Hurry Up And Wait (Owens Protective Services #24)

2. Kavanaugh

2

KAVANAUGH

“You don’t have to do this,” Cash repeated.

I stared at the house that I barely recognized and knew if I didn’t do this for him, I’d regret it. Cash was my family, and unlike my own, he never asked for anything. He needed this to avenge his brother, and damn if I wasn’t going to do everything in my power to help him achieve that.

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not. I know what he did?—“

“I know, but this is for Rafe, and I might not have liked the bastard, but he was your family. Maybe if we had known what he was doing, we could have planned or?—“

“He didn’t want anyone to know,” Cash interrupted. “He didn’t want me involved.”

The guilt in his voice only strengthened my desire to do this. He didn’t deserve the weight he would have to carry for the rest of his life. “I’ll call you when I’m done.”

There was silence for a moment, then his voice carried over the line much stronger than I expected. “Thank you.”

I hung up and walked up the steps to the townhouse I grew up in. I was surprised my parents hadn’t moved a long time ago, but it seemed they wanted to keep their roots in the community. As soon as I knocked, I felt like lizards were crawling over my skin. I could feel their little feet digging into my pores.

My mother answered the door, shocked to find me on the other side. She hadn’t aged a day since I left. She still wore her hair coiffed in the same way she always had. Her makeup was simple and elegant, and her clothes were always proper. But the smile on her face was genuine and didn’t fit the woman who stood in front of me.

“Bradford!” She practically leapt into my arms, wrapping herself around me just like she had when I returned from my first deployment. She hadn’t been around for the others.

“Mom, please don’t call me that.”

She leaned back, giving me an admonishing look. “And what else would I call you?”

“Everyone else just calls me Kavanaugh.”

“Calling people by their last name is ludicrous and distasteful. Well, look at you.”

Her eyes inspected me from head to toe. I knew this wasn’t the look she expected to see. I was in my cargo pants and a T-shirt, along with a pair of boots. There wasn’t a single thing about me that belonged in this house or with this family anymore.

“Well, you’re home and that’s all that matters.”

That was her way of saying that she was disappointed in my choice of attire, but at least I bothered to show up.

“Come in. Your father’s in his study. He’s getting ready for the next election cycle, as you know.”

I let my eyes roam over the new drapes and the elaborate vases decorating the tables. At one time, the house had a more minimalistic feel to it. “I hadn’t really been paying attention.”

“Well, you should be. Your father is up against this horrid man who doesn’t have a moral bone in his body.”

I followed her through the house and ignored the urge to make a jab against my father. That wouldn’t help what I was trying to accomplish today.

“Would you care for some tea?”

“No, thank you. ”

“What about scones? You still like scones, don’t you? I could have Marcie whip some up for you.”

“Really, Mom, I’m fine.”

She pursed her lips at me. “I really wish you would call me Mother.” Then she smiled a little. “But I guess since we’re not in public…”

After the years since I’d last shown up on their doorstep, I thought just maybe there would be some kind of difference in the way we interacted. Maybe we would sit down and she would ask me how I’d been or what I’d been up to. Maybe she would want to share stories of Spencer. Instead, there was idle chit-chat as she led me through the house and acted like I had been here just two days ago.

“I have to leave soon for a luncheon, but your father should be wrapping up a phone call. I’m sure he could squeeze you in.”

“I loved to be squeezed in,” I muttered under my breath.

We stopped just outside his office and she gave my arm a little pat. “It was so good to see you again. Don’t wait so long next time.”

With a peck to my cheek, she was off. That was it. She left me standing outside my father’s office, a room I hadn’t entered in years. There was really nothing left to do but walk into the room. The decision had been made. I hadn’t thought twice about what I was about to do, so there was no point dwelling on what-ifs at the moment.

I shoved the door open, choosing the element of surprise to my advantage. My father’s sharp gaze snapped up to meet mine, only to turn into a shrewd one as he took in my appearance. There was a reason I dressed the way I had for the day. I knew over the coming weeks, he would want to doll me up in fancy suits for public appearances and slick my hair a certain way. But showing up here today, I was me. I wouldn’t change for him, no matter how hard he tried.

