Double Mountain Trouble Read online

  “Come on, the bosses are waiting.” In a single lunge, the man swung her on to his shoulder and dangled her as if she weighed the same as a bag of sugar. “It’s going to be a long ride if you keep this up, sweetheart.”

  She kicked harder, her feet ramming into his chest. She beat her fists into his back. Nothing fazed him. He was like a steel wall. Nothing moved him.

  “Niall! Don’t do this!” She jerked her head forward to grab his attention. “Niall! Don’t let this happen.”

  “It’s already done, cuz.”

  She spat in his direction. “Where am I going?”

  He scratched the back of his head. “Out of the city. That’s all I know. Enjoy your vacation.”

  “Niall!”

  The last thing she saw as she descended into the McIntosh family basement was the smirk on her cousin’s face. The image burned into her memory. She would never forget this moment. She’d never forgive him. And one day, he’d know the mistake he had made.

  Three

  Tyler

  It had been a month. A long fucking cold month trapped up in the mountains. Ok, it wasn’t a trap, but some days it felt like it. He knew he could leave anytime he wanted, but that wasn’t the point of seclusion. It wasn’t the agreement. And he wasn’t the kind of man to break his word, no matter the circumstances.

  There were demons chasing them back in Denver. He and Lee agreed the only way to escape the scandals and the corporate entanglements was to separate themselves from StarCon Global for an extended period of time. But thirty days in and Tyler didn’t know how much longer he could take it. He had agreed to three full months, and one had already driven him crazy. How did Lee stay so calm all the time?

  His best friend seemed to fucking love it. He had a beard that grew in overnight. The man was jacked. He had cut more firewood than they could possibly burn in the cabin’s ten fireplaces.

  He had learned how to ice fish in the pond. He hiked and hunted. And at one point Tyler thought he was sharpening knives to whittle long pieces of wood. He was a genuine mountain man in every way.

  And that’s why Tyler did what he did. The woods didn’t appeal to him like they did to Lee. He needed more excitement. He needed something to preoccupy him and keep his mind off of the shit at StarCon.

  It made sense. He finally agreed to let Niall McIntosh settle his debt.

  He looked out the window in from his study. Lee was in the yard, stacking wood next to the fire pit. Tyler grabbed his heavy coat and stomped out into the snow.

  “What’s this?” he pointed to the stones.

  “Rebuilt the pit,” Lee explained.

  Tyler nodded. “Hey, I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Why don’t you chop and talk?” Lee handed him an ax.

  “Do we really need more wood?”

  Lee grunted.

  Tyler swung the ax instead of arguing. The wood split evenly. It felt good, watching it splinter and slice so easily. His muscles were tense and tight. He needed this kind of exercise. He raised the ax over his head and spilt the next piece. He grinned.

  “Not bad.” Lee examined his work. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

  “I know we’re not supposed to have interviews, but we have one on the way,” he explained.

  Lee looked up from arranging the stones in a circle. “What the fuck, man?”

  “The house is big enough for an army. You won’t even know she’s here.”

  “She?” His eyes bulged. “Seriously? No women. Not happening. Take her to town. You can drive somewhere if you need to get laid. I don’t care what you do, but she’s not coming here.”

  Tyler let the ax fall heavy to the next log. It crunched as it severed it in half. He watched as the two sides hit the ground with a bounce and thud. Lee didn’t seem to understand.

  “I think you’ll see this differently in a few hours.”

  They continued to cut wood and prep the stone fire pit. Neither one of them talking for what seemed like hours.

  Tyler stacked the last log from his stack. “I’ve got to go in and get ready. She’ll be here soon. Join me for the meeting. I can fill you in on the details.”

  “Fill me in now.”

  It was starting to get dark. She’d be here soon.

  “Look. Niall McIntosh is sending her. He owed me.”

  “McIntosh?” He sounded surprised. Tyler stared at the bits of snow and ice gathered in his friend’s beard.

