From Sanctum with Love (Masters and Mercenaries #10)(106)

What a f*cking nightmare.

“So he’s getting out in the morning?” It would be one less thing he would have to worry about. He couldn’t stand the thought of his brother sitting in a prison cell. It wasn’t right. No matter what Rush thought he had on Jared, Kai knew he was innocent.

“Do you honestly believe I would have given up six weeks for the morning? Like I said, the judge got his ass out of bed once Maia got on the phone with him. Apparently she’s got shit on a couple of judges and she’s not afraid to use it. Everything’s already finished. Jared will be coming out in a few minutes and I’ll drive you home. He’s been released on a million dollars bail and into our safekeeping. He’s not allowed to leave the state. Bail’s already been posted and he’s being processed out.”

That was one issue down. At least his brother wouldn’t spend days in jail. “So Harrison has agreed to take the case?”

Kai had worked with Mitch in the past, but this was a criminal case. Mitch was their go-to lawyer for all things business. Harrison Keen was the criminal defense attorney. Kai had been a bit scared Harrison was only here to make sure Case was fine. He’d been sitting on this stupid bench looking up attorneys.

Because he had to find a way to help his brother.

“Of course,” Case replied. “Why do you think he’s here? The minute we found that body I knew Rush was going to do anything he could to pin it on Jared. He’s got a hard-on for your brother. I don’t even know what evidence they have on him yet.”

“Nothing,” a deep voice said.

Kai looked up and Harrison Keen was walking down the hallway looking pristine and perfect in a three-piece suit. He was a large, muscular man with broad shoulders and stark green eyes. His deep black hair was slicked back and he carried what was likely a designer briefcase. Everything about the man was polished to perfection, his whole presentation screaming power.

Kai had seen him in nothing but boy shorts and a leather collar, being whipped by his Domme of the night. Everyone had their kinks. No one was truly as they seemed. He’d learned that long ago.

God, he hoped Kori knew that not every word should be taken at face value.

“They’ve got nothing on Jared but a couple of eyewitnesses who say they saw him walking out of the hallway that led to the bathroom where Lena was killed,” Harrison explained. “It’s the thinnest piece of shit case I’ve ever seen. They don’t have prints or a weapon. They don’t even have CCTV coverage of the doors to the bathrooms. He was walking down a hall.”

“How can they arrest him for that?” Case asked.

Harrison shrugged. “Mitch heard a rumor that one of Jared’s friends told the feds Jared and Lena have been fighting and that Jared had threatened to kill her. It’s complete speculation. There hasn’t been time to run any evidence yet. This is all bullshit and Mitch is ready to sue the department for false arrest once they admit they’ve made a mistake. Ah, there he is.”

Kai looked down the hallway and his brother was walking toward him. He’d never seen Jared look so grim. There was a darkness to his eyes that made Kai wonder what the hell had happened. Jared stared blankly past him and it hit Kai that no one was waiting on Jared. All those people who clung to him, who fed off him had fled. They were likely back in the hotel suites Jared paid for and they’d taken the limo he’d rented to do it. Jared—who always seemed to need people around him—was completely alone for the first time since he’d come to Dallas. No friends. No employees. None of them had called him a lawyer. Apparently one of them had tried to pin this on him.

But he had his brother. For the first time in forever, Kai was going to make sure that Jared had his brother.

“Thank you for getting me out of there.” He held his hand out to Harrison, who shook it.

“The pleasure is mine,” he said with a smile that reminded Kai of a hungry tiger. “I look forward to taking this one on. Jared, you understand the terms of your release?”

Jared stopped, briefly looking Harrison’s way. “I do. I won’t leave the city. I’ll check in with…who am I checking in with?”

“His name is Simon Weston. He’s going to be the McKay-Taggart contact,” Harrison explained. “He and his partner are already on the case. They’ll want to talk to you in the morning. Hey, you can watch them work and maybe get some research out of it while they clear you.”

“I won’t need it. The production company will fire me in the morning. I’ll be lucky to come out of this with my TV job intact,” he stated flatly. “They’ll likely fire me, too. Or the network will cancel the show and everyone will be out of work.”

“You didn’t do this,” Harrison replied. “If they fire you, we’ll sue them.”

Jared shook his head. “Doesn’t work that way in Hollywood. Oh, we can sue and they’ll pass me some cash, but my career is over. I’ll always be a killer to some people no matter what the outcome is. The cloud will never go away. I’m going to catch a cab and find a hotel. Mr. Keen, if you could send me a bill for your services tonight, I’ll pay it. I’ll find my own lawyer tomorrow.”

Jared pulled his phone out of his pocket and started walking toward the front of the station.

Kai turned to Harrison. “He doesn’t know what he’s saying. We need you on this case.”