Dangerous (11 page)

“Amen.”

Solomon—seated at the head of the table—looked around the room at the others and nodded. “Let’s eat.”

During the few minutes that everyone was occupied with filling their plates, Brady leaned close to Ken and whispered, “Sorry you came?”

“Hardly,” he replied quietly. “I’m surrounded by gorgeous blue-eyed Irishmen who can make an ordinary dinner into an adventure. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself so much.”

“Really, Tanaka? I can. It was only a few hours ago.”

Ken paused with a spoon full of mashed potatoes hovering over his plate and Brady looked around uncomfortably. “Sorry.” Had he actually been flirting with Ken in front of his family? Brady didn’t flirt, and he didn’t want Ken to feel awkward if he didn’t want them to know. “Sorry,” he mumbled again.

“Don’t be.” Ken passed him the bowl and their fingers touched. “I’m not.”

At the other end of the table Rory noticed. “Hey now. What’s going on with you two?”

Brady wanted to kiss his cousin when Seamus answered before he could. “They’re on another job, I think. Like the Burke thing.”

“Is
that
what’s happening?” Stephen stood up to reach for a casserole dish of green beans before continuing, “Thank God. I was trying to come up with a subtle way of asking Brady if he’d lost his mind.”

Brady felt his mouth open in surprise. “
Me?
What are you talking about?”

“Cal Grimes is what I’m talking about. My assistant. Well, he used to be until a month ago. He’s still got a desk and comes in once a week to help my new assistant get acclimated.” Stephen paused. “And on that desk there is now a framed photo of you in uniform.”

Ken laughed as Brady covered his face with his hands and groaned, “Kill me now.”

“Why thank God?” Wyatt asked before shoving a piece of roast in his mouth.

“He was always very ambitious. A few months ago he started to express his dissatisfaction and last month we agreed he’d outgrown his current position.”

Tasha smirked. “Let me translate for the senator. Cal went crazy. Not only did he start doing opposition research for other people and spend his free time elbow-rubbing the kind of lobbyists and politicians Stephen usually avoids, but he started acting so strangely, I thought he might be on drugs. Stephen quietly asked for his resignation and the man actually laughed.”

“No comment,” Stephen said, ruining his faux-severity by winking at his wife. “Anyway, now I feel bad if his behavior is connected to this sting of Tanaka’s. Is it another federal case?”

“No,” Ken answered. “And don’t feel bad. If you wanted a second opinion, all I can tell you is that I agree. He’s crazy.”

“I see.” Stephen lowered his brows in concern. “If my office can do anything to help, you know I’m in. I have some experience.”

Tasha leaned over to kiss her husband. “One undercover operation and you’re going to milk it for the rest of our lives, aren’t you, 007?”

“With the bad guy behind bars and the girl in my arms? Damn right.”

Jen nudged Brady and gestured toward the salt, then looked across the table at Seamus. “Not to change the subject, especially one that interesting, but I thought Jeremy and Owen would be here.”

Seamus looked surprised. “You didn’t get the text?”

She shook her head.

“I could have sworn I sent everyone a text.” He raised his voice to include the rest of the table. “Did
anyone
get my message about Owen and Jeremy?”

Tasha waggled her fingers. “I didn’t get a message from
you
, but Jeremy managed to send me a funny video of Owen at the airport demanding that he turn off his phone and stop texting me. I haven’t heard from him since so I guessed they went on vacation. Was I right?”

Everyone at the table turned to Seamus, whose quick glance toward the living room made it clear he felt like swearing. “I was sure I sent a text. And Tasha’s right. They left a few days ago. Owen said they’d be gone for two weeks and to tell everyone not to worry if they couldn’t get ahold of them.”

Brady shared a look with Ken. That must have been the romantic idea Owen had had when he’d purchased plane tickets instead of pizza. “Good for them,” he said.

Was Owen actually going to propose? He hoped so. Jeremy was truly one of the good ones.

Seamus snorted at Brady, obviously thinking along the same lines. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t come back blaming you because it all blew up in his face.”

Determined not to have his drunken lecture become the focus of a family interrogation, Brady rushed to fill the silence. “I don’t see James either. He always seems to work a double on the nights we get together. Why is his boss such a…” he paused, remembering the children. “Jerk?” he finished proudly.

