by Lexi Blake
“I know her last marriage was a disaster. The good news is I’m not a con artist looking to make a quick buck.” He would give Kenny the benefit of the doubt for the time being. He could understand a guy being protective of Carly.
“Well, that remains to be seen. How did the two of you meet?”
“On the Internet. A dating site matched us up. I was hesitant in the beginning, but it turned out they were good at what they do. Carly and I are quite well matched.” He actually wondered what a dating site would say about them. Maybe they looked like opposites on paper, but sometimes opposites worked. His brother and Ellie didn’t have a ton in common, but they somehow completed each other.
“I doubt that,” Kenny said without ever looking his way. “You’re nothing like her. You work security. Or at least you have for the past five years. You barely made it out of college with an undergraduate degree. You have no upward mobility at all and no family to speak of. Just a mother who isn’t at all interesting.”
Okay, his optimism was fading rapidly. “And how do you know any of this?”
“I have my sources, and if you think you’ll be allowed anywhere near the evil queen without a proper background check, you’re obviously out of your league. I assure you the small check I did on you is nothing compared to what Patricia will do once she realizes how close you seem to be to her assistant. She’s not about to let Carly go without a fight, and I don’t think you’ll like how she fights.”
Which brought up a question he’d had since he started researching for this mission. “And why is that? Carly’s a personal assistant but from what I understand your stepmother has had plenty of those. She used to go through several a year. Why fight so hard to keep this one?”
Kenny finally turned to look at him, his eyes narrow with suspicion. “And how would you know that?”
“Like you said, I work security. When I started dating Carly, I had her vetted. I have a sensitive job as well, and if you think your stepmother is paranoid then I don’t even know what to call Ian Taggart. He’s my boss and he vets everyone his employees date because our firm often works for the government. So yes, I know a great deal about your stepmother, though I will tell you I don’t know a lot about you, a fact I intend to correct shortly.” If he hadn’t even gotten a call about the trace on him then it had to have been light. All his cover information had been approved by his brother-in-law, and Bran was sure it had been guarded by the best hackers on the planet.
According to everything on the official records, he was who he said he was—a hardworking blue-collar guy with a mother back in Dallas who watched far too much home-and-garden television. He was sure if they needed to, an actress would be provided to play that role. He could look at Kenny Jones Jr. with absolute certainty that this man couldn’t crack his cover.
So it was all about getting him to talk. Everything Case had taught him came roaring back. While his brother-in-law had worked out with him, he’d also given Bran tips on how to work as an operative. Not that he thought Bran would ever play the part, but Bran had found the conversations useful. Any piece of information, no matter how small or how odd the source might seem, could help the operation. Information was everything.
“If you want the real truth, I’ll tell you,” Kenny offered, his chest puffing out. “It’s because Carly has what none of those other assistants had. True talent. The rest of them were nothing but window dressing with decent organizational skills. They didn’t have a tenth of Carly’s instinct for what works.”
“What works?”
“In the kitchen. In the household. My stepmother is excellent at branding herself and making money, but she’s always relied on someone else to give her ideas. She was a halfway decent cook who got a shot at a lifestyle show. None of those recipes were hers. They belonged to her first producer, a woman she formed a partnership with. A woman who refused to be on air or even come to the set. I think she was probably elderly, and Patricia took advantage of her. From what I can tell, she died a few years ago or she was hospitalized or something. I don’t know, but right before Carly came on, Patricia was on her own for the first time.”
That was quite interesting. He’d known Patricia had stepped on a whole lot of people on her way to the top, but the fact that there had been such a private source behind her in the beginning was definitely intriguing. “So she couldn’t hack it without a partner?”
“She was failing miserably. She could smile for the cameras, but she couldn’t come up with the concepts that fuel the show.” Kenny straightened his tie, looking around as though ensuring that they were alone. “And then Carly shows up and she’s not at all what Patricia would want in an assistant. My stepmother prefers her assistants to be something like a reflection of her. They all look like younger versions of herself and she trains them to dress like her, act like her. Carly doesn’t fit in at all. But it turns out she’s even better than old Francine Wells. Patricia doesn’t have to go meet Carly. She’s got Carly right here. She can hide her in plain sight.”
“So Carly does the work and Patricia takes the credit.” Francine Wells. He would be looking her up soon.
“And very little pay. I’m fairly certain that my stepmother strong-armed her into staying in this job. She’s got dirt on everyone.”
“Dirt? There’s nothing dirty about Carly.”
Kenny shook his head, a dismissive gesture. “Everyone has something to hide. My stepmother has made an art of finding those secrets and making them work for her. She doesn’t care who she hurts. The woman keeps files on everyone in her life.”
That was the rumor. He would love to get into those files. “Somehow I can’t see Carly’s file having anything big in it.”
“Patricia will use anything. Hell, she’ll make it up if she has to. She’ll do anything to stay on top and that includes hurting anyone she has to. She’ll do it without a moment’s remorse.”
It was too bad he couldn’t simply ask where those damn files were. “I still don’t understand what any of this has to do with my relationship with Carly.”
