JACE (Lane Brothers Book 3) (10 page)

“I don’t want to tell her this shit, bro, it’s Goddamned awkward. How would I do it, anyway? ‘Hey, Trace? We just found out that your mother and father are into threesomes and some kinky shit, and their partner of choice just so happens to be the guy they want you to marry.’ No fucking way, man, that’s just weird,” I mutter, cringing when I hear a gasp behind me and look at my brothers to see them all wincing and looking at a point over my shoulder with horror-filled eyes.

“Well, this is awkward,” Jared mutters, rubbing at his beard growth with a frown.

I turn slowly, not wanting to see her face but knowing that now that it’s done, I can’t take it back. My bastard brothers probably knew she was there and let me run my mouth off. Assholes.

“Trace.”

She’s white as a sheet and looks like a statue just standing there with her eyes wide and her mouth trembling softly.

“That is like the grossest thing I ever heard, and I thought overhearing your mom and dad yesterday was horrible,” she breathes, looking up at me with what I now see is anger, not hurt. “Are you telling me, my own father is trying to marry me off to his, his…I can’t even finish that sentence, for God’s sake!” she yells, pacing into Jared’s command center with a scowl and her fists clenched.

It’s probably a bad idea to touch her right now, but I do it anyway, needing to give her some comfort for the terrible way she just found out that her parents are…God, even I can’t finish that sentence and I know more than she does.

I get a good right hook to the gut and double over in pain, wincing when I wrench my shoulder.

“Ow!”

“You weren’t going to tell me, huh? Shame on you, Jason Antonio Lane. Shame on you! I need to know these things…well, not all of it, but…Jesus.” She groans, pulling a face. “Who the heck would even want to bone Timothy? Have you all taken a good look at the little weasel? And to think, they were all discussing grandchildren a few weeks ago. Gross!”

I’m certain now that my little princess is not happy about learning this—hell, I’m not happy knowing this shit and they aren’t my parents.

“You know what this means? Shit!” she says, cursing and pacing with renewed vigor as the four of us just stand there, watching her have a meltdown, stopping every once in a while to shudder before resuming her trek across the carpeted floor.

I have no idea what that means and I can’t say I care right now. I’m still stuck on her disdain for the guy I’ve been jealous of for days. So she thinks little Timmy boy is gross, huh? Score one for me, asshole. Let’s see how well you hold up when my little fighter stops being grossed out and starts realizing what you all had planned for her.

“What does this mean?” I ask, throwing my brothers a look when the three boneheads start chuckling under their breaths.

“It means they can’t freaking extort money out of me for marrying you! That’s what it means. Oh my God, this is the grossest best thing that has ever happened to me!” she shrieks, jumping up and down in glee.

Did you know my baby is the type to look on the bright side while making an ironic comment about damn near everything?

It’s one of the things I love best about the woman.

Her words make me smile and I start making some lofty plans now that I’m not four million short anymore.

“Come on over here, babe,” I purr, flipping my three brothers the finger when she leaps at me and starts kissing all over my face.

They’re finding this amusing…hell, why not? I’m totally bowled over by the fact that instead of remaining horrified and crying in her milk, my Trace is looking for positives and enjoying the heck out of it.

“Oh!” she suddenly gasps, pulling away with a frown. “Do you think this means my dad’s not corrupt or involved with this whole Patriots thing?”

I can’t help it. I start laughing at her chagrin, and soon my brothers are laughing right along with me while Trace just looks around with her nose scrunched as if she’s smelled something particularly bad.

“I think… that might be the gist of it, babe.” I gasp, kissing her again through my chuckling as she frowns darkly and narrows her eyes.

“Shoot. There goes my whole revenge plot. But…they’re still in deep with Ronny, though.”

“Yeah? How’s that?” I ask when she shimmies on and starts pacing again, her bottom lip held firmly between her teeth as she contemplates her revenge dilemma.

I hold my tongue when she doesn’t answer and share a look with my brothers, who seem to think Trace is a rare creature if the way they’re looking at her is any indication.

“Yeah, Ronny and Timothy had this weird affair a while back,” she mutters disdainfully, scratching at her chin. “Why they’d risk it is beyond me, because those two spawning would birth like the ultimate evil or something.”

What? Is the woman really telling me that she was engaged to this piece of shit and planning to marry him despite knowing all this?

“Trace—”

“Don’t start with me, Lane. I’m having a good-bad day right now and I need to think. Okay, so if Ronny, Timothy, and Daddy are involved in something…oh gross! Just gross.” She gasps, making retching sounds when the truth of it all hits her. “Why would she? Why! Have you seen my dad? He’s like a million years old, and Timothy isn’t that much better.”

