“Stop being a prick and speak in English, Justice,” I say in English, partially turning my head so I can see them both.
One of his dark eyebrows rises.
She watches him. “You know, I didn’t see it last night, but there is a resemblance between the two of you.”
The entire world thinks I’m the last standing recluse in my entire family. Her keen eye is yet another intriguing aspect to her. “You’re right,” I say. “We’re brothers.”
Shock sizzles in Justice’s eyes for a second. “You’re going to kill her?” He speaks in English this time.
She pales.
“No,” I growl. “I promised her no lies last night. Remember?”
Justice looks like he’s about to fall over a cliff.
I give her a glare. “She’ll keep our confidence.” My voice is heavy with threat.
She looks from me to him, paling. “Thorn and Justice? Seriously?”
Justice shuffles his massive boot. He’s dressed in dark jeans and a black shirt, and no doubt he’s been prowling the city all morning. “Our father didn’t exactly like us.”
She bites her bottom lip. “I’m sorry, Justice. I know how that feels.”
Justice draws back.
I save him before he can propose to her or do something equally ridiculous like try to save her from me. It is one thing to know she’s beautiful and creative and quite another to realize her heart is truly as sweet and pure as advertised. Plus, she’s courageous. I hadn’t expected that. “Justice? What have you found?”
He focuses. “The three gang members who infiltrated the club to take Alana last night are dead.”
“Killed by Sokolov’s men?” I ask.
He nods. “The guards fired almost instantly, and my sources relate that Hendrix took out at least one of them. I’ve tracked down two more members of their gang, Twenty-One Purple out of Oakland, and we can speak with them tonight after we leave them on ice all day.”
Good. I’d like to know who has orders regarding Alana sooner rather than later, and I’m well acquainted with that gang. They run drugs and women, and like most gangs, are incredibly territorial. I don’t like that they have her in their sights.
As if reading my mind, she narrows her gaze. “Why are you trying to help me?”
It’s a good question. “I told you. I’m obsessed with you.”
The words should terrify her. Instead, she purses her lips. “You don’t know me.”
I am learning that to be true.
“So you’re just a superficial bastard who likes what he sees.”
I grab her ass and pull her tighter against me, my cock against her pretty blue panties that look like one of the thongs I’d purchased for her. “I fucking love what I see. Do you have a problem with that?”
The pulse beats wildly in her neck. I can see it. “Yes.” She spits out the word, but adorable confusion lingers in her angry eyes.
I don’t blame her. She doesn’t understand the raw connection I’m forging between us yet. She will. She’ll learn to crave it. “You’re in danger, and nobody threatens what’s mine.” It’s as close as I can come to explaining to her, and I don’t explain to anybody.
She sweeps a hand toward the back doors. “Your own brother knocks on your door. You obviously aren’t close to anybody.”
I remain distant from Justice so I can keep him alive. “You and I are going to be so close you won’t know where you end and I begin. Even more importantly, you won’t fucking care.”
Justice keeps his expression carefully blank. “Do you want me to plant a trail for her? It’s not unthinkable to believe she might run away after being thrown to the Sokolov man-child.”
Panic lights her eyes. “Just how long is this kidnapping going to last? I have work to do.”
The longer she’s away from Aquarius Social, the easier it is to take them down. I don’t like the idea of hurting her, and leaving her with nothing is not my intention. “You’re with me so long as I’m alive.”
One of her eyebrows arches. “Why?”
There are many answers I can give to her, but I go with the simplest truth. “You’re my reason for breathing, and you were meant to be mine.”
That intrigue enters her eyes again and she shoves it away. Poor confused girl. “You’re nuts.”
“Quite possibly,” I agree. “Are we any closer on the other matter?” I ask Justice.
“Yes.” Justice runs a hand through his thick hair. “Kaz says the alexandrite crystals we stole are faster than anything he’s ever seen and thus may be able to solve your problem in time.” He wisely keeps from revealing that I’m dying.
I switch to Gaelic like the unrepentant asshole I am. “How close is he?”
“He’s talking to himself, which is a good sign,” Justice returns in our native language. “He might even be able to trace the virus back to the source. At least we’ll have a starting point.”
Humans break easier than technology.
Vengeance fills my body with heat. Good. Whoever is trying to kill me needs to bleed. Now it is just a matter of having enough time to dig out the leads. Since I’m being an ass and speaking in a language foreign to her, I figure I’ll get it all out now. “I want Wynd on the op tonight when we speak with the two gang members you’ve secured to question about the hit on Alana in that stupid bar. He needs to see more blood.”
