Marie Harte - [PowerUp! 08] (7 page)

Seeing that everyone was looking to him for an answer, Owen shrugged. “Right, Gavin’s a great accountant. He’s not exactly my employee, though. He works for Jack at the PowerUp! Gym.” Of which Owen remained a silent partner.

“Keiser. Another asshole.” Caleb shook his head, this time with what seemed like reluctant amusement. “You really know how to pick ’em, Owen.”

“You oversized, thickheaded dickhead.” Ian fumed and, to Owen’s surprise, moved right into Caleb’s personal space. “Jack Keiser is a better man than you could ever hope to be.”

A rush of what seemed like jealousy flooded him. Ian’s defense of his boss should have made Owen feel better that Ian had a sense of loyalty to his team. Yet Owen didn’t like the thought of Ian praising anyone but
him.

You’re mine, you little thief.

Instead of having to separate the two, however, Owen watched as Caleb chuckled.

“You got that right. Jack’s a huge pain in the ass, but a great guy to have backing you up.”

Ian opened his mouth and closed it like a fish out of water. “Oh, ah, right, then.” He took a step back but kept a wary eye on Caleb, as if not sure what to think.

“If the drama is over, how about we get back to work, gentlemen?” Owen suggested.

Ian flushed. “Hey. I’m just calling it like I see it.”

Caleb shrugged. “If the little guy wants to vent, let him, Owen.”

“
Little guy
?”

At that, the Knox brothers and Tim cracked smiles. Owen had to cough to cover a chuckle. Ian looked incensed.

“Fine. Ian, are you done yet?” he asked in his best patronizing tone, knowing how much it irked his thief.

He could almost see the steam pouring from Ian’s ears. And Jesus, but Ian in a mad was just the hottest thing. His blue eyes practically glowed with passion, and his energy tantalized. Standing so close, their personal fields seemed to fit, overlapping and seething with wild power. Sometimes Owen felt that around others. He sensed Caleb in that way, but not with the sexual vibes pouring off Ian. Owen wanted nothing better than to take his little thief back to the bedroom and fuck him into submission. Apparently Ian caught some of that emotion, because his flush grew deeper and he glanced away.

“I’m done,
boss
.”

Too bad. “Great. So Caleb is on board to help me nail Kerr. If you all study the folders I’ve laid out, you’ll see exactly what we’re dealing with. Joe, Reuben, I added to what you already had. You’ll want to check that over.”

“Roger that.” Reuben nodded and took a seat at the conference table in front of a manila folder.

Joe motioned to the door. “I’ll have Reuben fill me in later. I’ve got to get back to the monitors.”

“Sounds good. Thanks.” Owen nodded.

Joe left and closed the door behind him.

“Still got security holed up in the same place?” Caleb asked.

“Yes.” Out of the corner of his eye, Owen noticed Ian’s lips flatten and couldn’t have been more pleased. So, his thief didn’t like Caleb’s familiarity? Good. “And there’s a backup in the outside bungalow, where the Knoxes are living.”

“Good to have security on-site and outside.” Caleb sounded pleased.

“Sir, if I could add something?” Tim asked.

“Go ahead,” Owen answered.

“I’ve noticed some odd marks on our road, like vehicles coming and going that aren’t ours.”

The road to Owen’s home was private, his property the only thing out there off the main road. Owen tensed. “Is that right?”

Caleb looked interested as well. “See anything?”

“No. It’s a solid half mile long, and whoever’s been around is good enough to be out of sight whenever I’m on the road.” Tim frowned and said to Owen, “But I know what our tire treads look like. I wanted to be sure before I brought the matter to you and Reuben.” The head of security.

“Good work, Tim.” Owen had been waiting for something like this. “Kerr is baiting me. I’m sure he knows all about us, everyone here, and what we’re doing.”

“He’ll have marked my presence as well,” Caleb added quietly.

He and Owen shared a look. That couldn’t bode well. Back when Owen had been young and stupid and filled with seething hatred, he’d used Caleb to spot for him to kill Henry, Carl’s older brother. Except he and Caleb had been sloppy, and Caleb’s face had been caught on camera, a fact they both regretted. Nothing could tie him in any way to the murder, but Caleb had been there. If Kerr paid any attention to detail, he’d put two and two together.

“Shit,” Owen growled. A stupid oversight, not to have foreseen. He was better than that.

