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  “My sentiments exactly.” Tara dropped her phone in her lap and pressed her fingers to her temples. “I’m so sorry I brought this on you.”

  “The hell you did. Tara, you may not believe it, but there are some of us who are loyal to you and will do what’s necessary to make things right.” I dialed Trisha’s number. The second she answered, I said, “Call our contact with Mrs. Edgar. Tell her it’s time to put the plan we discussed last week into action.”

  By the time we reached home an hour later, the media surrounded the front gates of my estate, and my weekend respite from politics was shot, with no hope of recovery.

  On the hour ride home, I’d filled Sam and Tara in on my idea to get the first lady on board as an advocate for Tara’s cause. I told the girls Mrs. Edgar needed a project to show she was a separate person from her husband and his unpopularity, and by supporting the No Bride Initiative, she’d position herself as an advocate for women and Tara would no longer be labeled as someone who associated with terrorists but someone who fought against them.

  I hadn’t convinced either of them that my plan would work, but they’d agreed to let me work the angle.

  “Oh God, they’re everywhere,” Tara exclaimed as we reached the entrance of my estate.

  Media trucks and reporters lined the front gates, as did a crowd of people. Some with signs that said everything from “Tara the Hero” to “Camden associates with Terrorists.”

  My stomach hurt, knowing my parents would see all the coverage. At least I knew they’d support me without question.

  I glanced at Tara. Her face was pale, and she looked as if she’d burst into tears.

  Reaching over, I covered her hand with mine. “You did nothing wrong.”

  “I know, but I hate others using me for political gain.”

  “That’s why we’re going to fight this together.” Sam laid her hand over ours. “This is how men like to play politics. Let’s show them how women do it.”

  The glint in Sam’s eyes told me she was on board with my plan. She knew as well as I did that the first couple couldn’t stand each other and Mrs. Edgar was more than ready to stick it to her husband, even if she gave the public image of docile, subservient wife.

  At that moment, the car paused in front of the house and Oscar opened our door. Five agitated men greeted us, scowls marring each of their faces as they stood on the front porch.

  “Now if things weren’t going to hell, I’d say that is some delicious eye candy to come home to,” Tara joked as she masked the pain that she’d been revealing only moments earlier.

  “I’d say true, but I’m a married woman, and my eyes are only for the sexy federal judge glaring at me.” Sam stepped out of the car and went toward Devin, who wrapped an arm around her.

  Tara and I exited the limo after Sam.

  To my surprise, Ashur came up to Tara and offered her a hand. “Let me help you, Tara.”

  She glanced at Veer, who inclined his head. After a few seconds, she nodded but didn’t take the offered hand and walked past Ashur while saying, “Let’s go inside, Ash. We have a lot to discuss. And I could use a stiff drink.”

  “Was I imagining that or was Mr. Moody being nice?” Kevin came up to me and draped an arm around my shoulder. “Well, nice for Ashur.”

  Veer remained on the porch with Tyler, glaring at us. I knew it was because of all the reporters with long-range camera lenses. However, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed he hadn’t come up to us.

  “Don’t frown. Remember the world is watching and you have to be happy to see me. Veer can cuddle you later.”

  “I don’t think cuddling is on Veer’s mind when he looks at my sister.”

  I heard the sound of a smack and glanced at the porch. Tyler rubbed the back of his head and scowled at Veer.

  “What the fuck, man? Tell me you don’t want to be the one standing next to her right now.”

  “Tyler, I’m going inside before I kill you in front of an audience.” Veer turned and walked into the house.

  “I swear he’s been hanging out with our mom too much.” Tyler continued to rub his scalp.

  As Kevin and I climbed the stairs, Tyler’s face grew serious. “I need you to do me a favor.”

  “That all depends on what you need me to do.”

  “Keep the military guys from orchestrating an attack on Decker while I make a few calls. I have a plan that will put that jackass Decker Senior in his place.”

