Alec frowned at him. “I will tell them to believe it and they will.”
A shocked silence followed Alec’s gruff statement.
“Well.” Seth made that clicking sound again. “That’s an interesting management style.”
Finn shrugged. “It works for him.”
“Since I don’t trust you—”
“That goes both ways,” Gaige said, purposely interrupting Alec now that he knew how much Alec hated the tactic.
A muscle twitched in Alec’s cheek. “You will come in when I do, leave when I do and stay at my house for the length of your time here. Consider us connected.”
“What?” Gaige couldn’t think of a worse idea. Even ignoring the possibility that Alec would likely tie him up and hold him hostage, there was the very real problem that a part of Gaige didn’t hate the idea of Alec tying him up.
His brain engaged in a constant battle while Alec talked. A thumping heated need filled him. He wanted to know what happened when Alec stripped that suit off. How those fingers would trace over his skin.
The temptation to throw Alec in front of a bus proved equally strong. Gaige couldn’t remember a time when a man both intrigued him and sent rage coursing through him. He’d tasted the know-it-all type and had no interest in going there again. Besides, that type tended to think they were good in bed but actually sucked…though he doubted Alec would suffer from that failing.
Finn winced. “Uh, Alec?”
Enough with just standing there. They could shoot him if they wanted to but Gaige was done. “I don’t work for you. Any of you. I woke up in D.C. two days ago and now I’m stuck in the middle while you guys play spy games. I’m retired from anything resembling that.”
He started toward the door. Made it halfway around the table before Seth stepped in front of him.
“I don’t like that word,” Seth said.
“Game?” Because he sure as hell liked to play them.
“Spy. Too Hollywood.”
Finn sighed as he stood up. With one press of his palm against the table, the images on the monitors disappeared. He looked at his brother. “I need to see you for a second.”
Chapter 4
Alec followed Finn into the hall. Leaving Seth and Gaige alone for even a second was the wrong call, so Alec stuck close to the door, hoping to pick up some part of the conversation despite the impenetrable walls.
He strained but he couldn’t even hear the rumble of voices. “This is bullshit.”
“Of course it is, which makes me wonder why you’re going along with anything Seth says.” Finn leaned against the far hallway wall.
He handled stress better than anyone Alec knew. Finn might have been the youngest, almost out of his twenties, but he was rock solid. He’d grown up fast and hard. Alec and Griff, their other brother, had tried to guide Finn. Keep him aware and on guard without burdening him with the roughness they possessed. It had worked, to a point. Enough for Alec to trust Finn with every aspect of the business, including doing most of the travel and on-site visits.
So Alec needed Finn with him on this. “If someone is using our name, or if Seth and the CIA are setting us up, we need to know.”
“Uh-huh.” Finn rested his hands behind him on the wall. “And Gaige?”
The air changed. Wariness poured through Alec. He could feel his baby brother digging, acting like he knew some big secret. “What about Gaige?”
Finn made a face. “You have eyes, right? The guy is hot. The tech mind and those arms? Come on. He’s exactly your type.”
Since he had trouble not looking at Gaige, Alec knew what Finn meant. The sleek muscles, the relaxed attitude. The competency with which he maneuvered around the business’s security. It all worked for Alec. He was intrigued about the man and his past…and what he could do with that smart mouth.
But Alec refused to talk about that with his brother. Finn was bisexual and Alec was gay. They never went after the same men. That was an unspoken rule.
Not that Alec had any intention of going after Gaige for anything other than information. The rest he could think about and satisfy with his own hand during the few hours he spent in bed tonight. “Make your point.”
Finn shook his head. “I know other people are threatened by that tone. I’m not.”
For anyone else, Alec had perfected his I’m-done-with-this-shit growl. It apparently no longer worked on Finn. Maybe logic would. “We don’t have a choice when it comes to Seth and his scheming.”
“Sure, checking the story out makes sense. Willingly giving yourself a roommate is the problem.”
“I can control myself.” That had never been a problem before. Alec vowed not to let it be one now.
“I guess that’s why you keep staring at him.”
Son of a bitch. He’d even caught himself doing it a few times and had to force his mind to stay on the subject and off the man standing beside him in that room. “Isn’t there a saying about keeping your enemies close?”
“Which brings me right back to my concern about your obvious interest in this guy.”
Alec was done with this topic. “It’s not an issue.”
Finn pushed away from the wall and met Alec in the middle of the hallway. “You need to keep the work separate from your sex life.”
“When has that ever been a problem?” Never. Not once. He could compartmentalize. Sex was sex. An outlet. Energy and heat and nothing more. Work was everything.
“Why do you think I’m concerned now?”
“Don’t be.” The fact that Finn didn’t usually push, not like this and not on personal stuff, made this harder to shrug off. Alec wasn’t sure how to pivot without threatening, and he didn’t want to do that. Finn would take it as a sign that he was right. “I don’t have sex with employees.”
Alec thought saying it out loud, nice and clear, would end this. He’d made his point and he was not one to repeat commands or comments. He expected people to listen the first time and get it. He’d earned that.
When Finn nodded, Alec thought he’d finally gotten through. He had no plans to stick around to find out. He turned back to the conference room door.
