Forbidden Legacy (22 page)

Michael moved away from Ryan, recalling Alexis. He turned to find her sitting in the office chair. Her face was white as a ghost and her hands were trembling. She was holding a tissue to one of her wrists and he could see the spots of blood left from the wire. Gunner was on the phone. From the tone of his voice, it sounded as if he was talking to Price. That was confirmed when he heard Gunner say, “Come home.”

Tasha was picking through the wreckage of the computer. When she found the thumb drive Ryan had loaded with top-secret information, she showed it to Harrison.

“Destroy it,” Harrison said.

Tasha dropped the drive to the floor and crushed it with the heel of her boot.

“He h-has a bomb s-somewhere in the building.” Alexis’s trembling voice proved the bravery she’d displayed earlier was waning. Exhaustion and the realization of exactly how bad this night could have been were crashing down on her. Michael understood because he felt the same way. He walked over to her and knelt in front of the chair.

“It’s okay, Alexis. We’re all here. We’re fine.” Michael hoped his words would comfort her.

Then he saw a movement from the floor, watched as Alexis’s eyes widened in horror. She pointed, and as Michael followed the direction of her finger he heard the discharge of a gun.

Next thing he knew, Ryan lay in a pool of blood, his white shirt a sea of red from where Tasha’s bullet had pierced his chest. Lying next to his hand was a small box.

“Bastard tried to trigger the bomb.” Tasha put her gun back into her pocket and sighed. She looked like she’d just returned from getting a manicure as opposed to someone who’d just killed a man. Michael was in awe of her fearlessness, her poise.

Apparently, Harrison knew her better. He walked over to the young woman and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “It needed to be done, Tasha. You saved us.”

She nodded and Michael recognized the stiffness in her posture, the tight lines around her mouth. While Tasha had been raised to be a spy and a killer, taking the life of another took its toll on her.

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this,” Harrison murmured to her.

Tasha smiled. “I’m glad I was here. Able to help.”

Harrison patted her cheek affectionately. “Call your men, Tasha. Tell them to come down here. They’re no doubt upstairs at the gala by now. I think they should be with you.”

Tasha nodded and stepped away to place the call with her cell.

Gunner walked over to Ryan’s body. “Price is on his way back from California. In the meantime, I’ll dispose of him. I’ll also phone in a favor or two, have the library searched for a bomb.”

“No need to bother.” Lance Glassco stood at the door with Giles Kim. Giles’ son, Preston, was one of Lance’s partners. “Giles texted me from the conference room right after the bomber flashed the detonator. I pulled a few trusted members together and we conducted a discreet search. Found the device in a mechanical room. It’s been immobilized.” He looked at the trashed computer equipment. “Carly isn’t going to be happy about this.”

“There are several things happening here that people aren’t happy about.” Giles put his hand on his son-in-law’s shoulder for support.

“He accessed files on the computer.” Tasha kicked broken computer bits into a pile.

Lance frowned. “How long was he here?”

“Twenty minutes at best,” Harrison said.

Lance’s face cleared. “No way he broke Carly’s security system in that time.”

“No,” Harrison agreed. “I suspect he gained access to the decoy files. Hopefully he didn’t trigger the failsafe that destroys all the records.”

Lance nodded. “We’re in town for a few days. I’ll tell Carly she’ll need to check it out, Grand Master.”

“Thank you, Lance, Giles.” Then Harrison turned to Gunner. “And you. For everything.”

Lance left, but Giles remained in the doorway.

The senior members of the Trinity Masters had watched everything that had happened in this office on the monitor in the conference room. Giles had been smart to have Lance search for the bomb immediately.

“Harrison. A word please,” Giles beckoned.

Giles didn’t use Harrison’s title, didn’t called him Grand Master. Though the threat to Harrison and the Trinity Masters had passed, it was clear Giles—and perhaps others—were unhappy with the way things had gone down.

Alexis reached for Michael’s hand and squeezed it. He tried to give her a hopeful smile, but he felt very little optimism.

Harrison stood away from them, speaking in a hushed voice and nodding when Giles spoke, the conversation ended with a respectful, “I understand,” from Harrison just before the older gentleman left.

Harrison stood at the doorway for several moments, his face tight with anxiety. As always, his friend found a way to put the tension away. When he turned to face them, Harrison smiled and reached out. “Michael. Alexis. Could I have a word with you?”

Alexis stood and together, they walked to their lover hand in hand.

*****

Harrison bid Gunner and Tasha goodnight and then led Michael and Alexis to one of the dressing rooms used by members to prepare for their bonding ceremony. He had expected Giles’s censure, had known there would be a price to pay for how he’d handled things, for how bad he’d let them get.

Harrison understood all of that and he was willing to take the punishment. But not tonight.

Once they were inside the dressing room, Harrison closed the door and pressed Alexis against it. He kissed her roughly, hungrily, as the image of Ryan holding her with the gun against her temple tormented him.

“I almost lost you,” he whispered against her lips.

Alexis understood his terror. The way she gripped his hair tightly in her fingers, held his face to hers, told him she shared it.

Harrison was vaguely aware of Michael standing next to them. If he knew his friend, Michael was probably chomping at the bit to do two things—find out what Giles had said and have a taste of Alexis as well.