  Kevin and I glanced at each other. Tyler was no longer the jokester. He’d put on his politician hat, which meant he was all business and ready to take action. I’d better rein him in before he got too far ahead of himself.

  “Tyler, has Trisha sent you anything yet?”

  “No, honestly I haven’t paid attention. I’m more worried about helping you and the girls than talking to anyone outside of the estate.” He clenched his jaw. “I am sick of that bastard fucking with my family.”

  “I think you need to breathe for a second. You’re scaring me.”

  Tyler rarely, if ever, allowed his emotions to rule his actions, but when he got riled, he was hard to keep under control.

  “You shouldn’t be, but Grey Decker should be very scared.” Tyler opened the door, letting Kevin and me enter the house.

  I was positive that whatever Tyler was orchestrating would ruffle more than Decker’s feathers. I’d better get the details before he implemented something that would cause me more pain than necessary.

  I pulled both men to a stop, resulting in a frown from Tyler and a curious glance from Kevin.

  “Kev, could you go and gather everyone in the library? I need to have a private word with my twin before I kill him.”

  “Glad it’s you and not me.” Kevin smirked and patted Tyler on the shoulder before he made a beeline down the hall.

  After Kevin’s footsteps quieted, I asked, “Ty, what are you planning? I think you should hold off for a second and let me fill you in on a few things.”

  He ignored me and tried to move around me, but I blocked his way. “I know you don’t want anyone to know what happened to you, but other women are ready to come forward about Junior and his daddy. I think a few strategic leaks will shift the focus away from you, Sam, and Tara.”

  “No. Absolutely not!” I said, but Tyler ignored me, lifting me to the side and walking down the hall.

  I stomped behind him, entering the library a few seconds after Tyler. “Dammit, will you listen for a damn minute? Tara, Sam, and I have it under control.”

  Sam sat on a nearby couch with her arms crossed and a pissed-off look on her face, Devin glared at Sam from his spot against the window, Veer fixed a drink at the bar in the back of the room, and Ashur and Tara were nowhere around.

  “Have you heard the nonsense they’ve concocted?” I asked Sam.

  “Oh, believe me. I have. These boys think we little women need them to rescue us. I think they forgot we could run circles around them when it comes to planning.”

  Devin clenched his jaw, stood, and moved to the bar cart where he poured himself a shot and drank it down. “I will do what is required to protect my wife and family.”

  “You will not leak anything,” I said. “We did nothing wrong besides have lunch and shop. For your information, a plan is already in the works. I won’t play this card unless it is undeniably necessary.”

  “It’s necessary.” Veer walked up, handing me a tumbler of scotch. “We’ve discussed it, and it is the best way to get the media sniffing in a different direction.”

  I cocked a hand on my hip and looked at Kevin, who stood just inside the doorway of the room. “Are you in on this too?”

  “Yep.” He gave me a determined stare. “The five of us had a long time to talk before your arrival. We agreed it’s better to strike him where it hurts. This way he’s too busy dealing with the fallout from his antics to worry about what you’re up to.”

  A pulsing pain throbbed in my head, and my temper started to boil over. I loved
these men, but hell would freeze over before I let them take over.

  I growled at Kevin, “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

  “I am, Jaci.” He returned my scowl.

  “I am only going to say this once. I love all of you for wanting to protect us, but a plan is already in the works, and you will not fuck it up. Do I make myself clear?”

  Tara chose that particular moment to storm into the room, with Ashur steps behind her.

  “Sam. If you want your brother alive, I suggest you keep him away from me. I don’t give two shits if he is over a foot taller than me. I will kick him into the next century.”

  Sam shrugged. “Do what you have to. It may be better having one less stupid man in the room.”

  Ashur scowled at Sam. “Stay out of this, Samina.”

  “She’s only stating the truth.” Tara turned and poked a finger into Ashur’s chest, which he grabbed. “Your method of help comes with too many strings, Ashur Kumar. The one time I needed you, you never came. The hell if I’ll expect it now.”

