Duplicity (Victory Lap Book 2)

by Mercedes Jade

  Keir smirked at his little victory. Kade tried to get up, probably to offer his window seat, but Keir stuck his long legs out to trip his brother up.

  “You had her in the backseat, so it’s my turn now,” Keir insisted.

  “Boys, we’re all sharing,” Bastion drawled out as he came from the back of the jet.

  “You heard Bossy,” Tess said, putting her boots under the window seat Keir had offered her before sitting down. “Better not break any of his rules.”

  Keir whistled as he got a look at Bastion’s face. He wasn’t angry. Nope, the bastard was pleased as hell at the sass their girl was dishing out.

  “You giving Tess a free sass-pass on account of her having a bad day so far?” Keir asked.

  “No free pass,” Bastion replied, taking his own seat beside Kade.

  War walked past them to go talk with Ms. Gladstone and probably the pilots before they took off.

  “Then why are you smiling?” Keir pushed. Tess needed a fair warning.

  “I just confirmed something I was wondering. Tess didn’t run because she was afraid of me,” Bastion explained. “She faced Kade’s darker side without a blink last night. She just handled the big guy and told him that she wanted all of him. More than once.”

  “Thanks for sharing,” Tess muttered, her face going pink.

  “Every time you talk back with a sassy reply, I know you are choosing to play with me, Kitten. Nothing could make me happier,” Bastion said. “Now sit back and let Keir check that you’re seat-belted in properly.”

  Keir took his job seriously. “You haven’t even started buckling up yet,” he tsked, reaching over her for the belt.

  “Are we going right now?” Tess asked.

  She looked startled. They’d all made it clear that they were on a schedule and she had even mentioned it. The impact of what was happening must be what was hitting her now.

  “It’s not that long of a flight. You said you’ve been flying before?” Keir asked, pulling her belt into place, then clicking it in. He tugged the strap to tighten it.

  Tess nodded. She looked nervous as Keir peered up at her eyes, done getting her seatbelt fastened.

  “Want to hold my hand?” Keir asked with a corny smile. “I hate takeoffs.”

  Kade coughed instead of laughing.

  Keir didn’t need his brother telling Tess that he was interested in getting a non-commercial pilot license. Just small planes. Their dad had taken them on a floatplane for a fishing excursion up north and Keir had loved it. He’d peppered the pilot with hundreds of questions and he’d even been allowed to sit in the copilot's seat.

  “Okay,” Tess agreed with a questioning look.

  “Let me get my seatbelt on first,” Keir said, getting himself straightened and buckling up efficiently.

  He lifted the armrest up between their seats and put his hand on top of Tess’s lap.

  She didn't hesitate to grab his hand and give it a good squeeze.

  Perhaps she wasn't really afraid, but as long as she thought she was doing him a favour, it kept her focus off of the loud roar of the jet engines as they came to life from their previous idle.

  “Are we ready to go?” War asked, taking his own seat.

  “Tess?” Bastion prompted.

  “Yep, I’m ready. I’ve got Keir’s hand,” she replied.

  “Do you want me to review the safety guidelines, Mr. Stewart?” Ms. Gladstone asked, coming up the aisle.

  “Would you like that, Tess?” Keir asked.

  Sometimes reviewing the emergency procedures could panic a shy-flyer more when they pondered all the ways the plane might go down.

  “Sure,” Tess agreed.

  Ms. Gladstone started as the jet taxied. It didn’t take that long. The pilot asked them all to be seated and prepared for takeoff just as Ms. Gladstone finished. She went to sit with the pilot to give them privacy upon War’s request.

  Tess kept her grip on Keir’s hand, not tightening or loosening it as they finally neared the point of no return.

  “So, have you thought about whose confession you want to hear first?” Keir asked, timing his question as the plane turned onto the runway.

  “What?” Tess asked, still looking out her window at the fast-moving surroundings.

  “We’re pretty much in the air, so now you can ask all the nosy questions you were too polite to ask when we first met. All the dark secrets. Or would you rather we just took turns telling you our pasts?”

