Easton flung open the glass door and stalked into the station. “Where’s Alexander?” he asked Suze, the dispatcher at the front desk. Her eyebrows rose, and she glanced past him.
“Right here, McBride.”
Easton turned. Grayson stood with his arms crossed over his GQ suit and a superior look on his face.
Easton strode toward him with his cell phone raised. “What the hell is wrong with you, Alexander? I apologized for kissing Cat. Explained that while it looked bad, it wasn’t what you thought. We’re just friends.” He had, despite Cat telling him not to. Grayson hadn’t responded to Easton’s texted apology. “But that wasn’t enough for you, was it? You had to turn the screws”—he shoved the cell phone in the other man’s face, making sure he got a good look at the photo Cat had sent Easton five minutes ago—“and kiss her sister.”
Last December, he’d witnessed a passionate kiss between Chloe and Grayson when they were filming a scene for As the Sun Sets at the lodge. It had bothered him. A reaction that had surprised him at the time because he wasn’t exactly Chloe’s biggest fan back then.
But today’s kiss had more than bothered him. And he wanted an explanation, a reason why he shouldn’t punch Alexander in his sanctimonious mouth. A mouth that had been on Chloe’s.
Grayson briefly scanned the damning evidence. “You might want to take a closer look, McBride. It looks bad, but it’s not what you think.”
“Really, that’s all you’ve got to say for yourself?”
“Like I said, take a closer look. Chloe was kissing me, not the other way around.”
Easton jerked back and turned the screen. He’d convinced himself that Grayson had kissed Chloe as a form of payback. Yes, it took some convincing. The guy wasn’t the type to play games. Now Easton’s chest tightened at the knowledge that Chloe was the one who’d initiated the kiss. Someone who had playing games down to an art form. And while that grated on one level, proving once again that she hadn’t changed, he was almost relieved. A few months back, Chloe made no secret that she was in love with Grayson. So Easton would rather put her kissing the other man down to payback than an attempt at following through with her original plan. Jesus, he hoped he hadn’t misread her. After this morning at the boardwalk, he didn’t think he had, but…
“I, ah, didn’t mean to eavesdrop…” Jill Flaherty, wearing a tan deputy’s uniform, nodded at the desk behind her. “…But I was sitting right there and couldn’t help but overhear. I’m not exactly Chloe O’Connor’s biggest fan, but I thought you should know the girls were pretty rough on her today. So were Cat and Liz. They basically booted her out of Sophia’s place. She seemed upset. Might have had something to do with her…um, well, making out with you, Grayson.”
Easton rubbed his hand over his jaw. He’d been so intent on laying into Grayson that he hadn’t bothered to keep his voice down. But that was the least of his worries. No doubt the latest Chloe drama was burning up the telephone lines in Christmas. Right now, he was more concerned about what exactly had taken place at Naughty and Nice.
Before he had a chance to ask, Grayson said, “She wasn’t making out with—”
Shuffling her booted feet, Jill interrupted him. “Just sayin’, but I saw the picture. So did pretty much everyone at Sophia’s. And if you two weren’t making out—”
“We weren’t,” Grayson said from between clenched teeth. “Chloe was attempting to prove to me that I’d misinterpreted the photo of my fiancée making out with McBride here.”
Jill’s gaze shot to Easton. “You were making out with Cat? How come I didn’t hear about it?” She didn’t give Easton a chance to respond. “Wow, who needs to watch As the Sun Sets. We have our own soap opera playing out in town.”
His brother stepped from his office in time to hear her last remark. He scowled at Grayson and Easton before saying to Jill, “Don’t you have some work to do?”
“Sheesh, I was just trying to help,” she said and stomped to her desk.
Gage ignored her. “You two, in my office now.”
“I don’t have time for this. I have to get back—” Grayson began, only to be cut off by Gage, who pointed at his office.
Grayson sighed and walked inside the wood-paneled room.
Easton followed him, then turned at the doorway. “Jill, how bad was it at Naughty and Nice?”
She grimaced. “Felt like we were back in high school.”
“How did Chloe handle it?”
“Same as she did then. It was kind of surprising, you know, with her being a celebrity and all. You’d think she’d give them attitude, but she didn’t.” She organized the papers on her desk, then lifted a shoulder. “I felt sorry for her. She left looking like a kicked puppy.”
