The Insiders by Tijan

TEN

I was snooping. No shame here.

An hour later, I was in his bedroom. He had his own library in there, and his own balcony. Not to mention the bed. The bed! It was big enough for five people to sleep in it.

“We kill cats here.”

I jumped as I was shutting the balcony doors, and whirled.

I thought it was Kash, but it wasn’t. Someone else.

My insides instantly knotted, seeing who it was, recognizing who it was.

Matthew Francis leaned against the door frame, a smirk on his face, dressed like he was going to a nightclub. Low-hanging jeans. A leather jacket. A shirt underneath that was one of those where they bought them already ripped. His hair was messily rumpled, though I was sure there was hair product in it. The jacket added a little more bulk to him than I had noticed the night before, but he was still gangly.

“You kill cats here?”

His eyebrows went up. His smirk turned knowing. “So you are Kash’s mystery guest, and you’re already snooping around?”

I broke out a tentative grin. “Still curious about the cat comment.” Splaying my hands out to my side, I tucked them behind me and glanced down.

It was a nervous movement, but damn. My brother was talking to me.

“I’m Matthew Francis. Kash works with my father.” He was eyeing me up and down, dissecting me. There was frank curiosity and a slight flash of anger mixed in. He raised his hand up, a drink there, and took a sip. Hissing, baring his teeth from the burn, he coughed and then put his hand back down. His fingers transferred so he was holding the glass by the top of the rim, and his head went back up, resting against the door frame. “Kash is the king of secrets and mystery around this place, so the way I figure, you’re either running from someone or something else is going on.” He straightened from the doorway. “Which is it, little cat? I introduced myself. Now you introduce yourself.”

My nostrils flared as I straightened to my fullest height. My head rose. My chin squared against his and I rolled my shoulders back. He took everything in, a flare of surprise in his eyes, but he masked it deftly.

“I’d imagine that if Kash wanted you to know who I was, he would’ve told you.” I wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to say, but I had a feeling if I rattled off his entire Wikipedia page he wouldn’t be impressed. He would be suspicious.

I had the names and dates and lies to spew out. Aunt Judith. Uncle Martin. Cousin Stephanie. Bad breakup. Kash and I kept in contact when he visited them from when he was four year old till he was eight. There was nothing in those files about why he stopped, so I’d have to bluff there as well, but I would.

Kash had underestimated my brother. He was suspicious, enough to seek me out within an hour of being on the premises.

“I saw you at the hotel. You were in the elevator with Kash.” He lowered his head until he was more normal. He must’ve bought at least a little of what I said. “If you were there and you were Kash’s girl, why didn’t he walk you to your room? If you really knew Kash, he never would’ve let you go to your room alone. He can be a protective asshole sometimes.”

Damn.

I opened my mouth. I wasn’t sure what I was going to spew, but it was going to be as much a surprise to myself as to him … and then someone else spoke for me.

“She’s not my girl,” Kash drawled behind Matthew.

Aw, shit.

I was busted by both of them, and looking at Kash, I gulped.

His eyes were glittering at me. His jaw was clenched. His mouth tight. The guy was pissed, and a wave of awareness crashed over me. This was like seeing him walking into that interrogation room for the first time. He must’ve been toning down his intensity since the car ride, but it was back in full force now. He was dangerous, and livid. Not a good mix. But his eyes latched on to me, burning me, before sliding to Matthew. That’s where he stayed, and that’s when I saw the arrogant bravado start to slip from my half brother.

Matt’s head lowered an inch. He grew a little … self-conscious? Was that what I was picking up from him?

“What are you doing here, Matt?” Kash clipped out, strolling past him.

That was wrong, too.

He stalked past him, coming in, bypassing me. His eyes had moved to me, he watched me the whole time he went past, until he stepped into his closet. Coming out, he’d taken off his shirt and carried another one in hand. Tossing it on his bed, his hands dropped to his pants.

Oh, whoa.

I did not look away.

I should’ve. I could’ve.

I didn’t.

No way.

He was cut and chiseled, and there were sleek lines of muscle all over him. Not overly, where it was too much muscle, but enough to give him a leanness. He was like a jaguar, one trimmed and poised to attack. His eyes flashed to me again, and I gulped before they skirted to Matthew and stayed there. He’d found his target.

“I asked you a question. What are you doing here, Matt?” He let go of his jeans and shoved his arms in the shirt, pulling it over and down. It fit perfectly.

Shocker.

“I’m meeting your new friend. What’s her name? She still hasn’t told me.”

“Because it’s not your business,” Kash shot back.

Matthew laughed, but I heard the unease in there. “First time you bring a girl here, and you think I’m not going to check her out? You nuts?”

“Right there.” Kash’s head fell back, his nostrils flaring. “First time. First. Time. You don’t think I’d want privacy, even if she was my girl?”