  “Yeah. I know he’s a bastard, but he lost a serious bet. And he finally had a way to pay it off. I thought the timing was perfect.”

  “In the middle of going off the grid? Why in the hell would you open us up to an outsider? Especially one we can’t trust. He’s not someone I want to know our location.”

  “He doesn’t and he won’t. I’m handling the transportation. Niall has no clue where we are.”

  “And what about the woman? Who’s to say she won’t run her mouth? If she’s one of Niall’s girls, she’s as untrustworthy as he is. This is a bad plan. Just wait until you’re back in the city. Then you can deal with him how you want to. Leave me out it. And don’t fuck up the cabin with a woman here. I like things the way they are.”

  Tyler placed the ax off to the side. “I’m going to get cleaned up. I think you need to do the same. She’ll be here soon. It’s been a while since we’ve shared a woman. Don’t you think it’s time?”

  Lee shook his head. “The timing is off.”

  Tyler laughed. “You need to look in the mirror, brother. The timing couldn’t be better. You need a woman. And if there’s two things we know how to do well, it’s make millions and fuck a woman properly.”

  He shoved his gloved hands into his pockets. “I’ll see you in my study in an hour.”

  He walked inside, hoping like hell he had reached his friend. He didn’t think two more months here would do anything other than rob Lee of his humanity. With each day he was retreating more and more into the wilderness.

  He had no idea who the woman was other than a picture he had seen of her, but he fucking hoped she would be the one to save them both.

  Four

  Lee

  He didn’t want to admit the shower felt good. He refused to wear a suit, but he put on a clean pair of jeans and a fresh shirt to meet Tyler in his study.

  “Tyler, this is even shitty for you.” Lee glared at his business partner.

  “Why? Did you have a better idea to collect?” Tyler poured a glass of bourbon and dropped two ice cubes in the middle.

  Lee exhaled. “Not really.”

  “Then stop second-guessing me. We could use some help with StarCon even though we aren’t there right now. I think this is exactly what we need. The timing couldn’t have been better.”

  “Niall McIntosh is a dick. The fact that you got into business with him in the first place makes me wonder what in the hell you’re doing these days.”

  Tyler waved him off. “It wasn’t business. I don’t do business with men like him. It was a bet. There’s a huge difference. He’s the one who lost. Not me.” He threw back his drink.

  “Give me one of those.” Lee walked toward the bar, waiting for a stiff drink. “I need a double after this fuckup of yours.”

  Tyler laughed. “Niall texted a few hours ago, so I know payment will be here any minute.”

  Lee shook his head. “Payment? That’s what you’re calling it?”

  The mountains loomed behind them. The snow kept falling. Whoever was driving the girl here would have to navigate winding icy roads. The conditions weren’t ideal.

  “Niall lost,” Tyler explained. “I don’t know why you’re so pissed at me.”

  Lee’s blue eyes fired. “Because the payment is a girl. You bet an actual woman for us? And I don’t like that she’s coming here.”

  Tyler grinned like a wolf. “I sure did. And she’s fucking gorgeous.”

  “Like that makes this any better.”

  “Want to see her picture agai
n? Might help you commit to how real this is. How much you’re going to have her.”

  Lee groaned, “I don’t need her picture. This is unorthodox. Even for you.”

  “Relax.” Tyler patted the leather sofa. “She’s our guest.”

  “An unwilling guest,” he reminded his friend. “I doubt she had a say in this entire thing.”

  “Two months with us and I think that has the possibility to change.”

  “We don’t even know her. What if she’s like Niall? Have you thought about that? She could be the scum of the Earth like him.”

  “Stop being so damn pessimistic. I don’t like this Grizzly Adams side of you.”

  “It’s called being realistic. You don’t know what the fallout from this is going to be. You think I’ve gone all wild man, but you’re reckless. Just because we’re out of the city doesn’t mean your actions don’t have consequences.”

  Tyler shrugged. “Details.”

  “While I’m trying to keep our empire going, you’re thinking with your cock as usual.” Lee swirled the bourbon in his glass and inhaled half of it. It burned going down. But he needed it to cope with what his best friend had done.

