The Insiders by Tijan

THIRTY-SEVEN

We were heading down the road when the phone in Matt’s car went off. We had a car ahead of us, with security, and an SUV behind us, but he had wanted to drive himself. Hitting the button to answer the phone, he said, “Talk to me.”

“There’s an issue at the field.” It was one of the security teams.

Matt frowned. “What’s the issue?”

“There’s two problems. There’s press, and your loft is being used.”

Matt’s head reared back an inch. His frown deepened. “I figured there’d be press, but I was hoping to enter the back way and let Bailey stay at the loft. Who’s using the loft? It’s supposed to be off-limits unless we give the say-so.”

“According to the field manager, your father gave the say-so.”

“My dad? He’s there?”

“No, but he gave them permission.”

“I want those people cleared. I can’t bring Bailey there unless it is.”

There was silence on their end, until, “Maybe you could go another day?”

Matt’s scowl was immediate. “Fuck that. It’s horses, and sticks waving in the air. Yes, there’s press, but no one that’s a risk to Bailey. We’re going; that’s final. Tell the manager to clear the loft. We’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

I was more distracted by the press comment. “You think Camille Story will be there?” I hadn’t thought about that, but she’d been known to go to events like this. And she loved reporting on Matt. A lot. She had a thing for him. She never came out and said it, but that was my theory. The stats of her stories on Matt compared to those on others was disproportionately in his favor. Almost a landslide.

His answering growl confirmed my question. “I hope not. She’s a pain in the ass.”

I was starting to enjoy this. “You guys ever sleep together? Because she reports on you a lot—like a lot a lot.”

Silence. Again.

My eyes widened. “Are you for real? You did Camille Story?”

He was moving in his seat, adjusting and rolling his shoulders back. “What? She’s hot. And I was wasted.”

“She never reported on that.”

Screw enjoying. I was loving this.

I asked, “Did you reject her? Is she one of the girls that she says you bang for a night and then toss ’em out like garbage?”

“No.” A beat. “Maybe. I don’t know. She took pictures of my dick. She was going to post them on her site, but Kash found out and slapped her with a lawsuit that would’ve bankrupted her four times over.”

“Kash does stuff like that?”

“Kash takes care of us. Either physically or with this shit. He scared the crap out of her. She backed down, signed a contract that she had to destroy all of those pictures—and he got her first site shut down because of it.”

“Oh, whoa.” I remembered when she disappeared for a month.

“We have to watch out for her if she’s there. She’s scared of Kash, though. He’s the reason she posts only half the crap she wants to. She can’t afford to run across him again.”

Really.

What more could I find out about this guy who was crawling into my bed?

I couldn’t stop myself. The need to know was too high. “Who is Kash to your family?”

Matt glanced at me.

“I mean, what exactly does he do? How’d he grow up with you guys?”

“He hasn’t told you?”

I shook my head, slowly.

Matt’s eyelids shuttered closed for a second before lifting to continue watching the road. He spoke tightly. “I think you should wait for that conversation with him.”

Damn it.

“But Bailey.”

“Yeah?”

His tone softened considerably. “Kash takes care of us, and that’s not because he’s paid. He took that role on himself, and even I don’t know the reasons. I’m just saying, he’s complicated. If he tells you everything, then you’ll know more than any of us.”

“You don’t even know?”

“I know some. I know…” He bobbed his head to the side. “I know what I’m allowed to know, I guess I should clarify. Kash is … like I said—”

I finished for him. “Complicated.”

“Yeah.” His hand tightened on the steering wheel, and then we were slowing down. The turn signal was put on and we were going down another road. This one wasn’t as empty as the others had been. Cars were lined up along the side of the road, and the farther we traveled, the more compact they were becoming. They weren’t normal cars, either. They were rich ones. Bentleys. Navigators. More than a few brand-new Audis. A couple Rolls-Royces. Range Rovers. Porsches. A Bugatti, even.

“Who plays in this tournament?”

Matt spared me a grin, slowing the car again, as the rest of the traffic had backed up to where we were. We weren’t moving, so he sat back, his wrist resting on the steering wheel, and he went to switching on some music.

A knock came on the window.

It was one of Matt’s usual security.

“The manager said we can pull around and come in through the back entrance, but the loft isn’t available. Your father gave specific permission to the party occupying it to have it for the whole day. She’s tried to get in touch with your dad, but he’s unavailable right now.”

Matt swore. “What about Kash? He can override those orders sometimes.”

“We’ve been, uh”—his eyes darted to me, then back—“trying to get in touch with him ourselves, about another matter. His phone was turned off.”

