by Lexi Blake
“He was exactly what he claimed to be. Thank you so much.” Taggart took the drink from the servant’s hand before turning back to Cain. “Tim Connors really was a cameraman. From what I can tell, he had zero connections to you or your family before he was hired. I believe he was hired specifically to assassinate you and make it look like an accident, if possible. He fled the country a few hours after the attempt before the police could figure out it hadn’t been an accident. His financial records show large sums of money deposited into his account after he hired on. I don’t suppose that was some sort of hiring bonus.”
Despite the fact that her expression never wavered, there was a slight flush to her cheeks that didn’t come from makeup. That news had upset her.
“That seems a rather far leap, Mr. Taggart. And no. I don’t give out bonuses to employees of his stature. Why exactly do you believe it was me he was after?” Her tone was perfect, only that slight flush giving away her emotional state.
Taggart took a sip of the Scotch and sat back. “Now that is damn fine Scotch.”
“It should be. It’s about to reach retirement age,” Cain replied. “You were going to explain your logic. Please proceed.”
“My logic,” Taggart shot back, “is that you have many, many people who would love to see you dead. My logic is that of all the people in that room, only you were truly targeted. And my last bit of logic is that we’re here and not in your office because you know damn well this is all about you and you don’t want anyone to hear what you’re going to tell me. You better tell me. I already know and I make it a habit to not deal with clients who lie to me or hide the truth.”
For a fraction of a second Bran was thrilled. Taggart had definitely overplayed their hand and Patricia Cain would show them the door. Bran would be free to get Carly out of here and Drew could deal with the cleanup. He knew it made him a bad brother, but he wanted something for once in his fucking miserable life. He wanted her. He wanted her safe and happy and he thought maybe he could give that to her.
But then Cain’s eyes closed as though defeated and Bran knew Taggart had her.
“I believe it could be one of a couple of people, including my stepson,” she said, her voice low. “But I also need you to look into some of my ex-employees.”
“Your stepson is obvious.” Bran shoved his disappointment aside. He had a job to do and the quicker it got done, the faster he could find out if a relationship with Carly would work. “Though I would think you signed a prenup before you married his father. Is he worried you’ll fight it?”
“He knows I’ve already won that battle,” Patricia conceded. “When Ken passes on, I’ll receive ownership of the media portion of the empire. As part of our prenup, that came to me when I agreed to move Patricia’s Paradise to the network Jones Unlimited owns. They were in trouble and it was dragging the rest of the company down. If my show and management of the network brought the division out of the red, I was to receive a majority share stock in the division after Ken’s death. Though my stepson won’t believe it, I saved the entire company. He would be penniless without me and he still gains eighty percent of the company on his father’s death.”
“What about the daughter?” Taggart asked. “She could be angry she’s not involved in the company.”
Cain waved that thought off. “Jasmine has zero interest in business. When her father dies her brother controls her stock and she receives a nice income, including a hundred million in a trust fund. She’s not hurting and despite her obnoxious drinking, we actually get along fairly well. I’ve gotten her in contact with several designers who give her free couture in exchange for my featuring them. All of that dries up, along with appearances on my show, if I die. I do not suspect Jas at all.”
For a moment she’d sounded almost affectionate, as though not despising someone was close to love in Patricia Cain’s world.
“Who do you suspect?” Bran asked, wary of the answer.
Cain stood and walked to the window, her slender figure illuminated by the afternoon light. “There is one specific person beyond my stepson and a few disgruntled workers I believe you should look into, and I don’t believe you’ll want to deal with him.”
“You would be surprised,” Taggart replied. “I tend to like a challenge.”
“Do you know who Andrew Lawless is?”
Bran’s heart clenched but Taggart didn’t miss a beat.
“He’s the owner of 4L Software and he’s the son of a man you used to do business with. I do believe you screwed him over royally. Yes, I would definitely look into him if you hired me.”
Everything they’d worked for came down to this test. Did she know? Drew had kept his face out of the public, allowing others to handle the media. Bran and Riley had changed their names to Lang and their stock in 4L was hidden under layers and layers of holding companies. Mia had taken her adoptive parents’ name. Once she’d married Case, McKay-Taggart had ensured their covers would hold and that Riley and Bran Lawless couldn’t be connected to their new names. The paperwork had been buried in classified files. Working closely with the CIA had brought many blessings to Taggart and then to them.
Patricia didn’t blink as she turned back. “I did nothing that wasn’t in the contract Benedict himself signed. He was a prissy sort of man. He was all about the rules. I simply followed them to the letter.”
“I’m sure his children would have a different view,” Taggart said.
She shrugged. “I’m sure they would, which is precisely why you should look into them for me. My last firm kept an eye on the oldest. It seems the family lost touch after their years in foster care. Andrew is the only one who made something of himself. The others are scattered around. Unless you can find something different. My last company did prove to be useless it seems.”
