The Talented Mr. Rivers (15 page)

After a few seconds Gatt laughed. “Very impressive. Ed, listen to the man. He may soon be your boss.”

It took another minute of silence before the tension pounding off Ed subsided. He finally nodded. “Right.”

“Good choice.” Will shoved Ed once more before letting go.

Pretty boy, my ass.

“It would seem your sister was right about you.” Gatt stood up. The condescension remained. So did the air of superiority, but he did look at Will differently now. “She told me to forget the pretty face and collegiate façade. She believed that deep down you understood that sometimes violence was needed to even the playing field. That you appreciated loyalty and everything the Rivers name brought you.”

“I am very aware of my family's legacy.” And the trail of bodies that went along with it.

But he'd made his point. Even now Ed watched him. Also kept his damn hand away from the trigger.

“Then let me help you preserve it,” Gatt said.

How noble. Will had to fight not to roll his eyes. “I'll contact you.”

Gatt's fake smile faltered. “You're not ready to make a deal?”

Will could feel the heat from Hunter's stare, but this was the right move. He could feel it. “Would you agree to wage civil war in your family and take on a new business partner based on some background research, fifteen minutes of in-person assessment, and one conversation?”

Gatt managed to look thoughtful. “It would depend on the deal. For example, I hope you're not planning to hear Peter's offer, then play one of us against the other. That would be a serious miscalculation on your part.”

“But it does sound like something Stacia would have done.”

“She knew Peter needed to step down.”

Such a nice way of phrasing it. Will didn't believe that for one second. “More like be eliminated.”

Gatt held out his hands palms up. “That choice is yours, of course.”

Right, sure.
“I like everything you've said and how you've said it. I'll officially decide tomorrow.”

“Are there advisors you plan to discuss this with?”

“I don't need advisors.”

Gatt's smile returned. “I think we'll work well together.”

“We'll see.”

Gatt gestured to Ed to head for the door. Then he nodded to Will. “Gentlemen.”

A second later he was gone, leaving Will wanting to sit down. Somehow he stayed on his feet.

The two of them were alone in the room and neither said a word. Will couldn't think straight long enough to come up with anything. He'd used all his reserves and even now the adrenaline pinging through him threatened to knock him over.

Hunter kept staring. Stayed silent but fumed. His cheeks had turned red and his eyes remained wide and half wild.

After a knock, Seth slipped into the room. He looked ready to say something when Hunter finally opened his mouth.

“What the fuck was that?” Hunter's whispered yell skated the line between controlled and shaky.

Seth winced. “I gotta hand it to you, Will. You were pretty damn convincing.”

“That was the point, wasn't it?” Jesus, these two were never happy. When he played the role well, they doubted him. When he asked questions, they wrote him off as incapable. The whole never-satisfied-and-always-pissed thing was getting old.

“Well?” Hunter took another step and stopped right in front of Will.

Seth started talking. “Peter made a play with the owner and listened in from a distance. He had access to all the video and tape we did but he didn't move in.”

That seemed to distract Hunter. “But you're tracking him, right?”

“Zach was using some fancy equipment to trace the location and get men there to watch Peter. At a safe distance, of course. Can't afford to spook these men yet.”

Part of Will expected Peter would hang back. He could be reckless but he was smart, too. He knew everything rode on him gaining full control of Pentasus. He couldn't afford to let Gatt anywhere near his contacts. That meant biding his time, which admittedly was not one of Peter's stronger attributes.

Hunter frowned. “Is someone following Gatt?”

Seth exhaled. “Fisher and Zach will join him in a second.”

“Let's hope they don't lose him.”

Will listened to the back-and-forth between Seth and Hunter. “It won't matter.”

Hunter's frown only deepened. “Because?”

“We baited the trap. Both Peter and Gatt will come for me now.”

They both looked at him but Hunter was the one to speak first. “You're going to be fine.”

That sounded good in theory. Will knew the problem came with reality. “We all know at least one person is going to end up dead in this.”

“Not you.” Hunter's voice rose on the last syllable.

Will tried to shrug but he just couldn't do it. Not on this subject. “We'll see.”