I don’t even care about what she’s saying right now; my mind is still stuck on the fact that no less than a week ago she was making wedding plans and fitting dresses.

“You were going to marry him? You were honestly going to marry that guy to further an investigation that isn’t at all real?” I grit out, mashing my teeth when I see my three brothers easing out of the room from the corner of my eye.

Trace pauses and looks over at me with narrowed eyes before she starts biting her lip, a sure sign she’s nervous right now.

“Not
marry
, marry. Just, you know, go through the motions while I got close enough to bug them and stuff,” she mutters, jumping at my volley of curses. “And besides, Jace, I didn’t know the investigation would turn up nothing. Well not nothing, but—fine! Stop glaring and just listen.”

“Speak.”

“Three years ago, Agent Williams came to me and offered me immunity for Mom if I started looking into Daddy and Timothy’s finances and tried to glean anything I could from them. I got nothing, not one scrap of evidence against them to tie them to corruption or backdoor deals or anything, so they put that all on the back burner and started working this Patriots thing. Initially I was just a profiler who never got any field action.”

That’s a good answer, because if she’d just told me that she not only let some assholes blackmail her and fool her into taking this job, but also admitted to putting herself at risk for this, I would be losing my shit.

“Go on.”

She sighs and flops down onto Jared’s chair, rolling her neck to relive the stiffness brought on by the strain I see lining her face.

“I’ve been one the team working this investigation for almost two years now. We have nothing concrete despite having wiretaps on the PD and someone on Dobson twenty-four hours a day. So they sent me in. I guess I should have figured this was all a screwjob to get me here, to you, because it’s obvious now that there’s no way my father would be involved in this. Corruption and side deals maybe, but not this.”

Nah
, I think, closing my eyes to relieve the headache tunnelling its way through my brain. They got her here because they figured with our history, Trace would be an easy mark and she could feed them information without having to meet again.

Agent Williams is one tough broad, and I just love knowing that she’s desperate enough to get in on this action by pulling the love card with me.

Not that I think Trace would ever feed the FBI anything I didn’t want her to, but still, they’re using her, not caring that she’s now in danger just for being with me.

Should anyone in this hellhole discover that she is an agent and working this case, she would die.

For that alone, I should track down Williams and throttle the life out of her.

“I think we need to get the brothers back in here. We need to talk this all through and then I want to know how to get in touch with Williams.”

Trace just nods and sits back tiredly.

“I never wanted this. I just wanted a peaceful life.”

“I know, babe, I know. We’ll get it eventually. I swear.”

Trace

The only good thing to come out of three years’ worth of mess and bullshit is that I have Jace back again. Does it make me feel any better to acknowledge just what a fool I’ve been as I let the Bureau and that rat bastard Agent Williams play me like a fiddle?

Hell no. When I get my greedy little hands on that woman, it is on. And I mean
on
.

Now, here I am, struggling not to cry in rage and mortification as the four Lane brothers proceed to start pumping me for information like I’m some sort of criminal.

Do I know who Williams reports to?

No, I do not since the only people I’ve met with were her and Digg, my handler.

Did she ever once mention the Lanes or hint at a connection with us?

No, again. Honestly, the only time I’ve ever really had a conversation with the woman was that one time I had to ask her to give me sick leave because I had a cold.

The other agents who’d met me at Melissa’s house were all strangers to me and didn’t do much but ask me a bunch of questions and report back to her with their findings.

Namely, that Melissa must have gotten spooked and split.

We
know different, and why I didn’t tell Williams that the last time we spoke is a mystery to me, but it seems my gut knew something I didn’t.

Right now I’m assuming she’s hostile, too, and I’m keeping my ass on the Lane estate till I know differently.

“Come on, Trace. There must be something more,” Jared pushes, starting with that teeth-gritting, pacing, mumbling stuff the guy seems to do all too often.

“There isn’t, Jared, okay? I am not a real FBI agent. I usually ride the desk when I’m not attending social events with Timothy and Daddy. I profile people. That’s it. Mostly from files or intel, and on the rare occasion I get to watch an interview. I don’t know what the hell is going on with this case or why she even bothered to send me, besides wanting me and Jace to get together.”

Jace is as frustrated as his brother and I sit back with a groan when he starts mumbling again, his way of letting me know that the interrogation is nowhere near finished.

Wyatt—thank God for him and his clear thinking—sits forward with his elbows on his knees and stares at me intently.

“What did she give you as a cover?”