“I read the files on the situation.” Bran was happy with how even his voice sounded. “I have to ask how long you’ve been following the children? What made you think to do it? Was it another incident? According to everything I’ve found, the police reports are fairly clear about what happened that night.”
“I didn’t think anything of it until recently,” Patricia admitted. “The boy has money enough of his own and his father did attempt to kill him and the others. I should think he wouldn’t want revenge. If he did, he could have gone to the press and trashed us for employing the contract clause that kept the money from him. He didn’t. He’s played everything well. He’s a much better businessman than his father ever was.”
Bran took a deep breath and forced about a hundred nasty thoughts to the back of his head. Cold. He had to be cold instead of hot. It was hard for him because his rage had always been like lava spewing forth. He could feel his blood pressure tick up, but Taggart took over. The big Texan’s steady voice grounded Bran.
“What made you worry about the Lawless kid if you hadn’t before?”
“It was something Steven told me the last time I saw him,” Patricia said, her heels moving across the floor as she paced.
“Steven Castalano? Your old business partner?” Taggart sat up, his eyes on Patricia as though ready to take her out if he had to. Taggart knew Castalano had made them. He’d recognized Riley. Had he warned his old friend before he’d died?
She shuddered. “Yes, that piece of offal. I hated that man. Phillip was always the gentleman of the two and he was horrible as well. I heard that daughter of his is an idiot, though. It doesn’t matter now. I got what Steven owed me but he told me I would get what’s coming. I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but now I have to wonder if he meant that Benedict’s children had finally made a move.”
So they were definitely not friends. Bran sipped the damn tea because it gave him something to do, but he wished he’d been able to have the Scotch instead. Being in the same room with Patricia Cain put him on edge.
That nasty feeling in his gut—the one that went away when he
was with Carly—was back in full force. He wanted a drink. He wanted a whole night of it. Anything to forget that he was sitting in the same room with the woman who’d casually ordered the killings of his parents and then hadn’t batted an eye about taking their childhoods away.
“I had similar thoughts,” Taggart said, his voice as cool as a cucumber. “If you like, I can have an operative watch him. He seems to value his privacy above everything else. I can certainly look into his financials.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I would think a man like that would hire a better assassin. He can afford it.”
“I’ll put Bran on it and I’ll take a look at the disgruntled employees. I take it you agree to our fees.” Taggart stood up, a signal he was ready to be done. “I’ve already got a crew in California who can ensure the security of your house there. I’ll have another team out here by tomorrow to do an assessment.”
“I want Brandon to be my bodyguard.”
His stomach turned.
Taggart shook his head. “You’ll need three and they’ll work shifts. More than eight hours and the attention span and focus suffers. He’ll be your day shift and I’ll bring two more in for the rest of the time.”
At least he would usually be in the same building as Carly. “When I’m not on duty, I’ll look into your stepson and the rest of the names on your list.”
Patricia nodded and her focus shifted back. “I agree to your terms. Mr. Taggart, could I have a moment alone with Brandon?”
Taggart looked his way.
What the hell was he supposed to do? He couldn’t exactly explain that there was zero chance he would be alone with that bitch since he’d just been hired as her bodyguard. “Of course.”
Taggart swallowed the last of his Scotch and started for the door. “I’ll be in the car. Your two secondary guards will be here in the morning. Until then you should set your alarm.”
He strode out, leaving Bran alone with Cain.
“How is Carly?” She sounded almost like she cared.
“She’s recovering.”
“Excellent.” Patricia moved closer, her expression softening. “She’s quite good at her job. I would prefer not to lose her.”
Yes, she’d done a lot to ensure that. “She’ll be back at work on Monday. I’ll start then, too. You’ve got a bodyguard until then. I’ll start first thing Monday morning and I’ll accompany her out to California. She goes out two days before you.”
Patricia frowned. “And if I prefer you remain with me?”
“Then you’ll need another bodyguard.” He wasn’t going to give on that. He wouldn’t send Carly out on her own.
Patricia moved in, sitting down in front of him, their knees nearly touching. “All right. I can understand that. You want to do some of the advance work. The party is important.”
“And Carly is important to me. She’s my primary concern. I want to do my job, but she comes first.”
Patricia leaned forward, her hand coming out to touch his knee. “I find your loyalty impressive. Not many men are so willing to care about a woman who can’t give them much.”
“I don’t know what kind of men you’ve been around, Ms. Cain, but I assure you I’m not interested in a woman taking care of me. It’s quite the other way around. I’m happy with Carly.”
She sat back, looking him over. “I’m afraid I don’t see what a virile young man like yourself sees in my assistant.”
“Perhaps because you’re not interested in women.” The whole conversation made him uneasy.
“You would be surprised what I’m interested in. Would it shock you to know the love of my life was a woman?”
The fact that she used the word “love” in an unironic fashion was what truly shocked him. “Not at all. To each his own, as I like to say.”
“Yes, your generation seems to be very open about your sexuality. Fluid is the term, I believe. I want you to spend the next few weeks truly seeing what wealth can bring to you. A smart man knows when to think with his head and not his . . . other parts. I like to keep a companion with me. My last companion was let go a few days ago. I think we would get along quite well, Brandon.”
