Ball & Chain

“Why am I being wanded?” Kelly asked.



“Just stand still,” the guard ordered.



“I am standing still,” Kelly said. “What, does that thing not work when I’m talking? It gets distracted? It’s a metal detector with ADD?”



“Jesus Christ, Kels, just let him wand you,” Nick said, rubbing his eyes as he stood behind Kelly, waiting for his turn.



“I usually get dinner first. No, that’s a lie,” Kelly said as the man waved the wand over his chest.



Kelly cleared his throat and nodded, but his eyes were sparkling when he stepped into the room. Nick stood obediently and let the man wand him, but just as Ty knew it would, the wand went off at Nick’s thigh near his pocket.



“Do you have a weapon on you, sir?” the guard asked him.



“No.” Nick unbuttoned his jacket and turned his suit pocket inside out. “It’s shrapnel in my thigh. There are certain frequencies it sets off.”



The man patted Nick’s thigh down, then wanded him again after finding nothing in his pocket. Nick narrowed his eyes. When the man looked up at him, Nick shook his head.



“Not taking my pants off, man.”



The security guy snorted and waved him past.



They were joined in the study by Livi’s father, Theodore Stanton, and her brother, whose name had escaped Ty. Two other men followed along and positioned themselves at the door of the study, not being discreet at all about the fact that they were Stanton’s private security. They called each other English and Hardin. Ty had pegged them as ex-military as soon as he’d seen them, and he guessed the others had as well.



One more man joined them. Despite the casual evening, he was wearing a suit and vest. His movements were fast and nervous, and his forehead glistened with sweat. He carried a smooth worry stone in his hand, and he was almost continuously rubbing his thumb over it. Stanton introduced him as Ernest Milton, the company’s head of operations. He seemed pretty young for such a prestigious position, which probably explained his obvious stress-related issues.



“Gentlemen,” Stanton said as he poured himself a drink and took a thick cigar out of a humidor on a desk in the corner of the room. “I understand Deacon asked you to come here as added security.”



Ty raised an eyebrow. He glanced over his shoulder at Nick and Kelly, who were both frowning hard but not yet looking defensive.



Stanton took a deep breath and looked at his daughter, his expression softening. “I’ve always believed in too much rather than too little, so thank you. And welcome.”



That surprised Ty, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Nick’s shoulders relax. They’d been expecting a little resistance.



Stanton continued. “My family has always received threats. That’s the way of the business, I’m afraid. But when news of Amelia’s birth got out, some of those threats turned their attention to her.”



“How so?” Ty practically growled.



“To be perfectly blunt: as leverage.”



Ty and Zane both turned to Deuce. He’d gone considerably paler. He met Ty’s eyes and nodded. “Kidnapping her and using her to force Theodore to make decisions for the company.”



Ty’s blood began to boil at the mere thought. These people had no fucking idea what kind of fire they were playing with if they came after Amelia.



“I’m sorry,” Kelly said. “But what do you do that’s so important to your competitors to warrant threats of that magnitude?”



“Two years ago, we bid on a defense contract. It was awarded to us over four other companies. There are some . . . sensitive projects being undertaken.”



“Has it escalated since then?” Nick asked.



“We received several specific threats regarding the wedding, yes,” Deuce said, his voice hoarse. “Not just to Amelia, but to Livi, myself, and Theodore and Susan. That’s why we moved the timetable and cut the guest list down to bare essentials.”



“So at its core, this is a corporate espionage issue,” Kelly muttered. He and Nick shared a look. “You should have asked Owen to be your date.”



Nick gave him a solemn nod. “But at least you put out.”



Ty glanced back at them with a frown. Neither man was laughing.



Zane was sitting on the edge of the couch, resting his elbows on his knees. He’d been quiet so far, but he finally took the opportunity to speak. “Were there any specifics? Any indication of how they intended to strike or what they were after?”



“I brought the communications for you to look at,” Deuce said, and headed for the desk to retrieve a flash drive. He held it up, looking guilty. “I’m sorry, I know you’re not on the job right now. I feel bad putting this on you.”