Easton’s chest tightened. He didn’t like the visual. He could picture it all too clearly. Even though they were obviously protecting Cat—a woman who sure as hell didn’t need protection—it made him angry that women old enough to know better were acting like catty bitches. And like Jill, he didn’t understand why Chloe didn’t stand up for herself. “Thanks for the heads-up, Jill. Appreciate it.”
“Anytime, Easton.” She eyed him speculatively. “So you and Chloe…”
“Don’t you have work to do?” he asked, catching her eye roll as he closed the office door.
“Easton, sit down.” His brother gestured to the chair beside the one Grayson occupied. While he did as his brother asked, Gage said, “Jill’s right. Thanks to you two, we’ve got more drama going on than a soap opera. And I want it to stop before it gets out of hand.”
“Why are you looking at me?” Grayson said. “I’m the injured party here.”
“I thought you were, too, but I just got off the phone with my wife. She mentioned a photo of you kissing Chloe in the alley. And from what I hear, she wasn’t pretending to be your fiancée at the time.”
“Would that be my fiancée who was kissing your brother?” Grayson asked.
“I kissed Cat. She didn’t kiss me. And I would have explained everything if you—”
“Don’t try to protect her, Easton. I know what I saw.” Grayson leaned forward in the chair and passed his cell phone to Gage. “Tell me, who’s kissing whom?”
Gage thumbed through a couple of pictures, and his left eyebrow went up. “Okay, so I was wrong. The problem isn’t you two, it’s Chloe and Cat.”
“Chloe may have been the instigator, but she came clean and apologized.” Grayson went on to tell them what Chloe had been attempting to prove when she’d kissed him.
Easton relaxed in the chair. He wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear Chloe had kissed Grayson more than once, but he had to admit to feeling a sense of relief upon learning why she did. Although now he was busted. Or more to the point, Cat was.
He didn’t get the opportunity to defend her to Grayson because the other man continued. “And just so we’re clear, Chloe also told me she’s no longer in love with me. I guess I was a passing phase.” His lips twitched as he turned to Easton. “But, if I’m not mistaken, she now has her sights set on you.”
Easton felt a smile beginning to form at the news, then caught his brother’s wide-eyed stare. And if he wasn’t sure what that look meant, Gage enlightened him with a groan and the next words out of his mouth. “Please tell me you’re not in love with her.”
Easton didn’t have to lie. He may be in lust with her, but he wasn’t in love with her. Although if his brother questioned him further, he was afraid he’d shoot holes in that theory. He had to divert Gage’s attention. Besides, Easton’s relationship with Chloe wasn’t the problem. “I’m not in love with anyone.” He jerked his thumb at Grayson. “But if he doesn’t get his head out of his ass, he’ll be alone, too.” Did that sound as pathetic as he thought it did?
Since his brother was frowning at him, it must have. But thankfully Gage turned his attention to the other idiot in the room. “We were talking about the case earlier, and I didn’t get a chance to mention the situation between you and Cat, but Easton’s right, Grayson. What’s going on with you two? Family’s pretty worked up about you moving out, especially Liz.”
“I know your family’s big on sharing, but I’m not. This is between Cat and me, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Good luck with that,” Easton muttered.
His brother shot him a look before he said, “If there’s anything we can do to help, let us know.”
Grayson stood up. “I appreciate the offer. But until this thing with Martinez is wrapped up, it’s probably best that Cat and I take a break.”
Easton swiveled to look at the agent. “So what you’re saying is that the only reason you two are having problems is because Cat’s working security on the Martinez job?”
“Not entirely, no. It’s become apparent that we have things to work out. But because of the case, I can’t do that right now.”
“Why not?” Both he and Gage asked at almost the same time.
“It’s a conflict of interest. When we arrest Martinez, I can’t afford to have even a hint of impropriety come out at the trial.”
“That’s the reason you want Cat off the case?” Easton asked.
“Honestly, no. But it is the reason I moved out of the ranch. I was going to talk to her about it that morning, then I saw the poem. I didn’t handle it well and left. It didn’t help that my grandmother was there at the time and Cat got defensive.”
