From Sanctum With Love (Masters and Mercenaries Book 10) (25 page)

“Less opinion, please,” Jared said.

“Fine,” Lena continued with a sullen sigh. “I’ve set everything up for the club next Tuesday, but the big scary guy asked if he could be included along with some chick he’s trying to bang.”

“Scary guy?” Kai asked. That could likely be anyone at McKay-Taggart.

“One of the big Viking dudes. The young one. Chase? Maybe. I called him Sven, but he didn’t answer to that.” Lena continued checking off things on her phone.

“Case Taggart. He’s been very helpful so far. If he thinks hanging out at the new nightclub will help him get laid, he’s more than welcome. Call the manager and tell them to expect two more. Also find out what his lady drinks and make sure it’s available.” Jared stepped up to the main doors. “I got the schedule you sent me. I’ll be here most of the afternoon if anything changes, but I don’t particularly want to be interrupted. And work on the hospital thing.”

Lena made a gagging sound. “Fine, but I’m taking the limo and going shopping.”

She stepped into the elevator Kai had been holding for her, and never once had she looked his way. She seemed to have the preternatural ability to walk in high heels without ever looking up from her phone.

“What hospital thing?” Watching his brother with Lena had been interesting. Jared had shoved all the emotion from the elevator down and dealt with her professionally. He would bet his life Jared hadn’t fucked her. They seemed to keep a certain distance.

Jared’s jaw tightened as though now that they were alone, the emotion was back. “I like to visit children’s hospitals in the cities I’m in. A lot of kids watch
Dart
. It makes them happy.”

“I’ve never seen articles about you doing that.” All the articles he’d seen were about Jared’s love life. Not that he really read them. They sometimes came into view on the Internet.

“I keep it quiet. The kids are terminal or very sick. They don’t need reporters in their faces. Look, I can handle hanging out here on my own. I’ll rent a car so I don’t inconvenience you again.”

“Apparently we should talk. I think there’s something I don’t know about that day.”

Jared was about to speak when Grace walked into the lobby. Jared immediately plastered a brilliant smile on his face. This one definitely reached his eyes. Jared’s smile for all the pretty women of the world. “You must be Mrs. Taggart. I can’t tell you what a pleasure it is to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you and let me say, Serena’s descriptions of you in
The Mercenary I Loved
don’t do you justice.”

Grace flushed a pretty pink and let Jared take her hand. “That is very sweet of you to say but don’t believe everything you read. Serena makes us look more exciting than we really are. Please call me Grace. Welcome to McKay-Taggart.” Grace looked over and seemed to notice Kai. “Hello, Kai. How are you today?”

Confused. Elated. Excited. Wary. All the good emotions had to do with the woman he’d left at the office and the bad ones with the man standing in front of him. He had to admit that his brother was different in some ways. The old Jared wouldn’t have thought to visit a bunch of kids. “I’m great, Grace. I’m supposed to meet with Ian. Is he here?”

“Go on back to his office. He’s waiting for you.” Grace smiled back at Jared. “And how can I help you?”

“You could get me reservations at your husband’s restaurant for starters. I have to warn you, though, I’ll probably have some photographers following me.” Jared frowned as though it would be an imposition. “If that’s trouble, I can order takeout, but I’ve heard your husband is an amazing chef.”

“Who would stand to gain so much from you eating at his place,” Grace replied. “We would love to have you. We’ll keep a table open for you while you’re here. Feel free to walk around and ask anything you like. Your friends are already here. I set them up in an empty office, but apparently Brad decided to run up stairs or something.”

“He’s very active. Thank you for putting up with all of us.” Jared turned back after giving Grace a wink. The minute she was back at her desk, he leaned over. “I’ll go and see if I can shadow someone since you’re meeting with Ian. I’ll stay out of your way.”

He stopped Jared when he turned to walk away. “Hey, that’s a nice thing you’re doing for Sean. Top will get a lot of publicity if you’re seen there and you know it.”

“I like to be seen in all the hot places.”

“Top is small. There are a ton of other restaurants in Dallas with higher profiles, some that would likely pay for you to walk past the front of the place.”

Jared shrugged. “They seem like nice people.”

Maybe his brother wasn’t so shallow. “Like I said, I appreciate it. I know I might not have friends from childhood still hanging around, but I do have friends and I am grateful when someone helps them out.”