  “You mean why you guys are involved with Jensen and the drugs?” Tess asked, looking over to Keir from the window.

  Her grip was still cool and only a little tighter as the wheels of the jet lifted off the ground.

  “Yeah,” Kade answered, listening in on their conversation. “You guessed well. Do you want us to fill in the blanks?”

  “Do you know about Greg?” she asked. “Did that private investigator Bastion hired…”

  “You told her about the investigator?” Bastion burst out.

  Keir groaned.

  Tess squeezed his hand so hard he was worried she was going to hurt herself. There was definitely something more she was hiding from them. He doubted Tess was that afraid of Bastion’s yelling, something his friend had just finished pointing out.

  “You expect her to trust us, then you have to confess too, Bastard,” Kade said. “That investigator was all about us and not really her, anyway. You wouldn’t let anybody get close to us without sniffing for dirt.”

  “Not entirely true,” Bastion defended. “Of course, I would protect my friends, but Kitten quickly became one of us. And that means my protection was automatically extended. As soon as I heard about Daniels that night from her mom’s phone call, I knew we needed to investigate her past deeper.”

  “You could have asked me,” Tess said, sounding a bit pissed off.

  Keir’s hand was still paying the price.

  “Tess, you were in trouble. I don’t think anyone has ever taught you to rely on them when you find something that is more than you can handle. All you do is run or get hurt. I didn’t have time to teach you to trust us,” Bastion explained.

  Some of that was definitely true, although Bastion was making judgements there that they might not know Tess well enough to prove true.

  “Look, the investigator was hired for good reasons. Bastion didn’t mean you any harm,” Keir said. “He hired investigators on our father too without a word to us.”

  “Somebody else has trust issues,” Tess said, voice accusing.

  “Yeah, Pumpkin, you got me there,” Bastion admitted. “I don’t think I trusted anyone after my mother sold me off as a kid.”

  Tess released Keir’s hand.

  “Bastion?” she painfully whispered.

  She didn’t say anything else. The silence was deafening to everything else but the quiet sound of her breathing.

  Was that a sniffle?

  “Can’t we take our seatbelts off yet?” Bastion muttered.

  “Tess, are you okay?” Keir asked.

  She definitely sniffed this time before speaking.

  “Yeah, sure. Sorry. It’s takeoff. I had a bumpy landing last time I flew. Still remember it.”

  Bullshit that was the reason for her tears.

  War buzzed the pilot and asked about removing their seatbelts. He was advised that a few more minutes wait would be preferable in case of turbulence as they climbed to altitude.

  “I’m fine,” Tess said, voice stronger already.

  She wiped at her face, hiding it from Keir as she looked out her window.

  “Don’t cry over me. It’s a done deal and my father only thinks he got the better end of the bargain. He has no idea of what he bought,” Bastion said, his anger evident in his tone.

  He probably was frustrated as hell that he couldn’t go over there to comfort their girl.

  “I’m not normally such a weepy sap. It must be whatever drug they tried to use to kidnap me that’s messing with me. I need to get some food
and water in me to wash it out. Or maybe coffee?” she asked, sounding a bit hopeful at the end.

  “Yeah, food and juice first, then coffee. I’m sure War can get Ms. Gladstone to make you a nice cappuccino,” Bastion said.

  “So bossy,” Tess said in a half-hearted tease.

  “Is that all you have to say?” Bastion challenged.

  “I want a coffee, not espresso. I don’t think I can handle espresso right now with my stomach upset. I need lots of cream and sugar, so it doesn’t upset my stomach further. You didn’t even ask if I like cappuccino.”

  “And are you still scared about flying in the jet?” Bastion pushed.

  “No. It’s okay now. I think I might want to hold someone’s hand when we land, though.”

  “Mine,” Kade insisted before anyone else could call dibs.

  War laughed. “She just got mad at Bastion for telling her what she wanted.”

  “Do you want to hold my hand when we land, Tess?” Kade asked. “I’ll kiss you as a distraction the entire time. Remember how quickly the ride home went today in the backseat?”

  “I could use a kiss right now,” Tess replied.

