32. Alex

Chapter 32

Alex

" I t's done," Mickey insists, the small tilt of his lips almost resembling a smile. It fades as he glances at his CCTV feed and his jaw tics. "One moment."

He dials a number on his landline, growls, "Two days, Mr. Blake," then hangs up.

Fuck. Is Chris actually touching her?

"What happened?"

Despite my matching his gruff tone, he finds humor in my inquiry and chuckles darkly, "Don't worry. Your little princess is safe. She may have enjoyed herself a bit more than expected, but—" I'm halfway out of my seat when he gestures with his hand for me to sit. " Ah, ah, ah. That's not how this works. We need Ms. Taylor. Whether she has orgasms or not doesn't concern me. Now… How attached are you to your brother? He seems to be getting in the way of my plans recently. "

"Please don't kill him," I sigh, pleading. "I told Finn not to. Chris may be an asshole, but we're family. Just… please?"

"Understood," he concedes. "Finn is chasing after a woman he'll never have. He's my brother. Even if it risks everything we've built, I'd never kill him over it. So, how do we make each other whole here? Your father—and hers—want Chris to run for President, with Jaclyn by his side. Finn and I, well, we respectfully disagree."

"I see. And how the hell do you expect me to convince everyone that Jaclyn should run instead? Chris isn't going to just roll out the red carpet for her. You have to see how ludicrous that is?"

As he's about to reply, Finn strides in with confidence I couldn't muster if I tried. "Sorry, I'm late. Traffic."

"Traffic?" Mickey balks. "There isn't another car for miles."

"Tractor?"

I stifle a laugh, but Mickey offers a cold glare. "Leave the poor woman alone. She's married, for fuck's sake."

"She won't be for long." Finn rolls his eyes, then addresses me, "Ned has taken care of everything for the accident and your little switch-up. Unfortunately, when your brother went rogue and fucked everything up by traveling to Hawaii…" He lets out a deep sigh, rubbing the back of his neck before continuing, "Christopher is a loose cannon and could ruin everything . As I'm sure my brother reiterated, get Taylor to the White House, or both of your families will have fun secrets that make their way into the media."

"And, again , how do you expect me to do that?"

A sly smirk tugs at Finn's lips. "Just make sure that your pretty little wife's hands are clean after the gala."

"What happens at the gala?"

"So many questions." Finn rolls his eyes again, then asks Mickey, "Are you sure we can't just work with the Taylor girl directly?"

"Figure it out, Alexander. You know the stakes." Mickey grinds his jaw.

"I don't know why I'm even here," Finn huffs. "I need to get home and let my dogs out before the gala."

I try not to laugh at the idea of a man like him owning a dog, much less plural dogs. Even if he does have pets, why isn't an assistant or one of his men working for him doing it? Instead of probing, I take it as my cue to leave, standing and buttoning my blazer. "Gentlemen, it's been an experience, but I should get back to Tex?—"

"Sit. Down," Mickey snaps. "No one is going anywhere until I know with absolute certainty that Christopher is out of the picture."

Finn adjusts his cufflinks. "I can have someone take care of it."

"No," I confirm. "There's nothing to take care of."

"You weren't supposed to marry the Washington darling, Alex," Finn tuts. "Everything was in place. Ms. Taylor would be brokenhearted, and we'd be there to pick up the pieces. You ruined everything with your theatrics. So, from now on, you leave the rest to us."

"That was before you told me you want her to be President! I'm in agreement that she is a better fit, but… promise me you won't hurt Chris." I don't care how weak my voice sounds, I can't have my brother's death on my conscience.

"Your brother isn't moldable," Mickey says carefully. "He's unpredictable. We'll spare"—his nose scrunches for a moment—"his life, if you ensure his wife is running."

"She's not his wife," I blurt, then quickly correct with a lie, "I mean… their paperwork is filed. You're correct."

"That bonfire was lovely, wasn't it?" Finn adds, lightly licking his upper lip.

"Fuck! Was there anything you two weren't watching?"

Perverts .

"You tell me." Mickey turns his monitor to show Jaclyn in bed, wrapped in Chris' arms, and I can't help the anger bubbling inside me. He's touching what's mine. "As I was saying, take care of it. Or we will."

I let out a long breath, trying to calm my rage. "As you wish."