Bind (Manhattan Lux Book 1): Manhattan Lux (3 page)

Jinx twisted her fingers from his grasp, glanced down, and took a step back, hoping the heat in her cheeks wasn’t visible to anyone.

Jesus, wtf was that? Really?

Aiko was staring at her.
Damn.
Nothing gets by a sister. Twin sisters? Even worse.

Aiko had seen her blush when she was patting Wyatt down and probably figured Jinx had the hots for him. That meant that in about one point two seconds Aiko was going to get positively impossible.

“So Wyatt?” Aiko asked, throwing a mischievous grin at her sister. “That’s a nice shirt. What kind of material is that?”

“Huh? Oh, I dunno,” Wyatt said. Stepping back, he ran a hand down the front of his shirt, considering it. “Just cotton I think. Or a blend or something.”

“Interesting,” Aiko said, coming around to sit on the edge of the desk. “Are you sure? Cuz…I dunno—”

“Aiko.” Jinx sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You are so immature.”

“From here it kind of…” Aiko tilted her head as if she were seriously assessing a new and exotic fabric. “Well it looks like…
boyfriend material
.”

“Jesus Christ. Five minutes younger, and it may as well be a decade.” Jinx took a deep breath and leveled her gaze on Wyatt. “So how did you cut out of my ropes when you don’t have a knife on you? That’s impossible.”

“Ah,” Wyatt said, holding up a finger. “I’d love to tell you but then I’d have to—”

“Wyatt,” Jack said, cutting him off. “I’m begging you.”

“Right. Sorry. Your lunch appointment. Okay so, here’s the thing—”

“If I might interrupt?” Malcolm said, and Jinx realized she’d forgotten he was there. She’d forgotten Jack was there for that matter. The last few moments her worldview had been narrowed down to only two important points: she was irritated with her sister and even more irritated with this man. Wyatt Smith. The impossible cowboy with the too-tight shirt and the too-blue eyes and the ability to cut ropes with the power of his mind. Apparently.

“Your lunch appointment has cancelled for today Sir,” Malcolm continued. “Since you’re suddenly free might I suggest I secure a private room for the five of us at Thai Sun?”

“I love that idea Malcolm,” said Wyatt before Jack could reply. “Some spicy Pad Thai would hit the spot. Bondage always works up my appetite.”

“Oh for crissakes…fine.” Jack turned to the door and waved after them. “C’mon then, the lot of you. “My blood sugar is very low right now,” he said with a labored sigh. “So I either need to eat something or fire you all. Jinx, if you want an explanation you’ll have to wait until I’ve gotten some curry in me.”

“So it’s true then?” Jinx said. Confusion had given way to hurt and a growing sense of betrayal. “Mr. Smith already works for you?”

“Calvert,” Wyatt said, stepping toward her and offering the same hand he’d tried to earlier.

Jinx stared at him, arms lifeless at her side.

“Not Smith.” Wyatt reached down, slid his hand gently into hers and shook lightly. “Calvert. Wyatt Calvert. Jack and I are cousins.”

J
inx poked
at her basil chicken and rice and stole another glance at the tall, blond, muscular guy across the table. Oblivious to her scrutiny, Wyatt cheerfully wound a healthy tangle of noodles around his fork and stuffed the mess into his mouth. Catching Jinx’s eye mid-chomp, he grinned.

“So.” Wyatt chewed, slurped, swallowed. “We’re gonna be friends. That’s awesome.”

“How do you figure cowboy?” Jinx sneered. “I heard Jack say we’ll be working together, I didn’t hear him say anything about friends.”

“Aw c’mon.”

“Nuh-uh. Don’t c’mon me. Two months ago you broke into my nightclub,” Jinx said, her eyes flitting to Jack on the use of “my”.

“I didn’t break in,” Wyatt said. “I walked in and turned off the alarm. I was able to do that because I had a keycard and the alarm codes. Jack gave them to me. I was there at his request.”

“Well I didn’t know that. You were dressed like a burglar for chrissakes, and you sure acted like one when I caught you.”