  “Seatbelt sign,” Keir reminded his brother as he heard a distinctive click. “Thanks for a good idea. Want me to kiss you, Pumpkin?”

  “Yes, please,” Tess whispered, turning to him.

  Soft, her lips were hesitant as she tenderly kissed him with worries on her mind.

  He twisted in his seat as much as his belt would allow him, cupping her face and boldly feeling her chest with his other hand. Tess had sensitive tits. She liked them touching her a little rougher there as long as they avoided accidental bites to Keir’s everlasting embarrassment.

  He pinched a nipple through her shirt, appreciative of how thin the material of her bra was as he felt her response. If he was free, he could shove her shirt up and latch his lips around where he had pinched, suck while she moaned and he massaged her other breast to be nibbled next.

  Damn. He was hard and the flight had just begun.

  The other guys talked, probably to distract themselves from getting a hard dick too at hearing Tess makes sounds of pleasure. She was vocal and his brother had guessed right: Tess was definitely a screamer when she climaxed last night.

  “Hey, Keir, that chime means Ms. Gladstone’s coming back,” War whisper-shouted.

  What chime?

  Keir still pulled away from the kiss, reluctantly, giving Tess a smattering of baby kisses that barely touched before sighing and straightening up.

  “I guess that means that we can take our seat belts off safely now,” Keir told her as a consolation prize to continuing their kiss. “We are in the air without a hitch. I'll let you compare my technique with your landing sitting beside my twin.”

  “You make it sound like you're responsible for piloting the jet yourself on top of sticking your tongue down Tess’s throat, so she can’t scream,” Kade said.

  “Sourpuss,” Keir retorted, unbuckling and standing up.

  He turned to give Tess a hand.

  “Why does everything have to be a competition between you two?” Tess asked, letting him help her up.

  “Is that a serious question or just judgment of the fact?” Bastion asked with a scoffing laugh. “You think that sibling rivalry is cutthroat—try twins. Especially identical twins that would do anything to separate themselves as individuals.”

  “Are you an only child?” Tess asked. “Or did your mom...?” she trailed off, obviously getting uncomfortable as soon as she mentioned Bastion’s mom.

  “Only child. Mom wasn't quite the gold-digging hoe my stepmother makes her out to be. I was a mistake and Mom tried to get compensation. All she really wanted was child support, but my father had to have it all. Shared custody wasn’t an option. Mom saw it as a better opportunity for myself and her, too.”

  “You were young when it happened, right?” Tess asked, showing more fortitude than when Bastion had first mentioned it and she had teared up.

  She met Bastion’s blues head-on as she stepped into the aisle.

  “Yeah, I was young.”

  “It explains a lot about your lack of trust. I would feel the same in your shoes,” Tess said. “You don't have to tell me more about your stepmom and your father for me to know they never earned your trust. I bet they don't deserve it. Siblings, twins or not, are something that you can’t fully understand unless you're lucky enough to grow up with them.”

  “That’s not entirely true,” Bastion said.

  He pulled on his tie, loosening the knot and slipping it off, over his head.

  “There are ways to explore trust outside of family ties. Besides, I've seen enough of Keir and Kade growing up that I consider them my real family. You're right. I was mocking earlier. The twins might bicker between themselves, but they put up a united front against everyone else.”

  Bastion slipped his loosened tie over Tess’s head.

  “It’s why I got so upset when the twins wouldn't talk to me about what really happened the night their mom died until weeks later. I hired a private investigator to look into it without talking to them. I got myself into some trouble. That was when they decided to talk.”

  Tess swallowed hard. Keir saw her neck muscles working.

  Bastion hadn’t let go of the tie he had wrapped around her throat. It was still loosened, but because the tie was wrapped over her hair too, there wasn't that much slack in the noose he’d made. Bastion’s fingers were pressed against her throat tight enough to probably feel her swallow going down.

  The small space of the jet filled up with tension quickly.

  Bastion wasn’t wrong in what he was saying to Tess. Kade really had shut down and Keir hadn’t helped much either in the early weeks after their mother's death. They had shut out their best friend.

