Forbidden Legacy (18 page)

Michael suspected his friend wanted to argue that fact but couldn’t. What Alexis said was true. Harrison would sacrifice his own happiness—and Alexis’s—in the end because he always did what was right.

Alexis turned back to Michael. “You’ve been such an amazing, wonderful surprise.”

Michael grinned at her compliment.

“I truly didn’t believe that a woman could give her heart to two men, but you’re changing my mind, Michael. You’ve touched places inside me that I didn’t even know were there. Maybe this seems sudden, but the truth is we’ve known each other for a decade. We weren’t starting from scratch. We had a solid working relationship—even if it was adversarial at times—to build on.”

For the first time since this shitty day started, Michael felt the weight on his chest lessen. “So you’re willing to join the Trinity Masters? To accept us into your life?”

She shook her head. “No.”

Harrison leaned forward, ready to argue, but Alexis cut him off.

“If it was simply a matter of what I wanted, I’d say let’s give it a try, because let’s face it, you’re the only guys on earth who would put up with my work schedule. For the first time in a long time, I haven’t felt lonely. I don’t think I even realized how alone I was until the two of you offered me something more. Something better. We’ve been friends forever. I know and respect you. I care about you and I know neither of you would ever do anything to hurt me. I’m not an impulsive person by nature, but I swear I’m so very close to saying yes to everything.”

The words she spoke were everything Michael had hoped to hear. Unfortunately, he knew there was more. “But?”

“But there are too many things going on here that make me think this relationship is doomed. And none of them have a damn thing to do with my feelings.”

“Alexis,” Harrison started.

“I’m not finished,” she admonished.

Harrison and Michael exchanged rueful grins despite the tension between them. She was a force to be reckoned with, her determination to put them both in their place apparent. Michael had suffered the sting of her bite more than a few times in the past. At least this time he wasn’t taking the hit alone.

“I think you both made assumptions about how this relationship would play out. After all, you’ve been best friends forever, and in the back of your minds, you knew you’d wind up together. You thought it would be easy. You’re both men of action who are used to waving your hands, saying this is how it will be and having everything turn out okay.”

Harrison sighed. “I don’t think I care for that description.”

Alexis grinned. “Tough. You thought I was going to be the hurdle, so you both turned your attention toward convincing me. And while I’m extremely fond of your powers of persuasion, I’m much less impressed with your behavior toward each other. You’re taking your friendship for granted. Harry, Michael is your best friend and he cares about you. I have no doubt that he’s proven his trustworthiness to you at least a thousand times in the past. You take too much on your own shoulders rather than asking for his help. You’re not your father. You don’t have to do everything exactly the same way he did. If you keep walking down this path on your own, I’m afraid the job is going to destroy you.”

Harrison rubbed his jaw, no longer bothering to hide all the stress he’d been bottling up inside. “Well said, Lex.”

“And, Michael, this isn’t a pissing contest. Whatever relationship you and I form together needs to be built on our feelings for each other, not my feelings for Harry. You can’t keep comparing it, fighting to get exactly the same. That’s not how it works. You’re different men and you bring out different sides to me. It’s a wonderful gift that you give, but you diminish it every time you start looking over your shoulder to make sure your share is as big as Harry’s.”

Michael ran his hand through his hair, grimacing. He had been doing that without even realizing it. “You know I hate it when you’re right.”

She laughed. “Aw, Tin Man, you’re gonna have to get used to that feeling.”

Harrison rose from his seat and joined Alexis on the couch. He kissed her on the cheek. “I’m sorry, Lex.”

She kissed him back. “Forgiven.”

Then Harrison turned to him. “Michael. I need help. There are too many things going wrong and I can’t stop them on my own.”

As quickly as that, Michael forgot his anger. “We’ll figure it out. It’ll be okay.”

“I’ll help too,” Alexis offered.

Harrison shook his head. “No. You won’t.”

She appeared hurt until Harrison continued. “It’s too dangerous. I want you as far away from this situation as possible. In fact, it was my intention to break things off between us this afternoon. At least for a little while.”

Alexis leaned toward him. “No way. You promised me a month.”

