Blackmailed (13 page)

“God, I’ve missed you,” Bri said, and Cole heard the quiver in her

voice.

Scott laughed and squeezed her one more time, then dropped her feet

to the floor and made sure she was standing before letting her go. Cole’s

estimation of the kid shot through the roof. He knew how to treat a lady,

even if he’d never been around them.

“You’ve only been gone a day and a half, squirt.” His gaze landed

somewhere over the top of Bri’s head, unable to focus on anything but

the black space that had been with him since the day he was born.

“I know, but that’s longer than ever before. What did he say to you,

Scottie?”

Scott’s shoulders slumped. “Do you really want to know?”

-83-
Annmarie McKenna

Cole stood at attention. The jovial mood was about to turn ugly. He

wanted to put his fist through the wall. Fuck Wyatt and his contract, the

bastard. The man would get his comeuppance one way or another for

treating his kids the way he had. Cole would see to that.

“Yes, I want to know.”

Scott sighed, looking resigned, like he knew his sister wouldn’t give

up without knowing exactly what her father had told him.

“He said, and I quote, ‘That bitch sister of yours has somehow gotten

her lover to want you. Pack your bag, someone’s coming to get you.’ Then

he went on to rant about not telling anyone who I was, etc., etc.”

“I’m sorry, Scottie.”

“Don’t be, I can handle him.”

Scott turned and seemed to look right in Cole’s eyes, making him itch

to straighten and flick the piece of imaginary lint off his shirt. How had

the kid even known he was here? He had yet to make a sound.

“Tyler told me about what’s going on here, sir, and if you’re the lover

my father referred to…”

Shit, what had Tyler said to him?
Cole cleared his throat. “My name is

Cole.” His voice sounded lame even to his own ears.

“If you hurt my sister, I’ll kill you.”

“I would kill myself before I hurt your sister, Scott.”

Scott’s empty stare told Cole he was thinking, and then the kid

nodded and said, “All right then.”

Tyler walked in just in time to hear the threat. He, Cole, and Bri

breathed a collective sigh. How Wyatt thought his son wouldn’t measure

up was beyond Cole. The kid had more gumption than three-quarters of

the men in the world. He wouldn’t have to prove himself to
Cole
, that’s

for sure.

Scott swung around and faced Tyler. “You feel the same way?”

“I do.”

“Good, cause I really didn’t feel like killin’ anybody today. Too messy.”

He grinned like a Cheshire cat.

“You are a shit, you know that?” Bri laughed and grabbed her

brother’s elbow, guiding him across the foyer to the staircase, where she

-84-
Blackmailed

proceeded to tell him how many steps were in front of him. Bri stopped

about halfway up and looked over her shoulder, twin tracks of tears

glistening on her cheeks.

When she mouthed “thank you” to him and Tyler, Cole’s heart

stopped. He knew then he wanted to marry her. And for Tyler to do the

same, illegal or not. It didn’t even matter they’d only known her for less

than two days.

Tyler stood rigid, the indebted look on Bri’s face paralyzing him.

“What the hell just happened here?”

Cole chuckled. “I’m not sure, but I think the kid just threatened us

with death if we hurt his sister.”

“Yeah, I got that part. What I don’t get is how he knew where we

were. He looked at least in my direction, if not directly into my eyes.” A

shiver ran the length of his body, leaving goose bumps in its wake. “I

think the kid’s got a serious sixth sense.”

When Tyler had arrived at Wyatt’s house, he’d introduced himself to

the young man who’d answered the door, thinking he was just another

servant to the ungrateful Andrew Wyatt. “I’m Tyler Cannon, Mr. Masters’

security specialist, here to pick up Scott Wyatt.”

Now Ty laughed as he thought back to the way he must have looked

standing there speechless, in front of Bri’s brother, who was obviously

much more capable of getting around than Bri had led them to believe.