Solomon—James’ boss—glared at his younger brother. “He’s busy. Police work doesn’t leave a lot of time for extracurricular activities. I’m sure you remember what it was like to work for a living. All those criminals to catch.”

“Which is why I like fighting fires,” Noah chimed in, distracting Solomon from talking about Brady’s old job. “Short bursts of daring heroics framed by weeks of childish pranks and drinking.”

“Plus, we’re the most popular months in this year’s calendar.” Wyatt toasted him again and Solomon shook his head.

“Settle down boys or I’ll send you to the kids’ table.” He focused on Ken and Brady instantly tensed. “We may be missing a few family members, but I’m glad
you’re
here, Tanaka. I don’t think I got a chance to tell you how much I appreciated what you did to help the feds catch Burke and get my cousins out of the corner he’d put them in.”

There was too much of Solomon the Elder in his brother’s tone for Brady to relax, despite the praise.

Ken, too, seemed prepared for an attack. “I’d like to think anyone in my position would have done the same for a friend,” he said carefully.

Solomon set down his fork and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “You do a lot for your friends. Make scandalous pictures disappear as if they never existed, give someone a roof and a job exactly when they need it. Stephen tells me you’ve even sent his old friend Trick one or two clients in the last few months.”

Brady hadn’t missed Jen’s quiet inhalation at the mention of Trick’s name. Damn it. He was definitely going to have a talk with Dunham.

Ken shrugged. “He was the right man for it, and Stephen trusts him. I didn’t see any reason not to.”

Solomon didn’t react. “I suppose I’m wondering why a self-confessed hacker—even one who does freelance work for the feds—would take such a benevolent interest in this family.”

The table was silent. Stephen put his hand on Solomon’s arm, giving him a look of disapproval, but Brady knew his brother wouldn’t respond. He was too busy staring Ken down. Daring him to react.

Brady beat him to it. “I suppose
I’m
wondering why my big brother is acting like such a prick at the dinner table. Can anyone explain it? I know we didn’t learn the finer points of table manners from Sol, but I think I still remember his favorite rule—shut up and eat. Why don’t we do that?”

Rory chuckled, but Ken’s hand gripped Brady’s thigh under the table and squeezed gently, either to hold him back or as a show of gratitude. Brady wasn’t sure which, but he responded to the touch instantly and held his tongue.

“I completely understand your concern, Chief Finn. One thing about this family that’s always consistent is how protective you are of each other. I admire that.”

Ken waited until Solomon nodded in acknowledgment before continuing, “I also admire the proficient officer who accessed my personal records and ran my fingerprints from a terminal in your police station four days ago. Since you know what he found, I’m not sure what else you would need to ease your mind.”

Ken hadn’t said a word about Solomon’s intrusions, but knowing his overprotective brother, Brady wasn’t surprised. “Solomon, you’re an assh—”

“How the hell could you know who looked what up and
where
they did it?” Solomon asked as if Brady hadn’t spoken.

Ken shrugged. “Your precinct’s computers are secure and virus free, if that’s what you’re wondering. I’m alerted anytime someone searches my information. It’s a simple program that gives me the time and location of the search. I could help you incorporate it into your systems, if you’d like.”

“
I like
,” Rory crooned. “Actually I might be in love with you, Tanaka. No one surprises Solomon. It doesn’t happen. You’re officially my new hero.”

Brady glared at Rory, covering Ken’s hand possessively with his own. No one could see it, but it made him feel better. His oversexed brother wasn’t getting his hands on Ken without going through him. “You obviously didn’t find anything too damning, Younger, otherwise you wouldn’t have let him inside the house.”

Solomon frowned. “You know I hate that nickname. And what I found didn’t ease my mind. It was confusing as hell.”

“How so?” Ken asked, his serene mask firmly in place.

“You’re rich.”

“Money confuses you?”

“Cops are so prejudiced,” Wyatt muttered to Noah.

Noah nodded. “Damn the man.”

“Shut it,” Solomon snarled. “I’m not talking to you two. I’m saying he doesn’t have to do what he does, which makes me question his reas—”

“You’re saying the man you had pegged as a criminal hacker doing probationary work for the feds is actually a wealthy independent contractor who doesn’t hesitate to help out a friend in need.” Brady finished with grim satisfaction. “He’s a good guy with no hidden agenda and you can’t let it go because you hate being wrong.”