“Just Ronny. She knew that Ronny and I used to be ‘friends’ a long time ago and she sent me here to ask her to be a bridesmaid. It seemed like a good enough excuse at the time, so I just ran with it. Though, really, I would rather not be in the same breathing space as that psycho. And anyway, what is up with Paulie lately? She never calls anymore,” I mumble to myself, shaking my head with fatigue.

Ronny has called me three times in as many days and left voice mail after voice mail asking about the wedding and whatever the heck else she can get out of me.

They all assume I left town already, and from the calls Mom’s been giving me, again leaving voice mails, everyone just assumes I’m headed home and prepared for the wedding.

I’ve been called by numerous people so far this week, but not one damned phone call from my best pal Paulie. Talk about a kick in the teeth. I guess she didn’t like me trying to encourage her to live her life.

“Paulie?”

I snap back to reality and stop my mutterings about fickle friends when Jared pauses in his pacing and turns to face me.

“What?”

“You mentioned Paulie. What about her?” he demands, making me nervous all of a sudden.

“Er, she hasn’t called me? Sorry, I know that’s got nothing to do with any of this, but it’s been bugging me and I feel hurt. We usually speak at least once a month, and after the other day and the way she snubbed me, I guess I’m feeling a little off.”

“No, I mean why would you be speaking to Paulie Hayes?” he asks slowly, narrowing his eyes at me.

“Because she’s like my best friend? We’ve been pals since Jace first brought me here and we never lost touch. We used to speak every week before she just stopped calling a few months ago.”

Seriously, what is his problem?

“Jared, do you have a crush on Paulie Hayes?” I ask when the thought hits and won’t let me go. “That’s not a good idea. She’s like been engaged—well I guess it can be considered engaged—to Andy Huley for years. Her mom and dad are just keeping her in circulation for the eventuality that they find a richer man to squeeze for money.”

Jared turns white before grabbing his keys and making tracks out of the room at a dead run.

“What did I say?”

“Huley? You’re sure?” Jace demands, shaking me slightly when all I do is stare at the door.

“Yes. Andy, the middle son. What? I thought everybody knew about this. It’s been going on for ages now. Jace, what’s the problem?” Miah and Wyatt are cursing and making to leave as Jace starts pacing himself and throws me a look.

“How do you know all this?”

“She told me like the first week we met and went for coffee. What’s the big deal? If Jared digs her, he can so get one over on Andy Huley. The guy is like ten pounds overweight and balding already.”

“Trace, Andy Huley is brother to Fred Huley, one of the dirty cops working in Roman’s unit. None of this—not you coming here, not meeting Ronny and suspecting her of being in cahoots with your father—none of it is coincidence. I need you to think about the night you heard that rumor, Trace.”

What? I told Jared I don’t know who it was that was speaking. I’d come out of the bathroom and hidden behind a curtain when I spotted Timothy headed upstairs.

Hearing that little piece of gossip was pure happenstance and something I took great delight in hearing. As a Ronny antagonist, I’d been tickled to come here and blow her plans right out of the water, I’ll tell you.

But I never saw who it was that was speaking. Hell, I didn’t even get to hear the other person’s voice before they moved on and I could creep away and escape to the back gardens.

“I already went over this, Jace. I was hiding behind a curtain when I heard someone talking about it. That’s all I know. Sorry.”

“Shit. Miah, go chase your brother down and do something before he loses his temper. Wyatt, I think it’s time for you to put a call in to Senator Dobson and tell him what the hell is going on down here. Tell him that Melissa is in deep and missing, whatever you have to to get him involved.”

That’s all he says before the two of them spring into action and start following orders. I’m left sitting beside him, wondering what the heck is going on around here.

They know something, something they aren’t telling me, and as smart as I am I can’t figure out what it was that got Jared hopping like that.

“He’s pissed because he’s into her and she’s like semi-engaged, is he?” I ask when Miah and Wyatt are gone moments later.

Jace just sighs and rubs at his shoulder, wincing at the pain.

“No. This is worse, I think, and if I’m right, I hope he doesn’t love Paulie Hayes as much as I think he does,” he says, taking my hand in his.

“Paulie?”

“Not yet, babe. I’ll tell you when I know more.”

***

Jace

By the time Miah, Wyatt, and I find Jared, it’s almost dark outside and the air is still oppressively hot. I left Trace at home doing some linen folding stuff with Ma and the other women and came out searching for Jared when Miah couldn’t track him down and he wasn’t answering his cell phone.

I should have known to look here first, but I’d been hoping this was the last place he’d come since he only ever comes here when he’s really upset about something.

That’s rare for a guy like Jared who usually just shrugs stuff off and keeps doing his job with no emotion or care for himself.