“One problem with your theory.” Finn reached around Alec and typed in his code. Swiped his entry card. “Technically, he’s not our employee.”
—
Gaige waited until the Drummond brothers stepped into the hall to unload on Seth. They might be listening. Hell, they could be recording every sound and movement in the room, Gaige didn’t give a damn.
He took a step toward Seth. “I paid you back.”
“For espionage? Last I checked, the only reason you’re not national news is because I cut you a break.”
Gaige had a list of arguments but none of them would satisfy Seth or his SAD team. He’d made that clear. This was now the third time Gaige had his life turned upside down when he’d gotten called in to do something off-the-books for Seth. At this rate the blackmail would never end. “Fuck you.”
“That’s the spirit.” Seth had the nerve to wink. “While you’re with Alec, I’ll be sending you encrypted information. Your job is to break it.”
Gaige started to move again, then froze. “That’s not what you said a minute ago to Alec and Finn.”
“There’s the intel I give to him and then there’s what you and I know separately. You don’t share unless I give you permission.”
Permission. Seth had chosen a word guaranteed to piss Gaige off. This was all a game. Seth was putting him right in Alec’s line of fire.
“It’s not bad enough you’re dropping me into this mess and putting a target on my back. Now you want me to lie to a guy who is known for killing people.”
Seth frowned. “Alec? That reputation is blown out of proportion.”
The parsing of words said it all. Not that Alec wasn’t a murderer but that the stories got it wrong. Gaige didn’t like that distinction one bit. “It would have been more convincing if you said the rumors weren’t true.”
&nb
sp; “Be careful with him. He’s ruthless. He will use anything, including sex, to get information.”
One word vibrated through Gaige. He’d been thinking about sex since he turned around and saw Alec standing there in the server room. Hot and dirty, up against a wall. On his knees. All of it.
But that was his choice not Seth’s, and the motherfucker had to at least know that much. “I suppose you think that’s part of my job, too? Fuck him and figure out if he talks in his sleep, then report back to you about what he says.”
“Tempting, but even I know that would be too much to demand from a civilian.”
“Happy to hear you have some lines you won’t cross.”
“Look, fuck him if you want. That’s on you.” Seth glanced around before closing in, taking the distance between them down to nothing as he dropped his voice. “But you will break into his system and you will do what I tell you.”
They were whispering now. “You heard him. He’s not going to let me out of his sight.”
“Then you better find a way to win him over.” Seth put a hand on Gaige’s chest. “Act like your life depends on it.”
Chapter 5
A few hours later, after rounds with Seth and prep with Finn, Alec headed home for a shower and change of clothes. He took Gaige with him because he didn’t trust the guy to roam around the office without causing trouble. That meant a quick trip, no talking…or that was the plan.
Alec adjusted his fresh tie as he stepped out of the bathroom. He stopped when he saw Gaige standing with the refrigerator door open, staring inside.
He was singing and pretty good at it. Alec couldn’t really imagine Gaige sitting in a coffeehouse playing a guitar on a rainy Saturday night, but then he couldn’t imagine anyone doing that.
“What does Seth have on you?” Alec meant to ease into the question, but what the hell.
Gaige held up a container of yogurt. “This expired a month ago.”
“So?”
Gaige shook the container. “That’s an interesting response from a guy who’s an expert in food.”
“Not yogurt.” Alec walked into the open kitchen and rested his hand against the edge of the cool Carrara marble countertop. “Answer me.”
Gaige continued to move at a steady speed as he dumped the container in the sink and reached for something else. “Now that you asked…how about you answer first. What does Seth have on a big-time businessman like you?”
“Absolutely nothing, unless he’s manufactured something and he’s perfectly capable of doing that.” Alec stepped over and closed the refrigerator door before Gaige could drag anything else out. “The guy is an asshole.”
“Just he is?” Gaige smiled as he made the comment.
Then he was off and looking around. For someone who was confined under a form of house arrest, he didn’t seem particularly concerned. He wandered around the main floor of the converted warehouse loft space. Alec had bought the building when it was little more than a falling-down pile.
The cement floors had been expertly poured and polished. The modern kitchen with its sleek gray cabinets took up the middle of the first floor’s open space. His bedroom area sat to one side, open to the rest of the house. The king-sized bed faced the wall of windows to the private yard in the back.
The living room, complete with an oversized sectional and one chair, occupied the other end of the floor, along with the desk he used as a home office. A free-floating staircase led upstairs to the loft.
Alec had designed and furnished the space himself. Pristine white walls, clean lines, carefully chosen furnishings in shades of the same color. Spare but not cold, at least not to him.
He didn’t believe in paying people to define his home. That was his job. His and the brilliant architect he used to make the warehouse conversion happen.
Everyone, including his brothers, had doubted his choice for a Munich residence. They thought he’d pick a condo or spacious home. Neither fit his style. He had been the first to buy in the area but not the last. Once known for manufacturing and metalworks plants, his and a few other distinct homes sat in a green space that had been carved out and rehabilitated to the south of the Isar River.
Gaige stopped in the middle of the living area and faced Alec again. “You live here alone?”