“Lex. Please be reasonable about this.”

Alexis looked at Michael. “Tell me the timeline. How soon does Harrison have to get married?”

Michael avoided Harrison’s glare as he answered her question. “Typically, it takes a month. The triad is introduced at a bonding ceremony, at which point they have one month to get to know one another, to set their affairs in order, stuff like that. Then they come back for the formal marriage. All members have to be married by the time they’re forty-five.”

Alexis nodded. “So really we have about two months before—”

Michael cut her off. “No. The problem is you aren’t a member. You’d have to come before the Grand Master for approval and then go through an initiation period before you’d be granted full membership.”

“How long does that take?” she asked.

Michael looked at Harrison. It was the question he’d wanted to ask since Harrison had announced Alexis would be their third, but with everything else that had been going on, he’d avoided it.

Harrison sighed. “Six months.”

Alexis frowned. “What? Then we’re already too late.”

Michael held Harrison’s gaze. “But you have an answer, right? A reason for pursuing this knowing there was no time? There’s a loophole somewhere, isn’t there?”

Harrison didn’t look away. “The threat to the Trinity Masters is directed at me. Not the organization.”

Suddenly everything was clear. Harrison had never planned to follow through with the bonding ceremony.

Michael felt as if he’d been sucker punched. “You always intended to walk away.”

Harrison nodded.

Michael’s temper erupted, but he managed to control it, kept his voice low. However, there was no mistaking the rage in his tone. “Then why the pretense? Why would you pull Alexis and me into this when you knew the three of us would never be together? You can’t play with people’s emotions like this, Harrison.”

“You know what happens when I walk away, Michael. No one leaves the Trinity Masters without consequences. I love both of you and I couldn’t stand the thought of you suffering because of a choice I made. Now, you have each other. I’ll make sure my last duty as Grand Master is to partner you with another third. One of your choice.”

Alexis shook her head. “Hell no. That wasn’t the deal.”

Harrison reached her for hand. “Lex. You’re beautiful, intelligent and kind. You’re too wonderful to live your life alone…without love. Michael adores you. I’ve always known that.”

“He drives me crazy. We fight all the time.”

Harrison grinned. “He’ll take care of you. He’ll love you until the day you die. Just like I will.”

“Then we follow the plan. The three of us—”

“That can’t happen.”

“We’ll leave town. We can leave the country if we have to. I’m a doctor. I can go anywhere.”

Harrison gave her a sad smile and then looked at Michael for help.

Michael moved, claiming the other side of her on the couch. He wrapped his arm around Alexis’s shoulders. Everything he’d imagined for his future was tumbling like dominos, one dream after another falling away. “No one leaves the Trinity Masters. It’s a lifetime commitment.”

“What does that mean?” Alexis asked.

“If Harrison leaves, he’ll be ruined. He’ll lose his home, his job, his credibility.” Michael didn’t bother to add that the handful of powerful members who’d quit the organization in the past century had ended up in prison or simply disappeared. Those who were less of a threat often lost either their minds or their lives once their power and positions had been stripped from them. Harrison knew far too much about the Trinity Masters to ever be allowed to walk away unscathed, unharmed. Even people who were his friends, like Price and Gunner, would do their part to make sure Harrison was put in a position where he couldn’t hurt the Trinity Masters. He would be silenced.

Alexis was quiet for several minutes. “There’s another answer. You can choose a woman who is already a member of the Trinity Masters as your third. Then you can keep your place.

Harrison shook his head. “No. Lex. The Trinity Masters is in danger because a madman has fixated on me. I can’t find him to stop him. And if I don’t, our society is in danger of exposure. I can’t allow that to happen. All I want is your happiness. Michael can give that to you—a life full of love.”

Michael considered Alexis’s solution. She was right. Taking a female member as their third would protect Harrison’s position in the organization, but the thought of bringing another woman to their bed made him physically ill. He didn’t want anyone else. One look at Harrison proved his friend would rather risk ruin and death than make that choice as well.