He wasn’t going to pretend to misunderstand her. “I would think you would be more careful about doing something that could cause your assistant to quit. I hear she’s important to the company. Companions, I assume, aren’t as valuable as an assistant who truly knows the business.”
A low chuckle came from her mouth. “I assure you Carly won’t go anywhere until I am ready to allow her to leave. And she’s not so important. Like I said, I don’t believe you fully understand what I’m offering you. When we get to California, you’ll see. Until then I would like complete reports on the people I mentioned.”
He stood up because that seemed like an out and he was going to take it. Maybe his brother had been right and he’d been all wrong for this job. Drew likely would have played it cool, flirting a bit and leaving the discussion open.
Bran wanted out. He wanted to get out before he did something he shouldn’t.
Being trapped, put in a corner, it was a trigger. Someone looking at him like he was a piece of meat. He could practically smell cigarette smoke and see that manicured hand on his chest. Come to my room tonight. The husband won’t be around. We can have fun you and I. Trigger. Feeling helpless. Yep. He was definitely feeling that old need to put his fist through something. It’s okay, Bran. We’ll get out of here tonight. You don’t have to do that nasty woman. We’ll leave and never look back. All the peace Carly had brought him seemed to get buried under the panic and rage that he’d fought his whole life.
“I’ll get those to you as soon as possible. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Yes, you will,” she practically purred.
He walked out, his hands fisting at his sides.
—
Carly closed the door to her townhouse and glanced at the clock. She didn’t bother with the alarm. Bran would be back soon. While he’d been meeting with Patricia, she’d gone to the store. It was something she found soothing, walking the aisles and deciding on meals she could make.
It gave her time to think. She needed to tell Bran what she’d discovered. It might be absolutely nothing, but he should have a chance to look into it. If someone had murdered Patricia’s former business partner, that could explain the recent attempt on her life. She would give the information to Bran and he could do what he pleased with it. In a week or so they would either find what they were looking for at Patricia’s place in California or . . .
She wasn’t actually sure how to complete that sentence. What would they do if they didn’t find this missing file they were looking for? Would he stay on as Patricia’s bodyguard? Would they work together until they found what they needed?
“I was wondering when you would get here.”
She screamed and the grocery bag started falling to the floor. Drew Lawless reached out and caught it with ease, hefting it up and setting it on her counter.
“You nearly gave me a heart attack.” She had to drag air into her lungs.
Drew turned, his handsome face frowning. “I’m sorry. I thought about waiting outside but I got bored and hacking into your security system seemed like a fun way to pass the time. I’m going to have to talk to Taggart about that system. It’s one his company recommends. I got through it with my tablet and an app I wrote. It’s sketchy.”
“So you broke in to my house for fun?”
“No. I busted through your security system for fun. The house part was because I really had to use the bathroom. After that it seemed silly to go wait in my car again.”
He was too literal. “Well, now that I’ve had my adrenaline rush for the day, I’ll go and start dinner. You can wait wherever. Bran should be home soon.”
He got to the grocery bag before she could, lifting it up and headi
ng for her kitchen. “I didn’t really come to see Bran. I came to see you.”
Why did that thought send a shiver down her spine? “You don’t have to worry. I know the score. Bran and I are having fun with our . . . what would you call it? Cover? We’re having a good time and I will graciously let him go back to his family when the job is over. You’ll get your file. I’ll get my freedom. Everyone wins.”
“I don’t think Bran will call that winning.” He put the bag on her kitchen table.
She turned because she hadn’t expected that from him. “What are you trying to say, Mr. Lawless?”
“Drew, please. Mr. Lawless makes me sound like my father, and I’ve been reminded all too often that I’m not my dad.”
She softened slightly because there was definite melancholy in his voice. “All right, why are you truly here, Drew?”
He was a stunning man despite his slightly nerdy clothes. “Apparently I acted like . . . what was the word my sister used? An asshat. I’m not honestly sure what that means, but it sounds bad. I came here to say I’m very sorry.”
Wow. She got the feeling Drew Lawless wasn’t a man who apologized lightly. “It’s all right. I know you got some upsetting news.” She had more for him, but she intended to give it to Bran and let him figure out what to do with it. “I know you don’t like Shelby looking into your business, but she’s one of the good guys.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it, but I’ve discovered that sometimes the good guys and the bad guys are hard to tell apart.” He leaned against her counter, a predatory cat lazing around her sunny kitchen. “I’m also here to talk to you about Bran.”
Ah, here came the stay-away-from-my-brother speech. “No need. Like I told you, I understand the parameters of my relationship with Bran. It’s casual.”
Drew stared at her as though sizing her up. “Is it? You don’t seem like a casual woman.”
“How would you know?”
One broad shoulder shrugged. “Because despite what my brother would have you believe, I did make a study of you. I was supposed to be the one dating you.”