“Mostly.”
Gaige frowned. “What kind of answer is that?”
It was a fair question. Alec wasn’t exactly accustomed to explaining, or even talking all that much when he was at home. “Other than my brothers, an assistant and, most importantly, the woman who makes sure I don’t live in filth, I am the only one here most of the time.”
He never brought men here for sex. Not in his personal space. That saved him from having to escort men back out again on a regular basis. There was also the matter of security, which he took seriously. Money attracted some difficult types, and Alec had no interest in being seen as an easy mark for someone looking to make quick cash.
“I’m guessing you don’t trust anyone else,” Gaige said as he walked to the glass doors that folded open in an accordion style but were closed now.
“What makes you think I even trust the people I listed?” But he did. Those few and not many others. Alec kept his circle tight. It was sloppy and foolish not to.
Gaige shook his head as his gaze traveled over the rock garden in the backyard. “That sounds emotionally healthy.”
“Would you like to talk about all of your friends? Is someone actually looking for you right now?” When Gaige shot him a side glance, Alec almost laughed. He did appreciate a man who valued privacy. “Yeah, I thought not.” Alec joined Gaige at the window. He pointed to a small white box at the top of the glass doors. “The building is protected by security and sensors and cameras, so don’t try to sneak out.”
“You know how to make a guy feel welcome.” Gaige turned and smiled.
The unexpected look hit Alec with the force of a sucker punch to the gut. He expected anger and frustration, even fear. Not this. The way Gaige’s expression changed, his eyes lit up and warmth spilled out of him. Just for a few seconds, but it was there, making Alec’s breath stutter inside him.
He needed sleep or something. Maybe a good hard fuck. Something had his mind spinning and his concentration shorting out. And he hated every minute of the sensation.
He never gave a shit about a guy’s smile. Arms, yes. Ass, definitely. This whole package, the immediate need to know more, he’d only experienced that type of racing thrill on the job.
Rather than analyze what was happening between them, he stepped back. When that didn’t seem to work, he took another step. Then he tried clearing his throat. “Do you have clothes?”
“Excuse me?”
He really wasn’t good at this practical shit, but he tried anyway. “Did Seth give you time to pack a bag before throwing you on a plane?”
“Ah, that.” Gaige nodded. “I have a few things. My hope is that I’ll only be here a day or two.”
Alec guessed that estimate wasn’t close.
“You can borrow what you need.” For whatever reason the thought of Gaige walking around in sweatpants and a tight tee excited Alec. He clearly needed to get laid and soon.
“Uh…” Gaige’s gaze slipped up and down Alec’s body. “I don’t wear suits.”
“Yeah, I guess it would be hard to navigate a jacket while you’re breaking into another man’s office.” There, that got rid of the smartass grin. Alec’s discomfort faded and he flipped right back to being in control. “We’ll come in and out together, so you don’t need a key.”
It was a solid plan. Finn had questioned it, but it made sense to Alec. Gaige couldn’t find anything or report privileged information back to Seth or anyone else if Alec was on top of him 24/7.
The forced closeness would make running the business rough, but Alec only planned to accept having Gaige embedded for a week. Long enough for Alec to figure out Seth’s real plan. After that, he’d rent the private plane and get the g
uy out of the country no matter how much Seth pissed about it.
“So, essentially I’m in prison,” Gaige said.
He caught on quick. Alec liked that about him. “You’re free to leave right now, but I’m guessing you won’t.”
“Because you’re so hot.”
Words slammed to a halt in Alec’s brain. He had to swallow twice before he could force out a sentence. “Because Seth has made it clear that you owe him and he’s collecting.”
Gaige’s eyes narrowed. He seemed to be studying, assessing. “What if I want fresh air or a drink you don’t have?”
“I’m prepared to meet all of your needs.” As soon as the words were out there, Alec knew they were true. His brain fought the truth for a second then gave in without much of a push.
The rational side of him, which was almost all of him, knew how this worked. He followed a pattern. If he was attracted to someone and the man showed he was willing, Alec flashed a green light. This time wouldn’t be any different. He wouldn’t make special rules for Gaige because the guy was not special.
“That sounds…” Gaige blew out a long breath as he stepped over to the base of the staircase and glanced up.
“Maybe finish your sentence.”
“I’m starting to know what a caged animal feels like.”
For a second Alec didn’t move except to turn and watch Gaige’s walk, those long legs, every inch of him lean and muscled. The way his black pants balanced on his hips, just begging for someone to slip off that belt and rip them down.
Alec hadn’t felt this punch of need in months. The work had piled up as they expanded the company into new territories. He’d spent long hours trapped at his desk, denying an urge. Before that he’d depended on his private club to find bed partners. Men who coveted privacy and a hard fuck as much as he did. He couldn’t remember any of their faces. Not really. But he found himself memorizing Gaige’s.
“Am I?” Alec asked, thinking back to the lost strand of a previous conversation. One that suddenly mattered far more than it should.
Gaige spun around. “Wait, what?”
“Hot.” Not how he’d describe himself, but he didn’t mind if Gaige did. “Your word, not mine.”
Dirty Deeds Page 4