“You’re talking about my niece, Deacon, fuck the job,” Ty growled. He stood and took the flash drive, then handed it to Zane.



The nervous head of operations, Milton, finally spoke up. “Our security is well prepared for any eventuality. We don’t anticipate a problem. Everyone here, with the exception of these two,” he added, gesturing to Nick and Kelly, “has been vetted with background checks.”



Ty looked up in time to see Kelly narrow his eyes and Nick bristle. Ty cleared his throat. “Your company’s security clearance isn’t high enough to check their backgrounds, so don’t bother.”



The man sniffed, dismissing Ty’s words with a wave of his hand.



“These are people I trust to protect my daughter,” Deuce said, his voice going hard. He examined the two bodyguards. “All due respect for your preparedness, of course.”



“Bottom line, gentlemen, we don’t expect trouble,” Stanton announced before more words could be exchanged. “But if trouble comes, we intend to deal with it in-house.” He nodded toward the two bodyguards at the door.



“We have five men on the island, with constant patrols,” the man called English said. His eyes went from Ty to Nick and Kelly. “Our files indicate you’re Marines, is that right?”



“That’s right,” Ty answered. He surveyed the man up and down. He was huge, with biceps the circumference of small trees, and a chest that looked more like a barrel of ale and produced a deep, echoing voice. His head was shaved clean, and his brown eyes were sharp and observant.



“Green Beret?” Nick asked out of the blue. Ty had to quickly look down at his hand to hide a smile.



English stiffened. He nodded, his jaw tightening. He obviously didn’t like that someone could peg him without the benefit of a file. “Force Recon team Sidewinder. Now defunct.”



The other bodyguard, Hardin, grinned, showing his crooked teeth. “Sidewinder. Like the snake.” The room was silent, waiting for his point. “You know what they used to call the Green Berets when we were active?”



Ty tried hard not to roll his eyes. Behind him, Kelly answered wryly, “Snake Eaters.”



Both security men chuckled. “Best watch out, Sidewinders. Don’t want to get eaten.”



Nick barked a laugh. “I appreciate the offer, Hoss, but I got someone taking care of me already.”



Hardin squared his shoulders, his face growing ruddy.



“Don’t worry, you’ll find that someone special,” Kelly assured him, his voice sincere.



Zane turned to Ty, grumbling under his breath. “They’re going to get us killed.”



Ty knocked his knee against Zane’s and fought desperately not to laugh.



“I think we’re done here,” Stanton said to Deuce.



“No, wait a minute,” Zane said. “You’re telling us you don’t anticipate trouble, but every move you’ve made so far has been in anticipation of trouble. I get the feeling we’re getting the runaround here. I’d like the whole story.”



Nick and Kelly both made sounds of agreement.



“Like we’ve said,” Milton grunted. “We’ve got it taken care of. Just enjoy your brother’s wedding and leave the heavy lifting to the professionals.”



“That’s enough,” Stanton said, his voice soft but stern. His expression was completely unreadable. “I understand what you men are capable of, and I appreciate your dedication to your family, and to mine. The fact is, we don’t know what to expect. My men will handle the perimeter defense of the activities if the four of you will concentrate on the safety of my daughter and granddaughter.” He gave Livi a fond smile.



Ty and Zane shared a glance. “Sir, we’d be honored if you trusted us with that task,” Ty said.



Stanton came closer and shook his hand. His grip was firm and curt, and he made eye contact and kept it. He then shook the hands of the other three, thanking them for understanding. He left the room, his two bodyguards and Milton trailing after him.



Livi sat down hard, sighing audibly. “Thank you for keeping it mostly civil with Daddy’s guys.”



Deuce rolled his eyes and limped to the wet bar to make himself a drink.



“Where is Amelia now?” Ty asked Livi. “Does she have a nanny or babysitter or something?”



“Not usually, but the island employs a full-time nanny, her name is Maisie. Amelia took to her immediately, they’ve been inseparable ever since.”



“You trust her?”