“Let’s put that issue aside for now.” Michael couldn’t see a way to salvage their relationship, but he was determined to find a way to save his friend, to protect him from a killer. He’d already lost Jonathan to the bastard. He wouldn’t let the villain take Harrison as well. “Tell us what you know about the guy who’s after you.”

Harrison took a deep breath. Michael wondered if his friend would refuse his request. He’d said he would come clean, but when faced with the task, Michael didn’t know if Harrison would follow through. If he could. After spending a lifetime of keeping his own council on the important matters, it would be difficult for Harrison to finally share so much. Share everything.

Finally, Harrison stood to retrieve the briefcase with the folders he’d gathered from his office at the library. He pulled out the documents and spread them on the coffee table. Michael noticed he didn’t bother to hide anything from Alexis either, which proved his friend was still determined to bring her into the Trinity Masters…for him.

Harrison started at the beginning and had just finished explaining how Damon and Marco had been blackmailed a year earlier and how Tasha had thwarted a scheme to set Marco up for murder when his phone beeped. Harrison glanced at the screen and then tapped a few words in response.

“I need to call Price,” Harrison said, dialing the number.

When Price answered, Harrison issued instructions. “I need you to find Ryan Patrick Myers and put a tail on him. He’s twenty years old and was last seen this afternoon at Jonathan’s funeral. He’s originally from Los Angeles, but I have reason to believe he’s been in Boston for several months. I need this done quickly, Price.”

Alexis reached over and clasped Michael’s hand as Harrison spoke. He looked at her and tried to offer her a comforting smile. The crinkle in her brow told him she was upset and worried. He also knew she was determined to walk away if that was what it took to protect Harrison.

Michael sighed.
Great,
he thought. Now he had two partners fighting to leave.

Harrison put his phone back on the table.

“Ryan Myers?” Alexis asked.

Harrison nodded. “He’s the best lead we’ve had in a year, though there’s still no proof he’s the man we’re looking for.

“I know him.”

“You do?” Michael and Harrison said in unison.

“Well, not
know
know, but I’ve met him. He was in the hospital a few days after the church fire. He was looking for his father, said he had a reason to believe he’d been in the church.”

“Was he?” Harrison asked.

She shook her head. “No. At least we didn’t have any record of his father being a patient.”

Harrison rubbed his chin. “I swear the name rings a bell with me too, but I can’t remember where I’ve heard it.”

Michael gestured to the folders. “Think maybe it’s in one of these folders?”

Harrison shook his head. “I’m sure it’s not. I’ve got the information about the blackmailer in those documents practically memorized.”

“What makes you think the man has targeted you and not the group?” Alexis asked. “I mean, the blackmailing scheme was definitely an attempt to hurt Damon and Marco.”

“I think that entire plot was the man’s way of flushing me out. Ryan Myers was an intern at the DA’s office where Damon works. Damon wears his Trinity Masters signet ring everywhere according to Tasha. I’m wondering if Ryan saw it and recognized there was a connection between me, Damon and that symbol.” Harrison reached into the file and began producing one photograph after another. All of them were of the Trinity Masters’ symbol.

“Where did you get these?” Michael asked.

“Everywhere. This symbol has been popping up all over the place, always where I’m certain to see it. Around this building, on campus, at all of my parking spots—at work, here and the library. It’s clear someone has been following me and is aware of my daily routine. It’s also shown up on my home and work computers. Ryan is apparently a computer genius.”

Michael frowned. “And you’re just telling me about this now?”

Harrison didn’t bother to feign guilt. “This man is after me. I didn’t see any reason to put you in harm’s way.”

Alexis shook her head. “I’m not sure how you can assume that you’re the target. That symbol represents the Trinity Masters. What if this man—Ryan—simply knows you’re the leader, so he’s trying to bring you down as a way of harming the organization as a whole.”

“Bringing me down won’t affect our society that much. We’ve lost Grand Masters in the past. There will always be another ready to step up and assume control. This is personal. Between me, Ryan…and Jonathan.”

Michael leaned back on the couch. “Jonathan?”

“He was also targeted, though I can’t understand why.” Harrison rose and walked to the small desk near a window in his living room. He opened the top drawer and retrieved the letter they’d found with Jonathan the night he died.