least four news vans. Flashbulbs popped, and reporters banged on the windows, their barked questions muffled through the glass. Alyssa slumped down nearly to the floor and pulled her bag up over her head, feeling the lights and noise like physical blows.
Richard gunned the engine and laid on the horn; a squad car gave a warning burst of its siren and flashed its lights. Several neighbors lined the usually serene street, staring, speculating over what was going on behind the massive iron gate.
Once again, the Van Weldts were prime tabloid fodder. But for once, Alyssa thought, she wasn’t to blame. Tears streamed down Alyssa’s face. Right now she’d give anything to have the scandal be about her.
Three weeks later…
“What have we got?” Derek sat down at the oval mahogany table that dominated Gemini Securities’ conference room. He joined his older brother, Danny, who sat at the head of the table, his younger-by-six-minutes twin, Ethan, and Ethan’s girlfriend, Toni, who also happened to be the latest addition to Gemini’s team. Rounding out the group were Ben Moreno and Alex Novascelic, both former Army Rangers like Danny and Derek, who now worked as security specialists at Gemini.
Danny, Derek, and Ethan had started the private security and investigation firm four years ago after they’d all gotten out of the military, and had built up a respectable list of corporate and private clients.
“We’ve got a personal detail on the CEO of GeneCor.He’s nervous now that animal rights activists have turned their attention to him. Alex, you up for that?” Novascelic nodded and took the file from Danny.
“Moreno, I want you to do the site evaluation in Sacramento. It will probably take you a week or so. Plan to stay over.”
Moreno groaned. “Come on, man, I have two dates this week.”
Danny pinned him with a steel-gray stare. “Cancel.”
“I can’t cancel on Angela. Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to get with her—”
“If Angela and her superpussy are so special—”
“Hello, HR violation!” Toni said.
Danny shot her a glare, but said, “Okay, forget I said that. If your lady friend”—Danny looked at Toni, who nodded and smiled in approval—“is so important to you, then commute. I don’t give a shit. But you be at LogicCorp’s facility in Sacramento at eight thirty sharp every morning until five o’clock every day, got it?”
Derek met Toni’s grin with one of his own. That was just one thing he liked about her, the way she didn’t take shit. No small order, dealing with three six-foot-plus ex-military types who ran roughshod over most women they came in contact with.
A chick needed attitude in spades if she wanted to keep a handle on any of the Taggart brothers. Toni had it, all right, and she’d wrapped his brother Ethan handily around her slender finger.
“Derek, you finished the risk assessment at AtlaCorp, right?”
Derek nodded. “Submitted my analysis to the COO on Friday.”
“Good.” Danny’s face lit with an almost savage grin. “Because we’ve got a new client, a big fish who’s going to needa lot of personal attention. And if we play this one right, it could mean beaucoup bucks for a long time.”
Everyone perked up at that. They’d kept business steady since the whole Kara Kramer story had hit the news but hadn’t landed any significant new clients. Under normal circumstances, the high-profile, muckety-muck jobs went to Ethan, who had the ability to deliver a certain amount of ass kissing while maintaining complete control over the situation.
But after the public interest generated by the Kara Kramer case, Ethan was on an enforced sabbatical from any high-profile public jobs for the next six weeks. On the one hand, Ethan was being lauded as a hero for saving Kara and bringing down an elusive international criminal.
On the other hand, the fact that information Ethan uncovered in the course of his investigation was used to put Kara’s
Richard gunned the engine and laid on the horn; a squad car gave a warning burst of its siren and flashed its lights. Several neighbors lined the usually serene street, staring, speculating over what was going on behind the massive iron gate.
Once again, the Van Weldts were prime tabloid fodder. But for once, Alyssa thought, she wasn’t to blame. Tears streamed down Alyssa’s face. Right now she’d give anything to have the scandal be about her.
Three weeks later…
“What have we got?” Derek sat down at the oval mahogany table that dominated Gemini Securities’ conference room. He joined his older brother, Danny, who sat at the head of the table, his younger-by-six-minutes twin, Ethan, and Ethan’s girlfriend, Toni, who also happened to be the latest addition to Gemini’s team. Rounding out the group were Ben Moreno and Alex Novascelic, both former Army Rangers like Danny and Derek, who now worked as security specialists at Gemini.
Danny, Derek, and Ethan had started the private security and investigation firm four years ago after they’d all gotten out of the military, and had built up a respectable list of corporate and private clients.
“We’ve got a personal detail on the CEO of GeneCor.He’s nervous now that animal rights activists have turned their attention to him. Alex, you up for that?” Novascelic nodded and took the file from Danny.
“Moreno, I want you to do the site evaluation in Sacramento. It will probably take you a week or so. Plan to stay over.”
Moreno groaned. “Come on, man, I have two dates this week.”
Danny pinned him with a steel-gray stare. “Cancel.”
“I can’t cancel on Angela. Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to get with her—”
“If Angela and her superpussy are so special—”
“Hello, HR violation!” Toni said.
Danny shot her a glare, but said, “Okay, forget I said that. If your lady friend”—Danny looked at Toni, who nodded and smiled in approval—“is so important to you, then commute. I don’t give a shit. But you be at LogicCorp’s facility in Sacramento at eight thirty sharp every morning until five o’clock every day, got it?”
Derek met Toni’s grin with one of his own. That was just one thing he liked about her, the way she didn’t take shit. No small order, dealing with three six-foot-plus ex-military types who ran roughshod over most women they came in contact with.
A chick needed attitude in spades if she wanted to keep a handle on any of the Taggart brothers. Toni had it, all right, and she’d wrapped his brother Ethan handily around her slender finger.
“Derek, you finished the risk assessment at AtlaCorp, right?”
Derek nodded. “Submitted my analysis to the COO on Friday.”
“Good.” Danny’s face lit with an almost savage grin. “Because we’ve got a new client, a big fish who’s going to needa lot of personal attention. And if we play this one right, it could mean beaucoup bucks for a long time.”
Everyone perked up at that. They’d kept business steady since the whole Kara Kramer story had hit the news but hadn’t landed any significant new clients. Under normal circumstances, the high-profile, muckety-muck jobs went to Ethan, who had the ability to deliver a certain amount of ass kissing while maintaining complete control over the situation.
But after the public interest generated by the Kara Kramer case, Ethan was on an enforced sabbatical from any high-profile public jobs for the next six weeks. On the one hand, Ethan was being lauded as a hero for saving Kara and bringing down an elusive international criminal.
On the other hand, the fact that information Ethan uncovered in the course of his investigation was used to put Kara’s
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