  Dealing with this was not a skill Hunter possessed. Emotions, caring…hell, even talking was beyond his skill set. No one had trained him for that, though his trainers had showed him how to jump out of a helicopter.

  He struggled with how much to say. In some ways, he wasn’t a hundred percent sure what he wanted or how to frame it. The pieces were clear enough. Gut-wrenching attraction. Worry for Will’s safety. A growing appreciation for who he was that overwhelmed the worries of how his family tried to shape him.

  A very real sense that trying to live without him would be impossible.

  He’d never given a shit about any of those realities with any other man. Blocked it all out except in terms of how a guy might perform with his pants off. But with Will he wanted more. Hunter looked into the future, and the slog of travel and being alone and finding a bar now and then for a faceless hookup left him cold.

  He searched for a way to say it without really saying it. Only an idiot would cough up that kind of emotional crap first and risk not hearing it back. But he couldn’t stop himself from wading in at least a little. “You’re the bigger problem.”

  “Huh.” That was all Will said.

  And when his scowl didn’t ease, Hunter knew he’d misfired and as expected said it wrong. “You were supposed to be a good time in the sack and nothing more.”

  “Because you hated my family.” Will nodded but his voice stayed flat. “You think I don’t know that?”