Now we’re at the creek off Farmer’s Road and walking toward the shoreline where Jared stands smoking a cigarette like a man breathing his last.

Since the guy stopped this shit like five years ago, I’m not too sure I want to approach him if he’s pissed enough to start the habit again.

“You losers can go home and leave me be. I’m fine,” he snarls, dragging deeply again and blowing out a thick cloud of smoke.

“No can do, bro. We’re here, so tell us what the heck is wrong,” Miah demands, getting closer to Jared than I would at this point.

Must be a twin thing, because instead of seeing the guy go nuts on Miah, I see his shoulders sag and hear him sigh dejectedly.

“I’ve been looking into each of the cops, trying to piece something together because this shit is just taking too long, and I found out that Huley is definitely a bad cop who has not only his little brother involved in whatever he’s doing, but half the family. He knows he’s being watched, so things have been real quiet lately. Until yesterday when he left his house with a package and came out of the mall without it.”

Huh.

“I need more than that,” I say, slapping the cigarette out of his hand when he goes to take another drag.

He just growls and lights another.

“That package must have been really important for him to have left his house for anywhere but the station and the grocery store, so I followed and kept watch. Only I never got to see him make an exchange or meet anyone because he never saw
anyone
. He was empty-handed when he came out, so I knew he met with someone and passed it off.”

Okay.

“Paulie was at the mall. Why do you think I even bothered to keep an eye on the guy?”

“Oh shit.”

“Yeah. I saw her exit a few minutes before he did and she was carrying a huge shopping bag and some smaller packets from the Design Emporium.”

“You can’t really believe—”

“I do, Miah. It all makes sense to me now. I’ve been asking myself why Paulie would even think of getting us information and why she’s been so eager to help when she’s Ronny’s best friend. I’ve been wondering what she does all day when she goes to visit Cleo and what she can possibly see in spending days with an old, chair-ridden woman.”

“Jared, man, you’re looking for things—”

“No, I’m not. Haven’t you wondered what is going on here with me watching her all hours of the day? I kept hoping I was wrong about this, that somehow I was wrong about Paulie being in on this,” he mutters, dragging at his smoke again.

“Jared. I don’t understand, man. Why would you even suspect her in the first place?” Wyatt asks, just as confused as any of us are.

“You all know that I’ve met Williams before, yeah?”

“Yeah? So? She’s FBI and one of the ones who saved Clari,” Miah grits out through clenched teeth.

“Well, I wondered what they’d be doing on this case if it was handed to our side. So I looked into it. They, whoever else was with her, are not here on official business. Not thinking too much of it and knowing it could be a spook operation due to leaks, like we’ve found out, I let it go and chose to move on. I’ve met Williams, after all, and she is,
was
good people.”

“But?”

“But I’ve been spending a lot more time watching Paulie than anyone thinks Goddammit, and after that nosy neighbor of hers caught me I started leaving the car behind and going into the trees. I saw Williams and one of her cohorts creep onto her land and I watched them meet. I assumed it meant they got to her, too, and were also using her to get info.”

“And that is most probably the case,” I say, though I don’t believe a word of it myself.

Nah, after that little talk with Trace and the way my mind works, I, like Jared, know exactly what’s going on here.

It’s just a matter of proving it.

“You know it isn’t, Jace. Goddammit, you fucking know what’s going on here just like I do. Williams is in on this shit, and either she’s using Paulie—God help me, I hope she’s just using her—or Paulie is as wrapped up in this as the rest of them. I should have connected the dots sooner and known this Goddamned Lane plague was involved in this shit,” he growls, flicking his cigarette so hard it snaps in half and he’s forced to light another one.

“Wait. Are you saying what I think you’re saying, bro?” Wyatt asks, finally getting the gist of what me and Jared are getting at.

“Yeah, I’m afraid I am. Someone in the Lane or Conrad families, probably both, if we’re lucky, is orchestrating not only one of the biggest extremist groups in the country, but they’re also using their power to get at us through our women.”

Well fuck.

I can see someone going after Ellie because of Bolton—that is, after all, where all this shit started. The Lanes and Conrads swore vengeance on us for that little mercy “killing.” I can also see them trying to get to Miah by using Clari, because, let’s face it, Miah is the ringleader of our little crew. To take him down would severely cripple us as not only a family, but a unit as well.

Hell, I can see them getting to Trace given she’s mine and they know that using her would distract me while they move their shit around and start playing games with Roman while I’m not watching. To use Trace is so obviously smart. Keep me out of the way while I run after her ass.

Good plan.