Hunter balled his hands into fists. “I wish you'd stop saying that.”

“So, now we wait,” Seth said.

“That's not really my favorite thing.” The idea of hanging around, counting down until the end, made Will want to crawl out of his skin. It was the right move but a tough one to do.

Hunter shook his head. “You'll adjust.”

That was just it. Will was more worried about surviving whatever Gatt and Peter threw at him next.

Frustration burned through Hunter, fueling his strength. He had enough adrenaline pinging around inside of him to rip the apartment building down stone by stone. More than once he thought about doing just that.

The whole scene back at the club had him on edge. Will had been too calm, almost too convincing in the role of the son trying to decide how to handle the future of the criminal dynasty he'd inherited. He'd played Gatt, or at the very least held his own against a man known to gun down the children of his enemies just for fun.

This, the school nerd. The guy who liked to claim being away absolved him of his family's guilt. He'd won that round. Gatt might not know it, but Hunter did, and the thought didn't bring one ounce of comfort.

Hunter knew the thinking wasn't fair. Will had done exactly what they asked him to do. Fear over Will's safety seeped in. Slid under his defenses until his desperation blinded him to almost anything else.

Even now, back in the apartment with their clothes thrown on the bed and every light on, he paced. Walking usually helped him sort through problems. Gave him a direction. In this case, he knew one thing—he should have let Will leave town days before. At least then he'd have been out of the fray. Others could have watched over him and protected him while Hunter tracked Peter down and eliminated him once and for all. Cut out the family bullshit and the spiking danger and end this thing.

It was as if a switch flipped inside him. Seeing Will step up and walk into danger and not even blink…he was better at this than Hunter expected. Better than he should have been on this mission with his limited training. But Hunter's interest was purely personal. He'd fought for everyone else for so long. Often for people who didn't deserve it but had something to offer to Germany or another government. This time he'd fight for Will. No matter what that meant.

“Will, I need you to know—”

“You need to leave.” Will's voice broke through Hunter's mental gymnastics and stopped the conversation.

For a second Hunter was convinced he'd misheard. But when he stopped walking and glanced up, both Will and Seth were staring at him. Not a good sign. Hunter guessed he'd inadvertently been acting as if he were alone while company hovered right there.

Still, Will's comment made no sense. “Excuse me?”

“Peter is going to show up.” Seth didn't blink as he jumped in and laid out the reality. “No question about it.”

No shit
. They'd all but spray-painted and lit a path right to their door. Hunter didn't think anyone, certainly not someone with Peter's skill level, would miss the clues or the opportunity to take out the person he now had to believe was competition.

And that's why Will would not be alone. Not now…and Hunter refused to think about later. “He can visit with me right here in the room.”

That was the only option. Hunter didn't want to hear another. Will would have a bodyguard, wanted or not. Hunter would not hesitate to shoot. There. Done.

After a lifetime of doing what was necessary for the job and questioning anyone who let personal feelings creep into a mission, Hunter got it. Separating one from the other was no longer possible. Maybe it never had been. But now he would figure out how to remove Will from the middle and take Pentasus out. Even if that meant him going with it.

Seth's unreadable expression didn't change as he leaned against the back of the couch and switched his gaze from Hunter to Will and back again. “Actually, for this plan to work we want Peter to talk.”

Hunter was not a fan of Seth's habit of explaining the mission parameters as if he were speaking to a kid. Hunter decided to fire back. “But we don't want him to kill Will. Got it?”

“Okay, listen.” Will stepped between the other two men. Actually filled the space and forced all of the attention back onto him. “Peter won't touch me.”

“You think after overhearing that conversation with Gatt that Peter's not going to come after you with a loaded gun?” Hunter shook his head. “You're too damn smart for that.”

“He goes everywhere with a loaded gun. My point is, I can handle him.”

Damn if he didn't look like he believed it. Will didn't shift his weight, didn't break eye contact. He stayed serious with his shoulders stiff and his mouth locked in a straight line.

Hunter hated all of that.

