Brad didn’t look convinced, but Tynan was sure that Brad wouldn’t be able to find anything that Zach didn’t want him to.

They stared each other down. Neither of them back down. The moment ended when a knock sounded on the door. 

Brad was the first to look away, but Tynan didn’t think they settled the issue. Morris entered. His footsteps flattered when he noticed the man standing at the window. He caught himself. “Am I interrupting?”

“Hardly. We were waiting on you.” Brad stepped away from the window and walked up to Morris with a smile on his face. 

“You must be Brad Maxwell.” Morris extended his hand.

“I take it you are Morris Keller.” The handshake was brief. 

Tynan pressed the intercom and requested a new batch of refreshments. He also asked for an unopened bottle of water.

“I think that you were brought in to handle me.” Brad retook his seat. 

Tynan and Morris sat side by side. “I was assigned to handle you in the first place. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that I don’t have to spend my Saturday lurking around a college campus.” 

The smile in Brad’s eyes faded. “It seems that Rain was even more unsuitable than I originally assumed.” 

It had nothing to do with Rain, but no one would correct the misunderstanding. This wasn’t the only sin that would be attributed to him. “What about the other pawns you have collected?”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that.” 

Tynan lifted his hands in surrender. “I was asking to be polite.” He kept a grin on his face.

A sweet smile tilted Brad’s lips. “Has anyone said you look killable?”

It was said in such a pleasant tone that Tynan thought he’d misheard what the man said. “You are the first to say it, but I’m sure that other people have thought it.” 

“Are you both finished? I have better things to do than wait for you two to establish who is superior.” Morris finished scanning the preliminary contract. “There are no other issues. Who should I contact to hammer out the finer points?”  

“You can talk to me.” Brad uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “I can’t decide if you two have a lot of information about me or not enough.” 

The conversation paused as Diane entered. Things remained tense as she served them and continued even after she left.

Brad opened a bottle of water and took a sip. “You are too calm.” He gave an amused chuckle. “I was warned not to lightly approach people in S Country. I should have paid more attention to that piece of advice.”

Morris took a sip of his coffee. “S Country has a long history.” 

This entire situation was an odd mix of open conversation and words with hidden meanings. It was hard not to get whiplash when talking to Brad. He changed his demeanor on a dime and didn’t seem to have a problem with sharing. 

“I will be more careful going forward. Morris, you will be dealing with me directly. I don’t think I have anyone in my employment that will be able to work well with you.” 

Morris nodded. This was the best outcome. “How long will you be in Lor City?” 

“I planned to stay longer, but the other appointment I had got canceled.” 

“We could arrange a meeting if you wanted,” Tynan said. He wondered how Rain would react when he saw that Brad had abandoned him. The actor was convinced that he would be rescued.

“That won't be necessary.” Maxwell stood, buttoning his suit. “I look forward to working with both of you in the future.” He made sure to take the bottle that he drank out of with him. He also walked to the desk and took the listening devices with him. 

“I will have Diane see you out of the building.” Tynan stood. They exchanged a last round of handshakes. He didn't need those devices. Zach had already traced them to the source, but he still asked about them. “Do those belong to you?”

“Does your office often get bugged?”

“Doesn’t yours? We have to routinely search the room for them.” This was the truth between his uncle and his business competitors: there was always someone willing to try and sneak in listening devices. 

“No one would dare to try it now.” 

Tynan had the feeling he was being threatened, but he couldn’t be sure. “You can never be too careful.” 

“I would love to see someone try.” 

The blood froze in Tynan’s veins as he saw the look on Brad’s face. For the first time, he didn’t doubt that this man could murder his father. His body gave off a bloody air, and his face was twisted into a cruel smirk. 

Brad was out the door before Tynan could figure out what to say.

It took fifteen minutes before either of them spoke.

“They are similar. Brad, Theo, and Zach. They have a certain vibe that is alike.” Morris's eyes kept drifting to the closed door. 

Tynan dropped his head into his hands. He knew about the suffering that Theo endured. He had information about what Brad was capable of. No, he resolved himself to allow Zach to explain during his own time. 

“Personally, I think Zach is the most dangerous out of the three of them.” Morris didn’t notice Tynan’s reaction or the conflicting emotions drifting off his face. “He acts normal, but he watches situations and people with bored detachment. He only seems alive when you are involved.” 

He wanted to refute, but Tynan had noticed the same thing on more than one occasion. It was better now than it was in the past. “Do you think you can manage it?” It wouldn’t be easy for Morris to work with Brad. Morris had experience with Theo, but when dealing with Theo, he knew instinctively that Theo wasn’t trying to hurt him. If he was inattentive for a moment with Brad the consequences could be dire. 