Turned off. That’s not a big deal.

Right?

But there came those nerves again. It wasn’t a common event for me, but I had reached out to him a few times over the last few weeks. A simple text, and every time, Kash had replied right away. Sometimes he could call.

He’d never had his phone off.

“Shit.” Matt leaned back, scowling. “There’s no point in coming if—”

The guard’s phone went off and he showed us the screen. “It’s the manager. Hold one moment.” He answered it, moving away. We didn’t wait long before he came back. “She said the party left on their own. They’ve moved to another location. We’re cleared to go in.”

We couldn’t move, but within ten minutes a caravan of vehicles was leaving the tournament, going past us. They went past us at a slow pace, and I recognized a couple movie stars. A pop princess was in one of them.

“Holy whoa.” Trying not to gape here.

Failing.

I was gawking.

“Those were probably the guys in the loft. That girl’s manager knows Dad.” Then he flashed me a smile and jerked forward in his seat. Now that we had the go-ahead, and now that the line was starting to inch forward, Matt’s mood got dramatically better. He’d been relaxed and normal, but now he was becoming restless. Impatient. I was recognizing the hyperness that he’d exhibited before. His words were more clipped. His smile was on edge.

We were pulling ahead.

The first security team was paused. One of the parking attendants spoke to them and they were waved forward. We were led onto a back road, going around the field, the main building where most of the crowd seemed to be gathering. A barn was farther off, at the southern end of the field, and seeing a patio hanging off the end of it, I was guessing that was where Matt was taking us.

We bypassed more cars, all the people drinking and mingling beside the field. The back of the main lodge was beautiful. Everything was, and I was glad that I had listened to Matt when he picked my outfit. He had chosen a pair of black capris and a white tank top that crossed my chest. It was lace and frilly and I felt exposed in it.

It was perfect.

Noting all the dresses, I gave Matt a look. “You told me I didn’t need to wear a dress.”

He grinned. “My sister does not need to show off her legs. To anyone.” He shrugged, turning onto another gravel road, which was leading straight to the barn. “Besides, we’re just hanging in the loft. Anyone who comes over won’t care. They’ll just be happy we’re allowing them in there.”

“I thought it was just you and me hanging out today?”

“Hmm?” But he was distracted.

Two large barn doors were being pulled open for us. A myriad of staff were running around inside the barn, bending to pick things up off the ground.

I leaned forward, my hand resting on the dashboard. “What’s going on?”

“Cars don’t usually drive into the barn. Scares the horses. But we’re making an exception today. They’re making sure it’s clear for the tires. Nothing will puncture them.”

It seemed a lot of work, but we’d come this far, and with this whole caravan we had going, we’d attracted a fair amount of attention.

I asked, wondering to myself, “What do they all think of this?”

“This?”

“Of us.” I motioned to the barn.

Matt shrugged again, making a dismissive face. His mouth moved to the side before speaking. “I don’t know. Who cares? It’s not like anyone will get close to you. We have an army around us.” He winked at me before pulling all the way into the barn. This was the Matt when he was high, when he was raving in the tent, or at an orgy party.

I was recognizing him now. Dread crawled up in me, digging a hole.

We parked in the middle of the barn and waited. Most of the guards came in with us, checking the barn, and waited until the staff were asked to leave. One guy was arguing, but a guard was handling him. The last few were walked out and the doors in the front and back were both shut. The guards took position as Matt was getting out.

My door was opened by a guard, so I got out as well.

We were led past a few of the stalls to a door. It was opened and we went up the stairs, stepping out onto the second floor that spanned the entire length of the barn. It was a full apartment.

Then the doors were being opened below.

Matt’s car was driven out, and we could hear the staff returning.

Matt said to me, “Don’t worry. No one will come up here. We have security all over the barn.” He nodded to the two who took point just inside the room, standing by the entrance.

“Is that the only way up here?”

“Yeah, unless someone tries parasailing in from the deck.” He motioned toward the open patio area. “But even they’ll be shot down, and we got the guys behind us. They’d rush the interloper.” He patted me on the arm before moving toward the bar. “You’re good to go. Let’s drink and relax, yeah?”

I was slower to move forward.

This didn’t feel right. There were too many people around. Then again, Matt had been the one who took me to the nightclub that night. Kash hadn’t been happy I was there. After that, Kash was the one who took me to the other two events, but those had been house parties. We were in and out, no lingering around.

I glanced uneasily at one of the security staff.

He noticed and approached. “Ma’am?”

“You guys haven’t gotten ahold of Kash?”

