“What? Gonna spank me?” Aneski challenged. “I’m not your little brother. Stop treating me like I am.”
It’d been a long while since Flix had thought of him that way, but he kept that to himself, especially when his house came into view and a familiar car was parked in the driveway.
Kazimir Ambros was propped up against the front door, typing away on his multi-slate without a care in the world. The cousin to their leader, and Underboss of the mafia, Kaz had most likely been sent to check up on him.
Flix parked the car and rested a hand over Aneski’s wrist before he could make any motions to exit. “Keep your mouth shut, got it? Not a word, Ani.”
“Don’t—”
“We’re lucky that it’s Kaz and not someone else, someone more observant who might actually give a shit,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean tipping him off won’t be dangerous. I can’t protect you from the Underboss. Behave and do what I fucking tell you.”
Flix got out of the car and shut the door, not wanting to give Aneski the chance to argue further. Hopefully, he got the message because if not…Flix wasn’t in a position to help him out if he got on Kaz’s bad side. Not because he wasn’t capable of holding his own against Kazimir, but because he couldn’t think of one good reason he should bother.
Risk his life and career by attacking his friend for someone who’d just kidnapped and tortured him, why?
Yeah, no.
That notion didn’t help ease any of the tension he felt as he casually strolled down the stone path that connected the driveway to his three-step porch.
Kaz lifted his head after finishing off a message and gave Flix a solid once over before straightening. “You’ve dropped seven pounds at least. Aren’t vacations meant to be healthy?”
Okay…Maybe he was more observant than Flix had given him credit for. He laughed like it was no big deal and bounded up the steps, making a big show of tossing his arms around Kaz in a sloppy hug that had him shoved back down the small flight within seconds.
Flix tripped and landed on his feet, laughing.
“Seeing as how you’re still a pain in the ass,” Kaz drawled, “I’m guessing it’s safe to say I can give the all-clear to Berga.”
“He send you?” Of course he did. Flix should have known the call earlier wouldn’t be enough to appease his best friend. “As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
“Yeah.” Kaz’s gaze trailed toward the path where Aneski was finally making his way toward them. “That would probably be more convincing if you weren’t coming home with a Shepard.”
“Him?” Flix shrugged. “Baikal ordered me to play nice, remember?”
“What I remember is how reluctant you were about accepting that command.”
Aneski was close enough to catch that, and his eyes narrowed slightly, though he kept his mouth shut.
“Change of tune.” Flix needed to make the Underboss leave. “I’ll stop by tomorrow and catch up on everything I missed. You can tell Berga not to worry so much. But, uh,” he ran a hand through his hair boyishly, “do me a favor and keep my company to yourself?”
“You don’t want Berga knowing you’re hanging out with him?” Kaz chucked his chin toward Aneski, but before Flix could answer, his device dinged and after reading whatever message he’d received, his attention clearly shifted. “Whatever. It’s none of my business anyway. Just be sure to stop by the manor. Everything always falls to shit when you’re not around.”
“Aw, did you miss me?” he teased.
“Get wrecked.” Kaz didn’t so much as glance his way as he shot off another message and pushed past Aneski, forcing the other guy to step out of his way or risk getting bulldozed over. As an afterthought, he lifted a hand in a parting wave and then climbed into his car and sped off.
Part of Flix was curious what had him in such a rush, but since he hadn’t been asked to tag along, it must not be anything imperative or having to do with the Brumal.
“Why don’t you want Berga to know about me?” Aneski broke the silence first, pulling Flix out of his thoughts.
“I don’t want anyone to know about you,” he corrected, turning to open the front door. He half expected Ani to make a run for it now that the threat of Kazimir was gone, humming in approval when he looked back to find him still waiting there. Pushing open the door, he angled his head toward the opening. “Get in.”
Aneski hesitated for barely a blink of time before practically stomping up the steps. He walked inside as though he weren’t heading straight into his own personal jail cell, unabashedly entering the main room.
Flix followed, closing and locking the door all while Ani shamelessly took in the place. Most of the Brumal lived in fancy apartments and high-rises in the center of the city, but Flix preferred his space, especially since his job meant he had to constantly come and go at odd hours. There weren’t any security cameras he had to be conscious of here, which meant one less step to worry about when he finished work at four am and just wanted to crash for a couple of hours before class.
Still, he had heightened security measures in place, including barred windows that would send a message to his multi-slate should anyone attempt to shake or pry them loose. As a person who utilized those as entrances for most of his break ins, he knew all too well how easy it was to enter one’s home through them.
The house had three levels and was made of concrete, brick, and metal. The living area greeted them first, an L-shaped dark gray couch pressed beneath a floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the street. The glass was bulletproof and one-way sothat no one from the outside could ever see the goings on within. Flix liked natural light, but also his privacy and this provided him the best of both worlds.