“War made him wise,” Noah offered solemnly.

Wyatt swallowed his food with a nod. “The giant redhead speaks sense.”

“Shut up,” Brady and Solomon said in unison as they glared at Noah and Wyatt.

Tasha started laughing quietly. It was contagious, but Brady held out, still a little ticked at his brother.

Brady knew what Solomon’s search had discovered because Ken had already told him most of it. Whatever wasn’t classified. He’d been studying computer science and engineering in college, living easily off his trust fund, when curiosity and a little boredom led him into the profession he now quietly dominated.

It started out as harmless snooping, a way to challenge himself. He’d been hacking of course, but never with malicious intent. Just poking his head in to see how far he could get. He got a little too far and discovered some disturbing vulnerabilities in network security programs that were supposed to protect “sensitive” and highly guarded servers.

Ken had been unnerved by the holes he’d found, so he’d started creating programs—new protocols and patches—to fix them. After several visits and lengthy interrogations from men in suits to determine he wasn’t a threat, more than one government agency wanted to recruit him full time.

Ken had declined, but offered another solution that made everyone happy. Now the Pentagon and some of the private security contractors on their approved list used his robust, adaptive security software and paid him more than two men could spend in a lifetime for exclusivity.

He also worked for them on occasion, consulting on cyberterrorism cases as well as offering creative surveillance solutions. He enjoyed it, but he never gave up his status as a freelancer. He enjoyed his anonymity more, and having the freedom to help out friends if the need arose, without having to ask for permission.

Ken really was Batman. And Brady was definitely developing a fetish.

Tasha finally caught her breath. “Solomon? You still need to apologize. We were having a great Finn Again until you forgot you weren’t at the precinct and started interrogating our dinner guest. Ken’s practically one of the family.”

“I’m sorry, Tanaka.” Solomon muttered.

“It’s okay,” Ken assured him. “I don’t play by ordinary rules, and I know it. When I was at it full time, I’ll admit I got results by doing things that would have sent people without my connections to prison.”

Ken paused, then fixed his dark golden gaze on Solomon. “Speaking of connections, you may get a phone call.”

Solomon shifted in his seat uncomfortably, scowling back at Ken. “Already did. That’s why I had to ask.” His frown deepened. “So, not full time anymore?”

“I haven’t been for years.” Ken shrugged. “You said it before. I’m comfortable enough that I don’t have to work. I do the odd favor here and there, but if it eases your mind, after this one I’m planning on taking a long, relaxing break.”

“Why would it ease his mind?” Wyatt asked, confused.

“Because Solomon’s observant,” Seamus stated, drawing everyone’s attention again. “Really rude, but observant. And Ken—quite the genius himself—understands what he’s really asking, so he’s assuring your brother that he isn’t dangerous. That he’s not going to put
anyone
in this family in harm’s way. Even if they’re working together.”

“Oh.” Rory looked at Ken closely, then sent a sly smile in Brady’s direction. “Oh, I think I get it now.
Good job
, Gigantor.”

Oh hell. There was no way anyone knew about—

“I don’t,” Wyatt groused. “Anyone want to fill the rest of us in?”

“‘The rest of us’ is shrinking fast, brother mine. Catch up.” Noah grinned at Brady. “You big old blue-ox
dog
.”

Heat climbed up his neck and he glared. Rory knew. Noah knew. And so did Solomon. Was that why he was being such a jackass to Ken? Was that his twisted way of asking about Tanaka’s intentions?

Seamus obviously thought so.

“Seriously, someone tell Wyatt,” Rory demanded with a grin. “He hates always being the last to know. I would, but I’m too sadistic.”

Jen, who’d been so quiet Brady almost forgot she was there, was the one who volunteered. “Ken and Brady are having sex, Wyatt. With each other. Do I have to explain what goes where, or do they cover that in the firefighter’s manual?”

“You are such a
brat
,” Wyatt praised, smiling.

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Thank you. It’s a defense mechanism to deal with being the only female Finn who isn’t five years old and didn’t marry into the family. The only one who’s usually on the receiving end of all that overprotective, nosy…
love
.”