He was frowning. “Ma’am?”

I lifted a shoulder, skirting around the rest of the loft to him. “I … Just … He’d want to know I’m here, right?”

Understanding cleared and he nodded. “Yes, ma’am. We’ll continue to update him with our location. We always do anyway. It’s protocol.”

“Oh.” My head perked up. “That’s good then.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He nodded forward. “You can relax, have a good time, as Mr. Francis is doing right now.” I caught the slight grin on his face and looked ahead.

He was right.

Matt was getting a drink, already flirting with the bartender. The female bartender.

She was flirting right back, until she saw me. A nice frosty layer cooled her smile, until Matt said, “This is my—” He caught himself. “Distant cousin. Family. Extended family.” He rolled his eyes, pulling me to his side. “Come on, cuz. Let’s have a shot.” He beamed at the bartender. “Shots for both of us. You, too.”

After that, the bartender warmed up to me, but she was friendlier with Matt.

When another bartender came up to relieve her, an hour later, she stayed, sitting on Matt’s lap the rest of the time.

I settled back.

The whispering should’ve alerted me. It didn’t.

There was movement in the corner and I looked over, seeing the first bartender standing up. Her hand was in Matt’s, and she was leading him off the couch.

“Hey.”

Whoa. I stopped. I was feeling that third glass of wine. The barn had started to move. The horses. Where were the horses? There’d been horses in the field in front of us a moment ago. But then I heard sounds beneath us. The horses were coming in. A match was done. Horses were being led in and out. Watered. Fed.

It’d been like this the whole time we were here. Another match would start up. But Matt.

I looked for him.

He was gone.

“Matt?”

He was in the corner, whispering into the girl’s ear.

He came back over, leaning down. “You mind if I sneak off for a quick romp?”

“What?”

He was smiling at the bartender, a dirty look in his eyes.

“I’ll be quick.”

I snorted. “I wouldn’t lead with that with the ladies.”

He flashed me a grin. “Seriously. Do you mind? You have the guards. Only a few will go with me. I won’t be long.”

I looked over my shoulder. There was a sitting area behind me. A long table. Three couches in the other corner. A kitchenette against the wall—with an island, even. Then a hallway, and I was assuming there was a bathroom and a bedroom, probably more than one. “Just go back there. Why do you have to leave leave?”

He made a face. “Because that’s gross. Embarrassment aside from last time, I don’t want my sister to actually hear me get my rocks off.” He nudged my shoulder. “Come on. I’ll just be a bit. I’ll go over to the main lodge. There’s rooms for this thing, and I’ll stay, say hi to some friends, then come back.”

It wasn’t a good idea. Not at all. I wasn’t going to say yes.

“Bailey.” He crouched down, peering at me intently. His voice was coaxing. Soft.

Damn him.

“You’re supposed to stay here.”

“Please.” He bumped my forehead with his, grinning. “She’s got me all worked up. I’ll go have my fun, then come back. We can take off after that if you want.”

“Food.”

“What?”

I was so not happy with this, but he was going to go anyway. I might as well get something out of this. My stomach was rumbling. “Food. I want food. I haven’t eaten today.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

I shrugged. “Because you gave me wine? I don’t know.” I hadn’t said anything because I didn’t want to be a nuisance, and I still didn’t, and I knew that’s why Matt was going to do what he wanted here. Because I didn’t have the balls to stand up and insist we leave. The same reason I didn’t speak up when I started to have a bad feeling about coming to this place.

“Please, please, please.” He whispered, “I promise to take you anywhere you want for dinner, once I get back. How about that? Or we can order food in, have a movie night at Kash’s? Bowling? Pool party. Anything. I will owe you. Promise.”

I hated promises. They were always broken.

But, lowering my head, I moved it up and down, enough to indicate a nod, and he whooped. His hand squeezed my shoulder. “Thanks, Bailes. I’ll be right back. Promise, promise, promise.”

Then he was gone.

Bailes.

Gah. I liked that he gave me a nickname.

The guards went with him, and two others rotated up. I recognized them as the ones normally assigned to me. Standing, I went to the banister and watched as Matt and his bartender walked around the field, heading toward the main lodge area. Three guards tailed them.

“You said you were hungry?”

“Hmm?” I turned. The other bartender had approached, a friendly enough smile on his face.

“Your stomach is growling.” He nodded to me. “I can actually hear it.”

“Oh.” I pressed a hand, feeling the rumbling. “Yeah.”

He was smiling. His eyes were smiling.

