O
livia craned her neck looking around. The warehouse was nothing special; one large room with a three-story high ceiling and metal stairs in a corner that led to several glassed-in offices. Besides the steel double doors they entered, a single door on the back wall appeared to be the type to slide open. No other exits to the street.
In the middle of the empty floor sat a strange large round oak table with six high-back chairs, three facing the other three. The tabletop was beaten and scratched as if a sharp object had been slammed against it in several places.
From what she could see, there was nowhere for anyone to hide; the ceiling was solid without the expected skylights. Glaring lights did little to heat the area and Olivia hated how she felt like she was missing something important.
“You would think Theo could be a little more original in his choice of meeting places.” Rex muttered as his gray eyes scanned the area for the hundredth time.
“He always said there was safety in doing what’s been done before. Something about knowing all the hiding places and the mistakes,” she stated as Collin examined every corner.
She dug her hands into the pockets of her lightweight trench coat. The MP5 beneath the material pressed against her side, giving her the reassurance she could protect Collin. Not that he needed protection as he carried at least two pistols and a knife, all hidden on his body. Watching him strap them on earlier had made her wet. Just thinking about it now, she squeezed her legs together and struggled to keep her mind on keeping an eye out for Theo and his thugs.
She hated to even think what Collin’s reaction would be when Arthur Ryker showed up. It didn’t take a genius to know Theo planned for Collin’s brother’s emergence from the grave as a way to throw Collin off. He hoped to make it easier in taking back the OS.
Over her dead body.
What worried her even more was that she knew Theo and he never did anything halfway. So who would be his second guard?
In Theo’s dramatic timing, the large sliding metal door in the back of the building screeched open. Theo walked through first. Was he brave or crazy for taking the chance of an ambush? Olivia didn’t have to guess. The man was certifiably nuts. He wore all white and the robes looked to be from medieval royalty. His white hair brushed his collar. Some strands blew across his face as the wind outside whipped through the open door. Those piercing blue eyes cut over to Collin and stayed. Theo obviously had counted on Collin not believing her tale of seeing his
dead
brother.
She also watched Collin. Her heart drummed faster and faster. How would he feel to discover his brother alive after all these years? And the man responsible for hiding him—Olivia had no doubt that Theo had a hand in it—loving every moment. When Collin’s usual passive face bleached white, she stepped nearer to him.
“What’s the asshole doing here?” Rex asked in his deep voice behind them.
Rex knew Ryker was alive and hadn’t told Collin?
When she looked at the big guy, she noticed his gaze wasn’t on Collin’s brother but the other man walking in to stand next to Ryker. Nearly as tall as Rex, the guy had a shaved head and his eyes were such a light blue that they looked almost white. His bottom lip was pierced with a gold loop and his sleeveless shirt revealed one arm covered with tattoos. He sneered at Rex.
“Someone you know?” she asked in a low pitch.
“Yeah. My turncoat asshole of a brother.”
Jack Drago? Why had Theo brought him out of New York? Was he as crazy as she heard? Well, he was with good company if that was the case. She shook her head and looked over to Collin. He’d regained his composure, but couldn’t take his eyes off the other man with the eye patch.
“Let me introduce my two guards.” Theo stretched out his hand to the left. “Jack Drago.” And then with a kingly flip of his wrist, indicated his right. “Arthur Ryker.”
Ryker stared at Collin as if he wanted his heart for dinner. Such hatred rolled off him in waves. Olivia moved a hand beneath her coat, touching the gun, calming her nerves with the knowledge she could protect Collin. This did not bode well for the meeting.
“Hello, brother. I thought you were dead.” Collin remained still.
“I’m sure if I had been, it would make life simpler for you.”
Collin frowned. “Theo, how long have you known he was alive?”
“I’ve known from the beginning. Ryker understands I saved him. I was there to pull him from the fires of hell. I’ve protected him from the enemies of The Circle. If not for me, he’d be dead.” Theo’s tone said more than the words.
Then it struck Olivia, had Theo set up Collin’s parents’ death? It certainly would’ve been a win-win situation. Kill his partner and raise the child in his image.
