Page 76 of The Charmer's Gambit
I frowned at the exchange. This bonding thing wasn’t working for me. I preferred when the two men were having their alpha standoff. “I decide whom I want to marry, thank you.”
“Of course,” Mark agreed. “But Caleb could make things awfully difficult if he didn’t approve.”
“By what? Not showing up or calling me for months on end?” Because that was my brother’s role in my life. Until today whenhe randomly tried to warn me about Ryan. And that comment about always being there. “He’s not a government desk jockey, is he.” Not a question, but a statement. I groaned and shook my head. “You two are unbelievable. Running off to join the military at eighteen, then doing God knows what for the last few years, you supposedly living in Chicago—”
“Oh, that part is true,” he cut in. “The place you stayed after living with Ryan was real, and mine. I just don’t see it often.”
I shook my head again. “Right. And Caleb?”
“He’s in Virginia, most of the time.”
“Uh-huh.” I looked at Will, who had stayed quiet through the whole exchange. “Welcome to the insanity of my life.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” he replied with a kiss against my cheek. “Okay, Kincaid, tell me what you want us to do next. Because I’m guessing you don’t want us anywhere near Chicago when he makes the announcement next weekend.”
“Right, the farther away the better. You’re done with meetings, right?”
I didn’t bother to ask how he knew that. “Yes.”
“Then I recommend you go somewhere remote and stay at a private villa of sorts, not a Mershano Suites. Which reminds me, you need to have a serious discussion with your cousin about his computer system, as it’s been compromised.” He left that hanging and cocked a dark brow.
“He’s aware of the breach and would also love to know how Caleb accessed his security cameras of the hotel,” Will drawled. “Not that I suppose you’ll tell us.”
“What would be the fun in that?” Mark asked, taunting. “But I can recommend someone to do a thorough risk assessment.”
“I’ll pass it along to Evan,” Will replied before returning to the subject at hand. “So you want me to whisk her away somewhere while you handle the Albertson issue?” He sounded amused. “Why do I feel like I’ve been given the easy job?”
“Your job will never be easy, Mershano. I expect you to keep her safe, and if you don’t, if you ever hurt her, it won’t be just me you’ll need to worry about.”
“Because I’ll kick his ass,” I put in, irritated. “You both do realize I’m in the room still, right?”
“I’m more than aware,” Will murmured, his lips against my ear. “I’m always aware, darlin’. And do tell me more about this ass-kicking. I’m intrigued.”
“Cocky,” I returned with a snort. “But seriously, you can’t just handle Ryan for me. I want to be part of this.”
“And you are,” Mark replied. “I’m only here becauseyoucalled me, and Will is here because you trusted him.Youdecided it’s time to fight back, and we’re your army. Mershano has the means to keep you safe, while I have other skills useful to your situation. The call at the end of the day, however, is yours, and that makes you the queen on the chessboard. We’re just the knights moving to do your bidding as requested.”
I gave him a doubtful look. “You’ve never done anything I’ve requested, and neither have you,” I added with a glance at Will.
“But in this case, we will do whatever you want.” He cupped my cheek and let me see the sincerity deep in his eyes. “If you don’t want Kincaid to use the intel he’s gathered, he won’t. And we’ll go about it a different way. The decision is yours, Rachel.” So serious. So unlike my Will. But in this, he was giving me the ultimate power. As was Mark, something that couldn’t be easy for him either.
I cleared my throat. “There’s no other option, right?”
“There’s always another option,” my non-FBI friend replied. “But this is by far the best one, especially considering his recent escalation. I suspect he’ll be back tomorrow or Sunday, if you’re still in Nice.”
“And he’ll do what? Grab me again?”
“No, he’ll do something much worse, and he’ll do it to Mershano to get him out of the way. Albertson might be a trust fund kid, but he’s an intelligent one. He knows how to maneuver his way around a chessboard better than most politicians.”
Will pressed a kiss to my temple and hugged me close. “Don’t worry, darlin’. I can handle whatever he throws at me. The decision is still yours.”
My denial was immediate. “No, it’s not. There’s no choice in the matter if you’re in jeopardy. You say you’re not afraid of him, but I am, and he knows it. He’ll use you to extort that fear. And I can’t let that happen.” I closed my eyes and braced myself for the inevitable. For three years, none of my attempts to thwart Ryan had worked. Not long term, anyway. If Mark thought this idea had a chance, then I owed it to myself, to Will, and to our future together to try it. I said earlier we had to do whatever it took to bring him down, and if this was what it took, then we would do it. “Okay. We try to sabotage his career, then, and pray like hell that it works.”
“No prayers needed,” Mark replied. “It’ll work. His focus will be off you in two weeks, tops. But you two need to go on a little trip in the interim because Ryan is going to try to force Rachel to come home for his candidacy announcement dinner.”
“I’ll handle that part,” Will murmured. “We’ll borrow one of Evan’s jets so we can’t be tracked as easily.”
Jets. As in plural? “How many does your cousin own?”