  “Our empire needs an empress. Don’t you think?”

  Lee pressed his elbows into his knees. It was hard to deny what Tyler said. The company didn’t run as smoothly when they were spinning in bachelor purgatory. They needed a woman. They thrived when they had one.

  It had been too long since they had shared a bed.

  But did that still apply out here? Would a woman complete the seclusion? Did he need a girl to fully immerse himself in his primal side? Was she the missing piece?

  “We’ve never done it this way.” Lee looked up.

  “Doesn’t mean, it’s not the right way.” Tyler was confident there was nothing wrong with his bet. Nothing to regret. Collecting his debt from Niall McIntosh was the only right thing to do as far as he was concerned.

  “There was nothing else of Niall’s you wanted? Nothing at all?” Lee pressed him. The fact that a woman was getting ready to be delivered to the cabin wasn’t something he could picture.

  Tyler scoffed. “Would you suggest I take one of his burned out warehouses or one of his taxi fleets? Maybe you’d suggest the taverns.” He shook his head. “He doesn’t have anything I want. Except this.” He waggled his eyebrows. “She’s flawless. You’ll see.”

  “Then who let him in the game if he doesn’t have anything to gamble with? You should have known better than to let a loser like Niall McIntosh into a game with those kind of stakes. He didn’t have anything valuable from the start, Tyler.”

  Tyler drank the rest of the bourbon in his glass. “He does. He has her. As far as I’m concerned she’s all the payment I need for sixty days.”

  “This is fucking unbelievable. Sixty days with someone who is a stranger.”

  Tyler laughed. He was always the risk-taker. Lee knew StarCon Global wouldn’t be where it was if his friend hadn’t been willing to try the adventurous deals. Make decisions no one else would touch. But it didn’t end with business decisions. Tyler let everything bleed over into his personal life. He seemed to like it best when his two worlds collided. That meant it melted into one, for Lee too.

  Lee hated he had to the rational one. The one who kept his head down. The one who constantly brought his friend back on track.

  But he knew when he had to back down. There was no talking him out of this one. “But nothing changes, man. It’s on her terms. Just because we’re up in the mountains, we’re not going caveman on her.”

  Tyler smiled. “Of course. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I wouldn’t want her if she wasn’t the one asking for us.”

  Lee knew that to be true. Tyler was stubborn and prideful. He’d never chased after a woman. His cockiness prevented him from ever throwing his heart into a relationship. It was the reason they lost Jessie.

  All she wanted was to hear him say the words. She would have done anything for them. But Tyler couldn’t let his guard down long enough to be vulnerable.

  Lee worried he never would.

  The conversation was interrupted when the front intercom buzzed. Tyler pressed the speaker button.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s James. I have your payment from Niall McIntosh.”

  Tyler’s eyes lit. He punched in the code that would allow James access open the front door. “We were wondering where you were.”

  “It took a little longer than I thought. I’ll be right in.”

  Lee looked at his friend. “You sure you don’t want to back out of this? Have James take her back?”

  “No fucking way. I won her fair and square. You’re going to thank me. I swear.”

  They stood, waiting for James to enter. Lee straightened his back, running his fingers across the edge of his beard. Tyler straightened his tailored jacket and tugged on the cuffs of his shirt. There was a nervous energy that ran between them.

  The double doors opened and Johnson walked into the office, carrying a woman over his shoulder.

  “Put me down,” she squealed. She kicked and thrashed in his hold. Her blond hair flew in all directions.

  All he could see were limbs.

  “That’s enough, James,” Lee instructed him. He didn’t like how this was going.

  Tyler stood next to him as James unwrapped the girl from his grasp and placed her feet on the floor. His hands wrapped around her waist while she squirmed free and pushed forward away from him.

  For a second, Lee thought the world fell away.

  She brushed her long locks from her face. Her green eyes glowered with anger. Her cheeks were flush and her plump lips with in a perfect heart shape. Fuck. His ribs felt as if they were caving in.

