Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

Roman

I head down the elevator and find Mason waiting in a Honda Civic. He slides out of the passenger’s seat and climbs into the back, Jack taking the driver’s seat. Driving Mason is one of Jack’s regular jobs when Mason is in Vegas.

Mason is about six feet tall, and I’m closer to six-one, making the back seat of an economy car a tight fit. His feet fill the entire space behind the driver’s seat.

“Interesting choice,” I say as I climb into the rear passenger’s seat and shut the door with a resounding thunk. I’ve never felt more like a sardine in a tin can.

“Looks like a Civic, outfitted like a tank,” he answers.

“Bulletproof glass and everything,” Jack adds as he backs out of the parking spot.

That’s when I notice the rips on the seat in front of me. “Apparently the upholstery isn’t quite so sturdy.”

Mason grimaces. “I had this car made to look as economic as possible. It’s like a cloaking device of sorts.”

“You couldn’t have picked an Accord? They’ve got a lot more room.”

Mason ignores me. “And had it fortified so that if we didn’t blend into the crowd, we’d still be safe.” He turns to me then, glaring. “What I never planned for, was having to chauffeur the meanest cat in all of Christendom.”

“That’s Jack’s fault,” I point at our long-time employee and friend. “He picked the cat.”

“This was all your idea. That vet tech picked the cat. And he seemed pissed after this morning, so I should have known he’d give us a mean one,” Jack fired back, before shaking his head. “But I have to admit, it worked like a charm. She’s completely focused on the cat.”

My shoulders sink down as the gate opens and we slide into Las Vegas traffic. “Thank you. I’m going to need every distraction I can get. She figured out that I’m a Kincaid.”

“Already? How’d she do that?” Mason asks, his irritation clear.

“The tech is pissed because when he went to pick up the birds, Maddie’s best friend Lucia, a vet, showed up and demanded to know why the animals were being removed from a state-sanctioned sanctuary. And when Lucia tried to call Maddie and couldn’t get through…”

“Shit,” Mason rumbles.

“Yeah. By the time the phone rang through on my end, panic had ensued.”

“That doesn’t explain how she found out,” Jack points out.

“Lucia realized the moment that Maddie shared my first name,” I glare back. “Smart as a whip and super sassy, that woman.”

Mason grimaces. “It’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped. She’ll be more suspicious of any overtures you make toward the property now, though. Don’t bring up the sale if you can help it. Not until we’ve got a solid strategy.”

I nod. “Fine.” But I’m starting to hate all these lies and half-truths. From omitting my last name, to manufacturing a cat in need, I’m playing on her sympathies and distracting her while we search her phone and attempt to abscond with her home.

And get Luke back.

We pull into a back alley, a salesclerk already waiting with a large clothing bag dangling from her hand.

“I’ve taken the liberty of having all the goods you need for Maddie assembled for us. We’ll hardly step out of the car.”

“That’s usually my job.”

Mason gives me a smile. “I have an eye for detail too, little brother. And Maddie was easy. I just said she looked like Marilyn Monroe. Lots of chest, tiny waist, nice ass?—"

“Mason.” I cut him off, the growl in my voice a clear indicator of where I stand. His eyes narrow in response.

Jack pulls up and gets out of the car, taking the bag and placing it in the trunk before returning to the car. “Pet store?”

“Yes.” I scrub my face. “I’ll call them now.”

I call a boutique shop that assures me they’ll have a care package together in the next half hour. When I hang up, I stare at the phone, feeling like shit about the choices I’ve made today.

“How much did that cost you?” Mason asks with a chuckle.

“Who knows,” I shake my head.

Jack snorts from the front. “Like you care about the cost. What you should be worried about is how many distractions it’s going to take. What’s next? A parrot?”

I drop my hands. “Hopefully not.”

“What then?” Mason asks, lifting a brow.

“He’s seducing her,” Jack answers for me.

I frown. For some reason, I don’t like talking about what Maddie and I are doing behind closed doors. It’s never bothered me before. I mean, I don’t go out of my way to share sexual conquests, but it doesn’t irritate me. Not usually. Not like today. My fingers clench into a fist.

This is not information I want Mason to have.

“Already?” Mason leans back, giving me a long stare.

I shrug. “The opportunity was there. I took it.” The words sit bitter on my tongue.

But Mason doesn’t look pleased. “Be careful with that one.”

“If you’re thinking that she’s somehow going to take advantage, you don’t need to worry.”

“I told you last night, her connection with Vigo makes her a suspect,” he answers. “And Maddie’s got that deadly combination of beauty and innocence that can trap a man, if he’s not careful. If they wanted to plant a spy, they couldn’t have chosen better.”

It’s totally true. “A blind spy,” I grunt. But I know his theory has merit. Still, she seemed legitimately shocked by my identity this morning. “You didn’t see her this morning. She freaked out when she found out who I was. She’d have to be a first-rate actress.”