“I was dressed for discretion,” Wyatt said. “And I wasn’t expecting to be caught. It was off hours for the club, and you were supposed to be on vacation.”

“She doesn’t take vacations,” Aiko interrupted. “Ever. You know what she did those whole two weeks? Watched Netflix, played video games, and snuck into the office to do ‘paperwork’ whenever she thought no one was there.”

“How do you know that?” Jinx said, looking at her sister.

Aiko frowned and raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? We live together.”

“Yeah but I thought I was careful.”

“Oh, I didn’t know at first,” said Aiko. “You were very sneaky. But I was watching the feed from the security cameras when Wyatt broke in, just in case. Good thing I was, so I could warn him.”

“She was worried I would hurt you,” said Wyatt. “That I would hear you moving around and think you were a bad guy and well, we know how that turned out.”

“Yeah!” Aiko said. “If I hadn’t warned you, she might’ve done some serious damage.”

“Remind me to give you a raise,” said Jack, smiling at Jinx. “And to witness you getting on the plane next time. You really do need to take your vacations.”

“You didn’t give her a raise after she foiled a burglar?” Wyatt said, gaping at Jack. “After she put her life on the line for your money man?”

“No,” said Jinx her gaze flitting from Wyatt to Jack with interest. “He didn’t, actually. Probably because he knew I wasn’t in any real danger.”

“That’s right.” Jack nodded and reached for his water.

“Jesus Jack!
I
didn’t know that! I thought you were being robbed. I thought the only thing between that, that…” she pointed at Wyatt, “
villain
, and the welfare of the club was me. I put myself on the line for you.”

“She did,” Wyatt agreed.

“I pepper sprayed him.”

“And Tasered me.”

“And Tasered him.”

“And hit me.”

“And hit him,” Jinx said, stealing a glance at Wyatt while Jack sipped, staring back at the pair of them impassively.

“And tied me up.”

“And tied him up.”

“And she liked it.”

“And I—” Jinx stopped short, turned to Wyatt, and glared. “
I
liked it? From the size of the tent you pitched in your jeans I’d say it wasn’t me that liked it—”

“Don’t say it.” Wyatt warned.

Jinx narrowed her eyes. “
Cowboy.
”

“Oh damn, that nickname’s gonna stick isn’t it?”

“Looks like it,” Aiko interjected.

“Oh well, what can I say. Violent women turn me on.”

“Violent women—” Jinx began.

“Goodness,” said a voice behind her. “The atmosphere in here is laden with ginger spice and sexual tension. Quick, someone open a window.”

“Bryce!” Wyatt’s face lit up when he spotted the man, and when Jinx turned to get a look at him, she recognized him right away. Bryce Harrington, bestselling fiction author, looked just like his head shots. She knew he and Jack were friends, but she’d never met the man in person before.

Lumbersexual, that was the word her sister had used to describe him. And Jinx had to admit he did kind of look like that, a lumberjack in a suit, rocking a man-bun and a face full of carefully cultivated scruff.

“What a beard.” Aiko leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Thick and glossy and artfully groomed, like a prize winning dog or a bonsai tree.”

Jinx stifled a laugh and observed the men, watching the three of them chat and clap each other on the backs. A band of bros.

“What a delicious trio,” Aiko whispered again. “Which flavor is your favorite?”

“Oh stop,” Jinx hissed back. “Have some professionalism.”

“C’mon. Pick one.”

Jinx twisted her mouth to hide her smile and then filled it with a forkful of basil chicken. She stole another glance as the men talked, deep in conversation now. Serious. Manly. Each of them in their own way. Jack, with his fancy suit and four-hundred dollar haircut was definitely hot, but too stuffy for her. Bryce—that sun-kissed bronze mane was impressive when he let it out of the bun, but long-haired guys had never really turned her on, even one that had a way with words.

Her gaze shifted to Wyatt. Blue eyes, great build, straight nose, and bold jawline, now those were things she’d always liked. But he was kind of goofy. That, combined with the blond hair? It was like he was a giant toddler.

