Forgotten Bodyguard Box Set: A Forbidden Fruit Series

by Ali Parker

  "Fine." He spilled his number and I typed it in. "Don't mention that there was more than one drive. No one knew that but me. I made a copy for myself and two for the FBI. Mitch had his guys break in and take them."

  "So someone besides you knows that there are four of them." I lifted my eyebrow. "Who took the drives from your place?"

  "No clue, but hopefully the idiots just thought they were empty. Did Mitch take the pink-tipped drive from you?"

  I didn't react at all.

  Jeremy sighed and glanced down toward the ground. "Dude, look, I'm telling you that I'm here to help."

  "Words don't mean shit. Your actions all point to the opposite." I took a long breath through my nose and worked on letting go of some of the angst building up inside my chest.

  My main job was to protect Chloe. If Jeremy could get the information about Mitch being involved in Brant Thomas' family's murder, then everything would be righted without me having to lift a finger. I didn't exactly have good standing with the FBI or the ability to get to them without Mitch watching me closely.

  I could get my brother to take the evidence to them, or trust that Jeremy would do it. Somehow getting Cole involved seemed the worst of the two options. I'd have to make a copy of the drives if I were going to hand the ones I had off to Jeremy. That would keep me in control without the asshole knowing it.

  "He stole my career from me, Ian. He murdered a family in front of me." He lifted his chin and shook his head. "Please just give me the evidence I need to shut him down. He can't keep living in the sunlight while the rest of us are walking in the shadows. It's not fair, and I'm close to breaking. If I don't get the evidence soon and do this the right way, then I'm going to do it any way possible."

  "Meaning?" I didn't mind pushing the guy a little.

  "Meaning I'm going to pull out a fucking gun and start shooting toward the next stage he's on. I don't want to hurt anyone but Mitch, but you're leaving me no choice. Give me the drives or fix this yourself. One week. That's all you have."

  I nodded and watched as he turned around and slipped off into the trees. A calm had settled over me. We were nearing the end of this song and dance. Either Jeremy was going to take Mitch out, or I was.

  Either way, I'd know Jeremy's intent sooner or later and after Mitch was locked up, depending on Jeremy’s actions, he likely would be next on my list.

  Chapter 10

  Chloe

  I pulled the glasses from my face as we walked off the stage. A growl lay trapped in my chest over having to be someone I wasn't simply to appease my father or make him look more put together. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

  "Chloe."

  I turned as Tristan walked up, the smile on his face far wider than was necessary. It was weird to think that certain supporters would follow my father around the country no matter where he was, but that seemed the way politics worked.

  I'd been a little too friendly at the bistro the weekend before, namely to make Ian a little jealous. It was childish and uncalled for, but his explosive reaction in the car afterward almost seemed like a reward for pushing him.

  "Hey." I reached out and gave him a quick, friendly hug.

  "Chloe, we're heading into a press conference. I want you to go back to the hotel with Daniel." My father moved up beside us and glanced toward Tristan. "Mr. Stanley. Nice to see you again. Are your folks here? I'd love to catch up with them."

  "They are." Tristan pointed toward the tent. "They're standing near the far back left of the stage. My dad was hoping to catch up with you. I think you'll be pleased with the information he's pulled for you."

  "Excellent." My father turned and gave me a tight grin. "No diverting Daniel. Right to the hotel. These events can be dangerous and we've lost too much already, all right?"

  I nodded, holding my tongue. I didn't trust myself to respond. Ian validating that he wasn't the one that shot Pauly left me with one conclusion. My father had, or maybe he'd sent someone to kill Pauly, but either way... he was involved. After coming to that sound conclusion I had trouble even looking at him the same.

  What else was he involved in? How many other lives had he ruined or taken on his rise to the top?

  "Nice to see you again, Tristan." My father extended his hand.

  I glanced around, trying to find Ian and coming up empty. Daniel stood off to the side, his eyes locked on me. I had a million questions about his involvement as well, but it was best to just lay low and give Ian the chance to figure everything out. I was getting antsy over all of it, but had to trust him.