“Since when?” Hunter reluctantly admitted that this side of Will—all tough and determined—was pretty damn hot. Hunter appreciated the show of strength but that was it. Bottom line was Peter could kill without any debate. Hunter hoped—hell, he had to believe—that Will was not built that way. That made the brothers different and that difference, no matter how small in practice, put Will at risk.

“I know what you think of him,” Will said. “Hell, you're not even wrong. But he did protect me growing up. He pushed for me to go away because he wanted me safe.”

Hunter knew Will needed to believe that, but it was essential that Will be realistic. “He wanted you out of the way.”

Satisfied he'd made his point, Hunter thought about pacing again.

“I am a fucking grown-up.” The fury in Will's voice nearly shook the walls. His body language didn't change but his voice grew scratchy.

Apparently the point was not made.

The sound, the words, had Hunter stopping for a second. After pissing all over Fisher and Seth for talking about Will's age, Hunter refused to believe he'd wandered into the same trap. He searched his mind, trying to come up with the ways his comments were really about something else…anything else.

After a moment of stillness, Seth stood up and looked at Hunter. “Come with me.”

Oh, shit.
The boss tone. This is why Hunter worked alone. He got to make the decisions. He acted without a vote from a committee.

“No.” He knew that wouldn't work with Seth, but Hunter's thoughts jumped around and a ball of anxiety spun in his gut. The idea of walking out on Will grated against his nerves. “Not without Will.”

“We'll be right next door.” Seth touched a button on his watch and the wall between the apartments started to move again. A subtle clunk, then the slide. “This is easy, Hunter. You make a scene of going out for food, then circle back once I get you word Peter is in the building.”

That meant wandering away and not being close if Will needed him. Hunter hated that plan. Hell, he hated all of the suggestions being batted around. “And what about his people?”

Seth frowned. “We're tracking them, remember? Find, identify, and eventually take down.”

All good points. Solid. Commonsense. Hunter ignored them in favor of speaking the truth. “I don't like it. I don't trust Peter.”

Will stepped right in front of him. “You shouldn't, but I'm his road to Gatt. Right now Peter needs me, or he thinks he does, and he has never needed me. I am the key and you know it.”

The room seemed to tilt. Seth opened his mouth, looked ready to jump in, then pulled back.

Hunter thought about saying something and rushing right over every argument. Demanding to get his way. Then he looked at the other men in the room. They were in sync. They agreed. He was the outlier, which meant that, rather than spending their time preparing they'd end up fighting about what to do next.

Reality snapped into place. Hunter prided himself on always having an alternative plan. This time he didn't. Peter would come. Arrive and attack. That wheel had already started spinning, which meant Peter would break down that door soon. Now the only thing left to do was to even the odds in Will's favor as much as possible.

He stared at the man who'd come to mean too much too fast. The one who challenged him out of bed and made him hard in it. “You have ten minutes alone with your brother.”

Seth being Seth, he scoffed. The grating sound echoed through the room. “And then? Really, what kind of threat is that?”

A man couldn't try to do the right thing and show a little bit of trust without someone pissing all over it. “Maybe you should worry about your own love life.”

“At least you admit you have one.” Seth winked at Will before looking at Hunter again. “That's progress.”

That was more than enough of that. Hunter had no idea what he felt or what he had to do to make it go away, and he was hoping there was some antidote because this caring-for-a-guy-and-not-wanting-him-to-die thing was bullshit. But he sure as hell didn't want to have a group talk about it.

He turned back to Will. Tried not to let his gaze tour over his face but knew it did. “I am going to be watching and listening. If he kills you…”

“What?” Will had the nerve to smile.

“I'll be ticked off.” Made sense to Hunter. That was the one emotion he could handle.

This time Seth laughed. “I can't figure out if you're a hopeless romantic or just hopeless.” Then Seth looked at Will and, pointing to Hunter, told him, “Actually, while you're with Peter, I'll be strangling him.”

“Good plan.” Will touched a hand against Hunter's shoulder. Let it stay there a beat too long before his fingers slipped down Hunter's arm. “Go. I promise I'll be fine.”

“I will be right back.” Hunter had to force his legs to move.