Jared nodded. “Anything I can do.”

His brother had done a lot for him today. For him. For Kori. “Thanks for helping with Kori’s car, too. What was Lena talking about when she asked if you’d looked at her proposal?”

He had to admit, he was curious.

“Her mother runs a studio. Lena thinks I’m wasting my life making comic book TV shows and movies like
Love After Death
. She’s not into genre entertainment. She wants me to do a bunch of small indie films. Something with award bait to it.”

“Why not?”

“Because I have fun making
Dart
. I’ll have fun doing this. I know a lot of people in the industry look down on genre stuff, but it has something to say, too.”

“That a douchebag with a bunch of darts can do push-ups?”

Jared stared at him for a moment. “That ordinary guys can be heroes. That it’s not all bad out there. I can pick up a newspaper to tell me the world is shit. I don’t need a film to tell me that, but there are days when I need to turn on the TV and be reminded that it can be good, too. That’s what I do. That’s what I want to do. I want to make people happy. I don’t see how that’s a bad thing to do. I don’t see why that makes me less of an artist.”

Kai stopped, looking at his brother in a slightly different light. Maybe there were times he’d been the asshole. “It doesn’t. It’s good, Jared. You need to do what makes you happy.” If he didn’t stop, he was going to get emotional, and he didn’t have time for that right now. Still, he couldn’t leave Jared like this. “Why don’t I show you around here? Ian’s office is in the back. I can give you a quick tour.”

A cautious smile this time. “I would like that. This is the top floor, but I read that there’s a second floor.”

The tension seemed to go out of the room. Oh, Kai had no doubt it would rear its ugly head again, but they needed time and privacy for that conversation. “The second floor is fairly new. It used to be a law office. They moved to a private building and Ian took over the space. The business covers a lot of security needs, but they’re broken up into different teams now that MT has gotten so big. The main floor is for the central team. They work for corporations and do some government work. Downstairs there’s a team specifically for physical security, both buildings and people. There are five highly trained bodyguards on retainer and the nerd squad specializes in security systems. On this floor, we have several conference rooms, the main one right here on the left. What the hell?”

Adam and Jesse both had a leg up on the conference room table, stretching their big bodies as Brad pressed a hand to Jesse’s back.

Yes, he had to figure out what was going on there. He opened the door. “Dare I ask?”

Jesse looked up. “Hey, Kai. Brad here is showing us how to properly stretch out our hamstrings. I keep pulling my left one when I run. Nearly took a damn bullet in LA last week when Si and I were on assignment. It stiffened up on the flight last night. I’m getting old.”

Adam shook his head. “I’m not old. I just spend too much time behind a desk. Brad’s going to give me a comprehensive workout plan. Jake doesn’t believe in intellectual pursuits and somehow he never gains sympathy weight. Serena’s pregnant again. I have to keep off the weight or I’ll be the less hot but still intellectually superior husband.”

So it was a typical day at McKay-Taggart.

“You can come and work out with me,” Jared offered.

Adam gave him a thumbs-up. “That would be awesome.”

“I’ll get these two in better shape. Let’s go run some stairs. See how that hammy holds up now that you’ve properly warmed it.” Brad clapped his hands together like it was the best thing in the world.

It sounded horrible to Kai. Of course, he’d always accepted that he was the less hot but intellectually superior brother. Kori didn’t seem to mind that he wasn’t a gym rat who pounded pavement or lifted weights four hours a day.

Jared watched as the trio started toward the stairs. “That has to be Axel from
The Doms with the Golden Whips
. It was one of my favorites.”

“You’ve seriously read all of Serena’s books?” Somehow he hadn’t seen his brother as a big reader.

“They’re cool. Very sexy. Again, you wouldn’t like them because they’re not intellectual,” Jared shot back. “I started them as research but I ended up thinking they were awesome. I like Serena a lot.”

Tad strode out from the far hallway, a phone to his ear. “I know. I know, but I need Franco here next week. I don’t care if he’s taken a vow of silence. I don’t need him to talk. I need him to work his magic and take some pictures and video. And get a good stylist. These people are very…military. I don’t mean rah, rah military. I’m talking they could use some serious flair.”

