Chapter 11
LYNN
Isit in front of Kayla's laptop, staring dismally at the files that prove Ansel's uncle is about to screw the four brothers over.
It's not fair.
It's not right that people think they can break the rules and get their own way just because they have money and connections.
My fingers drum on the wooden table as I realize that's how Kayla has always behaved.
Trying to look impressive, wasting her money on things she can't really afford just to feel cool and important.
Treating me like a servant, and insulting my car while at the same time insisting on borrowing it all the time.
Family or not, she has no manners, it's as simple as that.
And if she's breaking the rules of her job – I'm one hundred percent sure you have to sign an NDA when you start working at City Hall – and openly sharing confidential information with someone off site, well, it's like she's asking to be caught.
Feeling like a spy, I grab a thumb drive from my laptop case and start downloading as many files as I can that have anything to do with the Oakley lands, newly surveyed property boundaries, and zoning.
Once I'm done, I make sure those pages are buried halfway through the stack of open tabs, with her favorite shopping website open on top. Dropping the thumb drive in my purse, I hear Kayla open her door, so I snap the laptop shut.
I walk into the hall and hand it to her. "It should be fine now. Ansel got the update to install."
"Great." She turns back to her apartment without even thanking me. Then she looks over her shoulder. "You didn't go looking through my laptop, did you?"
"Of course not. I wouldn't even be able to make sense of all that corporate stuff that you do, anyway."
That makes her grin as she flounces back to her apartment, closing the door.
Now I have to make a huge decision. Could I really risk Kayla's job by passing on this information?
I feel guilty just thinking about it.
But yes. Yes, I could.
More importantly, I want to help Ansel. He seemed so impressed that Bridget got and shared some information about their predicament. He would never expect something like that from me.
Nobody ever expects much from quiet little me.
Well, I'm sick of being quiet. Sick of being a bit too sensitive. Sick of being a bit too fragile.
For the first time, I want to kick some ass.
Quietly. My way.
Slipping on my shoes, I grab my purse and a sweater and head out the door. I'm at the bottom of the stairs before I hear Kayla call out her doorway, "Where are you going so late?"
I don't answer, and practically run to my car. It would make sense for the four brothers to gather at their mother's house, right?
When I first got my car, I went all around Oakton, checking out every neighborhood just for the fun of driving. There was one house that I always assumed belonged to the Oakleys – a large, elegant home at the end of a small street. Time to see if I was right.
I was. Driving up to it, there are two pickup trucks parked in the driveway, and two more out on the street. One of them is Ansel's. I park behind it, then take a moment to center myself.
I cannot be with a man if he thinks that dealing with his family is going to be too much for me to handle. He won't trust that I'm actually with him for the long haul if he thinks I'll run away like a frightened little girl at the first sign of stress.
As I get out of my car, my guts feel like they're on fire again, but it's not squirrels that are running away. What's bigger and clumsier than a squirrel? A weasel, maybe? A herd of weasels? Weasels wearing combat boots?
Whatever it is, it feels like I'm being bruised from the inside.
That doesn't matter. All that matters is getting the job done. Sure, I want Ansel to be proud of me. But more importantly, I want to be proud of myself.
If I really were Queen of the World like I always joked, I'd stop being so freakin' timid.
As I walk up to the porch, I start feeling steadier, more confident. I know I'm doing the right thing, which grounds me.
Several loud, boisterous voices can be heard from inside before I knock on the door. I instantly recognize the huge man who answers as Corbin.
"Hi, is Ansel here?"
"Yeah, come on in."
He leads me into the living room, where all four brothers are sprawled around with two laptops, and a couple of notepads.
Before Ansel can jump to his feet from his spot on the couch, an elegant woman enters the room.
Her brown hair is lighter than Ansel's, closer to Dash's, with a few slivers of white around her temples.
She hands a bottle of beer each to Corbin and Braden, then joins Ansel as he comes to my side. "Mom, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Lynn."
The smile that overtakes her beautiful face fills me with warmth, an instant antidote to those boot-stomping weasels.
"Lynn, how lovely to meet you. I'm Carol," she says, shaking my hand.
She shoots Ansel a sideways glance. "Nobody warned me that we were having company. I would have laid out fancier snacks. "
She elbows Ansel lightly in the ribs to show that she's just teasing. "Are you joining us for the planning session, Lynn?"
"They're all sworn to secrecy," Ansel assures me. "Nobody's going to share where we may have accidentally come across certain confidential information."
"I guess you're all talking about the surveyors who are adjusting the property lines, and the sudden zoning update meeting that's being held much earlier this year than usual?" I ask, forcing my voice to project a bit more as Ansel slips an arm around me, sitting me down next to him.
"Yes," Dash says, with a dramatic eye roll. "But it's hard to decide what to do when we don't have any of the details."
"Or proof," adds Braden.
Without a word, I reach into the pocket of my purse and hold up a silver and black thumb drive. It's hilarious watching everyone's mouth fall open for a second, yet I don't dare laugh.
Ansel's arm squeezes my waist. "Umm, you didn't."
"Umm…I did."
He takes me out into the front hall, not that it's really any more private. He cups my face in both hands. "Are you sure, baby?" he murmurs softly. "We'll do everything we can to make sure you-know-who doesn't get into trouble, but we can't guarantee it."
"You-know-who broke the rules," I point out. "She ignored every security protocol that was put into place so the files don't get copied and stolen."
I place the drive in his hand. "So they got copied and stolen. Oops."
Braden bursts into laughter, clearly listening. "Ansel, your girl is awesome. Why haven't you introduced her to us before?"
Ansel's lips brush my forehead, and I'm not sure how I feel about him being so tender right in front of his family.
On the other hand, it feels incredible. He's not hiding me.
He's not pretending that we're just friends, or that this is casual.