  “You tell him, Tara. My brother is too big for his britches.”

  “Samina,” Ashur warned, still holding Tara’s hand, and then he said something in their family’s native language of Gujarati that had Sam flipping him the bird and responding with a string of words I could only assume were insults.

  “Do I want to know what she just called him?” Tyler looked at Veer.

  “Nope,” he responded with a smirk. “Sam, I know you didn’t learn those words from your mom. You could put a sailor to shame.”

  Sam responded to Veer by switching languages to one I assumed was Tamil.

  “Okay, okay. I’ll leave you alone.”

  Veer’s parents had immigrated to the US from South India before he was born and had taught their son their native language of Tamil. Then as he grew, they added English, Hindi, and Gujarati into the mix.

  “I love that you guys are fluent in a million languages, but the non-Indian folk in the room can’t understand you,” I said, trying to break the tension.

  Tara pulled her hand free of Ashur’s hold. “She’s only telling both of these overgrown apes that they are more than welcome to assist us, but if they even think to take over, then she is going to shove her foot so far up their asses that they won’t be able to walk straight.”

  Tyler winced and then laughed as he saw the determined look on all of our faces. “Okay, Okay. I hear you.”

  “Ty, you may be the only one that does,” I said, taking a seat between Sam and Tara.

  “That’s because I’m your twin. I know when you’re going to kick my ass if I say anything else that you deem is stupid.” He glanced at his phone, read the message, and then looked at me and lifted a brow.

  He must have gotten the text I’d asked Trisha to forward to him, detailing the plan. Tyler had a handful of close friends who worked the White House and his connections would be the best bet to get the information we needed passed to Mrs. Edgar.

  “Jaci.” Tyler approached me and pulled me from my seat, hugging me tightly. “You’re brilliant. Devious, but brilliant.”

  I relaxed into the comfort of his hold. “I am the genius in our family,” I joked. “Will you help us and forgo the idiot plan you guys concocted?”

  “I’ll not only help you, but I’ll play the middleman. I’ve just been asked to join the President’s Council of Economic Advisers.”

  I kissed his cheek. “I can always count on you.”

  “Someone want to fill the rest of us in?” Devin asked. “I know you have that twin thing going, but the rest of us need complete sentences to understand each other.”

  I looked at Devin, then Ashur, and then Veer and Kevin. “My fabulous brother is going to help me put the president, and his cronies who’ve gone after Sam, Tara, and me in check.”

  Chapter Nine

  I dangled my legs off the dock, kicking my feet back and forth and gazing at the river. The weather wasn’t too hot or cold, and there was always a slight breeze coming off the water. God, I loved springtime in Austin.

  I released a deep breath and sighed. My mind and body ached from the stress of the latter half of the day. It had taken a good two hours to get the rest of the guys to abandon their harebrained idea of outing the Deckers.

  What they couldn’t grasp was that the real enemy was the president. I was in a political chess game with him, and he thought he’d back me into a corner by supporting Decker’s view on my outing with my friends. Eventually, everyone had agreed my plan had the most merit and would have the most impact. Thankfully, I’d gotten a discreet call from the first lady’s assistant confirming a private meeting to bolster my stance.

  What honestly sucked the most was filling Kevin in on the real reason Decker and I hated each other. Reliving any telling of the incident hurt, but this time around, it wasn’t as awful. I felt as if I’d worked through the demons and could view it more as a survivor than a victim. Maybe it was because I’d had years to work through the trauma, or maybe it was the fact that the closest people to me were in the room giving me strength.

  Kevin’s response had been similar to Veer’s when he’d found out right before my election. He was ready to drive the four hours to Decker’s estate and beat the living shit out of father and son. Once he calmed down, Kevin gave me his “we will talk later” look and shot back two fingers of cognac. I dreaded that conversation. It was another thing to add to my long list of keeping secrets from my unofficial/official boyfriend.