“So much for the element of surprise. No way I’m getting close to him now.” Caleb swore again. “But maybe I can still help from here.”

“I can’t ask you to do that,” Owen protested, trying to think ahead.

“Actually, it’s not exactly a favor. Kerr has been on my radar for some time.”

Owen stared at him. So. Kerr must have pissed off someone high up, because Caleb was a cleanup specialist. As in, he targeted with his mind and directed hits with precision. He never made a mess, left any question as to who might be involved, and vanished like a ghost afterward. A telepath and telekinetic with above-average talent, Caleb commanded two areas of psychic ability, a unique feat in itself. But to be so strong in both fields was truly special. The man had no equal that Owen knew.

“Owen? Do you think you and the silver fox could get to the point? I’m not getting any younger,” Ian said snidely. “What exactly do you want me to do now? Where do we go from here?”

Owen stopped his automatic retort, because he never mixed business with pleasure. But the minute he had Ian alone again, he’d show the smart-ass just what he wanted him to do.

IAN KNEW IT wasn’t smart, but he hated watching Caleb Dalton, a fucking G-man, flirt with Owen. If he had to witness it any longer, he’d be sick. Owen could fuck whoever he wanted, but Dalton was a grade-A dick. He had that smug attitude and moral sense of self-righteousness that grated on Ian’s last nerve. It didn’t help that he and Owen apparently had a history neither planned on sharing with the rest of them.

Tim and Reuben didn’t seem to mind Dalton. But Ian wanted to punch him in the mouth. Then scratch his eyes out. Yeah, dramatic and a bit too queenish, even for him. But if he’d ever thrown a fit in his life, he deserved to have one now. Though he and Owen were just fooling around, Ian didn’t play with more than one partner at a time. He didn’t cheat, and he didn’t like sharing his lovers. Not until
he
was through with them. If Owen thought he could screw both Ian and Dalton under his roof, he could think again.

“Thank you so much for keeping us on track, Ian,” Owen drawled.

Dalton grinned at him.

Laugh at me? It’s so on
. Ian might not be able to hurt Dalton physically. But he could fuck up the man’s bank records. Hack into his financials, personal data, and anything else on the computer and—

“…got that?” Owen stared at him as he finished.

“Um. Say that again?”

Dalton sighed.

Reuben and Tim exchanged a glance.

“So you want us to stay close, sit tight, and keep a low profile, sir?” Tim asked.

Ian gave him a grateful smile. At least someone around here had his back.

“Right.”

Owen rubbed his nape, a sign Ian had come to recognize as the man’s mounting frustration.

“I have business matters I have to get to. Reuben, cover all the bases again, but this time you have Caleb to help you. I want you to recon those treads Tim noticed. Ian, you’re on your own until tomorrow. Call Jack and have your things sent here.”

“What? I already brought a bag.”

“We’re all bunking down. There’s plenty of space.” Owen sounded distracted. “Pack enough for a two-week stay. Hey, think of it as a vacation. We have a pool, a weight room, and a studio you can use if you want to paint.”

“Anything I’d know?” Caleb asked. “Like maybe a Chagall? I heard they found a counterfeit one floating around in Houston not too long ago.”

“Please. I doubt you’d know a Chagall from a Picasso.”

“Got me there.” Caleb laughed. Then he slapped Owen on the back. “Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure. I’ll see the rest of you later.” Owen glared at Ian in particular before taking Dalton aside.

Tim ushered Ian out when Ian would have remained behind on one pretext or another.

“Hey.”

“Sorry, Ian. Owen’s orders. Now, who do we need to call to get you set for the next few weeks?”

Ian didn’t like Caleb and Owen together. Then he forced himself not to care. Hell, he’d fucked Owen once. Well, twice, counting their time in the shower. He had no claim on the man, and it wasn’t as if some rich bastard like Owen would look twice at Ian for anything long-term anyway. Not that Ian wanted that. Because he didn’t.

In a foul mood, he wondered who he could annoy the most by requesting a favor. “I’ll call my buddy Keegan. He’ll help.” Keegan would be so pissed. Ian started to feel better.

“Rory’s husband?”

Rory, Owen’s cousin, had legally married Keegan Price while also being in a relationship with their third, James Foreman. Keegan and James worked at the gym, a telekinetic and a pyrokinetic with enough power to wipe out half of Bend. Rory was a delight, though. She had good taste too. She absolutely loved Ian. She’d even made him the stud he wore in his left ear.