  She was beyond beautiful. She was stunning.

  He broke his gaze to look at Tyler. Lee had no idea what to say.

  He realized for the first time, his best friend didn’t either.

  Five

  Brooke

  Her chest heaved with giant breaths. She threw the man’s arms off her. “Stop touching me,” she spat. “You’re disgusting.” He wore too much cologne, but it was mixed with sweat, creating a pungent odor. It reminded her of the cramped coat closet. It felt as if his scent clung to her leather jacket and sweater.

  “Delivered as requested,” he announced. He presented her as if she were some kind of prize cattle at a fair.

  “Yes, we can see that.”

  She shoved the hair from her face. Brooke’s eyes lifted to the men standing in front of her. She felt as if she were a wild cat. Feral enough to pounce on them and attack. Maybe fight her way to freedom. The only problem was she had to get through their hired brute first. She knew he was a wall of pure muscle and outmatched her in every way.

  “That’s all we need, James.” One of the men dismissed her escort. “Your payment is in your account. I made sure it was processed immediately.”

  “Thank you. Always a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Star.”

  Brooke swallowed. Did he say Star? As in Tyler Star? Her heart hammered harder in her chest.

  James chuckled. “Watch out for this one. She’s feisty. You’ll see what I mean.” He blew her a kiss. “Gotta long drive back.”

  Brooke glared at her captor as he retraced his steps to the hallway. Within seconds the doors closed behind him and he was gone.

  It took Brooke a minute to get her bearings. Riding in the back of a trunk had made her nauseated. She had been roughly pulled into the freezing cold and deposited in front of two men.

  Every possible scenario had gone through her head during the car ride. It was possible Niall had actually wanted her dead. Instead of driving to a remote location, she could have been carted to a shallow grave. She wasn’t expecting this ending. She never thought she’d be standing in front of the Denver’s most eligible and famous bachelors. But where in the hell were they?

  She could see outside that it was snowing. The mountains dotted
the horizon. If she wasn’t so angry, she’d let herself enjoy how beautiful it was. It almost looked like a postcard from Switzerland.

  “Now that he’s gone, maybe we could introduce ourselves properly. I’m Lee.” As he extended his palm toward her, Brooke’s eyes narrowed.

  “I know exactly who you are, Lee Connors.”

  He dropped his hand.

  “Then I assume you know I’m Tyler Star.”

  “I don’t really care who you are.” She pulled her shoulders back. “What do you want with me?” She wasn’t interested in stroking their egos with how much she had read about them.

  Lee smiled. He had perfect straight teeth. Maybe the best smile she’d ever seen. “Perhaps we could start with a drink? We have a full bar. Anything you want. Are you a martini drinker?”

  “I don’t want anything of yours. I want an explanation and I want you to let me go.”

  Tyler rubbed his chin. “That’s going to be difficult, sweetheart. At least for the next sixty days.”

  “I won’t do it.”

  “Do what?” Lee asked.

  She didn’t want to play games. She had been a member of the McIntosh family long enough to know how these arrangements worked. She had witnessed them, but never thought she would be part of one. These were the kinds of things that happened to other people—not her. She had done everything she could to stay out of the business since last year.

  “I won’t sleep with you,” she hissed. “Neither of you. I’m not going to be your sex puppet.”

  Tyler chuckled. It was enough to make her want to lunge at him. He had a sexy smile, that made him even more irritating. Did women find his cockiness attractive? Was that how he got his reputation.

  “I’m only offering drinks,” Lee stated. “How about a glass of wine so we can talk? No sex right now. I promise.”

  She didn’t want to move an inch in their direction. She didn’t like how they mocked her. Or how apparent their sex appeal was. They had to be close to 6’3” or 6’4”. Tyler was slightly taller than Lee. Along with the height came broad shoulders and chiseled jaws. If she didn’t know better, she could have mistaken them for brothers. One with light features. The other with dark.