He's already acting like we are really together, in front of the most important people in his life.
"Yes," he says with a gorgeous smile. "She really is." Then he whispers, "I can't believe you did this for me."
He taps the thumb drive on the tip of my nose, then he tosses it to Corbin, who slides it into his laptop.
Ansel leads me to sit beside him on the couch again while the files open. Braden and Corbin lean over the laptop, scanning everything.
Finally Corbin says, "Holy shit. That rat bastard."
He's staring so hard at the screen that he doesn't notice Carol stand up, take three steps toward him, then lightly smack his bicep as she coughs delicately. "Language in front of ladies, son."
Then she turns to me, eyes sparkling with amusement. "Lynn, can I get you tea, water, anything?"
"No thanks, I'm fine."
Wow, I could take notes on the way she smiles so sweetly. "Ansel mentioned that you made pasta and meatballs, but with turkey. Very clever."
"I think they're a bit lighter."
"Which means you can have more of them," Ansel adds. "My girl is an excellent cook, a great web designer, and clearly a top-notch spy."
"Web designer?" Braden's head perks up. "We'll have to chat about that when all of this bull—" His eyes snap to his mother. "Cra—" She gives him a look and he tries one last time. "Unpleasantness is over."
Everything becomes loud and chaotic, in a positive way.
Corbin confirms that the documents really are from City Hall, not that I think they doubted me, but just in case.
I learn that he used to work in security.
Braden seems to know most of the people on the list of concerned citizens, making notes about contacts and connections.
The guys talk loudly, sometimes over top of each other. They're clearly so comfortable together that they finish each other's thoughts. It's amazing.
Carol slips a glass of ice water with lemon in front of me, and points to the bowls full of nuts and pretzels on the coffee table. As she chats with Dash at the end of the room, it sounds like she really did bond with Bridget's mother, and is so pleased that he has found such a wonderful girl.
Every time there's a question to be answered, all eyes turn to Ansel. With such huge personalities all expecting him to be their leader, that must be a lot of pressure. I couldn't imagine what he must have gone through at work. But it doesn't seem to faze him.
"If we tell people what we found out, they're going to want to know how we came across the information," Corbin announces. "If we don't say anything, they'll think that we stole it."
"And since you're the security expert, people will suspect you," Dash says. "Or Ansel, as the computer guy."
"The files are from a shared server," Braden says. "There are probably a few dozen people who could have access."
"No matter who has access, if they replace the old surveys showing our original property lines with the new bogus ones where Lloyd has taken ridiculous liberties and basically stolen 650 acres of our land, there will be no way to prove that the previous ones ever existed," Carol says sadly.
Ansel drums his fingertips on my knee while he thinks. "Mom, did Dad ever have any printouts of the property line? Even if they were ancient?"
Carol sighs. "I don't know. Back in those days, we just relied on stakes in the ground tied with those ribbon things."
"Property markers," Brayden says automatically, lost in thought. "Maybe we have some photos that show at least some of them. I can ask Elise to drive the entire perimeter with me tomorrow, and take photos of markers in relation to roads."
"Lloyd is such a skunk that he'll say we moved them," Corbin says. "And if he has the council in his pocket, enough people could believe him that it might work."
Everyone stares glumly at either the laptops or the pretzels.
Taking a deep breath, I remember to increase my volume a bit as I speak.
"Lloyd has been bribing everyone at City Hall with gift baskets, and a new coffee machine, and who knows what else.
If one of you went in to ask a favor on 'his' behalf, they would probably help you out.
Everyone knows you there – it's not like you would need ID for an old printout of your own land, right? "
Ansel chuckles, squeezing me tightly against him. "Gorgeous and smart. You're right, Lynn. They are public records. But we have to do it right away, before they're altered."
Carol gives me a wide smile and nod of approval, as the other brothers start debating who should go into City Hall. It quickly devolves into an animated debate of who is the most charming, and who is friendlier with the various office workers there.
They all turn to Ansel again, as if he's supposed to announce a decision.
He takes my hand, then stands up, taking me to the front door. "I took time out from our dinner date to bring you this information," he says. "I vote it should be Braden or Dash who goes."
Corbin gives him a look, then nods. "I know. I'm too intimidating, and you make things look too official."
"Exactly. Figure it out and keep me posted. I'll see you all tomorrow."
"Lovely to meet you, Lynn!" Carol calls out.
I give her a wave and my brightest smile. "Nice to meet you, too. You have a lovely home."
"Thank you, dear. We'll have you over for dinner very soon."
"Thank you."
Ansel walks me to my car, then holds me against him for a kiss so scorching hot that it rivals the flames that are long gone from my belly. "You're amazing, baby. I can't believe you did that for me."
"Not just for you," I tease, squeezing my palms against the back of his shirt. "I also got to feel like a spy while putting one over on Kayla." Looking up, he's grinning. "Plus, you know, that whole doing the right thing for the town, blah blah blah, business."
"You're amazing." His head ducks down to nuzzle my throat. Then he pauses, stepping back and taking my hands in his.
"I'm always encouraging you to be more open. So it's my turn." Ansel gently squeezes my fingers. "I know it's too soon to say certain things, but there are ferrets running around my stomach, demanding that I say this."
His lips brush mine, then he watches my eyes as he murmurs, "I love you, Lynn."
I would have expected to feel panic at such a huge moment. Instead, I feel nothing but joy.
"I love you, too."
His kiss is ferocious – filled with relief, and happiness, and so much raw lust that I shiver in his arms.
"Will you come to my house, so that I can thank you properly?" His voice is a whispered growl that sends sparks up my spine.
The first time we were naked together, I was pretty nervous, because I didn't know where we stood.
Now I know that we're solidly together? Oh boy. This might get wild.
"Yes."