He fingered the small sapphire and thought about the three of them. Keegan, a happy-go-lucky bruiser almost as big as Jack. James, a clotheshorse and sexy man who could have modeled for a living but preferred setting things on fire. And Rory, a lovely jewelry designer with a psychic affinity for gemstones. An operation to recover Owen’s stolen locket had resulted in the three of them coming together last year, and they hadn’t been apart since.

Their happy trio gave Ian hope that not all relationships crashed and burned. And hell, if Keegan could get someone to tolerate his Texan drawl, Ian had it made. Someday he’d find a future with a man of his own. Maybe.

He glared back at Owen and Caleb talking in low voices to each other. “Yeah,
that
Keegan. I’ll call him. Don’t worry. He’ll be happy to help.”

Chapter Five

Caleb frowned, and Owen knew what the man wanted to ask.

“Go ahead.”

“Why?” Caleb swore. “Damn it, Owen. Why didn’t you take care of this when I told you to? We could have nailed Henry and Carl at the same time.”

“I know. But I couldn’t take Carl out, not then. I had no idea he’d turn out to be worse than his brother and father combined.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah.” They stared at each other. “So. You’re here, and you’re going to help me.”

Caleb just looked at him.

“And let me guess, you need my help on another job in the meantime?”

Caleb nodded. “I told them to go to someone else, that you’re done, but the admiral specifically requested you by name.”

Admiral London didn’t pull in favors unless he absolutely needed them. “Must be important.”

“Oh it is.” Caleb stopped talking and sent out a psychic probe Owen immediately recognized. Though it had been over two years since he and Caleb had worked together on a job, he knew the man’s energy.
“I don’t sense any other telepaths in the vicinity.”

“We’re clear. The only psychics close by are you, me, and Ian.”

“Your new boy toy. Man, he was killing me with that glare. How do you get them to be so attached?”

“If only. I think he was more irritated with you than me.”
Owen wanted to think all Ian had felt was jealousy, but he’d genuinely been annoyed with Caleb on Jack and Gavin’s behalf.

“Yeah, well, he’s one to watch. I’m telling you. He ran our guys through more hoops than I can say ten years ago, and that’s when he was just a kid. Ian Ryder has more aliases than I have fingers and toes. Watch him.”

“Trust me. I’m watching him very closely.”
Owen smiled.

“For God’s sake. Get that sex crap out of my head. You put one bad image there, I’ll gut you, friend or not.”

Owen laughed.
“Right. So who do you need taken out?”

“Small-time drug runner in Venezuela who happens to be a serial rapist slash killer on the side. We can’t touch him, because he’s got ties to someone high up on the president’s food chain. And he’s feeding money into a few of our own senators’ pockets. Watch the news, and you’ll see them step down later in the week.”

“So you want this guy taken care of soon.”

Caleb nodded.
“Like, in two days. I’m flying out on Sunday to get a bead on him. I’ve gotten even tighter since we’ve worked together. Now I only need to be in the same city once I make initial contact.”
Caleb mentally connected with a target, unbeknownst to the target, and then left the immediate vicinity. Back when Owen had last worked with him, Caleb had needed to be within a much closer radius to effectively hone a beacon for Owen, yet Owen could be miles away while inflicting damage.

“Nice.”

“Yeah. So I can be right with you when we take him down. You hit him; we fly you right out. No one’s the wiser.”

Owen wondered.
“Unless he has his own team of psychics. I’ve been monitoring the situation abroad. More and more governments are using teams like the PWP. In all eventuality, our guys will need to start up again.”

“They already have,”
Caleb admitted.

“What?” Owen said aloud, shocked.

“Quiet, Owen. Admiral London and his wife have been working on a new team, one put directly under their control.”

Owen blinked.
“You’re talking about more than psychics, then.”

Caleb paused.
“Yes.”

“Shit. Circs? They’re going to use Circs again?”
Owen had seen some of the Circs—genetically altered soldiers and sailors—lose their minds during the initial stage of the project, and he’d immediately withdrawn his funding, disapproving of the project with every fiber of his being. Men who could shape-shift into larger, tougher beings with hardened skin, claws, and fangs might seem like ultimate warriors, but when they turned psycho, they’d been a nightmare of epic proportions. From what he knew, the entire project had been cut, slashed and burned years ago.