I let the door slam shut behind me and strode over to the chair across from him as he quickly finished up his phone call. His eyes never left my face, but I purposely looked around the room as if I didn’t have a care in the world. Everything was pretty much the same as the last time I was here. Only then, I still had an ounce of respect for my father.

That was before the coverup and the fallout that destroyed my brother’s life. It was a time when I didn’t fully understand the ways of the world and how far my father would go to protect his name and reputation. I knew better now. Sitting in the chair, I understood what I was doing and how far I was willing to go to get what I needed. My father taught me the game. I would perfect it.

He hung up and sat back in his seat with a smug look on his face. “I was wondering what it would take to get you back here.”

“Just some good old-fashioned blackmail,” I grinned, refusing to let him see me upset.

“Blackmail?” He barked out a laugh, shaking his head at what he perceived to be a ridiculous statement. “This wasn’t blackmail. This was me asking for a favor in return.”

“You shouldn’t have needed a favor to help take down men who did everything to smear the name of this country.”

He waved his hand at me, standing and walking toward the window. “You always did have high ideals.”

“Well, I always assumed that if I was going to have them, they should be the best, and not paid for.”

His gaze snapped to mine. “I never paid for anything.”

“Sure you did,” I grinned, crossing one ankle over my knee as I leaned back in my chair. “Isn’t that exactly what you did when you paid off the coroner? Or was it the police chief? Maybe the mayor? It’s so hard to keep these things straight.”

“I did what was best for this family,” he shouted, storming toward me. “If I hadn’t done what I had, we would have been ruined.”

“ You would have been ruined,” I corrected. “Actually, the only person who would have been ruined was Spencer, and I’m pretty sure he told you not to intervene.”

“He was just a kid. He didn’t know what he was asking.”

“And now we’ll never know how he would have handled it. Will we?”

The fury on his face nearly made me laugh. My father wasn’t upset he’d lost his son. No, he was upset because of how it panned out for him in the polls. He didn’t get quite the boost he was hoping for.

“If you’re hoping to win me over, you’re doing a terrible job of it,” my father said, straightening his tie as he took his seat.

“I was never much for kissing ass. So, why don’t you tell me exactly what you want from me. An interview? A few snippets of me congratulating you on how well you’re doing? Or a few photos of us shaking hands?”

He smirked at me. “No, I want you to come on the campaign trail with me.”

My smile dropped instantly. “Not a chance in hell.”

“Then you can kiss goodbye any chance of finding out who was backing The Syndicate.”

My muscles clenched in anger, but I refused to let him see how much he was pissing me off. I could handle him. I just had to shove down that hatred and play his game. This was for Cash, after all.

“For how long?”

“Six weeks.”

“Two,” I countered.

“Four, and that’s as low as I’ll go.”

“Four, but not consecutively. I don’t think I could spend that much time in your presence without vomiting all over your shit.”

“Change your attitude fast or the deal is off the table,” he snapped.

I leaned forward in my seat, lowering my voice. “Let’s keep one thing clear right now. We both need each other. You will not order me around or manipulate me to get your way. If I feel for even one second that you’re using me for something else, I’ll walk, whether I have the information or not.”

“And vice versa,” he smirked.

“That won’t be a problem. There’s only one thing I want from you, and when I have it, I’m gone. You won’t ever see me again.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that. You can’t walk away from family forever. Your mother would be heartbroken.”

“I don’t see much of a heart in her anymore. It’s like you’ve sucked the life out of her and replaced her with your campaign wife.”

“Watch it. She’s still your mother,” he snapped.

He was right. She was still my mother, and I knew that she would be devastated to hear me talk like this. But it was hard to reconcile the woman I saw out there with the woman I grew up with. I pushed to a stand and headed for the door.

“Email me an itinerary. ”

“Make sure you have a suit!” he called after me. “You won’t be hanging around those meatheads while you’re on the campaign trail.”

I gritted my teeth as I yanked open the door. With one final look at my father, I said, “The meatheads are my family. Disrespect them and you won’t see my face ever again.”