“Well, then go play, chatty.”
On cue, Ms. Phiri came around the corner of the kitchen. “Let’s give your father privacy.”
Both Dev’s girls did what she asked with no argument. Ms. Phiri had an unspoken way with children. His girls respected her instruction without argument or a sassy mouth. He was impressed.
“Come say bye before you leave, Daddy,” Mae said, as she left the kitchen.
“’Course.” Dev waited until they were gone before nodding the group toward the backyard.
Chapter 12
The extreme tension rolling off Alec was almost tangible. Dev got it. Even made sense. Keyes on the other hand was his normal, relaxed self. Which meant his buddy trusted him. He appreciated knowing that nothing had come between them through all the difficult layers of bullshit they’d endured recently. It could have.
“What’s going on?” Alec asked as soon as they got within a couple of feet of the front door to the guest house. His tone was serious enough that Dev knew Alec’s patience was getting the best of him. The man needed answers.
“Let’s get inside,” Cash replied briskly, stepping ahead of the group to open the door then holding it to allow the three of them in first.
With the enormous amount of intel the DEA had collected, Dev had no doubt some agent lurked nearby, performing secret reconnaissance. But, no one else needed to hear the explanations he was about to give his brother.
He reached inside his pocket, pulling out a handheld device. Looked like a keychain, but that wasn’t its only purpose. Dev nudged the power button on to the simple but effective audio jammer. White noise would block the sound of their voices, permitting them to talk freely inside the small space as long as no one got too loud. It was how he’d managed to plan Cummings’s end with Cash always underfoot, and probably the last secret he had kept from Cash.
Cash shut the door behind them, twisting the lock.
In a rare moment of uncertainty, Dev stared from man to man. As they stood inside the guest house—a small, two-room structure—he had no idea where to begin.
“Why’re we here?” Alec asked again. This time, his tone held a harder edge as he surveyed their surroundings, stepping from the group to cast a quick glance down the short hall.
Cash’s deep, soothing tone grabbed Dev’s attention, anchoring him like Cash always did. “For all Dev’s planning, I’m not sure he’s even considered where to start. He has quite a bit to disclose.” Cash tucked his hands in his slacks pockets, and spoke directly to him when he added, “Can I begin? Cut me off when you’re ready to take over the explanation to Keyes.”
“All right,” he agreed, nodding as he tucked his fingertips into his Levi’s, mimicking Cash’s stance. He hoped Keyes understood his reasoning.
Where Dev recognized the purposeful way Cash deescalated the tension, Alec didn’t seem to care. When he turned back from his visual search of the house, his formidable glare hardened. His strength showed through the severe expression, as did a fierce protection for Keyes. Dev wouldn’t want to come up against Alec in court. But it was Keyes’s change that bothered Dev the most. His whole body tensed. His frown grew grim as Cash explained who he was. “I’m Special Agent Cash Ryan. I work for the Exempt Operations Division of the US Attorney General’s office.”
Judging by Alec’s swift intake of breath, the man hadn’t expected that disclosure but immediately understood the gravity of Cash’s statement. His hand went to Keyes’s arm, his fingertips trailing down until their hands clasped firmly together. Keyes maybe didn’t understand the specifics but recognized Cash was in the upper rungs of law enforcement.
Alec’s mouth opened as he moved forward to stand in front of Keyes, making his position clear. They were going to have to go through him to get to Keyes.
It was a sweet gesture. Perhaps a little naive.
No words came from Alec before he closed his mouth again.
“I’ve fallen to the dark side,” Dev explained to his best friend. “I’m a narc now.” He hated saying it aloud.
“What the fuck?” Keyes shouted, his entire stance changing. The one-percenter brother came out in every syllable barked. The anger echoed off the walls in a sobering realization of the implications. Keyes’s muscles flexed and tensed like he was under attack. His signature show of brute force was on full display as he yanked at Alec’s hand, physically putting the lawyer behind him, showing his own brand of protection.
Damn, Dev should have thought to bring a white flag to wave in a truce offering. Instead, he extended a hand, asking for patience and time, hoping to keep a calm rationality between them. “Look. You’ve been keepin’ secrets. So have I.” He let that be enough of an explanation for now. “Can I talk to you alone for a minute?”
“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Cash stated firmly. “This conversation should be had together.”
“I agree,” Alec said decisively, his troubled gaze on Keyes.
His buddy’s boyfriend clearly had a hold on him. Keyes’s gaze shot to Alec too. Their stare held.
“Give me a minute with Keyes. You can say whatever you need to Alec,” Dev said, adding the concession in an attempt to play Let’s Make A Deal. Surely, by both Cash and Alec being on that side of the law, they spoke the same good-guy language.
When Alec turned that powerful stare on Dev, he was surprised he didn’t vaporize into dust where he stood. Keyes patted Alec’s chest, drawing the lawyer’s laser-beam focus to him. His buddy had to have seen the threat and tried to diffuse it, bending to nuzzle his cheek against his boyfriend’s.
“I gotta talk to him. The fucker needs to explain whatever the fuck he’s done. I won’t shut the door but give me a minute alone?” Keyes adjusted to where his face was within inches of Alec’s, who shook his head at the request.
