CHAPTER ELEVEN #2
Ryker loses his patience with playing the good cop, yanking on his dark brown strands. “Mind fucking sharing that point?”
Cash flashes his sly grin. “I don’t mind. Thanks for asking so politely.” He flings a thumb toward me—or where I was on my pacing path two seconds ago. “Maddox was the one who encouraged her to do that.”
I wave it off before anyone gets too uptight. “That was to teach him a lesson. He was out of control.”
Axel’s jaw clenches. “You arranged for an employee—”
“Who he was fucking,” I fill in, and Jax loses the battle with his laughter.
“To tie him up in our sex club and leave him there?” Papa Axe finishes.
“I did. And if you’ll notice, that was the last time he fucked around with an employee, so you’re welcome.
” I take a slight bow because theatrics really cloud their thinking, and before they can decide if they should yell about my confession, I hurl a finger at today’s instigator.
“But what Cash did today was just plain vindictive.”
“Or a lesson in teaching you not to humiliate your own goddamn family,” he counters, cutting his hand through the air.
“There is a statute of limitations on that shit.” Flicking my butterfly knife, I let the clicks and clacks harmonize with my counterargument. “Lessons are no good if they aren’t timely. You held on to that shit for too many years, man. You gotta let stuff go.”
“He’s right,” Jax drawls. “The bitterness will kill ya.”
“Enough.” Axel pinches his nose and then whips off his reading glasses, the pair surfing across the wood table until they bounce on a chair and clatter on the floor. He’s gone through a lot of pairs over the years. “So, what, Cash let Tessa into your office to get back at you?”
Pausing my circus sideshow, I set him straight. “I let Tessa into my office.”
“Why would you do that before the meeting?” His tone is that of a teapot about to blow. But the thing is, once he whistles, we can all relax.
For now.
“Well,” I start, mesmerized by my balisong dance, “that’s complicated. She needed to discuss something, and I had a few minutes, so I invited her in.”
“How the fuck does that involve Cash?” Ryker grits out, pouring himself another drink.
I spin the knife until I’m aiming the blade at the culprit. “He told her to blow me.”
“To be fair,” Cash interjects, “I told her to fool you into believing she was going to blow you.”
Jax gestures to him. “That’s different.”
A slow smirk spreads across Cash’s face, and he arches a brow. “Did she do it?”
As rankled as Axel and Ryker are with this entire performance, even they wait on bated breath for my response.
“I don’t kiss and tell.” I grimace at all of them and resume my twirling. “Have some class.”
“Class?” Ryker mocks. “She was under your desk during a call, Mad.”
“Exactly.” I widen my eyes for emphasis. “Classier than on the desk during the call.”
“That’s a valid point,” Jax muses.
“Can you idiots shut the hell up?” Axel snaps as all our phones start buzzing at once, which can only mean one thing.
And none of us dare ignore the princess.
Rena: Under-the-desk action, big bro? You have arrived.
All eyes flick to Jax because he is undoubtedly the leak who shared this dumpster fire with our little sister.
“Don’t look at me like that. I haven’t seen her in weeks. Sharing a play-by-play with her keeps us both sane.”
No one rejects that because Rena not being here is hard on all of us.
It’s difficult to explain because getting married, having your own family, and living your life is the natural progression of growing up, but we’re all connected in ways that even surpass blood.
It’s a bond that grounds us in a world of opulence, danger, power, and uncertainty. And Jax needs her most.
Cash: No attaboys for him. He doesn’t kiss and tell.
Rena: Something tells me it superseded kissing, so where do we stand on that, Mad?
Me: No can do. What do you take me for?
Rena: My big brother, who will take pity on me for being as huge as a house and unable to visit. These babies are exhausting me, and they’re still tucked in tight. Let me live vicariously through you.
Cash: You want to be the one running the meeting or the one under the desk?
Ryker: Sweet Moses. Too much.
Jax: She’s married and pregnant. She’s probably knelt at her husband’s altar a few times.
Me: Kneeling isn’t what makes babies.
Rena: Aww. It’s like old times over there, isn’t it?
Ryker: Not in a good way.
Rena: Spill the tea!
Axel: Rest up and take care of the babies, sweet girl. I need to keep yelling at Maddox. Can you table your plea for a half hour?
Rena: Fine. Go easy on him, Gramps. You always encouraged us to multitask.
Ryker belts out a laugh. “She’s always got an angle.”
That momentary joy is precisely why Jax told Rena and likely had her text when the tension was ramping up. Even a half hour away and pregnant with twins, she’s part of our scheme.
Axel flips his phone over to signal to us to do the same because we’re done with that and moving on. “Why did Tessa agree to pretend to blow Maddox?” He shakes his head at the absurdity and slices his gaze to me. “Why did you pull guards and put them on her detail? What am I missing?”
