“Why am I their target?” Kit demanded.
“It’s their MO. To be honest, the first thing people usually know about it is when their loved ones wind up with a bullet between their eyes. The fact that CDR got the intel first is the reason you’re still breathing.”
Kit swallowed hard. “Don’t sugarcoat it for me, Red. Tell me what you really mean.”
Red barked out a laugh. “If you wanted a diplomat, you picked the wrong guy.”
Kit wanted to point out he hadn’t picked Red at all, but he didn’t want to give Red any reason to go away from him. Kit was one breath away from a freakout and it was only Red’s solid presence that was stopping his complete meltdown.
“Sit down,” Red murmured, guiding Kit to the end of the bed.
He sat, and to his surprise, Red joined him. They weren’t touching but he was close enough to comfort Kit.
“You seemed to phase out,” Red said.
Kit stared at his hands. “What am I going to do?”
“You are going to sit tight and quit messing with the locks just to piss me off.” Red fixed Kit with a stern expression.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Kit did his best to look innocent but from Red’s expression, he wasn’t buying it.
Red rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you do. Kit, don’t play with your safety. CDR are assessing the danger to you and Tony.”
“What does that mean?” He turned to look at Red, noticing the fan of lines around his eyes were deeper. The bodyguard looked tired. Kit guessed it had been one hell of a nightmare twenty-four hours for him too.
Red turned to look at him, his gray eyes kind, but resolute. “Whether we can guard you here or should we relocate you.”
Kit wrinkled his brow. “Like WITSEC?”
“Kinda. I don’t know much about CDR. I worked for Monaghan. But they have better resources than Monaghan did. And that means they ain’t cheap.”
Could his brother afford to pay for their help? That was what Red was asking.
Kit hummed as he thought about how to answer this. He knew more about the club’s resources than anyone except his brother. Tony had made sure of that in case anything happened to him. It wasn’t something he was prepared to discuss with Red, even with Red’s history with the MC. It was a conversation Tony needed to have with CDR. It was why Kit spent so much time away from the club. He loved his brother, but Tony traveled a morally gray area when it came to the club’s finances, as his parents had, and Kit did not want to be involved. Guilt by association was bad enough.
“That’s something CDR needs to discuss with Tony.”
Red stared at him for a moment, then gave a curt nod. “Understood.” He got to his feet. “No messing with the locks. I mean it, Kit. If I think you’re non-compliant, I’ll pull out.”
Kit took a moment to process that. And of course, his mouth went in a totally inappropriate direction. “Ooh, Daddy. I didn’t know you were gonna penetrate me.”
Chapter Seven
RED
Red stalkedout of Kit’s bedroom, painfully aware of the semi he was sporting thanks to Kit’s unfortunate choice of words. That brat deserved a spanking. He really did. The mocking chuckle that followed him out the door didn’t help.
But he wouldn’t be the one to do it. It wouldn’t be his hand making contact with that taut fleshy globe, no matter how much he wanted it to be.
“We’ve just shut down the last orphanage.”
Red paused on the stairs. He didn’t know that voice, but it came from the kitchen. Who the hell were CDR letting in here?
He took the last few steps at a run and stopped just inside the kitchen. Four men sat at the table. Two of them he knew, Jace and Craig Booker. The two on the opposite side of the table were strangers to him, one a broad-shouldered man, with bright green eyes and dark hair, graying at the temples. Red put him in his early forties. The other was younger, blond hair turning to ash, and brown eyes. They sat close together, closer than they would if they were just co-workers.
Red ignored everyone, focusing on Craig. “Craig, who are the strangers?” he said coolly.
Craig turned to him. “Hear us out before you explode, Red. This is Callum Ross.” He indicated the dark-haired guy.