Doubt filtered over Matthew’s face, his eyebrows pinching together. “You’re always shoving your way into my places.”

Places. Matt had more than one?

Matt was still speaking. “You never give a shit if I’m pissed or not.”

“That’s different.”

A snort. “How?”

“Because you’re a dumbass that usually needs me to either kick your ass or someone else’s ass around you. That’s why.”

I waited, expecting a retort from my brother. None came. He nodded, running a hand over his head and gripping his neck for a moment. “That’s fair.” A corner of his mouth curved up, and he went back to studying me. “But seriously. Who is she?”

Kash let out a sigh, grabbing his shirt. “She’s a friend from the family. My family. Bailey Hayes.” He bundled his shirt up in a ball and threw it at Matthew, hard. It was enough to smack against his chest from across the room. “That’s all you need to know. Respect her wish. She ain’t here on vacation.”

My eyes darted to him, my body warming.

There was that protective asshole that Matthew commented on, but it was regarding me. I knew it was a lie. He was helping with my cover, but I couldn’t deny that it felt nice to hear it. I almost wished it were true.

“How you going to handle Victoria?”

Victoria? Kash had mentioned her earlier. I waited to see what he’d say, but he only jerked a shoulder up, before unbuckling his jeans. “I’ll handle her.” He paused, raking us both with a look. “Can you both get out? I need to change my pants.”

Matthew started laughing. “Now I know she really ain’t your girl.” He nodded to me, still smiling. “Come on, Little Mystery. If you’re going to snoop in Kash’s place, you’re not going to find the right spots. I’ll show you where he keeps the good booze.”

My gaze skirted to Kash at the snooping word, but he didn’t seem to mind. His head cocked to the side, his fingers waiting, holding on to his waistband, he looked annoyed. Trailing after Matthew, I tried to wrap my head around everything.

My brother was right in front of me.

He had caught me, questioned me, then tried to grill me. Now he was showing me where Kash hid his booze, which wasn’t a secret place at all. Down the hall. To the kitchen. He wound around the island to the pantry, and that was where a whole row of bottles was shelved.

“Wow,” I deadpanned, waiting in the doorway as he grabbed a few of them. “You’re right. I never would’ve found those.”

He shot me a grin, going past me and setting them on the island. “It’s the only place with fun stuff in Kash’s house.”

He turned to me.

I thought he needed to go past me for glasses, but he didn’t. He only leaned down, purposely getting in my space, and his eyes were hard. His words were blunt. “I don’t know what the fuck’s going on, but I know something is. If you actually did know Kash, you would’ve known he keeps all his real shit in his downtown apartment.”

Oh.

Crap.

“Why do you keep thinking I was snooping?”

“You were.”

Yeah. Well. “Why do you insist that I was looking for the ‘real shit’? How do you know I wasn’t up there because he has a freaking library? Did you see those bookshelves? Sue me. I like reading. Hide some books somewhere, and I’ll sniff ’em out. Hidden talent of mine.”

He straightened his back again, sneering in disbelief. “Whatever you say. You’d know he only uses this house when he’s forced to stay on the estate, which ain’t that often. Another fact I know you don’t know about my boy, so why don’t you cut the bullshit. Nerd aside, who are you? Really.”

I let out a sigh.

Kash was padding barefoot down the hallway and starting to cross the room. He had changed into sweatpants that fell low on his hips. Matthew’s back was to him. He didn’t know Kash was there, and I frowned slightly, a brief flash of familiarity nagging at me. Kash walked so quietly, he was soundless.

He had covered for me in his room, but this was the real test.

A dark warning flared in Kash’s gaze. I ignored it, meeting my brother’s gaze, and I shifted back a step so I could think. “Fine.” I made sure my voice cracked. “You’re right.”

Triumph flooded over his face. He narrowed his eyes. “Still waiting.”

“But you’re wrong about most of it. I don’t know Kash that well, but I do know his family. I was neighbors with Judith and Martin.” I paused, wondering, “You know them?”

He stiffened. “Kash doesn’t talk about his family, hardly ever.”

So he really was a mystery, even to them? Even if he grew up with them, as he said?

“I was good friends with his cousin, Stephanie.” I didn’t pause to ask if he knew her. I was betting he didn’t. “And anyways, I amgoing through a hard time right now. It’s a bad breakup, okay?” My voice wobbled. My bottom lip trembled.

Could I get a tear?

I tried. I did. Chrissy would’ve been all over that, but it wasn’t a talent of mine. Still. I was convincing, because my half brother was looking at me with a mix of sympathy and guilt.

Good. He should feel guilty, for wasting away all the privileges he got as Peter Francis’s eldest son. Not going to be interested in computers, my ass. He was insane. Peter Francis might be my sperm donor, but I still would kill for an internship at Phoenix Tech.

