Page 36 of Watch Over Me

He got a shrug in response, but then his brother found words again.

"Everything about this. They contacted my office a few days ago, actually, and I only put off calling them back because I was out of town for most of the week. I was going to get in touch with them tomorrow and set up a meeting, because there's a real interest in that project inside the DoD, and I was more than willing to smooth the way for them." He frowned at his hands. "This would've been the end of my career."

"No, it wouldn't, you didn't know—"

"At my level, you don't get to say you didn't know." Robert leaned back against the cushions, finally breaking the hard line of his posture. "Especially when so much money is at stake. Not to mention, the security of our troops."

"Wouldn't it require more tests before the deal was signed, though?" Eddie asked. "That's what's bugging me about this. Would they really sign the contract without seeing it actually work?"

Robert grimaced. "It's complicated. Sure, in an ideal world, we buy things that already exist in prototype and can prove their value. But sometimes there are situations like this one, when it's more about wanting it to work andnotwanting anyone else to have it, so we'll buy it before it goes out to other interested parties. You'd be surprised how often we have to compete for something that's merely an idea on a few pieces of paper."

Eddie had seen it, of course, in some parts of the techworld, where everyone was hungry for the next big thing. He'd had no idea it happened in the military, too, but he should've guessed it. Military relied heavily on tech, after all.

"You need a better screening process," he said, and Robert nodded.

"I'll definitely push for that once we deal with this mess. I want to know how they've gotten this far."

"Have you talked about this with anyone yet?"

"No, I've agreed with your guys to hold off and see what happens. I'll notify my counsel, to have it on record that I'm going to proceed with this in order to provide more evidence, not to profit. The more proof we get, the better. And if I stall and they get desperate, they may make a mistake."

Eddie opened his mouth to point out that if they get desperate, they might become dangerous, but he caught himself in time. Robert knew more about danger than Eddie ever would.

"Be careful, though," he told him instead and took a sip of his water.

Robert, for his part, simply nodded.

"You, too. You've done enough already. Stay put, okay?"

If this had been an order, Eddie would balk at it. He'd heard enough of those in his life, from both Robert and their dad. But this time, Robert was asking, the same way Eddie was asking him—like a brother, not a soldier.

"I will. There's no need to involve a person with tech knowledge anymore when we know it's all fake anyway."

Robert snorted and shook his head. "I can't believe they'll go down because of the security companytheyhired. I mean, I've seen people who tried to make themselves appear more important by hiring a detail for show, but to subject themselves to being observed all the time when they're out there committing a crime… That's next-level stupidity, right there."

"Yeah, that's what we thought, too. I mean, we suspectedthey might have hired us for appearance's sake. We've seen it too many times to count. But this… This is new."

"They underestimated you." Robert downed the rest of his water before putting the glass down. "So did I."

It took Eddie a second to register the words, and then he stilled.

Whatever he'd expected as he waited for his brother to get in touch, it wasn't this.

But Robert wasn't done yet.

"It's been made clear to me that you were the one who uncovered this whole thing," he said. "The guys who came to my house clearly think very highly of you in general. I'm sorry I—" He paused. "I've never intended to look down on your career or anything, but this made me realize that I did."

For all that Eddie had wanted to hear something like this for years, now that it was happening, he didn't know how to react to it, at all.

"Thanks," he finally said, clutching the glass in his hands like a lifeline. "I appreciate it."

Robert relaxed his shoulders another fraction.If he keeps progressing like that, he'll be lounging on this couch by next week, Eddie thought and couldn't help smiling.

It got him a rueful smile in response, one that showed a bit of that charm everyone kept insisting his brother had.

"Still, I'll feel better if you stay behind a screen and impress us all from there," Robert told him, and they both chuckled at that.

"You'd all be terribly impressed if you understood what it is that I can do," Eddie tossed back. "Anyway, I feel much better where I am, so I'm not interested in a permanent change."

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