In The Mountains: Gunner (2)

Kit strode into his twin brother’s hospital room. The spacious, clean tiled suite on the top floor of the downtown hospital reflected their money. The private area also reflected his brother’s status as a movie star. Of course, there was one thing that money couldn’t buy.

That was good health.

"What happened?" Kit asked instead of offering a greeting to either his brother or his brother’s bodyguard, Frank. Both men glanced up at his arrival. No doubt they were surprised he left his office. It wasn’t that Kit was a workaholic. It was simply that he kept the business running. Someone had to do the work.

“Didn’t you catch it on the internet?” came his brother’s raspy voice.

"Everyone said you flipped your car."

Both Harry and his bodyguard gave a ferocious frown when he stopped next to the bed. That look led Kit to assume there was more to the story. He hoped his brother wasn’t racing.

"The Jag did hit a tree." His brother wheezed when he tried to shrug. "I broke a few ribs and my leg. Thanks for your concern."

“You know I care, or I wouldn’t be here.” Kit yanked a chair to his brother’s bedside and sat, considering that his brother seemed unconcerned about his injuries. Maybe this wasn’t as bad as it appeared. He took Harry’s hand, careful of the tubing that entered the veins. “I know you screw around, but this isn’t like you. Were you drinking again?"

"Your brother hasn’t had a drop in over four years.” Frank cleared his throat. "And I think what happened with the Jag was no accident."

“He’s paranoid.” Harry smiled his fake movie star grin. “Hey, Horace, sneak me out of here. I’m fine.”

“You know, calling me by my first name will get you nowhere.”

“All right, Kit. Get me some good food, at least. I want Italian.” Harry chuckled and then wheezed. “Can’t laugh with a broken rib."

“Mr. Kittridge.” Frank shook his head at Harry and then pressed his lips into a grim line. “We need to talk about what happened. I’m not paranoid. Someone sideswiped the car and tried to force Harry off the road. I don’t have camera footage, but I saw it with my own eyes.”

“It was a drunk driver on the road.” Harry closed his eyes.

“It didn’t look that way,” Frank argued. “It looked precise.”

Kit set his elbows on his knees and regarded the two men. Harry was notorious for blowing off important things. He blew off school, tests, and events. He couldn’t be bothered to graduate from college. It wouldn’t surprise Kit if his twin were now blowing off something that he should be paying attention to... like someone trying to kill him.

"Why would someone go after Harry?" Kit asked the bodyguard. He could trust the man since he had been guarding them since they were teenagers. In the past few years, Frank started protecting Harry more because he became a movie star. Kit stayed in his office. Generally, for him, the need for any protection was minimal.

“I have a few guesses, but nothing concrete.” Frank began to pace. “To start with, your brother has become the face of Kittridge Incorporated. When you do a hostile takeover, your brother is the man they splash on the news. You have stayed hidden in your office and—"

“I have work that needs to get done,” Kit interrupted.

“This isn’t an attack on your lifestyle.” Frank shook his head and then kept pacing. “All I’m saying is that your brother has made enemies from your business dealings. And beyond that, he has broken a few hearts. I have a list of five women I believe would want him dead.”

“Now you’re just being dramatic.” Harry’s eyes popped open, and he pressed the button for more meds.

“There is one more thing.”

“Great. I’m enjoying hearing that my love life might get me killed,” Harry muttered.

“My last guess is that now that his fourth movie has come out, he is getting a few crazy fans. Obsessive ones.” Frank stopped and stared at Harry as if waiting for him to challenge that statement.

“Why would a fan want to kill him? Doesn’t everyone love Harry Kittridge?” This one sounded the most unrealistic of all the reasons Frank had listed so far.

“Harry has been seen in the news with Candace McKay.”

“So?” Kit asked.

“I’m in the news with her because that’s my girlfriend.” Harry huffed. “At least we will be together again after she changes her mind about dumping me. Women be cray-cray.”

“Anyway,” Frank continued. “Some women might take the view that if I can’t have Harry, no one can have him.” Frank walked over to the window and stared out at the city skyline.

“Sounds simple. We will add more protection. Is that what you’re going to suggest?” Kit asked, but as far as he was concerned, the answer was already yes. They would get his twin whatever he needed.

"I’m worried someone might try to kill your brother again," Frank said to the window.

"You worry too much." Harry sighed. "I need more pain meds."

"Is the pain getting to you?" Kit asked.

"No, this conversation is getting to me. I'm telling you that the car thing was an accident."

Frank’s exhale said more than a sentence could, and Kit knew the man wouldn’t ignore this situation. Kit knew he wouldn’t either.

