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And speaking of family, it was time to work her rage up into a storm that would blow Monty the hell off her property and remind Eli he was an owner by marriage only.
CHAPTER5
Montgomery sat at the head of the table in the English Manor’s boardroom, his business suit crisp, his cufflinks glinting in the overhead lights.
He was calm and in control. His half-brother, Eli, who sat across from him, didn’t know he’d destroyed his phone in a rage.
“Look,” Eli said, waving his hands at the prototype phones Montgomery had placed on the table. “I’m not here to provide you with free testing. I’m here to deal with this Rogue situation once and for all.”
“And that’s where these come in,” Montgomery said, pushing two of the small, black devices toward him. “The tracking is a new stealth technology. These are more secure than anything any government is currently using.”
Eli raised a skeptical eyebrow, but he picked up a phone and powered it on. “I’d be skeptical if I didn’t know how many billions Meyer Comm pulls in every year.”
“The chip uses an advanced encryption protocol and satellite triangulation that is light years more accurate—”
“They’re probably still shit if you can’t get a satellite signal,” Eli murmured.
“That may be true, but these also have four times the regular signal strength of—”
“Stop selling me. I’m not the fucking Chinese government,” Eli snapped, setting the phone down and leaning back. “Let’s talk about how we’re going to neutralize Rogue.”
Montgomery took a calming breath. His half-brother’s attitude wasn’t a surprise, but it still set his teeth on edge. Even now, Eli tapped the table. He inhaled slowly. He was no longer in a position not to need Eli’s help. “I’m a little surprised you’re back, and with Claire,” he noted. “You made it plain over the last weeks that you wouldn’t bring her back until all of this was over.”
“I have more of a stake now,” Eli replied, still tapping the table.
“And why is that?” Montgomery asked, trying to ignore the tapping until it became unbearable. “Jesus Christ, stop that!”
“Stop this?” Eli asked, lifting his hand. He held it there, a curious, playful look on his face.
Montgomery glanced at the hand and saw the gold band there.
“Du machst Witze!” he blurted, shock giving way to scorn. “But if youarejoking, it’s not funny.”
“Why would I joke about getting married?” Eli asked. All playfulness left his expression. His half-brother looked ready to tear his throat out.
“Let’s see,” Montgomery said, looking up as if searching for a list of reasons. “Because you are a womanizer. Or because you hated your mother and my father’s marriage. Or because Claire—”
“Don’t,” Eli snarled, his hands flat on the table as if he were about to leap at him like a panther. “Say one more word about Claire.”
Montgomery examined Eli’s tense body, not doubting he would tackle him if he spoke again about Claire. Hadn’t he threatened Eli when the man had teased him about fucking Hartley months ago?Back when I blackmailed him into coming here,he thought to himself. He shook his head, dropping his gaze to the table. “I was only going to say,” he started, his gaze flicking to Eli’s face. “That Claire was out of your league. She still is.”
Eli froze, then relaxed. “I agree,” he allowed. “She’s beyond anything I deserve.”
Montgomery chuckled. “If it hadn’t been for me, you’d never have met her, you know. So let’s take the rage down a notch.”
“Rage,” Eli echoed sarcastically. “If I remember correctly, you threatened to peel away every inch of my skin that touched your wife back when you sent me here.”
“That’s right. When you suggested you might fuck her.” Montgomery nodded, the memory of the conversation curling his fingers into a fist.
Eli smirked, and Montgomery felt that dark place in him twist and tighten, ready to burst into flames.
“Settle down, brother,” Eli murmured. “It didn’t happen, did it? And I’m very grateful you sent me here.” Sincerity gleamed in his eyes.
“So. You’re married. Hopefully you’ll have an easier path than I did,” Montgomery said.
“Oh, I know I will,” Eli agreed, his eyes narrowing. “How’s that going, by the way? The last serious conversation we had about Hartley was to make sure she wasn’t using Cavendish clients to interfere with your global strategy.”
Again, Montgomery tensed. Why did even the slightest inference toward Hartley twist his gut?