Jared groaned and stepped up, grabbing Tad’s phone. “Cancel everything.” He jabbed at the phone’s screen, hanging up the call before handing it back to Tad. “I told you, we’re not asking the company to let documentary crews in.”

“Not unless they get to kill the documentary crew afterward,” Kai agreed. It was the only way Big Tag allowed that to happen.

Tad’s eyes widened. “What?”

“They’re very private,” Jared explained. “Where’s Squirrel? Did he stay at the hotel?”

Tad shook his head, edging away from Kai. “No. He’s been following that Tag person around trying to take notes for you.”

Jared nodded and looked back at Kai as if that made some kind of point. “That’s nice of him.”

“No. No, it’s not. Shit.” A million and one scenarios ran through Kai’s head—all of them bad. “Has anyone seen him lately?”

Jared would likely get upset if his best friend ended up stuffed in a box somewhere. That was the least lethal scenario he could think of.

“No. Not for an hour or so.” Tad was dialing his phone again. “Can we at least bring a reporter in? ‘Actor plays decorated military hero’ would be a great visual. It’ll be good for the company too. Please let me bring in a stylist for the chick with the freckles. I can deal with the other women, but she’s too severe.”

“That’s because Erin will murder you and not think twice about it. I have to go find Ian.” Before he eviscerated Jared’s friend.

Jared jogged to keep up with him as he strode down the hall toward Ian’s office. “You think Squirrel could annoy him to the point of violence?”

“I think violence is Ian’s default state.” And he was in a piss-poor mood as it was. He passed Eve’s office and then Alex’s. He hoped he didn’t piss off Ian too much, but he knocked once and then went in just in time to see Ian lifting Squirrel up by the neck and shoving him against the wall.

“I swear to god if you don’t stop following me I will split you open, pull out your insides, and let my baby girls play in them. My wife will get all pissy because she thinks the girls shouldn’t play in entrails, but I say they’re free. Do you have any idea how fucking much toys cost?” If Tag was at all bothered by Squirrel’s weight, he didn’t show it. The man simply held him up, the poor dude’s sneakers kicking slightly. “A lot. A metric shit ton of cash, so I’m always looking for something cheap to keep them entertained.”

He needed to bring the level of potential death down to a manageable portion. “Hey, Ian, I want you to think about how much the girls would miss their dad if he got shoved in a prison.”

“He followed me around all morning,” Ian bit out.

“Sorry.” Squirrel managed to whisper the words.

“Ian, is it really worth it to murder him? Jail is a real possibility.” Ian would respond to logic.

“He followed me into my fucking bathroom.”

Kai turned to his brother. “I’m sorry. You’re going to have to find a new best friend.”

Big Tag had a private bathroom. He took that shit seriously.

“Do you understand what it means to be the only man in the fucking house? My kids don’t care about privacy. My wife thinks intimacy means I shouldn’t be able to spend an hour alone in the bathroom. I like my personal time, motherfucker. The only time I get it is here. Have you ever had to take a piss with not one but two babies in your arms?”

“It sounds terrible, sir. I would want to piss in peace, too,” Squirrel managed.

“Ian, he’s turning blue.” More logic. He hoped it got through.

Ian’s hand released and Squirrel hit the floor. “Go away.”

Squirrel dragged air into his lungs. “That dude is crazy.”

Jared reached out a hand and helped his friend up. “I’ll take him out. Sorry for the disruption, Mr. Taggart. It won’t happen again.”

Jared held Squirrel up and helped him stumble out. The door closed with a thud and he was left with Ian, who walked to the big floor-to-ceiling windows that marked his corner office. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked out over the Dallas skyline.

“Ian, are you all right?” It was a stupid question. He was obviously not all right, but this was a way Kai could allow Ian to control the conversation. He could say yes. He could say no. This wasn’t a therapy session and Kai wouldn’t press the issue.

A long silence followed. Kai let it lengthen, the quiet not bothering him at all. Sometimes these things took time.

“He was taking fucking notes. I hate that. Why the hell was he taking notes? Does he think he’s going to learn something? I get that the film is about a security company but that asshole was acting like it was all about me. Dumbass.”

They were right back to Ian’s self-awareness issues. “I think he was trying to help out Jared. You know the character he’s playing has a lot in common with you.”