“I will see how it goes with this deal before deciding. It would be good if Rain would confess what Brad wanted him for.”

Tynan also hoped to get answers from Rain, but it didn’t appear that Rain had much to offer. “He wouldn’t let Rain have that kind of information.”

“We can hope.” Morris also thought Rain wouldn’t have much to add. “Do you think Ron will be able to find anything?”

That was still up in the air. It would depend on what country Brad was operating in. “The bigger issue will be narrowing down what he could be interested in.” From a preliminary glance, there were a lot of opportunities that Brad could be looking to benefit from. 

“It would be easier if all his pawns were actors, but I don’t think he would make such an obvious move.” 

Tynan nodded. The man wouldn’t even leave an empty water bottle. Maxwell would be careful not to put all his eggs in one basket. “I will have to ask Zach to keep an eye on it.”

As if he spoke the man into being, the door opened, and Zach peaked his head into the room. “Is he gone?”

“He just left, and this is where I make myself scarce.” Morris went out the door as Zach was coming in.

Tynan couldn’t restrain himself anymore. He pulled Zach into a hug, burying his face into his neck. He felt arms come up and clutch at his back. It was clear that Zach was confused, but he didn’t break away from the hug. 

It took him a moment, but he got his volatile emotions under control. He pressed a kiss to Zach’s forehead but didn’t take things further. “Were they any indicators that he would be coming to Lor City to see me?”

Zach’s eyebrows crinkled, and his expression was serious. “There was nothing. He even had a meeting with someone else in his itinerary. He even used a fake passport to travel. I have his real one flagged.”

Tynan digested that information. “I wasn't the person he was in Lor City to see. He also wasn’t here for Rain.”

“Could he be here to see your uncle?” Zach knew about the project that Brad came to discuss with Tynan. It also happened in his past life, but he didn’t know that Brad was the person behind the collaboration. 

“I don’t think so.” Tynan had considered that possibility, but his uncle wasn’t in the city, and he didn’t think Brad would move without confirming where his target was. 

“I can try to use traffic and security cameras to find out where he goes while he is in Lor City. I will also expand the search when it comes to the dates that he was here visiting Rain.” Zach took out his phone and typed away.

Tynan didn’t like the passive position that he kept being pushed into. “Do you think we can get anything useful from Rain?” Tynan sank into his chair behind his desk.

Zach hopped onto the edge of the desk. “No. We need to know what Rain has been up to so we can mitigate some of the damage he has done, but he wouldn’t know anything about Brad’s plans.”

A finger tapped a staccato on the hardwood of his desk. “He was testing Rain to see if he was suitable for something.”

“I would need at least five people he is grooming for the job before I can do a comparison to see what they have in common. It would be better if I had more.” Zach hopped off the table and moved behind Tynan to massage his shoulders.

“Can you track his movements in other countries?” Tynan’s head rolled back. He could feel Zach’s fingers digging into the tense muscles in his shoulder. 

“I need different equipment, but it wouldn’t be a problem. Tynan, you haven't forgotten that I need to go back to Pe City, right? I have the right equipment there.”

Tynan hadn’t forgotten, but he had done his best to ignore it. It was hard spending a week away from Zach. He had trouble falling asleep when he was by himself. He didn’t want to think about a time when Zach wasn’t living with him or sharing his life.

“I will talk to Ron about arranging for you to get your Visa.” Tynan didn’t want to live without Zach, so he would have to do something to make sure it never happened.

“Aren’t you happy that S Country has a citizenship by investing program?” Zach moved his hands to massage Tynan’s neck. 

Tynan accommodated him and bent his head forward. He did his best not to mw3esdzxoan. “Even if there wasn’t I would have found a way. If all else failed, I would have moved to Pe City to live with you.

Zach's fingers paused before he continued the massage. “Ehmm.”

Tynan held Zach’s hand and stopped his movements. With a tug, he maneuvered Zach until he was sitting in his lap. Zach had his head bowed and he refused to look up. “I’m not letting you go. I know that you can’t handle it when I am too sweet, but you are going to have to learn to put up with it. We are going to be together for a long time, Zach Mallory.”

Zach didn’t lift his head, but he nodded. “Your mine, Tynan Blackburn.”

Others might feel bothered by the odd possessive tone Zach spoke, but it didn’t bother Tynan. 

 Zach took his time before speaking. “You have to get rid of your secretary.”

“It is good to know that I am not the only jealous one in this relationship. I have to keep her until Morris finds a suitable replacement. Other than trying to seduce me, she is very professional. She also has excellent references.”

Tynan kissed the sneer off Zach’s lips. He didn’t even mind that his imp was biting his lips instead of reciprocating the kiss. His lips would be swollen, and it would leave no doubt in anyone’s mind what they were doing.