Will's gaze locked on Hunter. “I know.”

Seth slipped through the opening the second after Hunter made a show of stepping into the hall. Conversation ceased and doors shut. Everyone played their part, leaving Will alone and open to an unwanted but necessary visit.

He figured he wouldn't have to wait too long. The only question had been how Peter would make his entrance. Knowing his love for drama, Will wouldn't have been surprised if his big brother stormed through the window.

He had actually just turned to see if that was even possible when an arm snaked around his neck. The alarm hadn't sounded. The floor hadn't creaked. The door hadn't closed with its usual click. There was no noise until the rough hold settled on Will's throat, threatening to cut off his breath.

A thump to the side of his thigh knocked his body off balance. He struggled to stay up and on his feet as the weight behind him dragged him to the wall. His chest slammed into it. Only the quick shift of his arms and the flattening of his palms against the stones kept Will from smashing headfirst.

Peter's deep voice boomed in Will's ear. “Surprise.”

Will fought off a flinch, refusing to give Peter the satisfaction of gaining the upper hand. It took every ounce of control to keep from fighting back or reaching for one of the weapons on him. Instead, Will went limp. “I thought you might be here soon. That's why I sent Hunter out for food.”

“Dumb move, baby brother.” Peter pinned Will to the wall with his weight. “You see, I don't like disloyalty. There's a high price to pay for that sort of thing and sharing a bloodline won't absolve you. I'd suggest you ask Stacia if I was telling the truth, but she's dead.”

Without warning, Peter shifted. The tight band around Will's throat eased before it dropped completely. Then the gun appeared. Peter aimed it right at Will's temple. Held it there.

Adrenaline coursed through Will. His muscles tightened and the need to shove and punch and kick—fight dirty but fight smart—swamped him. Instead of giving in, he inhaled. Drew in as much air as possible in an attempt to cool off from the inside out.

“You're talking about the Gatt meeting.” Staying rational proved almost impossible. Every time Will's voice tightened he remembered the game. Remembered the stakes. “I knew you were listening.”

“If so, then you know you made a big mistake in talking with the man.”

But Will could feel some of the tension leave Peter's body. Anger still held him hostage but his grip loosened and he pulled the gun back so it no longer rested against Will's face.

“You think I would draw him into the open just for fun? The point was for you to lay eyes on him. To check out the competition.” Will kept talking. Kept trying to reassure. It was either that or risk Hunter coming in, ruining the plan, and shooting anyone with the last name of Rivers.

The gun moved a little farther away. “Risky.”

Will's breathing evened out. The unsteady race of his heartbeat started to slow. “We needed to know what Gatt was offering. Unfortunately, he didn't cough up many details.”

With a hand on Will's shoulder and a hard shove, Peter spun him around. The brothers stared at each other for a minute. Neither said anything.

“That was your plan.” Peter didn't ask it as a question.

Standing there, just inches apart, Will could almost see Peter thinking. Almost hear the thoughts running through his head. Peter doubted but wanted to believe. He'd built his life and Pentasus's reputation on being able to assess situations and make the hard calls. He tended not to take a lot of time or ever doubt later. He acted or reacted and then moved on.

Knowing that made Will want to rush his words and try to convince. To spit them out as fast as he could. But that didn't fit with the persona he needed to create. The next few moves were about showing control and leadership while instilling trust. “You were right. He made contact.”

After a second of silence, Peter nodded. “He plans to kill you.”

That appeared to be a popular option at the moment. “Of course. But now
we
know what we're dealing with and can plan accordingly.”

Peter's arm fell to his side, taking the weapon out of immediate firing position. “You're not leaving the family business?”

“Despite the load of crap Gatt is trying to sell, you and I both know Stacia did not want me helping her. That's bullshit. She would have shot me first.” Will realized that might be the one true thing he'd said since stepping into the club to meet Gatt.

“True.”

“But we can do it.” Will reached out and put a hand on Peter's shoulder. The move felt clunky and he worried it came off as false, but it was too late to take back now. “You have the knowledge and the contacts. I can be the new face. The new heir stepping up to take a leading position.”