home.” He frowned Erin’s way. “You do realize someone is likely taping us even as we speak.”
“Fine, I’ll drop it for now, but why does Kori look like she lost her best friend?” Erin asked. “We’ll get back to Case later, but Kori’s sitting out in the station waiting for a ride. Shouldn’t you take her home, Doc? Or is this part of the sadist stuff?”
If they’d been at Sanctum, he would have called her on that. Erin had played before. Hell, Erin had played with him. Erin was one of the few women who could handle his form of play, but it had been apparent even in the beginning that she’d had a connection to Theo. Once the youngest Taggart had come on the scene, Erin hadn’t been interested in play anymore. Not with him. So he found it very annoying that she was accusing him of neglecting his sub.
Except Kori wasn’t his sub anymore. She never had been since he hadn’t managed to find a good time to talk about contracts with her.
“She’s not going anywhere.” It didn’t matter that she was pissed at him. All that mattered was taking care of her. “You go out there right now and tell her she’s not to leave this building. I will be very angry if she tries to go home without an escort.”
Jared stood up beside him, a stubborn look crossing his face. “And Sarah isn’t an escort. She’s not going anywhere either.”
Erin looked between the two of them. “Wow, for a minute there you two actually looked like brothers. Tell me something, Jared. How did you get the masculine name and Kai here got the hippy name?”
“My mom simply liked it.” Let it stay there. Please.
A slow smile split Jared’s face. “He hasn’t told anyone, has he? Kai is short for Kaiser. Kaiser Ferguson. And before you think maybe we had a German relative in our background, you’re wrong.”
“Jared,” he began.
Jared didn’t skip a beat. “When he was born, the doctor handed him over and the blanket slipped off his butt and Mom said his backside looked like two perfect Kaiser rolls. And that’s what she named him.”
Erin burst into laughter, her whole body moving.
Damn but it was good to hear her laugh. He shot his brother the finger, but Jared smiled as though he’d known the woman in front of him needed a reason to momentarily let go.
Before Erin could finish laughing, the door came open and Special Agent Rush strode in. He was followed by two uniformed officers, and there was no way to miss the handcuffs in his hands. The metal glinted in the stark light of the room.
“Jared John Ferguson,” Rush began. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Lena Klein. You have the right to remain silent.”
Jared went pale as Rush continued to Mirandize him. As they hauled him out, he looked back Kai’s way, his eyes wide. It was the same damn look he’d had on his face the day Kai had driven away and not looked back.
Desperation and then acceptance. Jared’s face went blank as though he knew Kai wouldn’t help him and he was alone.
Fuck. Kai strode out the door. “Don’t you say a fucking word, Jared. I’ll have a lawyer here as soon as I can. Not a word to them. Do you understand me?”
He didn’t respond, but suddenly his brother’s spine straightened and his head came back up.
“I’m going to need to talk to Harrison.” He had no idea who had said what or why the police thought his brother had done this, but he knew one thing. He wasn’t walking away this time.
“He’s still here,” Erin said. “I talked to him on my way in. He was planning on talking to you. He isn’t only here for Case. I sent him for all of you. It’s what Big Tag would want, if he wasn’t busy fucking his wife. He’ll likely get my texts soon and he’ll be in here like an angry bull, so enjoy the calm now.”
Two things. He knew two things. He was going to save his brother and he was going to take care of Kori. No matter what. “Will you take Kori back to your place? I fucked up with her, Erin. You have to talk to Case about what we were doing, but Kori overheard something I said and now she thinks our entire relationship was about an op.”
“Girls get pissy about that. It’s why honesty is always best.”
“I couldn’t.” He couldn’t