A determined look came into Kenny’s eyes. “I intend to develop a show around Carly, a show that will make Patricia’s Paradise look as cold as it is. So don’t screw this up for Carly.”
She hadn’t mentioned anything about this. “I have no intention of screwing anything up for her. I told you. I’m interested in Carly. If she wants her own show, I don’t see how I would stop that.”
“I need her to keep her eyes on the prize,” he said fervently. “You’re a distraction. How much to make you go away? You can’t possibly be interested in her. You’re playing some kind of angle, and I won’t allow it to happen. I’m betting a lot on her and I won’t let some two-bit gigolo fuck everything up.”
“I’m here for her. Nothing else,” Bran said, his voice going hard.
“Don’t feed me that line of bullshit. Look, if anyone’s going to get close to her it’s going to be me. I’m the one who stands to gain the most from her. I’ve been planning this for years. So give me a number so I can pay you off.”
There it was—that nasty feeling in his gut that made his fists tighten. It was like his vision narrowed and all he could see was Kenny Boy’s face. If he let his fist go, let those instincts flow, he would feel so good. That’s what the voice of rage always whispered to him. Once the blood started flowing, it would be like a release valve had been set loose and he could breathe again.
“Kenny? Are you bothering the new boy?”
He turned, his rage finding a new focus. Patricia Cain stepped up, her manicured fingers finding Kenny’s shoulder.
“Do be a dear and get me a glass of champagne,” she ordered.
Kenny stiffened but turned and walked away.
“Was he being annoying?”
Annoying but not evil. It might be pure imagination, but Bran could practically feel the evil rolling off her. St
ill, he found some strength. He remembered how tightly Carly had held on to him before they’d been interrupted. She was ready. She wanted him and not for anything more than the affection and pleasure he could give her. “He was being enlightening.”
That seemed to confuse her, which was a serious plus. She frowned his way. “I often find him obnoxious.”
“I think he’s got a crush on my girlfriend.”
Her lips curled up in something resembling a smile. “I think he believes your girlfriend can dethrone me, but he’s wrong.”
So she wasn’t so oblivious. “If it’s any consolation, I happen to know she doesn’t want to dethrone anyone. She enjoys her job. She doesn’t like attention.”
It was the plain truth. No matter what Kenny Jr. thought, Carly would never want the attention of a TV show. She was the kind of woman who would deeply enjoy writing cookbooks, and perhaps a column in a newspaper or a magazine or a daily blog. She wasn’t ever going to want the kind of attention Patricia Cain needed to get by.
“I think you’re right, but that doesn’t mean Kenny won’t attempt to play Mephistopheles,” she mused. “What did he offer you?”
He wasn’t about to lie to the woman. Not when he didn’t have to. It was important to build some trust with her. “Oh, we hadn’t actually gotten around to a real number. He was offering to buy me off. Something about writing a check for me to walk out of Carly’s life.”
Patricia laughed, sounding truly amused for once. “He’s watched far too many films. He’s also not a good judge of character. You’re not the type of man who can be purchased. Did he call you a gigolo?”
“That was one of the words he used to describe me.” He followed at her side as she began walking slowly around the gallery.
“You’ll have to forgive him. He considers anyone younger and more attractive than he is to be some form of gold digger. Believe me, he’s called me every name in the book. He even got drunk at my wedding to his father and toasted my status as a social climber. And I brought a forty-million-dollar empire into the family. The Jones family doesn’t understand the real world. In their estimation, even someone like me obviously wants their money.”
“Well, I don’t understand that world at all.” No lies there. He often thought he would be happier if he had an ordinary job, lived a regular life. He was so out of place in his brother’s world. He felt out of place here tonight. All around him everyone was oohing and ahhing and discussing the “art” and gossiping about one another, and all he wanted to do was take Carly home and finally get her in bed. “Or this one, really.”
“You don’t like the work?” She sighed, a sound of eternal disdain. “Well, I don’t, either, but her father is very influential. The things we do for business. I think I rather like having you around to influence Carly. You seem like a genuine young man.”
“I don’t know how to be anything else.”
“I think you might be exactly the kind of man Carly needs. You’re right. She’s not like so many in my employ. They live on the hopes of finding their way on screen or of doing their own things, but Carly understands the value of what she does. I think we should talk further. Perhaps we could have lunch at some point. I do feel the need to get to know anyone who’s close to my most valued employee.” She waved to someone ahead of her and then frowned. “Tell me something. What do you think of the security here tonight? I’m unimpressed. First they apparently screwed up with my stepdaughter since she’s here without a handler and has already doused herself in champagne, and now I see no sign of them.”
Likely because his brothers were distracting them with silly pranks they still felt forced to check out. “I saw someone on the door, but I’ll be honest, he wasn’t particularly professional. He didn’t even require tickets.”
The guy had kind of yawned and waved them through the way most people would in this sleepy, wealthy part of town.
“I’ll have to talk to you about that, too, then,” Patricia said. “I’ve been thinking of firing this firm for a while now.”