“So what’s the real reason you want her off the case?” Easton asked.
The agent glanced at Gage before answering Easton. “Given the circumstances, all I can tell you is that I don’t want Cat anywhere near Martinez when this goes down. And, Easton, it’s going to go down. You’re protecting a man who is about to piss off…Look, I can’t tell you what we’ve got on Martinez because we’re on opposite sides right now. But believe me, he’s not who you think he is.”
“I ran him, Grayson. Nothing popped. He inherited a pile from his old man, who was squeaky clean, by the way, and now Martinez uses his millions to collect art. We’re advising him on security and updating his system.”
Grayson shoved his hands in his pants pockets and rocked on his heels. “So you’re not providing physical security?”
“Only for a couple of weeks when the pieces for the exhibit arrive. And during the exhibit itself.” As the event had been well-publicized, Easton wasn’t telling the agent anything he didn’t already know. “If—and I highly doubt it will—but if anything went down, you have to know Cat can handle herself. And you out of anyone understands the hell the FBI and Denver PD put her through over Upton. She needs to know you trust her. That you have complete faith she can handle herself and the job. She’s good at what she does, Grayson. One of the best.”
“I know she is. And if I wasn’t in love with her…Okay, tell me this: what if it was Chloe?”
Easton laughed. “Be serious…Chloe? The woman doesn’t know how to shoot a gun, and at the first sign of trouble, she’d either be screaming at the top of her lungs or hiding under a bed.”
Grayson sighed. “Don’t be obtuse. You know what I’m getting at. If Chloe had Cat’s training and was protecting a man you knew was about to make a move on the territory of one of the biggest drug car…” The agent swore and shoved his fingers through his hair. “This is what I’m talking about. I’ve already said too much.”
Easton was glad he had for two reasons. For ten seconds, he’d walked in Grayson’s shoes and understood why he didn’t want Cat involved. If it was Chloe, Easton would react the same way. Which meant, no matter how much he denied his feelings for her, he was probably falling in love with the damn woman. And now that Easton had an idea what the FBI were looking at Martinez for, he had to figure out what they should do about it. He needed to have a conversation with his brother.
“Don’t worry about it, Grayson. Nothing you’ve said will leave this room, right, E?” Gage said.
“Since McBride Security involves not only me, but my brother and Cat as well, no, I can’t guarantee that.” He held up his hand when both men began to protest. “Hear me out. Now that I have a lead, I’ll dig deeper, widen my search. If there’s anything to find, I’ll find it. So the information will come from me, not from you, Grayson. Once we know what you know, we’ll decide as a team how to move forward. But we don’t provide security for drug dealers, so if my intel matches yours, you might want to start thinking how you can use that to your advantage. We’re already on the inside, and Martinez trusts us.”
“You’ll take Cat off the case?”
“Don’t put me in the middle. Like you said, this is between you and Cat. Have you talked to her?”
“After I reamed out my grandmother, I tried to call. She wouldn’t pick up.”
“You hurt her when you left the ranch, Grayson. And I’m sure the picture of you and Chloe only made matters worse. She’s off today. Why don’t you go to the—” Easton began.
“I have to head back to work. I’ll try and stop by the ranch tonight.”
“She won’t be there,” Gage said. “They’re meeting at my place to plan Vivi’s baby shower. Why don’t you join Easton, Chance, and me at the Penalty Box tonight? Kick back and have a couple of beers.”
“I might just do that. Thanks,” Grayson said and headed for the door. He turned before opening it. “I’ve heard Martinez has a very interesting collection of sculptures with more on the way. I bet they’ll be real popular at the art exhibit.”
“I’ll be sure to take a closer look at them.” And at the Colombian artist for whom Martinez was holding the exhibition. Easton glanced at his watch. “Should have what we need to make a decision by the time we meet up at the Penalty Box.”
“Look forward to hearing what you find out.”
As soon as the door closed behind Grayson, Gage said, “This is out of my jurisdiction, so I’m not involved with the operation, but, E, Grayson’s not bullshitting you just to get Cat off the case.”
“I didn’t think he was. Don’t worry, Gage. I’ll handle it.”
