“Yeah, well, after getting kidnapped by a cartel, one random stalker seemed manageable.” I shrugged.
Ryan’s eyebrows shot up. “Kidnapped by a—” He turned to stare at Bruno and Tyrone. “Okay, we’re definitely circling back to that story. Matt conveniently left that detail out of our last chat.”
“There’s a lot Matt seems to leave out,” I pointed out meaningfully.
“Oh, honey”—Ryan’s grin turned wicked—”you have no idea. Want to hear about the time he tried to convince our parents he could totally handle a pet tiger?”
Fin practically bounced in his seat. “Yes! All the embarrassing Matt stories, please!”
“Ryan,” I interrupted, “exactly how much trouble am I going to be in with Matt when he finds out you’re here spilling his secrets?”
Ryan’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Who says he has to find out? Unless…”—he pulled out his phone—”you think he’d be interested in seeing these surveillance photos I took? You know, for posterity?” He scrolled through his phone with exaggerated interest. “There’s this particularly adorable one of you tripping over your own feet outside Starbucks?—”
“I did not trip,” I protested. “The sidewalk was uneven.”
“The sidewalk was perfectly flat, darling. I have video evidence.”
Fin leaned over to peek at Ryan’s phone. “Oh my God, is that the time Andy walked into a glass door at the mall?”
“That door was unnecessarily clean!” I defended myself while Ryan and Fin cackled like hyenas.
“Matt’s going to love these.” Ryan grinned, typing something on his phone. “Especially the one where?—”
“Ryan Alexander Caine.”
The commanding voice cut through our laughter like a hot knife through butter. Ryan’s head snapped up, his face lighting up like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Big brother!” He practically leaped from his chair, arms spread wide. “Come give your favorite sibling a hug!”
Matt stood there with that particular mix of fondness and exasperation that only an older brother could master, like a man who’d spent his entire life dealing with Ryan’s brand of chaos. “I told you to call before showing up unannounced.” Despite his stern tone, he didn’t resist when Ryan wrapped him in a bear hug.
“But where’s the fun in that?” Ryan’s voice was muffled against Matt’s shoulder. “Besides, I brought my bodyguards.” He pointed vaguely toward a distant corner where, sure enough, twosuited men tried their best to blend in with the potted plants. “And I’m in disguise!”
“Your disguise is lousy.” Matt sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You still look exactly like Ryan Caine.”
“Hey! I put effort into this disguise,” Ryan protested, gesturing at his leather jacket and ripped jeans. “I even tried the whole Elvis thing yesterday—sequined jumpsuit, big hair, the works. But Mitch said I looked like Elvis had a baby with a disco ball, and it was attracting way too much attention.” He pouted. “Though that might’ve been because I kept breaking into ‘Jailhouse Rock’ in the casino.”
“You did not,” Ethan gasped, while Fin practically howled with laughter.
“Oh, I did. I have video evidence.” Ryan pulled out his phone again. “Want to see? I even tried a black wig, but it made me look like a reject from a Beatles tribute band. Too pretty for disguises, that’s my curse.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the mental image, and beside me, Matt looked like he was seriously reconsidering all his life choices that led to this moment.
“Besides,” Ryan continued, his grin turning smug, “that’s the point! I’m hiding in plain sight. Nobody expects Ryan Caine to look like Ryan Caine.”
“That makes absolutely no sense.”
“It makes perfect sense if you don’t think about it.”
Matt pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do you have any idea how worried I was when Bruno texted me? After what happened last time?—”
“Oh, come on.” Ryan rolled his eyes, dropping back into his chair. “I was fourteen the first time, sixteen the second time, and seventeen the third time. I’m twenty now. Nobody’s going to kidnap me anymore.”
“You were kidnapped?” I blurted out, then immediately regretted it when Matt’s expression darkened.
“Three times.” Ryan held up three fingers proudly, like they were Olympic medals. “Once for ransom, twice for being irresistibly gorgeous. Though the last two were more like attempted kidnappings. Barely worth mentioning.”
“They are absolutely worth mentioning,” Matt growled. “Which is why you can’t just wander around Vegas without?—”
