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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The day had started amazingly, and now it was going to shit.

Jay couldn’t even take the time to enjoy thinking about what he and Ryden had done in Ryden’s office.

When he went in there, needing a moment to himself, an array of emotions coursed through him.

He hadn’t expected Ryden to come in after him, but having him there in front of Jay, looking so concerned, ready to take on his brother, Jay decided, fuck it.

And yes, maybe Ryden’s words about what he would do to Jay played a role in what happened.

Jay had been so freaking turned on. All he could think about was Ryden naked, buried deep inside him.

Neither the time nor the place .

Right. Back to everything being shit. Jay only had himself to blame.

King had given him an out and offered to find another way, but Jay had insisted he could handle it.

Had he made a big mistake? It didn’t matter.

Innocent people were getting hurt. If putting these bastards behind bars meant an uncomfortable reunion with his brother, then so be it.

He’d do what he had to, and then they could return to their separate worlds.

That didn’t stop Jay from being curious.

What did his brother think he was doing?

They hadn’t spoken in years, yet he walked in here all smiley and asking for a hug like nothing had happened, like they were best buds.

And the flirting? What in the name of Beyoncé’s bedazzled bonnet was that about?

Not to mention, he’d picked Ryden to flirt with.

Out of everyone on the floor, his suddenly not-so-straight brother picked Ryden? Unfuckingbelievable.

King stood at the head of the table and motioned to Finch, who positioned himself to King’s right like he’d been there this whole time.

He blended in with the others, dressed in khaki cargo pants, a black T-shirt, and combat boots.

Meanwhile, Jay sat at the end of the table, wearing an orange paisley vest with a matching tie.

Nope. No. He was not going down that path.

Flipping his bangs out of his face, he sat back. He looked fucking fabulous.

“Everyone, this is Finch Starling,” King said. “I’ve thanked him for joining us and caught him up on what we’ve got. Finch served with these men, and it’s not good.” He nodded at Jack.

Jack tapped at his tablet, and the screen on the wall turned on, displaying the profile pictures of the Marine Raiders they were dealing with earlier.

Jay was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that his brother had served with these men who were up to who knew what illegal activities, including being connected to two murders.

Had they been close? Could his brother have been involved?

No. Finch might be an asshole, but he wasn’t a murderer.

Finch stepped up to the screen and pointed at the men one by one.

“Fleming, Walton, Rivera, Jones, Dennis, and the original sixth member, Long. Officially, we were deployed to the Philippines for technical support and to offer surveillance, intelligence, and reconnaissance training—no boots on the ground. We also provided military equipment, weapons, and two surveillance aircraft. Participating in combat was prohibited by Philippine law.”

“Unofficially?” Joker asked knowingly.

Finch grinned. “Unofficially, we were a little more hands-on.”

Jack pulled up the redacted documents he and Leo had found. “We suspect what they’re up to now is connected to whatever happened that led to their other than honorable discharge, but this was all we could find.”

“You’re not going to find anything else,” Finch said.

“Come on, boys. I don’t have to explain special ops to you.

No paper trails, digital footprints, or evidence of any kind.

No witnesses and no room for failure. This was a complicated, bloody, and ugly battle.

Good Marines were lost. These men were suspected of selling US military weapons to the very terrorists we were sent there to fight.

I had my suspicions, but my hands were tied, and there was insufficient evidence.

Hence, the other than honorable discharge. ”

King sighed. “So it’s safe to say they’re selling illegal weapons to foreign hostiles, shipping them out of Florida ports.”

“That would be my guess,” Finch confirmed.

“These guys are good at what they do. They’ve been doing this for years and haven’t been caught yet, but they’re not invincible.

They lost one of their own. Desperation must have had them replacing their Marine brother with that asshat.

Someone probably vouched for him. They might be regretting their life choices but have adapted.

You said you had a map of the ports where they’ve set up fronts? ”

Jack brought up a map of Florida with the cities and ports Bullard operated out of circled in red. Finch studied it. He tapped his finger against the screen.

“This is where they’re headed.”

“Tampa,” Ryden confirmed.

That made sense. From what they knew, those guys needed to move fast, and with Jacksonville out of the picture, they’d regroup and head for the nearest best thing. Tampa was the biggest port in the state.