  "You too, sir." Tristan turned his attention toward me as my father rushed off. "Why doesn't your brother come to any of these events?"

  "I don't have a brother." I reached up and pulled my hair into a messy bun. The show and tell was over and everyone was focused on my father, as they should be.

  Tristan tilted his head to the side as he gave me a funny grin. "Yeah, your older brother. Please tell me that he's like my older brother Chuck. We pretend like he doesn't exist just to keep the peace in the family. He's fucked up so many times in life that my parents basically have written him off."

  I wasn't sure how to respond. I was an only child and Tristan obviously had his stories mixed up, but it would be easier just to agree and get on with my day.

  "Yep. That's it." I smiled. "He's just the black sheep of the family."

  "Well, he looks a lot like your father. I'm surprised no one has brought him up in the press conferences yet." He slipped his hands into his pockets and studied me.

  "Why is that?"

  Tristan shrugged. "Because he was once in politics too?"

  I shrugged and gave him a cute grin. "I see. I'm going back to the hotel. I'll see you around?"

  "Yes. Let's go have lunch again soon, or better yet, dinner?" He didn't seem to want to let the subject die, but I didn't have anything else to add to a conversation about a fictitious brother I had.

  "I'd like that." I turned and walked toward Daniel as my mind raced. What the fuck was Tristan talking about, and better yet, why would he think I had a brother? Was it at all possible? If so, where was he? "No. Just no."

  "No, what?" Daniel moved up beside me as we walked toward the black stretch limo out front.

  "Nothing." I got in and wrapped my arms around myself as I sunk down in the dark leather. There were a lot of things I could swallow, but this wasn't one of them.

  Where did Tristan come up with the idea? I had no clue, but I knew I needed to find out.

  *

  "You should lie down and take a nap. You look tired." Daniel opened the door to the hotel room and followed me in.

  "Thanks, Dad," I mumbled and walked toward the bedroom. He said something behind me, but I ignored him. It was most likely something that would start another fight, and I wasn't in the mood.

  I closed and locked the door behind me before crawling into the chilly sheets. I pulled the covers over the top of me and tugged my phone from my pocket. Ian would still be at the event, but hopefully he would answer me.

  The phone rang five times and went to a voice mailbox that was too full to take another message. I tried again, and again.

  I lay in the bed for what felt like forever, trying to figure out where to start in the mystery that had become my life. Running sounded better than staying. Maybe there was a way to lock it all up in my mind the way I'd closed off part of my journal. Whatever I was soon to figure out had the power to destroy me.

  Someone killed my mother, and all signs pointed toward my father.

  A knock at my door had me dragging myself out of bed. I opened it to find Ian standing there, looking like he wanted to run as badly as I did.

  I grabbed the front of his t-shirt and pulled him into the room.

  He wrapped his arms around me and kicked the door closed.

  "Where's my dad?"

  "In the lobby talking to the manager of the hotel." He ducked his head down and kissed me a few times in rapid succession. "I saw
Jeremy today, Chloe. I don't know what the fuck to think anymore. This thing is spinning out of control."

  "I agree. We need to get out of here." I pressed my cheek to his chest and closed my eyes, breathing him in. For a moment in time peace was mine, and it was thanks to him. "We could just leave now and not look back."

  "I wish it were that easy." He brushed his hand down the back of my hair and kissed the top of my head a few times.

  "What happened with Jeremy?" I released him and walked back toward the bed, dropping down on the edge of it.

  "He wants the other zip drives I have." Ian rolled his shoulders. "I don't know what to believe, but I'd much rather have him go to the FBI than one of us. Your father gets word that we're involved in anything that might take him down, and I have no doubt that he'll take us out."

  I pressed my hands to my face and tried to concentrate on my breathing. A few months ago I was nothing more than a spoiled brat living high on the hog, and now I had no clue who I was.

