“Will you be serious for once?” Brandon snapped. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this thing with Sam.”
“Ya think?” Alec knew the feeling. For months now, it had hung in the back of his mind, just out of reach. The thought that something was off. But, no matter how hard he looked or how much he thought about it, he couldn’t validate his unease.
“Look, we’re set for the party on Wednesday,” Alec told them. “Joe, you and Amanda will meet them at the Botanical Gardens. Sam’s arrival will cause a stir, since she’s always shied away from any sort of affiliation with her father. I hope it will give us the edge we need to put Matteo on guard. He won’t expect her to approach him publicly.”
Joe shook his head. “Sam’s our ticket in. That’s it. She won’t go anywhere near the guy.”
“What do you hope to learn with the dog and pony show? Seems easier just to kick the fucker’s ass, give him a little taste of his own medicine.” Jake asked.
God, Alec loved that kid.
Joe answered. “A guy like Matteo doesn’t respond to violence. He —”
“I’ll bet he’d respond to a bullet in the head.”
“Jake,” Joe warned, his eyes turning dark. “No one in this family is going to jail over that man. Caleb will have a chat with Matteo, find out where the guy’s head is at. Inform him it would be in his best interest to back off, that any further attempts at Sam will be considered … shall we say … a direct assault against the rest of us.”
Brandon picked up the lead. “See, Jake, it’s not just about money with people like Matteo. He can’t see beyond his own ego, so if we shake him up—make him feel like we have the upper hand—he’ll get sloppy. He’ll give us more than a few casings from a gun he never touched. He’ll give us the proof we need to take him down. The right way.”
“I get all that,” Jake said. “It’s a bitter pill to swallow though. He didn’t give Sam a chance before he had some asshole try to kill her and Caleb.”
“Believe me, it doesn’t sit well with any of us,” Alec told him.
“It still doesn’t make sense,” Brandon mused. “Why now? Yesterday makes the petty break-in attempts look like child’s play.”
No shit. First her office, which resulted in moving her practice to the Martin Tactical and Security building, and then her apartment, which resulted in only the loss of her address book. Then … nothing. For months now, all had been quiet. And while Alec had thought the trouble was over, after last night, he was damn glad he still kept an eye on her. But, he agreed with Brandon.
“That’s what we need to find out. Starting with Wednesday night.”
“And if that doesn’t work?” Jake asked.
“Bullet in the head,” Alec and Brandon said together.
This time, Joe didn’t seem to disagree. “Let’s all hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Alec rubbed his temples, exhaustion settling heavily on his shoulders. As plans were discussed, he participated on auto-pilot, answering questions and providing specifics for the event.
By the time everyone left and he closed and locked the door, Alec could barely keep his eyes open. A hot shower and an orgasm were just what he needed to ensure a solid nights rest. Or maybe he’d skip the shower.
One out of two ain’t bad.
* * *
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Caleb watched Samantha’s reflection in the window as she came up behind him. Her top, held up by two thin straps, hugged her breasts and ended just above the waistband of her panties. Boy shorts, he thought they were called. It didn’t matter. Those black whatever-they-were-called were sexy as fuck.
He couldn’t wait to get her out of them.
The instant her hands landed on her hips, his dick went hard. He couldn’t see below her knee from this angle, but he wouldn’t be surprised if she was tapping her foot.
Apparently, sleep hadn’t improved her mood. Yeah, well, that made two of them.
The insults she’d hurled through the door when he’d tried to apologize still rang in his ears. “Nothing wrong with a little run.” He shut the treadmill off and swung himself down.
“At two in the freakin’ morning?”
“Last I checked, this was still my place. I don’t need permission to use my own treadmill.”
Her spine stiffened at his reminder. “Again, I say, at two in the morning? Who does that?”
“Obviously … me.”
“Obviously,” she spat. “But you’re right. This is your place, so I’ll just collect my things and go home to my quiet little apartment. Maybe there I can get some goddamned sleep.”