Page 43 of The Devil’s Detail (The Greystone Family: Greystone Brothers #2)

Jackson

Not one word is spoken as we set off to drive back into the city to my apartment there. I look out the window and see the ocean blinking at me, the sun sparkling off the water.

“Take me to Evie’s,” I state, not looking at Ash.

I need to speak to my sister. I don’t want to be on my own, and I don’t think I’m safe to be out in public. What a fucking mess. One minute I’m as happy as Larry, the next I’m about to blow a gasket. The fact that I lost it on such a big scale has scared the shit out of me.

I felt that guy's throat in my hands, and I was ice cold. Hardly anything standing between me and oblivion. A tiny thread. Just a slight more pressure. My cold and calculating brain had kicked in. If Carter hadn’t dropped that bottle and Ash hadn’t touched me, I’m not sure if I’d have gone over the edge.

And for what? A man who has lied and schemed. Setting up another rendezvous in his fucking house. Waiting for me to do what? Leave? And then fetch the younger guy back? I huff out a laugh. And it’s not a funny noise.

Ash doesn’t speak until we pull into Evie’s drive. “You gonna be okay?” I nod at him. “I can stay if you’re worried.” He’d clearly seen the cold stone killer. I’d lost the plot.

I shake my head. “I’m fine, Ash. I knew what I was doing. I just wasn’t sure if I wanted to stop or not. But I did. So…” I’m deflecting, and he probably knows it, but he lets it slide.

“You think he’ll press charges?” he asks, concerned.

I shrug. “We’ll see. If he does, he does.

But they’ll need us before we need them.

So I can’t see it. And besides, I just say I’m going to tell the truth, the whole truth.

That I thought he was Carter’s next fuckboy.

Spill my guts about what actually happened in CAshO to make me think that.

Freddie won’t want that shit out there. Neither will Carter.

And the young guy probably doesn’t need that sort of stench around him.

Whoever he is. So I doubt it.” My computer brain has computed and run all the scenarios.

“No one is getting off this shitpile looking good. There is no win-win here,” I grit out, my anger starting to burn hot again.

Ash looks at me weirdly, his brows pulled together and his face screwed up in astonishment. Before he can start asking me questions about what actually happened in CAshO, I jump out of the car and head to find my sister. I need the calm, I need her comfort, and I definitely need her counsel.

But my luck is fading. She’s out with the twins and Xander. The only adult in the house is Kell.

Out of everyone, Kell is the most hot-headed, the most brutally blunt. But today, he’s laid back, relaxed and chilled on the couch in his jeans, no T-shirt. What the fuck is he doing laid out in the middle of the afternoon?

Then I spot the reason why. His beautiful baby daughter is asleep on his chest. He’s wide awake, staring up at the ceiling. He turns his head when I walk in, his eyes—so like James’s— regarding me. He’s assessing me, and I see the concern on his face when he clocks my expression.

“Take your shirt off,” he commands quietly. He doesn’t move. Just continues to stare at me. “Take your shirt off, Jackson.” His voice is soft, but the command beneath it is unmistakable.

“Think you’re talking to the wrong man, brother.” I smirk at him.

“No, I’m definitely not. You need some Rio time. So get that fucking shirt off, get sat on that chair, and take my daughter.” Now I hear the smile under the commanding tone.

He moves to a sitting position, but the little bundle of love stays firmly attached to his chest. He nuzzles her hair with his chin, smiling so lovingly I almost get tears in my eyes.

I whip off my shirt, and reach for the baby. She hardly murmurs as she nestles into me. I sit, gingerly, but then recline into the chair and breathe in her baby scent. My nerves start to calm immediately. Any excess adrenaline gets tamped down. Any anger fades away. I breathe long and deep.

“Blame your brother for Rio wanting to sleep on us. Evie said Jonno took her every night in Ireland, let her sleep on him. My wife thinks he was trying to entice Aoife into loving him. And if he had a baby on his chest, she wouldn’t be able to resist him.

It’s a girl thing, Evie tells me. Obviously worked.

