Chapter 32
“Brother! You’re famous!” Clay called out as he bounced his way into Travis’ office on Monday morning. Tyler followed him in.
Then Rusty.
Where was Jace?
They always had a meeting on Monday mornings at Raptor Inc. A catch-up and a look to the week ahead. Unless one of them was away for some reason.
“Where’s Jace?” he asked as Rusty handed him a coffee.
His quiet brother glanced down at his computer screen, raising an eyebrow as he saw the image on it.
“You know, I thought if you ended up with your photo in the papers it would be because you were being arrested for finally losing your mind and killing someone. Probably Tyler. Although, maybe that would be Rusty.”
Rusty didn’t even turn to look at Clay as he babbled on. “You’re moving fast.”
“Not fast enough for me. You think she’ll like it?
Rusty shrugged. “She know you’re planning on tracking her?”
“What? Who are you tracking?” Clay asked, moving over to peer down at the screen. “Hey, you’re buying a tracker? And putting it in a necklace . . . wait, is that more like a collar?”
“You’re going to collar her?” Tyler asked. “Whoa. That’s moving fast, isn’t it?”
“Not fast enough,” he grumbled. “She won’t move in with me. Says we have to get to know each other better first. I’ve known her for over twenty years! How much longer do we need?”
“You asked her to move in?” Clay asked, gaping at him.
“Asked . . . told . . . she still wouldn’t do it.” And he didn’t like that. He wanted her under his roof where he could keep a close eye on her. She’d insisted on going home to her apartment this morning.
He wanted to know that she was safe in his apartment.
“Yeah, I kind of get why she thinks it’s too soon, brother,” Tyler told him. “You’ve only just reconnected with her.”
“And you never really liked her that much before,” Clay said.
“She told me she loved me.”
The room went silent.
“Whoa,” Tyler said. “She’s a brave woman, loving you.”
Travis glowered at him. “Why? I’m lovable.”
“Sure you are, you big lovable hugabug,” Tyler told him.
“Don’t call me that or I will rearrange your insides,” Travis snarled.
“Yep, totally lovable,” Clay said with a grin.
Exactly.
“She was mine, I’d move her in with me,” Rusty said. “And I’d have her wear a tracker.”
That’s what he thought. He added it to his cart and paid extra for fast shipping before sitting back and glancing around at his brothers. “Now, where’s Jace?”
“Who cares about Jace?” Clay said, bouncing around the room. “You’re famous.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” he grumbled.
Clay grabbed his keyboard and typed something in. Up came some photos of him and Caren. They were taken at the exhibition the other night.
What the fuck?
“Who took those?” he grumbled.
They were staring at each other. Caren was smiling while he appeared . . . intense. The photos looked like they had been taken from a distance and zoomed in. There were three different photos and in each of them he was staring at her hungrily.
Holy shit.
“Looks like someone took these at a distance,” Rusty commented.
“But who the fuck would want photos of us?” he asked.
“Turns out that Caren has some rabid fans,” Clay said.
“And they’re very interested in her love life.
And now they’re very interested in you. She’s like a mystery to them.
Hardly anyone ever sees her yet she takes these poignant, amazing photos.
Plus, she’s gorgeous and apparently, she also donates a lot of money to charities. ”
He shook his head. She constantly amazed him. Just when it seemed like he knew her, he learned something different.
Something else occurred to him.
“How often has she had photos posted of her online in the last year?” he asked.
“Umm. I don’t know. Let me check,” Clay said as he started to type more things into the computer.
Travis got up and started pacing back and forth.
“What is it?” Rusty asked.
“There’s a guy that she was involved with right before she moved back to the states. She quickly figured out that he wasn’t a decent person. However, when she said she wanted to leave, he refused to let her. Then he did an about face and just let her go.”
“Shit. Where was this?” Tyler asked in concern.
“Well, she said she was in Tanzania when she met him. But that doesn’t mean that’s where he lived.” He frowned as he paced.
“What’s his name?” Rusty asked.
“She wouldn’t tell me.” Frustration filled him.
“She wouldn’t tell you?” Rusty repeated incredulously. “And you let her get away with that?”
“I know, I can’t believe it either. She claimed that telling me the name could put me in danger. Because she thinks I’ll go around poking my nose into him and get this guy’s attention. Can you believe that shit?”
“That you’ll go messing around in stuff that you shouldn’t? Sure I believe that,” Tyler said.
Fucking hell.
“Where is Jace?” he demanded again.
“Here. Why?” Jace said, walking into the room.
“Because Travis is about to go sticking his nose into some risky shit and he probably wants you to back him up,” Tyler told Jace.
“Where have you been?” Travis asked Jace.
“Stopped to get Rory breakfast. Why?”
Clay stared up at Jace. “Sooo . . . you and Rory.”
Jace pointed at him. “Don’t even start. There is no me and Rory. I’m just keeping an eye on her.”
“Uh-huh. Uh-huh.” Clay held up his hands in surrender. “So, I can’t find any photos of Caren from the last year. I’ve found some from years ago in London. But nothing from the last year. Which seems to have driven up the demand for images of her with her fans.”
“You’re worried this guy might be a threat to her?” Rusty asked.
“I don’t know. She thinks he isn’t because it seems that he changed his mind and let her leave. But she also said she used her grandmother’s maiden name when she was with him. I know that she is still worried about him coming for her. Otherwise why wouldn’t she tell me his name?”
“Maybe she wants to let sleeping dogs lie?” Jace asked.
“Still don’t like it. But I know how to get her to tell me. We’re going to the club tomorrow night.”
Clay groaned. “Really? Don’t tell me you’re not going to let her orgasm until she comes clean.”
“No. That’s not what I intend to do.”
It totally was.
“Until I know this guy isn’t a threat, I think I’ll put Shane on her.” Just in case this guy saw these new photos and discovered where she was. Maybe he was overreacting but better to be safe than sorry.
“He and Marc are leaving with a team for that big job in the Middle East,” Clay said.
“Gable?” he queried.
“He’s working on a job in Queens. He’ll be finished up by tomorrow,” Clay told him.
Raptor Inc. mostly took on jobs overseas, but lately they’d found themselves busy with local work. At the moment both Sawyer and Tarin were overseas leading small teams. But he’d noticed his brothers didn’t really volunteer for those jobs anymore.
“There’s a job in two weeks escorting those oil guys into the Republic of Congo and Libya,” Clay reminded them. “Who is taking point?”
“I will,” Rusty said.
“I’ll go with you,” Tyler said. “In the meantime, I can play bodyguard to Caren.”
“Sure?” Travis asked.
“Sure, she’ll never know I’m there.”