  "I can't do this," I whispered through my fingers. "I don't know who to trust or how this is going to end."

  "You can trust me, baby." Ian knelt in front of me and pulled my hands from my face. "I'm right here."

  "Tristan asked me today where my brother was." I let out a sardonic laugh.

  "You have a brother?" Surprise raced across Ian's handsome features.

  "No." I shrugged. "At least I don't think I do. Who the fuck knows anymore?"

  "Hey. Stay with me, okay?" He cupped my face and drew me in for a long kiss.

  I wanted so badly to melt against him, but we couldn't keep ignoring the obvious. My father was soon to take the Democratic nominee and then possibly the presidency. He didn't care about how high the pile of bodies had grown since he started, nor was he concerned with who lay bleeding below him.

  Nothing mattered more than his career. It was a truth I'd come to accept a long time ago, but this was far more than hurt feelings and broken familial ties. This was murder.

  "What happened the night Pauly was killed? I need to know," I whispered softly against his lips.

  He moved back as his features tightened. "Chloe."

  "I'm serious. He was everything to me." I rubbed my chest and glanced down in embarrassment. "I should be hurting so much now that he's gone, but I think I've locked away the pain. I can't seem to access it."

  "Maybe that's a good thing." He reached up and rubbed his fingers over my shoulder before squeezing softly.

  "Please," I pleaded in earnest. "I need to know."

  "Pauly came to get the zip drive with the evidence that your father was involved in Brant's family dying in that fire."

  "And."

  "And I gave him the drive, but he was acting weird. Before we could talk too much about it, your father stepped out of the shadows with a gun in his hand." Ian let out a shaky breath and let his head drop. "I should have tackled him or something. I just never expected your dad to be the kind of guy that could kill someone. I've grown up with him being the favorite Senator, him legalizing marijuana and giving us all sorts of great benefits for living in Cali. I don't know... I didn't react as quickly as I should have."

  "You didn't know." I took his hand in mine. "No one would have, me included."

  "Pauly was trying to protect you all of these years, and I guess that's what Mitch held over his head. Pauly knew everything Mitch was involved in, and even got involved himself because he didn't really have another choice."

  "Yeah, Pauly mentioned that." I lifted Ian's hand to my lips and kissed his fingers one at a time. "He was trapped to my father's side, but why?"

  "Because he loved you." Ian moved closer, forcing me to open my thighs as he settled between them.

  "That makes no sense. Was my father's hold on him that he would kill me if Pauly wasn't compliant?" Sickness washed over the desire I was beginning to feel, wiping it out and leaving me cold.

  "Yes. It's his hold on me too."

  "My own father would kill me?" I closed my eyes and let my head fall back. "How is that possible?"

  "Maybe he's not your father, Chloe."

  I lowered my chin and studied Ian's expression. "What are you saying, Ian."

  "I'm not saying anything other than maybe instead of just going with the flow, maybe you should start digging into where you come from. Pauly was a whole lot more invested in taking care of you than Mitch. Why? And why was he the only one that cried at your mom's funeral?"

  "And what were my parents fighting about the day my mother died." I got up and moved toward the windows, opening the blinds and letting out a long breath. I glanced back at him as he walked toward the door. "Do you think I have a brother? Do you think my father's hiding another kid somewhere?"

  "Who knows?" He opened the door. "I think you should focus on you though. Whatever else is going on will soon be over."

  "You sure about that?" I wrapped my arms around myself and turned back toward the window as he left without answering. There was really nothing more to say.

  Neither of us were sure of anything, not even each other.

  Chapter 11

  Ian

  A brother? Really? Fuck.

  I paced the floor in front of my bed just down the hall, trying to get my thoughts together. I'd berated myself a million fucking times over not being smart enough to put two and two together. Cole would have already figured out if Jeremy was involved for good reason or snuggled up in bed with Mitch. And how was Daniel involved in everything? Grabbing the stiff bastard by the neck and forcing him to confess sounded like a great idea, but brute force wasn't going to go over real well.