Her gaze darted to Ryker. Was he brought up in the pervert’s image? Did he prefer young girls too? Theo’s cutoff was fourteen. What about Ryker? Would his be younger? Shit! She hoped not. To have to kill Collin’s brother would be difficult but not impossible.
Theo swept his arm to the table. “Thought it only right to sit at the table that represents our organization.”
“Organizations,” Collin corrected.
Theo nodded his head and then sat in the middle of three chairs nearest him.
Collin opened his long wool coat and lifted Excalibur and placed in the middle of the table.
Theo’s eyes glowed and his fingers twitched with a fanatic desire to grab the sword. His belief that it represented his authority to rule The Circle and the OS held him in its grasp.
After Rex and Olivia sat on the chairs across from his brother Jack, Collin took his seat across from Theo. The way everyone watched each other and moved without any sudden movements, the tension reached out and held each person in its grip.
“So you’ve decided to not only bring the sword back to me but bring the OS back into the fold. I’m glad to see you’ve come to your senses,” Theo smiled in a fatherly way and then looked over toward Olivia.
She really wished the old man wouldn’t do that. His every move was being analyzed by those around them and they could easily judge her as an accomplice. Rex leaned over and glared at her as he growled. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. The big guy knew they were setting up Theo but either he was a better actor than she thought or he had forgotten.
“As my message said, I’m willing to discuss the possibility,” Collin said in his usual soft voice.
Sitting with his hands folded on top of the table as if he had all day long to chat, Collin started the discussion of the pros and cons. Their conversation became a buzz in the background as Olivia watched the other players on each side of Theo.
She caught the hate-filled looks Ryker shot at his younger brother. Jack’s frown deepened the furrows in his forehead, and instead of looking angry, he appeared concerned about his older brother.
Minutes passed and twice Collin had to speak to Rex to calm him down. Each time he did, Ryker made a smart-ass comment. All the family squabbling brought a gloating look to Theo’s face. As any good leader would say, know your enemies’ weaknesses and exploit them in every way.
In a split second, Rex’s chair clattered to the floor as he hollered at Jack, “You betrayed us, you bastard!”
Ryker stood, pointing as he shouted at Collin, “Jack did what was needed. You’re the traitor to everything our father had built!”
Then they all were screaming over each other, shaking their fists and pounding the table.
Worried the men would begin swinging in any minute and really she had enough of their arguing, she pulled the trigger on her MP5 and sprayed the wall to her right.
The room fell quiet. She cleared her throat. “Okay. We understand. Everyone hates everyone here. Let’s hammer out this treaty and move on.”
Theo’s grin spread wide and he stood, slowly clapping his hands. “That’s my girl. She has the brains of a man and the taste of a two-dollar whore.”
Collin’s chair screeched on the cement floor as he stood, pushing it back. “Leave her out of this.”
She wanted to place her hand on his arm but Theo would interpret it to his advantage. Just by taking up for her, Collin had already given Theo an edge.
“You always had the white knight syndrome, my boy.” Theo smoothed the front of his robe. “That’s why you will never lead The Circle. Do you really think it was coincidence that Olivia was in Seattle at the same time as you? And that you were fed her location? It was all planned. She knew just how to play you. I knew you would see her as a challenge even though she’s so easy to fuck.”
Theo returned to his chair and leaned back, his smug grin ate at Olivia. Collin wouldn’t believe Theo, would he? She had no part in the meeting. Unless Theo had set her up. Would he take a chance on Collin killing her?
“Actually, Olivia was in Seattle to kill an OS operative. Did you think it was coincidence that Ned Grandly died the day you met her? She’s very good at her job. No mess considering the body landed in the water. No fuss, no muss.” The old man tented his fingers in front of his mouth, probably to hide a grin.
Numbness spread through her limbs. Once again Theo proved he’d lied about everything. All this time she’d thought with each kill she rid the world of another psycho. How could Theo do this to her?
She reminded herself, this was Theo and he did enjoy playing God.
