Blake squirmed. What Marcus was saying was partly true. He did want to see how things were going when Ellie and Chloe saw each other for the first time in months. Chloe had presumed that her best friend was dead, so it wasn’t going to be an easy or quiet reunion. “Yeah? So? Maybe I do want to see them together. They’ve both gone through hell. Other than Chloe marrying Gabe, it’s the only good thing that’s happened to either one of them.” He knew he sounded defensive, but he didn’t give a damn.
“What about Zane and Ellie?” Marcus questioned.
“What about them?”
“I think Zane’s going to end up being the next Colter to get hitched.”
“You think they’ve gotten that close?” Blake thought Zane liked Ellie, but he didn’t think it was serious. His younger brother had always been the type to step in when somebody needed him. Underneath Zane’s brilliant mind lay a tender heart.
“I think they’re very…close,” Marcus answered, sounding amused.
Blake brushed off Marcus’s comment. If things were serious between Ellie and Zane, everybody would know. “Did you come over for something specific?” he asked.
Marcus motioned for him to get in the truck. “You drive. But be careful backing up. I don’t want you to hit my car.”
Blake watched as Marcus walked casually to the other side of the truck and got in. Hopping into the driver’s seat, he glared at him suspiciously. “You were always planning on going, too. That’s why you came over.”
Marcus shrugged. “Maybe,” he said noncommittally.
Blake was tempted to back his heavy truck into the sports car behind him just to get a reaction. Lately, Marcus had grown cooler and more distant. Maybe it was because of the work he did for the government. It had been gradual, but Blake could sense things with Marcus. The two of them had always been able to read the other’s emotions. Sadly, Blake was starting to comprehend less and less from Marcus. It was as though he’d put up a shield to keep everybody from knowing what he was thinking.
“Do you remember when I did you that favor, pretending to be you so you didn’t have to go to a party?” Marcus asked carefully.
“What party?” They hadn’t done a switch since they were teenagers.
“The one you dreaded because you said the female host was as bossy as a drill sergeant.”
Blake turned and looked at Marcus in surprise. “We were eight years old, Marcus, and I said she reminded me of Cruella De Vil, which definitely fit her perfectly.”
Although the incident had happened a long time ago, Blake could still remember how disappointed he’d been because Cruella’s sister wasn’t attending the birthday party. And the last thing he wanted was to attend the party without Cruella’s sibling as a buffer.
“I don’t know. I kind of liked the little drill sergeant,” Marcus mused. “Anyway, you said back then if you could repay me some day by doing the same thing, you would. You still up for that?”
“You want me to be you? We’re in our mid-thirties. And you’re asking for a favor I promised when we were eight? Hell, I pretty much forgot the whole thing.”
“I never forget. And I don’t need it right now,” Marcus reassured him. “But possibly in the future.”
“What are you up to, Marcus?” Blake would swear there was more to this question and answer session than he knew.
“I can’t tell you that right now,” Marcus remarked with a hint of remorse in his tone. “As long as you’re a senator, my personal activities are off-limits to sharing.”
“I already know what you do for the CIA,” Blake reminded him as he turned the corner and headed toward Zane’s house.
“It’s not about them,” Marcus answered thoughtfully. “Not directly anyway.”
“Then what?” Blake was getting antsy. He wanted to know what in the hell Marcus was cooking up this time.
“I’ll tell you some day. I’ll tell all the family. But trust me, I can’t right now. I just need to know you’ll help me if I need it.”
“Of course I’d help you. It goes without saying. You’re my brother.” Blake was irritated that Marcus wouldn’t share more, but he’d certainly be there if his twin needed him.
“Good.”
Blake knew the one-word answer was all he was going to get. “When might this happen?”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever need that favor. But it always pays to know all of my options.”
“Just keep your ass safe, and you won’t need anything,” Blake told him gruffly.
“I plan on it,” Marcus answered arrogantly.
Blake had no answer for that comment. He wanted all of his family to stay safe, and he wanted them all happy and secure.
They drove the short distance in silence, Blake lost in thought about why in the hell Marcus would ever need him to play a game of switch.
“Going somewhere?” Tate Colter asked his wife innocently.
Lara had just gotten home from school, and was already changed and picking up her car keys to go out again. Tate was pretty sure he knew exactly where she was going.
“I wanted to pop over to Zane’s to see Chloe.” She picked up her purse from the kitchen table.
He moved up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “What you really want to do is see the reaction between Chloe and Ellie,” he teased, dropping a kiss on the side of her neck. “Are you planning on playing counselor with the two of them?”