I rubbed my temples. How was I going to explain any of this?
“I know,” I said at last.
“Now we’re in a hotel neither one of us can afford.”
“Nicolas is paying for it,” I replied with a wince.
Her eyes narrowed. “He bought the house next door, too.”
“I know,” I said again. I felt like I was just repeating myself—because I was.
Sam stared at me, clearly waiting for me to explain. But what, exactly, could I tell her? If I told her the truth, it would completely destroy her entire worldview. But from the outside, this situation must have looked completely insane.
“We can’t go home right now,” I told her.
I glanced over at Harris for support—perhaps a mistake—because Sam followed my gaze to the detective seated near the entrance, his gun in his lap, and her expression darkened.
“Cole is some sort of criminal, isn’t he? That’s what this is.” Her tone sharpened, and she glared at Harris. “And you’re—what? His henchman?”
The detective snorted. “I’m his friend. Sort of. And the guy keeping you and your brother safe.”
“From what? A rival cartel? A drug deal gone bad?” Sam demanded, her voice rising. “What the hell is even happening right now?”
The door to the hotel room opened, and in strode Sadie—the blonde vampire dressed all in leather. She crossed her arms over her chest and fixed me with a judgmental glare. “If you won’t tell her, I will.”
“Who the hell are you?” Sam demanded, launching to her feet.
Harris also rose, holding his gun in one hand. “Christ! You’re supposed to be watching the elevator!”
“Poppy and Simone are more than capable of guarding the floor to prevent unwelcome company,” Sadie shot back, glaring at him. “And I can hear this poor woman from down the hall. She is in danger. The very least you can do is be honest with her.”
“How could you hear me? I wasn’t even yelling. Also, who the hell are you, and why do you have a key to our hotel room?” Sam sounded more bewildered than angry. Then she looked at Sadie properly, and recognition flooded her expression. “Wait, I know you from somewhere.”
Sadie met Sam’s gaze and froze, her eyes widening and lips parting with surprise. “We’ve never met,” she breathed, her expression softening at once as she studied Sam. “But yes, I believe I may know precisely what you mean.”
“But you seem so familiar,” Sam insisted, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion. Her outrage seemed to have been forgotten. “Are you sure we haven’t met somewhere? Maybe in a meeting or something?”
“A meeting?” Sadie asked, sounding baffled.
“Um, yeah. AA.” Her gaze drifted to the floor and her cheeks went red. “I started going a little while ago.”
“I see,” Sadie breathed, staring at her. She took a step closer to my sister, her expression going very soft. “You need not feel ashamed. You are attempting to confront a problem and improve your relationship with yourself. That is something to be celebrated.”
Sam’s gaze snapped to Sadie’s. “Really?”
Sadie smiled, her eyes crinkling with affection. “Yes, my darling.”
“Wait just a damn minute. Did I miss something?” Harris asked, staring at them like they had both sprouted wings.
I understood his reaction exactly, but this all seemed eerily familiar. They had immediately recognized each other, just as Nicolas and I had. But that didn’t make any sense. Did it?
“You’re joking,” I said, feeling dismayed and disbelieving. “You can’t be serious.”
“No one said anything funny,” Sam said, without taking her eyes off Sadie. “Um… so, not to be an asshole or whatever, but who are you and why are you here in our hotel room?”
“My name is Sadie. I am here as a favor to Nicolas’s brother, Thierry. I am tasked with protecting you.”
“Oh,” Sam said. She cocked her head to the side. “But you don’t have a weapon?”