” Kell smiles at me. “Right, now you’re calm, and you can’t shout as you have her on you.

You can start and tell me what the fuck is wrong. ” The man is a tactical genius.

“Where’s Kitten?” I don’t want to have to tell him the full debacle about CAshO. They know bits and bobs about the blindfolds, the NDAs. They are men who have lived that lifestyle. But I don’t really want to go into it fully.

He arches his brow at me. “You don’t trust me to tell me?

Or is it because Evie panders to your ego?

You look like you’re well beyond pandering.

Just tell me, Jackson. Trust me with it.

I can help. Or at least listen.” His smile is genuine as he sits back and waits for me to start.

He’s lulled me into some much needed sense of security.

Used the baby to remind me I can trust him—he’s been there for all of us. He’s always there to listen.

“I said yes to Carter.” I look at his face, and it doesn’t move.

Just a ‘yes and’ impression in his eyes.

“I met him at the Daisy Cafe today. God, it feels like days ago, not hours.” I drop my head back, working not to jostle the baby.

“I had a meeting with a potential client, and he rang and turned up.”

“Bet he couldn’t keep away,” Kell states, grinning.

“No, he couldn’t. Anyway, I say yes, and we go to his to get it on.” Kell’s face pales. Clearly he doesn’t want to know the nitty gritty either. “Don’t worry, I’m not completely spilling my guts. You’re safe.”

“Thank fuck for that.” He blows out a breath, but I can see him laughing underneath. “Carry on.” He’s as bad as his wife, gesturing for me to hurry up.

“When we get there, he tells me there are some people signing some contracts, and he needs to sort it out. So Ash and I go and sit on the veranda to wait.” He nods, listening intently.

“Carter comes out, telling me he’s all signed up, and the others are just doing theirs.

He’s off to get some champers to celebrate.

Asks Ash and I to make our way to the lounge to ‘join in’ the celebrations. ” I wobble my head slightly.

“Why did you emphasise ‘Join in'? My brain has just moved to a different place now. A different type of joining in.” He’s looking at me like I’ve taken leave of my senses.

I huff out. “Well, I get to the doors, and I hear him .”

“Who?”

“Fucking Bonney. They wanted me to ‘join in’ with him.”

Kell's eyes are wide. He gasps. “Fucking Bonney. No way. He was there in the room? No wonder Carter was asking you to join in.”

“If only it were that simple. I walk in, and there’s a young guy, good looking, sitting with Carter's agent. Only his lips are not moving, but the voice is still talking. Telling a woman he loves her. So fucking posh. Even more than you and Xander.”

“Surely not,” he says in his poshest accent, smirking. “And why was Bonney telling a woman he loves her, when clearly he likes men? Was it the young guy?”

I shake my head. “No. I start shouting, asking who the voice belongs to. Asking about Bonney. Freddie is shouting out that he can’t tell me, as I haven’t signed an NDA.

Which I fucking had.” Kell’s eyebrows are going nearer and nearer his hairline.

“Then the young guy tells me, he’s fucking next.

He’s signed all the NDAs and he’s being primed for the part.

The next victim for Bonney.” I’m trying to keep my voice moderate, as I have Rio asleep.

But I’m struggling. “Take her, Kell. I need to stand.”

He shakes his head at me. “Stand with her, but keep her with you. You need her, Jax.”

I stay seated. The baby is more important than me, and I’m not sure I won’t be able to keep a lid on it if I stand.

“Did you hurt the guy, Jackson? Your eyes have gone a bit hazed.” His voice is quiet. Soft. He knows me well. But then I suppose he would. He’s known me since I was ten years old.

I blow hard on that one. “I had him in a chokehold up against the wall. But I didn’t hurt him. I wanted to, though.”

“So if he wasn’t Bonney. Who the fuck was?” Kell is getting straight to the point.

I reciprocate. “Carter.” My voice is low. Dejected. I sound so pissed off.