Lucky held up a finger. “I don’t understand why they did not just ship their weapons out of Tampa in the first place.

I mean, they are already established there.

If this shipment is so important and they needed to move it fast, why come here?

Why try to establish a connection with such a big company like Connolly Maritime? ”

“That I can’t tell you,” Finch replied with a sigh. “But if they’re taking these kinds of risks, it means they have a reason for not having gone through Tampa in the first place. I think they’re running out of time and have no choice. They’ve also got a head start. So, what’s the plan, fellas?”

The tension returned as several of the guys exchanged glances.

Was Finch serious? Well, someone was getting too big for his britches.

Did he think he could stroll in here and take over?

Just because he’d been a warrant officer, same as King, didn’t mean the guys would fall into line and follow him.

Trust had to be earned; as far as Jay was concerned, there was no trust here.

Finch shook his head. “You called me in, so I’m in. I know these guys and how they operate. They are ruthless. You need me.” He didn’t so much as look in Jay’s direction. “Don’t roll your eyes at me.”

You’re not the boss of me . If he wanted to roll his eyes, he’d roll his eyes. “You told us what we needed to know. Thank you very much. Nice to see you, you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. Wherever home is.”

Finch’s shit-eating grin had Jay straightening.

“Anastasia Beach.”

Jay almost fell out of his chair. What? What? “You’re living here ? In St. Augustine?” The last time Jay talked to his brother, he was in Jacksonville, so not far from Jay at all. But when had he moved to St. Augustine? Not that Jay cared. It was none of his business. “How’d you get here so fast?”

Finch shrugged as he leaned back against the wall, hands in his cargo pants pockets. “I was in the area.”

Oh, that’s some BS right there. Jay narrowed his eyes. “In the area. That’s quite the coincidence.” That and he could tell his brother was holding something back. Finch’s expression always gave him away. Like Ryden, Finch had one of those faces with subtitles. There was no hiding his thoughts.

“Not really. It’s hard to live here without coming into the historic district.” The wicked gleam in Finch’s eyes didn’t bode well, and Jay braced himself. What the hell was going on? Why would Finch move to St. Augustine? It certainly wasn’t to be closer to Jay.

“Why are you here?” Jay demanded.

Finch motioned to the room. “ You called me, remember?”

“You know what I mean, smartass. Why are you here ? In my town.”

“I wasn’t aware this was your town, Jaybird, or that I needed my baby brother’s permission,” Finch replied, sounding amused.

King cleared his throat. “Why don’t we all take a break?” He motioned for the rest of the guys to follow him. Everyone except Ryden quickly followed.

Ryden stood, his gaze going from Jay to Finch and back. He was unsure what to do, and Jay was touched that he’d stayed behind to support him.

“I’ll be okay,” Jay promised. He stood, rounded his shoulders, and narrowed his eyes at Finch. “I need a minute alone with my brother.”

Ryden nodded. He glanced at Finch, who winked at him. Winked .

Are you kidding me ?

“Sure.” Ryden squeezed Jay’s shoulder. “I’ll be outside if you need me.” Then he disappeared, closing the door to the conference room behind him. Jay pretended he didn’t see Finch following Ryden’s every move with his eyes or the fact that he had blatantly zoned in on Ryden’s ass.

“Why are you here?” Jay repeated, getting right to it.

The sooner they got this over with, the sooner his brother could go on his merry way, and they could pretend they weren’t living in the same city.

Had his brother planned on calling him? Clearly not, since he’d already been around who knew how long and hadn’t reached out. Then again, would Jay have answered?

“I’m working in private security.”

Private security? Everything fell into place. “That’s why you’re in St. Augustine and agreed to help. You want a job. More importantly, you want me to get you a job.”

Finch snorted. “Jaybird, I don’t need you to get me anything.”

“Is that why you’ve been calling me?” Jay demanded, planting his hands on his hips.

“So I could hook you up?” It made sense that his brother would go into private security once he’d completed his service, and knowing his brother as well as he did, Finch would want to work with the best. After all this time of not talking to him, he showed up because he wanted something from Jay? The fucking nerve.