“I
’m aware you’d set her up. As I’ve set you up today.” Collin remained standing, watching Theo as realization sunk in the old man’s brain. “By now, the Main Sector of your empire is now under my control.” He hoped their plan had worked.
Tired of all their maneuvering for position, he glared at the old man.
Theo stood and turned to Arthur. “What are you standing here for? He’s taking your legacy from you again!” Theo’s whole body shook.
Arthur’s face flushed in anger.
“Actually, you took it the first time along with everything else of value in my life.” He leaned toward Theo, baring his teeth as he continued, “I’ve been doing a little investigating myself. You’re the one who had the explosives set in the car. You had hoped to kill us all. No sooner than when you pressed the button you received a call. You were told my brother was nowhere near the accident. Then and only then did you decide to pull me out of the wreckage. You took me and destroyed everything normal and good in my life. You used me in ways no human should use another.”
Arthur’s face darkened as he grabbed Theo by the shoulder.
“And I refuse to let you use me anymore. I’m not your slave to do as you say. Go to hell, you bastard!” Spittle whitened the corners of his mouth with hatred.
He stretched across the table and wrapped his hand around the sword’s pommel before anyone could move. The thump of flesh and sharp scratch of bone being hit vibrated through the deathly silent room. Theo grunted and his eyes widened, staring at his killer in disbelief. Arthur whispered into his ear and then pulled the bloody sword from his body.
“I thought of you like a son,” Theo groaned and collapsed into his chair. A shiny, dark red stain on his tunic spread across his stomach.
Collin stared at his brother. No one moved for several seconds. Then Jack leaned over and closed Theo’s eyes. No one moved. No one protested the man’s death.
The room returned to focus as his breathing resumed. Theo no longer threatened his life, no longer controlled how he looked at the world around him. He was free. Seeing the man dead would never bring his parents back, but Collin could close the door on the past and move on. His big brother he’d loved so much as a kid was alive. That was what he needed to concentrate on for now.
“What now?” Collin sounded cold-hearted, but the bottom line was he needed to be careful in dealing with the brother he no longer knew. Though he didn’t completely agree with the method of Theo’s death, he admitted the end result was needed.
His brother leaned over and wiped the blade on Theo’s sleeve, leaving two red stripes as if they were marks of rank. Then Collin spotted a slight tremor of his hand. Good. He wasn’t as unmoved by what he did as he appeared. Maybe there was hope for them to work together.
“You understand that the sword is now mine,” Arthur challenged him.
Collin dipped his head. “I truly never wanted it.”
He stared at the older brother he wanted to know. Such pain stared out of those familiar eyes.
“We stopped your people from entering Main Sector. They’re safe. No one harmed,” Ryker said, his tone not reassuring.
Before he could question him, Olivia asked no one in particular, “Are you sure he’s dead?”
Jack pressed two fingers against his neck. “Yep.”
“Good. The son of a bitch deserved to die.” Rex folded his arms and watched his brother.
“Arthur, what do you plan to do now?” Collin’s hands hung at his side, not taking a chance any move could be interpreted wrong. The way Arthur eyed him and Olivia, Collin wasn’t sure what to expect.
“Ryker. Call me Ryker.” His brother pulled out a cell phone and pressed a few buttons. “Let the OS operatives leave. It’s done. Come and pick us up.”
Their dad always preferred to be called by his last name.
“You took a big chance we wouldn’t attack you after you killed Theo,” Collin stated.
Forehead wrinkled, Collin had a hard time coming to terms that the scarred man standing in front of him was his brother. He remembered Arthur as a jokester who looked after him. From what he could tell, his brother had achieved the level of impassiveness his dad always claimed was needed for the job. Arthur . . . no, Ryker appeared colder and more ruthless.
“I didn’t worry.” Ryker looked at Olivia. “She wouldn’t attack me. He deserved to die. She understands.” Then he handed the sword to Jack.
Collin glanced at Olivia. Had she planned this with his brother? He would ask later. For now, they needed to work at settling the war between The Circle and OS.
“Maybe we all do,” Collin said as he stared at the blood on Theo’s robe pooling and running down to the floor. He had a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact Theo would no longer cause trouble.