  I shook my head. I had an incredible knack for hurting the two men who meant so much to me.

  Sadness enveloped my heart. I’d leave for DC tomorrow, and things were unresolved between Veer and me. We’d barely had a moment alone since I’d arrived home and even then, it felt as if he was keeping his distance. Besides voicing his opinion here and there during our discussion of my plan, he’d said little to me. It was as if he was letting Kevin be the one who was supporting me.

  Ashur was right about me having two men in love with me. But how could I explain that the love Kevin had for me was nothing like how it was with Veer without outing him?

  Kevin came from a family and world where homosexuality wasn’t accepted. His own mother would go into mini sermons condemning anyone who lived as an openly gay person. She’d tout the Bible and its teachings, constantly forgetting “to love your neighbor as you love yourself.” I couldn’t imagine how it must have felt growing up in a home where your parents believed sexual orientation was a choice.

  A lump formed in my throat. Veer and I had to end. I made a promise to Kevin years before my relationship with Veer started. It was on this very dock that we’d set the arrangement that would benefit both of us. He would gain his inheritance and the family business, and I would have the husband and image needed to secure the nomination.

  I knew deep down Kevin would never fault me for choosing Veer, but I refused to let the Deckers of the world win. Decker thought I was too weak to stand up to the pressures of politics. I couldn’t believe the bastard had turned my outing with Samina and Tara as consorting with the liberal enemy. To top it off, the fucking jackass President Edgar hitting the social media circuit to voice his opinion.

  This sucked.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose. A migraine was flaring, and there was nothing I could do about it. Stress brought them on. My life was overflowing with it, and it wouldn’t calm anytime soon.

  Laughter sounded in the distance, and I knew the tension in the house had eased. Even Ashur and Tara had come to some truce. They weren’t acknowledging each other or talking, but it was better than Tara threatening bodily harm.

  A smile touched my lips, remembering how Tara had stormed into the room. When she said she’d knock Ashur on his ass, I had no doubt she could do it. Tara had secrets like the rest of us, but something about her said not to underestimate her abilities. If Ashur convinced Tara to do whatever it was he wanted her to do, Tara would make him regret ever asking her.

/>   They still loved each other, even after over a decade since their breakup. However, the hurt caused by Ashur’s father lingered like a chain anchoring them together.

  I hoped one day they’d be able to handle encounters without pain lacing every interaction.

  Would it be like that with Veer and me? Without a doubt, I knew no one would ever make me feel the way he did. He held my heart, and I held his. I only hoped we wouldn’t move into anger. What I felt for Veer couldn’t be defined—it was love, passion, and friendship all rolled together.

  Footsteps echoed against the wooden planks of the pier, making me glance to my side. Veer walked up, wearing a pair of shorts and a loose linen shirt. His inky black hair was wet, fresh from a shower, and there was an intensity in the way he watched me as he came to stand behind me.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi,” I responded.

  “Can I join you?”

  We stared at each other for a moment before I nodded.

  He sat down behind me with his legs draped along either side of mine. His body heat seeped into my back as he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me against him. For a split second, I wanted to shove him back and yell at him for ignoring me most of the evening, but another part of me understood why he had done it.

  My lips trembled as my heart contracted in pain, knowing what was about to happen.

  I released a deep breath and sank into his hold, trying to keep my emotions in check but failing miserably.

  “It’s time,” he said in a gruff whisper filled with sadness.

  “Please don’t say it. I’m not ready.”

  “Why not? It doesn’t change how things have to be. I heard what the first lady’s assistant said to you. You have to announce your engagement soon to keep your plan in motion. I won’t be the thing keeping you from your goal.”

  I turned, climbing onto his lap and straddling his firm thighs. I cupped his face and ran my thumb over his lips.

  “Please.”

  Something flashed in his eyes, and then he closed them.

  “Jaci.”

  I leaned my forehead against his. “Veer, just one more night.”