  Heck, their brother. Bastion had been right about that as well.

  “Mr. Stewart? Is everything okay?” Ms. Gladstone inquired from the front of the jet.

  She'd opened up the sliding door to the kitchen, a trolley cart loaded with refreshments and food.

  “Everything is fine,” Bastion answered instead of War, turning around to give Ms. Gladstone a tight smile. “Tess has a little flying anxiety. I'm giving her this tie to wear like a little security blanket. A reminder she can have to remember that we’re all here for her. She’s had a challenging day.”

  Ms. Gladstone swallowed that lie hook, line, and sinker.

  Bastion probably did mean something about trust with giving Tess his tie, but the tie sure wasn't a security blanket. The attendant smiled one of those gracious grins that Bastion could charm out of any old bird.

  “That’s nice,” she said. “The pilot doesn't anticipate any major turbulence. It should be a smooth flight. Would you like me to bring down the couch seating and tables for light refreshments? You can pick your meals and I’ll have them heated it up.”

  “Please do, Ms. Gladstone. Thank you,” War said, taking over directing the flight attendant.

  Keir grabbed Tess by the hips and tugged her back to stand in their seat row, freeing her from Bastion.

  “You want to wear his tie, Pumpkin?” Keir whispered into one ear.

  “Yeah, I do,” Tess answered.

  Keir pulled her hair out gently from underneath the tie. Bastion turned around and shot Keir a look for interfering.

  “Don’t make it too tight,” Keir harassed him as Bastion slowly started slipping the tie’s knot close now that Tess’s hair had been moved out of the way.

  “I know how to put on a tie,” Bastion icily commented.

  Ha. They all did. It was rich kid 101.

  Bastion was being prickly because although he seemed cool as a cucumber telling Tess all about his mommy issues, the rest of them knew just how difficult it had to be for him. When Tess had started tearing up, Keir had been positive Bastion was going to rip off his seatbelt and jump out of the jet.

  “Boys,” Tess said, an edge to her voice as
well. “Are you guys really brothers, too? You sure are bickering like it.”

  “I know other ways to use this tie. You’re keeping it handy for me, Kitten,” Bastion whispered, keeping it between the three of them.

  He gave a stunned-quiet Tess a little flick on her forehead as he finished with the tie. The wicked smile that crossed Bastion’s lips told Keir that had been his true purpose.

  Dominant.

  Bastion didn’t talk about it in that much detail, but this seemed one of those things a dominant would do to his submissive. A little reminder, all right.

  “It doesn’t really match my shirt,” Tess finally coughed out when Keir put his hands back on her hips and urged her forward.

  “Shove it down your shirt. None of us care. You can take it off if you don't feel like playing his games,” Keir said.

  He squeezed past Tess and got between Bastion and her, so she could decide without Bastion staring her down.

  “Getting brave without Kade to back you up, little bro,” Bastion taunted, a dangerous edge to his voice.

  Bastion sounded wound tight. His face looked drawn and tired, dark enough circles under his eyes that the black one Kade gave him didn’t really matter.

  “Come on, Bastion,” Keir said, putting a hand on Bastion’s shoulder. The one that wasn’t scarred. “We didn’t break your rules. You’re only a few hours away from having that talk you wanted by yourself with Tess,” Keir reminded him.

  “Talk?” Tess muttered with enough sarcasm to make Bastion grit his teeth through his response.

  “Yeah, remember, I heard you’re a screamer,” Bastion ground out, although he kept it quiet enough it still didn’t travel to the others.

  War and Kade were already seated on the couch they had helped Ms. Gladstone unfold down from the wall.

  Keir got braver and shoved Bastion hard. They both needed it.

  Bastion hardly shifted, of course. He was the kind of guy that had his feet planted on the ground even flying through the air.

  Instead of shoving Keir back or getting into a bigger fight over Tess, Bastion sighed and turned around.

  “We need coffee, stat, Ms. Gladstone. With plenty of cream and sugar. Our Tess can’t focus without a good cuppa and we promised her some caffeine once her nerves were settled from takeoff. She will have food and water or juice with the coffee as well.”