“I know who you are,” Scott had answered. A butler had joined them

at the doorway and handed Scott’s bags to Tyler before turning to Scott

and discreetly reminding him there were three stairsteps about four

paces forward. Scott had lifted his chin and marched out the door,

confident as he took the steps, then waited, his left elbow sticking out

slightly, for Tyler to guide him to the limo.

It had been downright freaky in the limo on the way over here. They’d

held an almost adult conversation, when Tyler had been prepared to act

like a babysitter to a frail, simpering boy who couldn’t see or hear.

-85-
Annmarie McKenna

Hmm. He could think of some delicious ways to punish Bri for

allowing him to think the things he had about her brother. There was

nothing weak about the kid. Obviously in his relatively short, parentless

life, Bri had nurtured him into a strong, determined man. One who didn’t

care if he was blind and couldn’t hear well.

Tyler had a lot of respect for the kid. Respect that made him hate

Andrew Wyatt all the more. How could the man not see what his son had

become? How could he be so callous, to dump Scott like a leper just

because he couldn’t see? Scott had overcome his disability, why couldn’t

his father?

“That sixth sense might just get us in trouble here. I don’t think we’ll

be able to hide anything from him, that’s for sure.”

Tyler’s attention snapped back to the present and he shrugged. “I

already told him why he was coming here. He knows his sister was

blackmailed with the threat that his father would throw him in an

institution if she didn’t go along with his scheme. I’m pretty sure he also

knows Bri traded her body for his safety.”

Cole winced beside him. “Ouch. What’d he say?”

“Well, let’s see, he laughed when I told him about the institution and

claimed Bri always felt threatened when his dad mentioned sending him

away. Then he told me very sternly he knew his sister wouldn’t whore

herself, not even to save her baby brother. So he figured that there must

have been something about Cole Masters she liked, and if she was happy

then he wouldn’t stand in her way, no matter what his father claimed he

could do to him.”

“Intuitive, ain’t he?”

“That’s not all. About halfway over here, he says, ‘you want her too,

don’t you?’”

“Damn.” Cole chewed on his lip like he was contemplating how to

atone for their sins. “What did you tell him?”

“The truth. That both you and I were interested in his sister.”

“And?” Cole twisted his hand in the air.

-86-
Blackmailed

Ty shrugged again. “He got really quiet. Then he said if when he got

here, he sensed that his sister was scared or unhappy, he would make

our lives miserable.”

Cole laughed. “Why the hell is Bri so worried about him? Sounds to

me like he can hold his own.”

“My sentiments exactly. I’ve got to get over to the office for a while.

There was trouble last night with one of my operative’s cases.” Tyler

swung toward the door.

“Yeah, go, go. I’ll give them some time alone, and we’ll meet you here

for dinner.”

“’Bout six?”

“Yeah.”

Tyler skipped down the front steps, digging for the keys in his pocket,

and smiled. He and Cole had been thrown for a loop today. At least they

wouldn’t have to walk on eggshells around Scott. He was sure the kid

could hold his own with both of them, and give back double what they

dished out. Not having a male role model sure hadn’t hurt him much, Bri

had seen to that.

Tyler’s heart skipped a beat and his cock hardened beneath his

jeans. She was theirs, and he couldn’t think of a better woman to fill the

position. Damn, he wanted her again, wanted to feel the tenderness and

compassion she felt for Scott, wrapped around his hips as he pumped

into her heat.

It was going to be a long day.

“You look good, squirt.”

Brianna looked at her baby brother who had somehow, in the very

recent past, become a man. She wondered how she’d missed it, then

smiled. “Oh yeah? And just how would you know what I look like?”

“I can feel it in you. You’re happy. Are Tyler and Cole the reasons

why?”

Damn, she never could put anything past him. She wouldn’t be able

to lie to him either. He had an uncanny knack for knowing when she

-87-
Annmarie McKenna

was. She stopped in the hallway, not wanting to disrupt his step

counting. Not even a nuclear bomb could do that, but still.

