Page 62 of Two Steps Ahead

Weston didn’t want to believe any of it, but there was one last piece that struck him.Jasper wasn’t fighting. The bigger man hadn’t thrown any blows or attempted to get away. The opposite, in fact.

Sighing, Weston stepped back. “We’re heading to the van. Luke, you come too.”

Weston gripped Jasper’s shoulder tight, wrenching his arm until the man had to walk with his back arched to avoid injury. Weston preferred not to hurt people but, in this case, had no problem with the show of violence. Not with Kayleigh’s and his parents’ safety at risk.

They made it to the van and Weston shoved Jasper inside to sit alongside his men. Luke took a spot by the front seats and Chance by the rear door, while Weston and Brax hovered near the side door. Every exit covered.

“It’s like a clown car.” Brax smirked. “You guys could start your own show.”

“Why are you here?” Weston asked.

Jasper held out his hands in front of him in a show of surrender. “Like I said, we’re here to help.”

“Last I heard, you were fired,” Chance said.

As expected, Jasper’s chin lifted, his eyes narrowing. “We were put on leave, not fired. Regardless, I wasn’t going to disappear when Leo needed me.”

“So you decided to stake out our parents’ house?” Weston asked.

“Look, your company is legit and I respect that. But that doesn’t mean I was going to go sip mai tais while my employer is under attack. I have men outside the hospital watching Leo, as well as others watching Dean McClintock and Gwendolyn for their safety.” Jasper stared at Weston. “And, regardless of the strain in our relationship, I wanted to do the same for Kayleigh.”

Weston glanced at his brothers and they each gave him a shrug. They were all coming to the same conclusion.

It looked like Jasper was telling the truth.

Weston crossed his arms and glared down at the other man. “Tell us about Oliver Lyle. We know you were employed by him.”

Jasper shifted, trying to get comfortable. Weston could tell he was holding back from grabbing the shoulder he’d wrenched.

“Yeah, nearly a decade ago, and only for two weeks. I knew right away that he wasn’t the type of man I could ever work for or respect. He’s a bully who thinks with his fists not his brain, so I quit. Haven’t had contact with him since.”

“Fine.”

“What does Lyle have to do with this anyway?”

Weston shrugged. “He’s a suspect. Has the most to lose from the merger going through.”

Across the van, Luke cleared his throat, and everyone’s eyes flipped to him. “Actually, I think we can write Lyle off as asuspect. I put Claire on it to do some electronic digging a few hours ago. She just texted me.”

Luke’s fiancée, Claire, was a computer genius, complete with hacking skills. So, while her results might not always be technically legal, they were generally accurate.

“Lyle signed his research company to a colleague six months ago in a silent deal, so he’s got no skin in this game. Something about an ailing mother out of the country. He’s been in Croatia for weeks.”

Chance scrubbed a hand down his face. “That means he has no real reason to want to hurt Leo or Kayleigh.”

A frown worked its way onto Weston’s lips. If it wasn’t Lyle, then he had no idea who was targeting Kayleigh. Who else had a vested interest in the merger? Who would gain enough money, power or influence from it to risk her life?

“Look,” Jasper said, “I know you don’t like me, but think about it. If I wanted to hurt your family, I would have already. We had the advantage. Your parents and Kayleigh wouldn’t have stood a chance. Why would we sit in the vehicles all night?”

“I hate to admit it, but he does make a valid point,” Chance said.

Yeah, Weston hated it too, but there was no proof Jasper was doing anything he shouldn’t have been.

“You know what, Eeley? I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. I understand your concern, but with two days until the merger, I don’t want you anywhere near Kayleigh.”

Jasper opened his mouth to interrupt, but Weston held a hand out. “It’ll draw too much attention if she has two separate teams working around her. Focus your energy on getting Dean to the merger.”

Weston glanced over at Chance. They would also be placing their own security on Dean, in case Jasper was lying through his teeth.

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