Harrison couldn’t offer him either. He’d spent the past couple of weeks holding back, forcing himself to keep his distance. If tonight was all he could have, he was going to take everything he could, to build memories that would keep him warm through a lifetime of loneliness.

Harrison reached for the hem of Alexis’s shirt and pulled it over her head with one swift motion. Then he unhooked her bra and tossed it to the floor. Alexis didn’t resist, didn’t question his actions.

Instead, she yanked his tie from his collar and began to undo his buttons.

Harrison waited for Michael to break the silence, to make demands, but something kept his friend silent. Then Harrison glanced over in surprise when he heard Michael unzipping his own pants.

Michael gave him a light shrug. His friend knew. Knew that tonight was all they could have. He wasn’t going to fill it with words.

Harrison smiled gratefully. After the events of the last couple of hours, he needed this reprieve. A few hours of escape.

It only took a few moments for them to shed their clothing. Need outweighed finesse as they each started tearing their own clothes off. Seduction was lost, thrown out by passion.

Harrison reached for Alexis first, leading her to the couch by the wall, pressing her to her back. He was inside her in an instant, pounding into her warm heat like a man who’d lived his entire lifetime frozen.

Alexis was with him—thrust for thrust—pressing against him, urging him on with kisses, touches and soft words. He soaked up every syllable as she called out his name and promised to love him forever.

When his balls constricted, filled with come, he didn’t hold it back or prolong the moment. He couldn’t, wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less than instant gratification. Besides, this was only the first time he planned to take her tonight. He’d draw it out longer the next time.

Alexis responded to his deeper thrusts. They strained together, crying out as their climaxes sparked and flamed.

He only had a moment to recover before he felt Michael’s hand on his back. His friend had been patient, generous. He’d seen Michael’s face during the fight with Ryan. There was no doubt Michael’s emotions were as raw as his.

Harrison withdrew and dropped to the floor next to the couch as Michael took his place. Beautiful Alexis was there, ready, reaching for Michael with open arms. He watched them make love, amazed by the pleasure he found in simply being with them.

Michael’s usual control seemed to have shattered as well. He and Alexis came quickly. Harrison stood, reached for a robe and threw it on. Then he grabbed a second and laid it over Alexis and Michael, who were fading fast. The heavy exhaustion following an adrenaline rush was hitting them hard.

Harrison left Michael and Alexis alone on the couch and grabbed a pillow from a nearby chair.

Sleep would be a welcome respite. He lay down on the floor next to the couch, touched when Alexis reached down to grasp his hand.

He glanced up, smiling at her sleepy face.

“I love you,” she whispered, not wanting to disturb Michael who had already drifted away.

“I love you too.”

She closed her eyes, leaving Harrison to wish he had more time to show her just how much.

Harrison opened his eyes and found Price standing in the doorway of the dressing room. He glanced toward the couch and saw Michael and Alexis wrapped up in each other’s arms.

Price’s heavy sigh told Harrison the next few minutes were going to be difficult for all of them. While they’d escaped the revelation of the Trinity Masters and disarmed the bomb, killing a madman in the process, too many rules had been broken.

Harrison stood, cinching the belt of the robe around him tightly. “I’ll leave quietly.” Harrison kept his voice low so as not to disturb his lovers.

Price stepped toward him, his head bowed. “Harrison. You understand what you’re saying?”

Harrison frowned. “I don’t have any choice, Price. My abilities as Grand Master have been called into question. Giles laid out my options very clearly. I can’t continue in that position and I can’t remain in the society without joining a triad.” He looked over at Michael and Alexis. “I won’t make a bond with anyone else.”

Alexis stirred at the sound of conversation. She disengaged from Michael’s embrace, sitting up and tugging the robe more securely around her. Harrison walked across the room and retrieved her shirt. He put it on her as Price turned his head.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“I have to leave, Lex.”

“Leave? The Trinity Masters?”

Harrison nodded. “Yes.”

Her voice rose. “Why? Ryan’s dead. No one knows about the organization. You protected their privacy, removed the threat.”

Michael sat up as well, wrapping his arm around Alexis’s shoulders. “We have laws. And they’re absolute. Harrison broke at least half a dozen of them last night.”

“But the ends justify the means.”

Price shook his head. “Not in our world. You’re not supposed to be here, Alexis. You’re not a member and yet you’ve been granted admittance and told far too many of our secrets. You know too much.”

“But I’m not going to tell anyone.” She looked at Harrison. “You know that, Harry. I would never betray you or this place, these people.”

Harrison smiled, though there was a heavy weight crushing his chest. He hadn’t just endangered his own future. He’d taken Alexis and Michael down with him. He’d longed for the forbidden and they’d all suffer for it now. “I’m sorry, Lex.” His gaze drifted to his best friend. “I hope you can forgive me, Michael.”

Michael scowled, standing up. “There’s nothing to forgive, Harrison. We did what we had to do. I don’t regret it. Hell, I’d do it all again.”

Price rubbed his eyes wearily. It was obvious the man had taken the red-eye home from California and hadn’t seen his bed yet. Unfortunately, sleep was still too far away for all of them. There were too many problems to address. Harrison had known this day was coming, but now that it was here, he wasn’t sure he’d have the strength to walk away.

“So you have to leave the organization?” Alexis’s face proved she knew exactly how hard this was going to be for him.