Chance leaned against the wall behind him, crossing one booted foot over the other ankle and his hands in his pockets. He didn’t look concerned to have all eyes on him, nor did he seem to mind the permanent scowl etched on Luke McCoy’s face.
Tag wasn’t one to get intimidated easily, but then again, at six feet three, a solid two twenty, he’d gotten pretty comfortable in his own body. As for Chance, well, Luke definitely had a few inches on him, even though the cop didn’t look much shorter than Tag was. And the only other person in the room who might’ve had the same breadth would’ve been Cole. Both men looked like they lived at the gym.
When Chance started talking, all eyes stayed on him. “I’ve been investigating Stewart Crawford for going on a year now.”
“Stewart Crawford? The big oil tycoon out of West Texas?” McKenna asked.
“That’d be the one. You might not be familiar with him, but you’re definitely acquainted with his son, Stephen.”
Tag knew the relation because the McCoy’s didn’t play around when they did background checks. He just wasn’t sure why it was relevant.
“We know for a fact that Stewart’s managed to get away with thousands of oil drilling violations in recent years. Mainly, as they relate to corroded pipelines that are leaking and in desperate need of repair.”
“I don’t understand,” McKenna voiced. “Wouldn’t that be something for the Texas Railroad Commission to investigate? Why are you undercover investigating it?”
“I’m not,” Chance clarified, and Tag noticed Luke’s eyebrows get even closer as he regarded Chance.
“Then what are you doing?” Logan asked.
“I’m investigating Stephen Crawford.” Chance didn’t elaborate, and Tag felt the pressure in the room shift dramatically.
“Do we have to drag it out of you?” Cole bit out, standing more firmly in place.
“Stephen Crawford has managed to blackmail a handful of very influential people in this state, several of them members of your club.”
“Sonuvabitch!” Luke bellowed and began pacing. “That’s why that little mother fucker wanted in so bad. He’s using us to get the dirt he needs.”
Tag watched each person, noticing how Logan allowed his twin a moment to vent before he spoke up. “If Crawford’s blackmailing government officials, I assume they are the ones who are managing to bypass the red tape as far as the environmental violations are concerned.”
“That’s correct,” Chance responded. “Keep in mind, I’m undercover, and I’ve managed to get close to Stephen Crawford in the last few months. So, I was a little surprised to learn he wasn’t just using his underhanded skills to protect his daddy’s fortune, but that he was now venturing down a new path of crazy.”
Luke stopped moving and jerked his attention to Chance at the same moment Logan stood up. Tag didn’t move from behind McKenna, keeping his hands firmly on her shoulders as he watched the two identical brothers. He recognized their immediate protective instincts.
“Chill out, boys,” Chance said casually, never moving from his disinterested stance against the wall. “I’m here to help you.”
“How the hell do you propose to do that?” Luke asked.
“Well, if you’d let me finish, I was just getting to the interesting part.”
Chapter Thirty Eight
McKenna sat at the table, drinking in the sight of Tag sitting across from her. She was supposed to be working, but for the last few minutes, she’d been too interested in staring at the sexiest man she had ever laid eyes on.
For two days, they hadn’t spent a single minute apart, and during that time, she had even gotten used to the way he continued to touch her in the most innocent of ways. Like right now. They were sitting directly across from one another at his breakfast table, their laptops set up between them while Tag’s bare foot methodically rubbed against hers beneath the table. Even that innocent, sweet caress was enough to send her hormones into a frenzy.
“You’re supposed to be working,” Tag stated, never looking up from his computer screen.
McKenna smiled. “I am.”
“Yeah?” Tag’s eyes came up to meet hers, and that sexy dimple in his right cheek winked as he grinned.
“I’m thinking about writing an article on the world’s sexiest men. And I think you’ll be the first one I write about.”
“Well, darlin’, I can assure you that your readers would be sadly disappointed,” he grinned even bigger.
“Why’s that?” McKenna didn’t doubt how sexy her readers would find Tag; especially if they had as intimate a glimpse into who he truly was as she did. Not that she would ever allow that to happen though.