“Just be careful.”

I nod my agreement. Spy or no, Maddie needs a strong man to look after her. And me, I’m nearly as strong as they come. “If you think I’m going to catch feelings. You needn’t worry. Mom cured me of any need I have to look after a needy woman.”

“Mom?”

I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to fall in love, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

“I sometimes forget how much more you were with her at the end. Leo and I were both off already. But you had to watch?—"

I cut him off. “You don’t think I have the stomach for this.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

I glare at him. Much as Mason has been like a father, he frequently questions my ability to get a job done. I am forever proving myself.

“I won’t hate myself when the Vendettis are in jail, or when Luke is returned, or the tunnel makes us impenetrable.” I use the words to fortify my own thoughts.

Mason grimaces as he faces forward again. “Good. So we stick with the plan. You distract her, keep her at your place, win her affection, and find a way to purchase that property.”

We arrive at the pet store, an employee already walking out with a large bag in one hand and a crate in the other.

Jack gets out and gets the goods, placing them in the trunk with the clothes. The door slams as he gets back in.

I give him a questioning stare, wondering what all that is about. But he only glares at me in the rearview.

I glare back. “What?”

“Didn’t your Uncle Jake teach you not to trifle with beautiful young women? They should not be used as pawns in this war.”

I let out a rumbling breath. “Who asked you?”

“I’m not your lackey,” he spits back. “I speak when I want.” Then he glares at Mason even harder. “You, of all people, should know better.”

“She holds the key to a fifty-million-dollar construction project that will give us dominance over all of Vegas and end the Italians once and for all.”

Jack harrumphs. “Crushing an innocent, handicapped woman because she’s in your way? How are you any different from the Italians?”

Mason curses a string of words, each more foul than the last, sounding furious.

“Luke’s life—” I start.

“Luke is a grown-ass man who’s been handy with a gun since the age of ten,” Jack spits back. “Taught him myself. But Maddie…” And then he stops, shaking his head. “You make sure whatever you take from her, you give back tenfold. You hear me?”

I do. Loud and clear. And the truth of Jack’s words sit like a lead ball in my gut.

The rest of the ride back to my new apartment is silent, until we turn onto my street. Then Mason turns to me. “Stay out of sight from here on out. I have no idea how hot this is going to get, but your job is to stay put, keep Maddie safe, and keep the construction project going.”

“I know,” I say, Jack’s words still knocking around my head.

“And as for Luke,” Mason glares at Jack. “The Andrianis didn’t have any luck discerning if Luke was at the Vendetti property or not, and considering the hostile takeover they’re about to engage in on our behalf, it seemed best not to push. But they did give us the Vendetti’s address. Leo is going to lead the raid himself.”

“When?”

“Tonight.”

“I want to be there.”

“No,” Mason shakes his head. “You have your job.”

My jaw clenches. In some ways, Luke was more of a brother to me than my actual brothers. We grew up in the same house, after my dad died, my aunt taking me in. “Fuck that. Luke needs?—”

“Luke needs you to shut down the Italians.”

My jaw clenches, my teeth grinding together, but I don’t argue.

We arrive at my apartment building and pull into the garage. I get out, collecting the bags from the trunk before I head up the elevator.

I grimace as I think on Jack’s words. He’s the second man to tell me I’m taking the wrong path when it comes to Maddie. When Charlotte, Mason’s wife, landed on Mason’s door, I was the one advocating that Mason do right by Charlotte. It seemed so simple when it was Mason.

The floors tick by until I reach the penthouse, the doors sliding open again.

I don’t need to call out to Maddie, the moment I step into the apartment, I see her stretched out on the couch, sound asleep.

What’s more, the cat is curled up on her belly.

Matted and vicious looking, the little devil makes a low noise in the back of his throat the moment he spots me, but he doesn’t get up. Doesn’t retreat.

No. Instead, he narrows his yellow eyes and lets out a hiss.

“So you think you’re the Tom, do you?” I say in response. “I think if you’re going to stay, you need to know, that I’m the alpha around here.”

The hissing turns into a singing growl. He’s definitely telling me to fuck off in cat language. There is no doubt.

I cross over to Maddie and lift my hand to push him off her belly when, quick as a snake, he lifts a paw and rakes his claws over my hand, leaving deep scratches. “Fuck.”

Maddie wakes with a start, her hand settling on the cat, who immediately starts to purr.

“Roman.”

Her eyes flutter closed again. “Sorry. I must have fallen asleep. Last night was…”

“I know,” I bend down again, only for the cat’s purring to turn into hissing once again. So that’s how it’s going to be, is it?

Does this cat not like men?

Or can it sense that I’m planning to coerce and betray his loving benefactor?