“I don’t know, Scottie. I’ve only known them for a day and a half, but

already I feel more…relaxed.”

“Sex’ll do that to you, I guess.”

Brianna lifted her hand to smack him on the back of his head but he

intuitively turned and blocked it with his shoulder. “And just what do

you know about sex?” she huffed.

“Nothing, in person.” He shrugged and a big grin split his face. “But it

sounds like fun in the books.”

“I see that I’m going to have to start censoring your listening material,

young man,” she teased. “And furthermore, this is not a conversation I

want to be having with my brother.”

“Yeah, well, maybe I’ll talk to Tyler, he seems pretty cool. I bet he

knows a lot about the female species…”

More than I’m willing to share with you.
Brianna slapped her hands

over her ears. “La, la, la. I can’t hear you.”

Scott laughed and started walking again, without the benefit of his

sister’s guidance.

“I ought to let you find your room on your own, you rat.”

He grinned again. “Won’t be the first shin bruise I’ve gotten because

you made me do it on my own,” he said over his shoulder.

“You’re about to get another one. There’s a table, one o’clock about

three…”

She wasn’t quick enough. The table wobbled precariously on two legs

when Scott stepped into it. The vase sitting on it pitched forward and fell

to the carpeted floor with a thud, breaking into several big pieces.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry, Brianna.” Scott knelt down and felt for the broken

pottery.

“Stop it, Scottie,” she hissed. “You’ll cut yourself. I’ll get it.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Scott.” Brianna grabbed his arm and turned him toward her, angry

that one little incident could change him from the confident young man

-88-
Blackmailed

he’d come in as, to the frightened little boy he’d been years ago when

their father was around.

“Everybody okay?” Cole strode down the hall, anxiousness bracketing

his mouth.

“Yes…” Brianna said quickly.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Masters, I’ll pay for the…” Scottie looked down at the

ground, “…whatever it was. I swear, I just knocked into it on accident.”

Brianna wanted to scratch her father’s eyes out for making his son

this way. Her throat knotted and her stomach turned, watching him

grovel to Cole for a vase that had gotten broken by accident. If Cole so

much as said one mean thing she would walk out the door, deal or no

deal.

Cole looked perplexed. “Are you the same kid who just threatened to

kill me if I treated your sister badly?”

Scottie gulped and wiped his palms on the thighs of his jeans. “Yes,

sir.”

“Cole.” There was a smile forming on one corner of his mouth and

Brianna let out the breath she hadn’t been aware she was holding.

Scott shook his head and swallowed again. “What?”

“My name is Cole. You wanna call somebody sir, talk to my dad. Did

you know you and your sister both swallow a lot when you’re nervous?”

He knelt down with them and Brianna couldn’t help but be

indignant. “Would you stop talking about me swallowing?”

Cole shrugged. “I can’t help it, it’s one of your many endearing

qualities. And it allows me to read you like an open book. Back to the

matter at hand.”

Brianna and Cole glanced at Scottie who was looking for all the world

like he was about to be thrown in the dungeon. His face had drained of

color, and his hands fisted tight.

“I could smack you for that open book comment.”

“Maybe later, baby. I promise you, Scott, there is nothing in this

house you could hurt. My mother had two boys growing up in this house

and she didn’t leave anything valuable lying around. When my parents

moved into a different house, I didn’t change anything. So, feel free to

-89-
Annmarie McKenna

run into whatever you’d like. I’d say do your worst, but that sounds like

hell on the shins.” Cole winked at Brianna.

“You are such a liar,” she mouthed back at him, but was glad to see

Scottie’s hands loosen and the color return to his cheeks. A tear slipped

out of the corner of her eye and Cole reached up and wiped it off with the

pad of his thumb.

“I’ll still pay for it.” Scott was as stubborn as they came and Brianna

laughed at the mutinous look on his face.

“No you won’t. Your room is about five or six…or maybe seven or

eight, God I don’t know, come on.” Cole stood and helped Scottie to his