My head was clouding up and my vision was tunneling, but if I had some food in me, and water, I would sober up. I’d be okay then.

He offered, “I can make a call to the kitchen, have them send something over. Would you like that?”

I waited a hot second. “Hell yes.”

He laughed, moving back behind the bar, taking my glass with him. “I’ll top this off for you, too.”

That’s when the guard moved forward, a phone in his hand. “Miss Bailey?”

“Yeah?”

The bartender was pouring the wine, not watching us, but sound traveled. He could hear us.

The guard held out the phone. “Mr. Colello’s on the phone for you.”

I couldn’t squash down the tingle that went through me at hearing Kash was on the phone. Taking it, I tried not to hop up too quick. The floor would’ve rushed me.

The bartender was bringing over the wine as I put the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Where are you?”

The wine was held out to me.

I took it, trying to keep my hand clear of his, but the bartender moved his finger at the last second. It grazed against mine. My eyes went to his. A seductive gleam was there, a faint grin on his face, and taking my look as permission, he rubbed his finger against mine more gently, and way more suggestively.

I jerked back. My wine splashed, hitting my face, the phone, my top.

I gasped.

“Oh no. I’m so sorry.” The bartender and guard moved at the same time.

The bartender was going toward my top, the towel that he rested over his shoulder already in hand, ready to help dry something. Me. My shirt. I didn’t know. But the guard growled and hip checked the guy. He literally bumped him back. The other guard rushed forward.

Kash was saying something on the phone. “What’s happening?”

I was burning up. My face. My neck. My ears. I was embarrassed.

And I could only stare in terror as both guards wrestled the bartender to the ground.

“Stop!” I ran forward, holding the phone, ignoring Kash. I went to one of the guards, pulling at his arm. “Stop. Let him up. He was trying to help. I did it. I jerked back and spilled the wine.”

“Bailey!” From the phone.

I put it back to my ear, saying, rushed, “I gotta go. There was a thing.”

“A thing?”

I hung up, thrusting the phone at the guard.

Both stepped back, letting the bartender get back to his feet.

I was there, patting him on the arm now, the chest. “I’m so sorry. So sorry.” Why was I doing this? I was the one still wet. I felt bad. That’s why. “Again. I’m so sorry. They’re just—”

He was easing back from me, putting a safe distance between me and him, and he nodded. “Doing their job. I got it.” He held his hands up, moving one step at a time until he was behind the bar. “I’ll … uh … I’ll be doing my job.” He was the face of professionalism now. Cold and detached. Not the flirting guy from seconds earlier. Clearing his throat, he kept eyeing the guards behind me. “I’ll, just, call in that order, ma’am.”

Great.

Not that I cared, but there was another person who thought I was a pariah. It shouldn’t matter. I was telling myself that, as I went back to the couch I’d been sitting on. The next match was starting, with new horses, ones that looked fresh under their riders.

It was okay I was an embarrassment.

I mean, who was here that cared? Matt was gone. I was good. All by myself.

I didn’t need any company.

I should’ve stayed at the estate. At least there I was starting to feel comfortable. I wasn’t treated as an outcast. I mean, an outcast who was being protected, but still. The sentiment stuck. If I went over to that lodge, I didn’t know those people. I never would know those people.

Those people … I was watching them and seeing a commotion starting. I leaned forward.

What was happening?

A large crowd had started to form, moving from down the driveway and going slowly toward the lodge, then behind it. People were running to the other side, catching up with the crowd, until a car was breaking free from the group.

It was coming toward me.

I stood, knowing, feeling, not daring to hope, and went to the edge of the banister so I could see better.

Unlike when Matt and I waited to pull in and everyone had to empty the barn so we could get out in private, Kash folded out of his car. He tossed the keys to one of the guards, his eyes lifting and finding mine. Hands in his pockets, he ducked his head down, ignoring a few guys who had tried to call out to him. Some of the stable staff lingered outside the barn, confused as to who Kash was, and then I heard him coming up the stairs.

Well, I didn’t hear him. One didn’t hear Kash. But I felt him.

I knew he was coming.

One of the guards went to the door, opened it before Kash got there, and in he strolled. His gaze locked on me and was not moving away.

Hewasn’t moving away. He was coming right at me, no pause, no slowing down. It seemed like it took three steps for him to be across the room, and then he grabbed my arm and was pulling me with him down the hallway. He didn’t spare anyone a glance, just pushed open the back bedroom door, dragged me in, and closed the door. He locked it before he turned.

His gaze pinned me in place, narrowing, and he leaned back against the door.

He drawled one word. “Explain.”

And I gulped.