“Choose,” Aiko insisted.

“Why?” Jinx turned to her. “Are you planning on seducing one of them?”

“Nope.” Aiko popped a dumpling in her mouth. “Just curious. If you had to choose one, which would it be? Your taste in men is so hard to pin down.”

“No it’s not, I like—”
What did she like?
Huh. She wasn’t quite sure. Her love life had been rather dry of late. Boring. That’s how she’d describe the kind of guys she’d been dating. Nice. Sweet even. Dependable, polite, and dead fucking boring.

“What?” asked Aiko. “What do you like?”

“You know…I don’t think I even know anymore.”

“Well it’s time to find out.” Wyatt’s voice boomed across the table.

“W-what?” Jinx stammered.

“What this is all about. Why we’re here. Ya know, the cloak and dagger etcetera.” Wyatt waggled his eyebrows and did some swoopy magician-ish movements with his hands.

Jinx pressed a hand to her chest. For a second she’d thought he’d overheard her conversation with Aiko, but no, he was just being…a toddler.

“Jack?” said Wyatt, gesturing to his cousin. “You want to explain?”

“It’s complicated.” Jack sighed. “The matter is delicate and involves not only Glow, but Bryce as well. Because of this I’d rather not get the police involved. So Calvert Consulting will be handling everything,” Jack explained, referring to the New York firm he’d built from the ground up into one of the most successful and influential in the city.

It was partly due to Calvert Consulting’s success that Glow had been a hotspot since it first opened its doors. Everyone in the city knew that if Jack Calvert had a hand in something, it was golden. As a consequence, Glow wasn’t just a place to have a good time and dance; business deals, careers, relationships and more were both created and destroyed in Glow’s VIP booths.

“So what does that mean?” asked Jinx. “Everything?”

“Whatever is needed,” said Jack. “When a client has a need for something a little…special, I handpick a group to satisfy that need. This situation is very special, so this group,” he gestured to the others at the table, “we’ve been working on it for some time now. Aiko, Wyatt, Malcolm, and myself.”

“Working on
what
?” Jinx asked again as the men at the table exchanged looks. Silent communications—of what, she had no idea—but whatever it was, she was tired of it. “What about Bryce? Is he the client or—”

“It’s complicated,” said Bryce, his jaw set hard.

“Alright that’s it,” Jinx said. “Enough dicking around. Lay it out Jack, all of it. If I’m going to be involved, which it sounds like I am, then just spit it out. I’m a fucking grown-up, I can handle myself, I can keep a secret, and I can damn well go find a job somewhere else if you don’t start explaining in three…two…one—”

“Somebody hacked Calvert Consulting’s network,” Aiko said in a rush. “Months ago, and they’re still doing it. They think we have no idea, obviously, but we do, and we’ve been watching them, well, on the network I mean, tracking the breaches, trying to figure out what’s going on.”

“And who’s behind it,” added Jack.

“Okay,” said Jinx, flashing her sister a look. “I’m not sure if I should be angry that you’ve obviously been keeping a major secret from me or happy that somebody finally busted out with some truth.”

“Probably both,” said Aiko with a shrug.

“Probably.” Jinx pointed at Bryce. “More truth please. What’s all this got to do with him? And the first person to say “It’s complicated”, gets punched.”

“I’ve been working for him too,” Wyatt explained. “After I left the SEALs—”

Jinx interrupted. “Oh so you’re
really
a SEAL then? That’s not another lie?”

“Former,” said Wyatt. “Yeah, look.” He held up his hand. “Got the commemorative ring and everything.”

“Happy Meal prize?” Jinx said.

“Ha ha.”

“Wyatt worked for me as private security when he left the SEALs,” Bryce said. “And thank God he did. He was the only one I could turn to when Daisy went missing.”

“Daisy?” Jinx asked. “We had a Daisy that worked at the club. Why do I get the feeling—”

“That’s her. My step-sister,” Bryce confirmed. “She’s…troubled. Drugs and several other issues.”