After Harry’s sentence that this was "an accident," Kit wandered to the window and stared out at the city as night began to descend. His mind rushed over possible ways to help his brother. He assumed Frank would have ideas, but since their parents died, Harry looked to Kit for all the decision-making. If Kit decided on something, Harry always followed.

"Neither of you believes me," Harry grumbled. "Well, what do you want to do, Frank?"

"The first thing I need to do is narrow down the list of people." The bodyguard leaned against the windowsill.

"How do you want to do that?" Kit asked.

"Your brother can't take another attempt on his life. He can barely walk. So, I have a plan."

"Am I going to like this plan?" Kit asked, but already he was feeling like he wasn't.

"When Frank says the word plan, you should run." Harry grinned.

"What is it?"

"You're his twin." Frank scanned Kit. "When you were young, the two of you used to trade places all the time."

"I knew I wasn't going to like this." Kit scrubbed a hand over his face. "And?"

"And you live and breathe your work, and you never leave your office, and you don't go out much, and you don't date much. Kenneth dumped you what? Three years ago?"

"Am I being insulted?" Kit looked at Harry. His twin looked like he was holding back his laughter. Probably so he wouldn't hurt his ribs.

"Truth hurts, Bro," Harry smirked.

"I run our business," Kit snapped. "I keep you in your Hugo Boss suits, and I sign your paychecks, Frank."

"Save the speech." Harry groaned. "I have a headache, and just so you know, I wouldn't be caught dead in Hugo Boss. They didn't hire me for that ad, and I was perfect for it."

"Listen, Frank, I know what you're going to say." Kit glared. "Let me stop you. Harry and I haven't switched places since we were twelve, and now, we hardly look alike. I don't spend half my life in the gym, and I don't use half a gallon of gel in my hair."

"From afar, no one would see the difference, especially if you straightened your curls." Frank doggedly continued. "Hear me out. Because you're always in your office, this is a good thing. We splash you here and there, and while everyone is looking at you, your brother will be safe for a while. Long enough to heal up, and in the meantime, I can do some digging,"

"You want to use Kit as bait." Harry struggled to sit up in his bed. "First, that will never work, and second, we don't need him in a hospital bed next to me."

Kit began to pace much as Frank had done earlier. It wasn't the best plan, but it was something. Frank was right. From a distance, reporters would snap a picture of him and probably wouldn't think anything of it. Still, he wasn't sure how they would pull this off in the city. He considered going to the police, but they didn't have anything solid to go on... other than Frank's gut instinct and what he said he'd seen. He trusted Frank, and maybe this was the best idea so far.

"I need time to look into this, and I need both of you in a safe place while I get this mess straightened out." Frank paused and glared at Harry. "If this is an accident, then why are you so worried?"

"I'm not," Harry muttered.

"I have work that I cannot miss. I can pass off certain items, but there are meetings where I must be present," Kit said thoughtfully. "Other than that, I could take a break."

"You can't be seriously considering this?" Harry asked. "Why would you deliberately slap a target on your back? What if someone tries to kill you because of me?"

"Because Frank is right." Kit gave a sharp nod. "My business dealings have not always been full of hugs and handshakes. And you have always done everything I've asked. You went to all those ribbon-cutting ceremonies, and they took your picture. They put your face on the front of every article and blog post about Kittridge Incorporated. If someone wants you dead because I damaged their livelihood, I need to shoulder that."

"Thank you," Frank said. "I can get you the internet you need. You can show up via screen. Where I'm thinking of putting you, you will have everything you need."

"And what if it's an ex-girlfriend of mine?" Harry asked. "Are you taking responsibility for that too?"

"You're my brother, and I love you. I think you need to heal up and hide for a moment. And while you do that, I can be the famous Harry Kittridge. I'll borrow your clothes, straighten my hair, and smile. It can't be that hard."

"It's not." Frank agreed.

"Hey," Harry snapped. "Being me is harder than you think."

"What's next?" Kit ignored his brother and looked at the bodyguard.

"We need to flush out this killer. If someone wants Harry dead, then I need to shorten the list. I want to take you out of the city and see who follows you. I already have a great team waiting. We will leave in a flashy car and say that Harry needs a place to heal from the crash. When you leave the hospital, you wave to a few reporters, and Harry's publicist will release a statement. Once everyone believes that Harry is on vacation, our killer should follow us. That leaves the real Harry here to get better without me worrying about him."

“Do you have a place in mind?” Kit asked, but he was already warming to this idea. It sounded like they would have plenty of protection for Kit while he pretended to be his twin, and Harry would be safe here. They would leave him with great bodyguards, and then his brother could rest easy and heal. Kit was tough, and he could look after himself.

“I have a place in mind. Your brother has a spot he takes Candace when they need to recover from a fight.”

“Where is that?”

“In the mountains.”