“Her mother was our nanny when we were young.” Livi waved at her brother. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I introduced any of you. This is Theo, my older brother. Theo, this is Zane, Ty, Nick, and Kelly.”



Theo raised his glass to them. “Pleasure.” His tone wasn’t convincing.



“Don’t get too excited, bud,” Kelly said.



Livi cleared her throat and stood, smoothing her hands down her skirt. “Well. I guess we should get back to the party.”



Ty sat in a chair around an unlit fire pit on the edge of the garden, far enough away from the heaters for it to be a little chilly, nursing his drink and watching the few remaining people mill about the dining area.



Amelia had long ago been tucked safe in her bed, along with all her cousins. Nick and Kelly had, of course, landed at a table with three of the bridesmaids, including Ty’s baby cousin, Emma. She was a beautiful young woman with a personality to match. Ty would have to remember to threaten both men if they even thought about making a move on her. Nick was the most obvious danger, but Kelly had a way of slipping through the defenses before you noticed him there.



Deuce and Livi were making the rounds to the last trickle of guests, saying good-night. Zane was standing at the end of the bar, water glass in hand, stuck talking to another of the groomsmen. He finally made his escape as Ty watched. He had to smirk when Zane strolled toward him, one hand in a pocket, his shoulders thrown back and relaxed. He’d taken his tie off and loosened the top few buttons of his shirt, and he cut an impressive figure.



Ty bit his lip. “Indeed,” he said under his breath. Zane saw his expression and smiled as he came closer.



Soon the patio was empty enough for Deuce and Livi to retreat into the darkness of the gardens and sit with Ty. They both looked exhausted. Ty held his glass up and tapped it against Livi’s.



“To the lovely bride,” he said.



“To my future brother,” she replied, grinning. “God help me.”



“You mind if I smoke?” Deuce asked as he dug into his jacket.



“Only if you share,” Livi answered wryly.



It wasn’t a cigarette Deuce pulled from his pocket, though. Ty laughed in exasperation. “How did you get that through airport security?”



“Private plane, man. What, you thought I was marrying her for her personality?”



Livi snorted. Zane materialized out of the shadows and settled in next to Ty, who set his glass on the ground and wrapped an arm around Zane’s shoulders. Zane leaned into him, and they shared a kiss before he propped his feet on the fire pit.



Just as Deuce was getting ready to light up, they noticed Nick, Kelly, and Emma heading their way. Deuce glanced at Ty. “Nick still a cop?”



“Sort of. Little far from his jurisdiction.”



“Did he go hardass? Like . . . forget-who-his-friends-are kind of cop?”



Ty frowned. “What are you talking about?”



“I’m more likely to arrest you than he is,” Zane told Deuce.



Nick and Kelly came strolling over, Emma between them with one arm hooked through each of theirs. She was a natural blonde with hints of strawberry and darker tones in her long hair, and it was split into two messy ties just behind her ears. She was tan and fit with an athletic, curvy build and delicate features, and her eyes were a deep green. She’d always been a pretty girl with a mischievous personality, just the type Nick and Kelly both would probably be drawn to. Ty gave her skimpy cocktail dress a disapproving once-over.



“Did they forget to sell you the rest of that dress, sweetheart?” Ty asked her.



“I got it half-price,” she answered with an unconcerned shrug. Ty laughed and stood to hug her. She let go of Nick and Kelly and threw her arms around Ty’s neck, hugging him so hard that he staggered backward.



“I thought you had better taste than these two,” Ty finally grunted with a nod at his friends.



She stepped back and smacked Ty in the side of the head. “I haven’t heard from you in forever!” She turned to Zane and stuck out her hand. “You’re Zane, right?”



“Yes ma’am.”



“Nice to meet you, Zane. I’m Emma, Ty’s poor, neglected cousin.”



“Quit bitching, I called you on your birthday. Last year,” Ty said as he sat back down.



Emma gave them both a big grin. “Mara told me you two were cute together,” she said, completely devoid of any tact, just like Ty and the rest of the family.