“Pending research,” Juliet corrects.
Callum laughs. “Already got a notebook, Madness?”
Juliet doesn’t answer.
Which is answer enough.
I sigh. “Please tell me he’s not a serial killer. One is enough.”
“Callum’s not a serial killer,” Juliet says.
“Anymore,” Callum adds helpfully. “Though, happy to come out of retirement for Vitaly. Juliet. Shits and giggles. Whatever works.”
Orion snorts. “What’s his deal? The new guy.”
Juliet tilts her head. “Intense. Observant. Good hands.”
“Good hands?” Noah grins.
“Capable hands,” Juliet clarifies. “Like he knows how to use them.”
Callum waggles his eyebrows. “I bet he does.”
“Focus,” I snap. “We have an actual problem to solve. Juliet’s... pending acquisition can wait.”
“Acquisition,” Orion mutters. “Jesus Christ.”
Juliet just smiles. “He can wait. Vitaly can’t.”
I look at the board.
Our names. Our missions.
A family going to war.
For a man we haven’t even officially met yet.
“Alright,” I say. “Let’s bring him home.”
Chapter Nine
Juliet
I open my laptop.
Pull up the nanny cam app.
Six feeds. Six angles.
Vitaly’s house.
I’ve been watching him for a week. Meeting a sweet man like Vitaly shouldn’t be rushed.
But that bitch Oksana has forced my hand.
So, I’ve watched. From home. At work. On my phone, running errands. Cramming like it’s finals week and the subject is My Future Husband 101. Learning his patterns. His routines.
The way he moves through his kitchen like it’s a sacred space.
