From Sanctum with Love (Masters and Mercenaries #10)(74)

Rush shook his head. “Yes, I’ve read the files. I also know that the publicist has had some complaints of sexual harassment filed against him, all of which have been dropped.”

“Settled,” Case corrected. “The cases were settled and the records sealed. There’s a big difference and you know it.”

“Not to mention the fact that his assistant has an obsessive interest in him, and I would say she’s got some narcissistic tendencies.” Kai had come to a few of his own conclusions. All it had taken was a single ten-minute conversation with her to realize Lena was a vengeful woman. She’d talked a lot about the people who had done her wrong and how she’d dealt with them. “Everyone’s got issues. If you truly look at any single person’s background, you can make a case for violence. All of us are damaged in some way. Until you have some real proof, I don’t want you focusing in on my brother. For all we know this is coincidence.”

Rush’s eyes rolled. “If you can’t do the job, let me know now.”

Kai took a deep breath. He was getting sick of the whole thing. There was a reason he worked by himself and not in a practice where he would have a boss. He had some authority issues of his own. “My job is to teach my brother about BDSM.”

“Your brother has been in the lifestyle for years. God, you haven’t even figured that out yet?” Rush stood up, his big body stiff with frustration.

“What are you talking about?” Kai asked, Rush’s words not quite making sense.

Case shot the special agent an arctic stare. “I thought my brother asked you not to mention that.”

“Your brother also told me this guy could do the job,” Rush retorted. “So far all he’s done is his secretary.”

“I can do more,” Kai promised, visions of his hands around the *’s throat playing through his brain.

Case stood and got between them. “He means that, Rush, and don’t judge him by his looks. He could take you on and he would very likely enjoy hurting you.”

Kai didn’t move. “See, we’ve all got issues. As for my brother, I’ll go with him tonight and I’ll watch everyone carefully. After I tag a woman’s phone.”

If it weren’t for Ian, he would tell everyone to go to hell. Well, likely not because if he wasn’t doing this for Ian, he would be doing it for Sean. Or Case. Or Erin.

He was locked in and there wasn’t anything he could do about it. Maybe what his brother had said was right. He’d spent the last few decades of his life trying not to have ties only to find himself bound tightly again. He’d run from one brother only to find an entire family, and he’d slid into it because it seemed like Ian was the only one with real responsibility. But in a family, everyone had responsibility. It was only a matter of time before it reared its head.

The responsibility was chafing. It reminded him of all the reasons he’d walked away in the first place. Sometimes it took him back to that place where he was twelve and his mother was working an overnight shift and Jared had fallen and hit his head. There’d been so much blood and it had been his fault because he wasn’t watching his brother properly. His mother hadn’t yelled, but the point had been made.

“Ferguson, I’m sorry. I’m under a lot of pressure. I don’t like bringing family members in. Not ever.” Rush ran a hand over his hair as he walked toward the door. “Do what you can. I don’t want anyone dying on my watch. Know that we’ll be sticking close tonight.”

Jared was surrounded by vultures and men who wanted to see him in prison. Once again it was up to Kai to save his brother.

The door closed behind Rush and he was left alone with Case.

“I’ll do everything I can to make sure you don’t have to do this. Hell, why don’t I bring along Hutch? I can introduce him as a friend and you can be out of this altogether,” Case offered.

There was a problem with that scenario. “If she’s Collective, then she knows who Hutch is and she’ll likely be vigilant around him. I’m the non-threatening one. I’m the therapist who rarely works for McKay-Taggart and never in the field. If she sees Hutch or Adam or any of the tech guys, she’ll figure out what’s happening and we’ll lose her. This will work because she’ll think you can’t get anything done if you’re out dancing with her. She’ll leave her purse with Kori because she’s Mia’s friend and Mia trusts her, and I’ll very quietly get the job done because we’ll make sure someone distracts Kori. I can get Jared talking and he tends to command the room when he does. We’ll get what we need. I can handle tagging the phone, but Rush is right about one thing. I’m too close to the murder case. I can’t conceive of a world in which my brother is a serial killer.”

“Honestly, having spent some time with him, neither can I. I have to wonder if this isn’t some unfortunate coincidence. I think we should concentrate on the situation with Mia and let the feds do what they need to do. Once you tag this phone, all you need to do is fulfill the contract you have with the studio and you’re out of it. No more spy stuff.”

There was one more matter to settle. “Apparently my brother doesn’t need training. What do you know about that? Is it true? Has Jared been in the lifestyle for a while?”

Case’s jaw tightened as though he didn’t like this line of questioning. “According to the file the feds have on him, he’s been going to clubs for years. He started in his early twenties.”