His brother nodded and said, “See that you do.” Then he rested his chin on his steepled fingers, his eyes narrowed. “All right, now that we’ve got that out of the way, it’s time to come clean. What’s going on between you and Chloe? And don’t say nothing because I was watching you when—”
Easton got up from the chair and headed for the door. “Wish I could stay and chat, but I have work to do.”
“Don’t think you’re off the hook,” Gage called out as Easton closed the door. “Tonight we’re getting to the bottom of the deal between you and Chloe.”
“Big mouth,” Easton said under his breath when he caught Jill’s triumphant smile. And he didn’t miss her reaching for the phone either.
* * *
Chloe stood beside Ty in front of the bathroom mirror. He spritzed her with a sample of her new perfume, then spritzed himself. “Um, that smells so delish, I wanna eat it. Are the lawyers making any progress with Linda?”
“No, and obviously I can’t say it was my sister in the pool. After today, she’s not going to cover for me. And because I listened to Easton, releasing a statement now that I intend to sue won’t have any effect. I should have gone ahead and done it when I wanted to. Everyone despises me anyway.”
“I understand what you were trying to do, Diva,” Ty said as he picked up a can of hairspray. He lifted a piece of her hair and sprayed the roots. “And while well-intentioned, you really didn’t think it through.’“
He was right. She’d been so intent on proving to Grayson that the kiss her sister shared with Easton hadn’t been a passionate one that she hadn’t noticed Estelle sneaking back into the alley. “I know. And now Estelle’s mad at me, too. I should go back to LA, Ty. I know you want me here for your grand opening, but no one else does. I’ll end up ruining your special day if I stay.”
He set the can of hair spray on the sink. “You’ll ruin my day if you leave.” He moved behind her and put his arms around her, meeting her gaze in the mirror. “The Chloe I know and love doesn’t give up. And she certainly wasn’t the woman I saw cowering in the corner at Naughty and Nice today.”
“You love me?” Emotion tightened her throat, and the words came out on a whisper.
He rocked her back and forth. “Of course I do, you silly goose. Now no more of this nonsense about leaving. Let’s go have some fun at the Penalty Box.” He smiled and fluffed her hair.
“What about Estelle?” Instead of breaking the news gently like she’d planned to, the older woman had found out Chloe had been attempting to reunite her sister and Grayson during a heated exchange. Realizing what Estelle had done and what that meant for Chloe’s already strained relationship with her mother and sister, she’d kind of lost it on her manager. So did Grayson.
When they returned to Ty’s apartment, Estelle had retreated to the bedroom with Fluffy and refused to come out. Once Chloe had calmed down, she’d tried to make it up to her manager through the locked door. It wasn’t Estelle’s fault, and Chloe was worried about her.
Ty steered Chloe from the bathroom. “She’ll be fine, Diva. If she loves Grayson, and I know that she does, she needs to start focusing on his happiness and not her own.”
On one hand, Ty was right. But Chloe thought it might be better if Estelle stopped living through Grayson, and in some ways Chloe. Maybe it was time for her manager to focus on her own career and love life. Just because she was seventy-seven didn’t mean her career was over. As for her love life, Chloe already knew two men who were interested in Estelle. And they were just the ticket to cheer her up.
So when Ty stopped in front of the closed bedroom door and knocked, Chloe pulled her phone from her purse and sent a text to the cavalry.
Ty called through the locked door, “Duchess, Chloe and I are going out for a couple of hours. Call if you need us. And when we get home, if you don’t come out of your room, we’re breaking down the door.”
Chloe smiled when she received an immediate response to her text. “Estelle, Fred and Ted are on their way over. You have less than ten minutes to make yourself…” She trailed off when the door flew open to reveal a disheveled Estelle.
Ty and Chloe exchanged a look, then they each took an arm and led Estelle to the bathroom. By the time Ted and Fred arrived, the older woman had forgiven Chloe and was ready to receive her suitors in style.
Ty grinned and high-fived Chloe as he closed the apartment door. “Well done, Diva.” But on the way down the stairs, his grin turned into a grimace. “Let’s hope Nell doesn’t find out you’ve been matchmaking. After today’s escapade with Grayson, you’re on the top of her shit list. And the top of Nell’s shit list isn’t a place anybody wants to be.”