Right on schedule. She hadn’t kept a security firm for more than eighteen months. She was rapidly going through them. It wouldn’t take much to convince her to hire on McKay-Taggart. “Anytime, Ms. Cain. I would love to do anything that could possibly help out Carly.”
She turned and studied him for a moment. “What do you see in the girl?”
“Carly’s got a light that not a lot of people have. It’s dimmed right now, but I think when she’s truly happy, she can bring that light out into the world and warm all the people around her. She’s kinder than almost anyone I’ve met and she’s not afraid to show affection. She gives me the things I need, the things I can’t provide for myself.”
“Yes, I’ve seen a bit of her glow. I’ll be honest. I don’t understand it at all, but I do know it attracts people to her. I have to go and smile for the camera and pretend to love my hideous family now. Appearances are everything, you know. We’ll talk again. And please let Carly know that once the filming is over, she’s free to leave. I’ve been thinking lately that the girl works too hard. She needs an assistant of her own. I’ll see to it.” A brilliant smile crossed her face, though Bran noted it still didn’t reach her eyes. “Hello, Thierry, dear. Are you enjoying the show?”
What the hell had that been about? The woman sounded almost human. She wasn’t supposed to be. She was supposed to be the evil queen who held Carly down. Bran watched her move through the crowd, playing the gracious hostess, and wondered what she had planned.
Unfortunately, he was fairly certain none of it was good.
He turned away and started looking for Carly.
—
Carly nearly growled her frustration. It was all going to hell in a handbasket. Jas had way too much champagne and had kicked off her shoes and was dancing around until one of the wayward security guards had finally shoved her into a limo and sent her on her way. Kenny was sulking and refusing to go on camera. The gallery director was on her ass because the heat from the showcase room was causing patrons to avoid it and the entire back end of the gallery, including the small desk they’d placed to drive gallery membership.
And now the junior cameraman needed to finish the setup for the family shot in the showcase room before they closed the whole thing down. She wasn’t sure why they were closing it, but she knew she needed to get that shot. It looked like it would be a small shot, but maybe she could get Patricia and the artist in there, with the artist explaining her work. It had to be good or rock star dad might pull out of his deal with Cain Corp, and then all hell would break loose.
“Hey, do you need any help?” Bran moved to her side. It looked like he’d been standing by the bar, staying fully out of the way of the crowd. He was as smart as he was sexy.
“I’m trying to round up the gang, so to speak. This is not going as well as I’d hoped. What put Kenny in such a bad mood? He’s usually the one I can count on to be reasonable.”
“Oh, I think that’s me,” Bran said with a wince. “He’s not particularly happy about our new relationship.”
“Why would he care?”
“I believe he thinks you’re his way out of real estate.”
She rolled her eyes. “Not that again. He’s high if he thinks he can pull that off. There’s zero way his father allows anyone to compete with Patricia, and I can’t even leave this job.”
“Not for another two years, but then you’ll be free.” He looked out over the crowd. “Unless she finds some other way to keep you tethered to her.”
It was her worst nightmare. “I don’t know how she can. I’m not intending to give her anything else to hold over my head.”
“I think she’s counting on me to do that. We had a private conversation. She approves of me, by the way. It was odd. She wants to have lunch and I was supposed to let you know that as soon as the on-camera work is done, you can go. She’l
l have someone else oversee the cleanup.”
“What?” A cold chill went down her spine because that was not the way the world worked. “She never lets me go home before everything is done. I’m accountable for every last napkin and bottle of champagne.”
“Apparently not now.”
“What is she up to?”
“No idea, but I got the distinct feeling she’s planning something. And she knows about Kenny’s plans to turn you into the next home-guru idol or whatever. He’s right that you would be good at that, but wrong about how and where you should do it.”
She didn’t have time to worry about that now. She needed to get everything together and then she would worry about family politics and who was going to get their asses kicked. Because if Patricia knew that Kenny was plotting behind her back, she would be plotting behind his, too.
It could all turn into World War III, and she did not want to get caught in the cross fire.
“Hey, it’s going to be all right.” Bran stepped in front of her, taking both of her hands in his.
“You don’t know how nasty they can get.” She wanted to get through these last two years calmly and peacefully. She didn’t want to have to pick sides in a family war because any way she went, she would be the one who got hurt. They would be left standing at the end and all the little people would bear the burden.
“Like I said, it’s going to be okay. I’m going to make sure of it. Let me handle Patricia. I’ll try to figure out what’s going on and then we can plan your best move. You have to hold on for a few more weeks, and then Patricia will hopefully be so involved in saving her own ass that she won’t have time to worry about you.”
In a few weeks he might be gone, and she was under no illusions that he would hang around to ensure her comfort then. Still, he was sweet and he was here with her now.
She went up on her toes and brushed her lips across his. “Let me finish up here and we can talk more at home. This is the last shot of the night. I should be done in about twenty minutes, but don’t hold me to it. I have to convince everyone to stand in a room together. The room is unfortunately way too hot for comfort and it’s not going to get any cooler.”
