Some of the staff watch me strangely as I leave. Their gazes make me uneasy and Dahlia has to chase them out with sharp words before I understand the reason behind it.
Why would the main family possibly take in someone like me?
My heart grows heavier with the thought, but I ignore it as I step out onto the porch with Dahlia.
Reuben is already there, waiting at the door with four other men I don’t recognize and when they all turn to me, there’s suddenly an itchy anxiety in my chest.
I’d thrown one of Christian’s black hoodies over a grey sweatshirt, in an attempt to chase the August-end cold away, and after much deliberation I finally decided on a pair of his grey boots and baggy black pants. It’s a style I’d seen Christian wear before… but now I’m not so confident.
Reuben watches me curiously and with a smile on his lips as he steps forward. He’s abandoned his turtleneck for something more casual—a buttoned blue shirt, comfortable blue jeans and white sneakers—but the last few buttons of his shirt are undone and a grey vest clings to the skin of his torso.
For the first time, I’m noticing the piercing at the tip of his ear. When he steps close to me, something about the way his body blocks me in and the way his eyes lock with mine… it makes me watch him with new suspicion.
“You didn’t run.” His voice is sugary, said under his breath as though he meant it for himself, and I huff through my nose without a response.
Don’t tempt me please, there’s still time.
The smile that breaks his face is as though he can hear my thoughts, and his eyes light up in a way that makes me feel strangely conscious. He’s so close that I can smell the cologne that sticks to him, a warm, rich scent—I think, coffee? Mixed with something else I don’t yet recognize. Something pleasant.
I’m not sure if he stepped this close to try and intimidate me, but whatever the case I don’t step back. I meet his eyes squarely and a strange heat comes to his eyes when I do, one that he shackles as he steps away.
“Meet the team.”
Here we go.
“Tobias, Gabriel and Xavier,” Reuben introduces them with lightning speed, and though my nerves are spiking beneath my skin, I keep my expression neutral.
I nod once, “Christian.”
They’re lined up beside each other, so it’s easy to tell who is who. Tobias is the tallest with curious brown eyes, curly hair and a square face with stubble lining his jaw and above his lips. He twirls a blade naturally between his fingers in one hand, as though he barely needs to think about it, before giving me a single nod of acknowledgement.
I can only nod back, grateful enough that I don’t have to say anything more.
A quiet one. Perfect.
The man beside him watches me between narrowed eyes and I can already sense we’re going to have a problem. He’s shorter than the first guy by two inches most, and his face is heart-shaped with pretty brown eyes and low-cut hair. He has the same stubble creeping around his jaw but tattoos are reaching across his neck from beneath his shirt, making him seem more massive than he is.
Xavier, the last one, is different from the rest. His eyes are almond-shaped and his lips are thin, but his pale skin is flawless and his hair is wavy as it falls across his shoulders. His eyes are piercing like Reuben’s but his face is prettier. Softer.
Yet my instincts are telling me it’s in my best interest not to fuck around.
“Tobias is my second,” Reuben explains as though he’s firing off rapid shots and doesn’t want to waste time. “When I’m absent, he’s the one whose orders you follow without question.”
Understood.
“Gabriel is our unofficial doctor. The moment he dies, we all die, and Xavier came to us.” Reuben tilts his head to one side. “He has the skills, and he’s an excellent shooter.”
They stare at me expectantly and my brain glitches.
Christian was good at a lot of things, he had a legacy across the continent… but I’m not going to stand here and boast about things I might suck ass at. It’d be like digging my grave before I’ve even started.
“Christian,” I repeat with a deadpan voice.
“Estoy segura de que el encajará perfectamente,” Tobias tells Reuben in alanguage I don’t recognize and Reuben grins.
If they’ve switched to another language already it’s safe to say that three minutes in I’ve already botched the meet and greet.
An unfamiliar man with a rugged look and beefy build steps up, in front of a silver jeep in the driveway.