“I suspected she had substance problems, but I didn’t know she was missing. I’m sorry. She stopped showing up for her shift. I assumed she’d moved on, found something more suited to her.”

“You’re being diplomatic,” Bryce said. “That’s kind of you. Daisy is a nightmare, I know it. She and I are not close, never have been. Still, she’s family and it’s not like her to go off the grid this long.”

“Yeah, usually she manages to pop up every two weeks, at least, to hit you up for cash,” Wyatt grumbled.

“Wyatt,” Jack said, sighing.

“No it’s fine,” Bryce interrupted. “He’s absolutely right. I’m afraid I haven’t always handled things with Daisy as well as I could have. I’m sure some of the blame for her…life choices…probably lies with me. I appreciate you giving her a chance Jack. I’m sorry she blew it, and I hope to hell that Wyatt’s wrong, that Daisy didn’t have anything to do with this.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Jack shook his head. “And I really don’t think Daisy’s involved.”

“I do,” Wyatt said solemnly. “Besides, we have her on tape.”

“What we have on tape could be misleading. The timing could just be a coincidence,” Jack argued.

“I don’t believe in coincidences.” Wyatt shook his head. “No, she’s involved somehow and I’m going to find out who was helping her. Who, what, when, why—”

“And
how
,” said Jinx. “Yeah that’s what I really want to know. How the fuck did she manage it?”

Jinx felt her breathing quicken, heard the pitch of her voice get a little higher, a little too loud. But she was angry dammit. Who did this Daisy chick think she was? It was cute that Bryce had thanked Jack for giving her a chance, because he really hadn’t done much had he? It was Jinx who’d interviewed her and then gave her the job at Jack’s request although she wasn’t exactly qualified, even for a junior cocktail waitress position. Glow paid well, trained, and even had a work/study program, for staff who wanted to go back to school. Giving Daisy a job had meant
not
giving one to someone else. Someone who, in light of today’s revelations, probably would’ve been way more deserving.

“Jack may own Glow,” Jinx continued, “but it’s my responsibility.”

“It’s your passion,” Jack interjected. “And I’m grateful for it. It wouldn’t be the success it is without your leadership.”

She shot him a thin smile. It was the first he’d said as much all day, and it was nice to hear, even if she was still annoyed at him for keeping all of this from her to begin with.

Wait
…
Wyatt had said “Who.”
Realization suddenly dawned.
Who was helping her?

“You thought it was me!” Jinx said, wide eyed, a new flash of anger crackling up her spine. “You thought I was the breach. That’s why all the subterfuge and the break in and the interview today…and all of it. Oh my God.”

“Ding ding ding!” said Aiko with a grin.  “And the prize goes to—”

“You knew about this!” Jinx reeled on her sister. “You knew and didn’t tell them I was innocent, or tell me that they suspected—”

“Oh stop. Of course no one thought it was you. ” Aiko reached for her water glass, found it empty, and then strained across the table to snag Jack’s and drain it.

“Hey,” Jack complained. Aiko shrugged at him and crunched ice.

“No one ever thought it was you, Jinx.” Wyatt’s voice was quiet, apologetic.

“Then, someone close to me,” Jinx said, speaking aloud what must have been their next assumption. She felt sick. “Somebody at the club other than Daisy. Someone with access. Which could only be someone I trust. Someone who’s deceiving me.”

“Yes.”

“You’re right,” Jinx said, trying to keep tremor out of her voice. “Fuck. You’re right. But Jack, the staff at Glow…you know…we’re a tribe, a family.”

A silence fell over the table. Forks were set down and solemnity set in.

“Somebody’s not,” said Aiko. “Somebody is a traitor with a capital T.

“Holy actual fuck,” Jinx said. “I cannot for the life of me think of who it could be. Jesus!” She slammed her hand down on the table in frustration. “What is going on?”

Wyatt’s hand snaked across the table, found hers, and squeezed.

“That’s what I’m going to find out,” he said. Blue eyes met hers, and held. “And you’re going to help me.”