It was in my blood. Literally.

I turned, pressing into the island counter with my fingers. I couldn’t pick at it. It was one giant piece of stone, so I did the best I could, rubbing the bottoms of my fingers against it. “I … I got to a dark place, okay? Stephanie was alarmed enough”—I nodded in the direction of Kash’s bedroom—“she called in a favor. I remember Kash when we were younger. He visited for a few years, but yeah, I’ve not seen him for almost twenty years. Don’t matter. Stephanie said I needed to get out of there, said I should stay here until I was better. A change of environment would do me good.”

I waited, holding my breath.

I didn’t dare look up. My brother was sharp, seriously sharp. He’d had one whiff of something not making sense, and this was his second attempt at figuring it out.

“I feel like a dipshit.”

My knees almost gave out from relief. He bought it.

Instead, I looked up, keeping sure my facial expression was locked up. “Yeah?”

He rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why I thought something funny was going on. Kash never brings girls here, but I don’t know anything about his family. Who am I to interrogate you, you know?”

Hell yes, but I only smiled. “It’s okay. You’re being protective.”

He snorted at that. “Don’t know why. If anyone doesn’t need it, it’s him.” He was watching me again. The suspicion was still there. “But you’d know that much, right?”

A hand reached inside my spine and took hold of it, in a viselike grip. That’s how it felt, because he was still testing me.

Enough was enough. I pretended not to see it and moved away. “Hmm, yeah. He always was when he was little too.” Opening a shelf, I asked, “You know where the glasses are? If we’re going to have a drink, we need a few of those.”

Hearing a door close from down the hallway, Kash must’ve gone back. He was alerting us, or alerting Matthew. Walking out, he yawned and tossed his phone on the couch as he passed it.

I searched his face, but there was no indication he’d heard anything that was just spoken.

He was a good liar, too. His eyes lingered on mine for a second before taking in the sight of us and everything on the counter. “We’re drinking? Didn’t you get in enough trouble last night?”

I saw my brother tense up beside me. His hand gripped the neck of one of the bottles tighter. “One can never get in enough trouble. What’chu talkin’ ’bout, Willis?”

Kash ignored the sitcom quote, padding into the kitchen and grabbing a tray of ice from the freezer. He slid it over the counter to us. “Fine, Matt. You want to have a few drinks, at least make them right, huh?”

It was later, after Matthew went to the bathroom, that Kash grabbed my wrist and pulled me to a corner of the room. He folded his arms over his chest, staring down at me, and standing close. Way too close.

Or that’s what I was trying to tell myself.

“What’d he want?”

He was studying me, but his eyes were first on mine, then dipped to my mouth. And lingered there.

And stayed lingering there.

And still more lingering.

It was a sauna in here. Someone threw open the doors and hell’s inferno had started.

I parted my lips, surprised at his proximity, but he wasn’t moving back.

He needed to move back, or I’d do something we’d both regret.

My hand was itching.

God. His jaw. It was so smooth, so square, so strong. I was itching to touch it, or maybe his chest. That shirt looked smooth. Or his arms, how they were folded tight over his chest and the muscles were bulging out. How there was a dip between them and—

He shifted closer, letting out a sigh and a hiss at the same time. “Listen.”

My eyes flew to his, and I gulped because his were intense, seriously intense.

He placed a hand on the wall behind me, trapping me in, but it was just one hand. His eyes were still boring down into mine, then fell back to my mouth.

“This. You. Me.”

I wanted to shift up on my tiptoes, getting closer. I didn’t, but holy God, did I want to.

Then, suddenly, a barrier fell back between us. Not a literal barrier, but whatever was in his head. I felt the cold rejection almost physically. He moved back, his face becoming stone again, and I jerked back into the wall.

I never felt the impact.

He cursed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Jesus. What’d he want?”

I couldn’t talk. A full three seconds. Crap, that rejection hurt.

I croaked out, “Nothing. Just trying to say I don’t know you.” My own guilt pushed up, storing the other stuff away. “Look, I’m sorry. I wanted to explore your house. I wasn’t snooping as he keeps saying—”

Kash clipped his head from side to side. “I don’t care about that. You’re a stranger. There’s no way I’d let you stay here if I had something of value in this house.”

He wouldn’t?

Yep. Wow. Another slap to the face. This guy was just doling out the punches left and right.

“Your story was good.” He nodded in approval, shifting back from me when we heard the toilet flush. He raked me up and down. “You’re a good liar.”

What I was going for in life. My highest goal achieved.

Then he moved away, going to the kitchen as Matthew was coming back, and I had to kick myself. Why did I care if he thought I was a good liar? I was here to hide for my life. That was it.

When the threat was gone, I was gone.