He’s shocked. “Wow! Fuck me. Really? Did not see that one coming. But to be fair, I have heard Carter's posh English voice before. He modelled it on Xan and me. Needed it for a part a few years ago. He never got it, but his voice was totally different. Amazing really. No wonder you didn’t recognise him from his voice.”

I look amazed at what Kell just said. “Yeah, well, he tricked me. Told me he wanted to be with me, said he wanted no secrets between us. What a twat. He knew he wanted me, because he’d already had me.

Wanted a round two. Even contacted me as Bonney to set me up.

Fucking tosser. Then he’s so fucking brazen, he’s got my replacement all signed up.

Younger model. What the fuck did he expect me to do?

Agree to it?” I’m shaking my head in disgust. “Thought I’d say yes to him as Carter, and let him just fuck someone else as his alter ego dictates. Not a fucking chance.”

“What did he say? What was his explanation?” Kell asks.

I stare at him in amazement. “What do you mean? Explanation. Have you not listened to what I’ve said? Here Kell, take her. I’m off.” I’m brusque, curt.

I stand and Rio makes a sucking noise as her little lips pout, as if sucking a dummy. I melt, and I see Kell smirk. He knew I wouldn’t be able to resist her. She’s so beautiful, so like Xander, her colouring is exactly the same. But not her mouth. She is my sister's double.

“Look, I know you’re angry. But I’m sorry, Jackson, that doesn’t make sense.”

Honestly, at times Kellen Russell just does not listen. “How can it not? I’m asking about Bonney. They’re jabbering about NDAs, keeping all that fucker’s secrets.”

“It doesn’t. Why would Freddie, his agent, get involved in that sort of shit? And who was the young guy? And not in the next victim way. What was his name?”

“Henry Blake.” Ash walks into the room and I look over at him. “He’s been around a bit, on FaceTime mainly. I’ve heard Carter talking to him. He’s an actor.”

I laugh out sarcastically. Of course he is. “Another one for ‘Bonney’ to get on side no doubt.”

Ash is shaking his head. “I don’t think so. I’ve got a feeling he’s involved on the acting side only.” Ash is trying to keep me calm. He’s failing. Because all I can think about is that deceitful shit.

“Now, don’t go berserk on me. But do you think for one little nanosecond you might have jumped to a few conclusions?” Kell has his hands on his hips. That has got to be the best statement that has ever come out of his mouth.

I give him an ‘oh really?’ look.

“Yeah, well, as a person who has been known to go a wee bit teeny tiny overboard on the wrong thing at times, I think I can ask you that. Because, to be fair, Jackson, I have to say, this is not all adding up. Freddie, the actor chap, Carter going to get bottles to celebrate. Why would he do that if he was going to sack you off in favour of Henry Blake?” He pulls his phone out of his jeans and searches. “Is that him?”

His smiling, snivelling face is on the screen. “Yep. That’s the one.”

Kell is shaking his head, looking down at the phone image. It starts to ping. Ping.Ping.Ping. It’s non-stop.

“What the fuck is going on? Is that Carter?” I ask, trying to be super annoyed, but a little bit hoping that it might be.

Kell has his head down, looking at the messages. “Shit,” he breathes out. His eyes slowly rise to lock onto mine. “I think you may have got the wrong end of the stick, brother.”

“Is that Carter?” I demand.

“Yes, but look.” He hands me the phone and removes his daughter from me as Ash comes to stand next to me, reading over my shoulder

‘Carter Maywood to be the next secret agent’

‘Get Carter’ to catch a bad guy.’

‘Thirty-six-year-old star to play ‘role of his dreams’’

‘How the Tennessee boy turned into a British secret agent. Hear Carter speak about his journey to Jameson Bonney.’

Headline after headline. Story after story. Bonney after Bonney.

All the blood has drained from my face. It’s as if I’ve taken part in some sort of Shakespearean farce. I was a major player. The lead. Carter my supporting actor. Or, more over, the fucking director in this farce. Epic proportions.

Well I don’t give a fuck.

My face must harden, as Kell asks. “What are you going to do, Jackson? You need to talk to him.”

Ash’s phone starts to ring. He shows me the display. Carter.