This is where things get tricky. I want to keep her out of this fiasco I’m in, but the only way to do that is to tie her to me.
“Tessa and I are … getting to know each other.” Ignoring the way all four of my brothers gape at me, I continue, “We had differing opinions about something that Cash got wind of, and he exploited it. The guards are a precaution because he sent her to me during a call that was confidential, and Vincent Lund is messed up in some fucked-up shit. Can’t be too careful. ”
“You’re getting to know Tessa?” Ryker probes, his icy eyes full of skepticism. “Since when?”
I scrunch my lips in thought, unwilling to reveal too much. “A little while.”
“You’ve never gotten to know any woman,” Axel counters.
“First time for everything.” I grin because everything about Tessa is a first, and I have a haunting suspicion that’s not going to change.
Ryker sips his drink, studying me. “I always thought she hated you.”
“She does,” I confirm. “But it’s working for us.”
“And what happened with the call?” Axel presses.
“I didn’t fuck it up. Not completely.” With a sigh, I launch into my explanation, owning it all.
“I asked all the right questions, listened to his needs, thought about our options. I did it the way you would’ve wanted me to.
Yes, she was in there. But I had my earbud in, so she didn’t hear anything.
And then she got hurt. That’s when my focus shifted. ”
That’s not the exact order of events, but it’s close enough.
I saunter over to the bar, put my back to them, and fix myself another drink while I finish.
“I should have told her to leave in the beginning, but … I didn’t.
So, it was my responsibility when she needed me.
I had already heard everything he had to tell me.
I told him I’d be in touch, and I took care of her.
I get why you’re pissed, but I prioritized in a difficult situation. ”
“Okay,” Axel says.
I spin around, surprised. “Yeah?”
“I would have done the same,” Ryker admits, and just like that, any tension left in the room dissipates.
Axel motions for me to refill his drink. “What did you come up with?”
While I pour three fingers’ worth of his Glenfiddich 30 Year Old into his tumbler, I quickly detail everything Vincent Lund shared before catching them up on what I did afterward.
“I made some calls. Reached out to members who were in town at that time. Nothing. We need to know who this witness is before we can decide to intervene. Dimitri Makarov is scheduled for a visit soon. I got a tip that it’s concerning the investigation about his son.
Maybe he’ll let us help or even clue us in as to where he found this informant. ”
Axel taps the side of his glass, mulling that over. “He won’t divulge information like that. He wants something from us. Let me look into it.”
“Thanks,” I say, finally taking a seat. “I’m sorry things went sideways today. That wasn’t my intention.”
“I know,” Axel replies, and a seed of pride blooms inside me.
I’m a grown man, still trying to impress the mom I lost too young and hoping the brothers who raised me are an extension of her, which is why I ping-pong my attention between Axel and Ryker and tack on, “You can count on me.”
“It’s fine, Mad.” Ryker tips his glass to me. “This was a trial run. We expected you to shut him down as soon as he mentioned another member. We generally listen and tell them it’s a conflict of interest, but our ears will be open.”
I bob my head, finally breathing a bit easier. “That’s pretty much what I told him.”
“But you indulged him … a bit too long, considering your guest,” Axel corrects. “The point is, you did better than you think. But stop playing pranks, or making stupid moves for a woman, or messing around with employees.”
They all start to file out after that, and I stay behind.
I don’t bother telling them that messing around isn’t the description I’d assign to whatever the hell this is with Tessa or that I don’t give a fuck that she’s an employee.
There’s nothing to gain from that tonight.
We might as well absorb some peace while we can.
Though peace is the last thing I feel.
Cash doubles back a minute later, realizing I never got up. “You’re still stressed?”
My eyes snap to his. “Of course.”
He leans on the table, keeping his voice low. “Don’t be. And don’t grow a damn conscience. They think Vincent Lund’s grandson did it.”
“No, they don’t,” I scoff.
He straightens his posture, confusion marring his features. “I thought that’s what your call was about.”
“It was, but …” I rub the scruff on my jaw, finally unveiling the haunting realization I had while I was making frantic phone calls earlier.
“If Dimitri Makarov thought Vincent Lund’s grandson had killed Niko, he’d already be dead.
Dimitri wouldn’t take his time investigating.
He doesn’t think Lund’s grandson did it.
He thinks that guy was framed for killing Niko or that someone bigger was involved.
Lund might even be working with the Makarovs to find answers. That whole call could’ve been a setup.”
“You think they know that you—”
“I don’t know,” I interrupt, sick to my stomach, “but I have a feeling finding out won’t be pleasant.”