  We were supposed to be quiet and compliant.

  I pulled my phone from my pocket and growled at the idea of anyone snapping a collar around my neck. It'd been a long time since I hadn't owned myself.

  "What's up?" My brother picked up immediately.

  "Where are you?" I ran my fingers through my hair and sat down on the edge of the bed.

  "I'm almost back in San Diego. You need me somewhere else?"

  "No. I need you to get the zip drives I tucked into my nightstand out and make two more copies of the content on them. Can you do that?" I lay back and stifled the need to sigh.

  "Yeah. Why do we need to make more copies when you have three already?"

  "Because Jeremy knows that I have three, and he wants them. He says he's going to the FBI, and where that sounds like a great plan, I don't trust the prick."

  "He stole your girl and shot her. I'm thinking you not trusting him is a good thing." Cole snorted. "I'll make the copies. Where are you?"

  "Maryland. We just wrapped up another gathering for Mitch. I think we're almost done on the campaign trail. I don't know how the fuck Pauly did this."

  "Traveling all the time?"

  "No." I forced myself up. "Lying all the time and having to protect a monster like Mitch Moore. The fucker should go into acting if politics doesn't work out. He's a piece of work."

  "Agreed. I'm having trouble seeing him as anything but a kind fatherly figure. How jacked up is that?"

  "Not at all. Every one of us that grew up in So-Cal sees him that way, but he's not that man at all." I shook my head and moved toward the thin wall between mine and Chloe's room. "I want to protect Chloe so bad from everything that's headed our way, but I can't. Most of it's going to be emotional."

  "What do you mean? I'm not following."

  "I told her that Mitch killed Pauly." I sighed.

  "What? I thought you were supposed to keep up the facade that Pauly was the bad guy."

  "Right, I was. It's impossible to lie to her, Cole. I'm in love with her. She turns on her tears and begs for the truth and I'm like putty in her fucking hands." I growled softly and pushed off the wall. "She took all of it well. Too well."

  "Damn. She's locking it up inside of her like you used to do when we were kids." He let out a long sigh. "Just stay close to her. It's all going to hit her at once and she's going to need you."

&n
bsp; "Thank you, Captain Obvious." I stopped pacing and wrapped my free arm around me. "She said that Tristan Stanley asked where her brother was today."

  "Who's Tristan Stanley and does Chloe have a brother?"

  "He's a rich kid with parents that are most likely going to fund the remainder of Mitch's race to the White House."

  "And the brother thing?"

  "No fucking clue. She doesn't have any siblings from what she says, but who knows, man. Probably something we need to dig into. Mitch might have another kid from a previous relationship. Stranger shit has happened."

  "Doubtful."

  "Why is that?"

  "Because someone would have brought that up by now. When someone goes into politics and runs for president, all their dirty laundry is laid out for the world to see."

  "Not all of it." I paced the floor a little more to release some of my pent up energy. "And another thing that's seriously bothering me."

  "Tell me. We'll figure it out together."

  A smile tugged at the side of my mouth. Cole had been using that motto on me since we were able to get into trouble together. We'd figure it out together. Something about him uttering those words left me feeling a little more sure of myself.

  "Pauly sent me after Mitch at the UCLA event where Chloe was taken, Cole. Why would he do that? That left him in charge of Chloe when she was taken. I didn't know Pauly that well, but there's no fucking way I can believe that he wasn't able to protect Chloe from Jeremy taking her."

  "It was his fault that Chloe was kidnapped? Is that what you think?"

  "Oh, it was definitely his fault, but did he just miss seeing Jeremy, or did he look the other way?"

  "Interesting. If he was the head of security for Senator Moore, then I would assume that the guy didn't miss much of anything."

  "Exactly." I sat back down on the edge of the bed. "So he let Jeremy take her?"

  "That sounds right, but doesn't at all match up with the man you believed him to be. He loved Chloe, right?"

  "Like she was his own kid, bro. I'm honestly not sure that she's not his."