“What are you doing with that thing wrapped around your neck?” I completely forgot he had snakes for pets.
He shrugs and grins. “I was cold.”
“I can knit you an actualscarf,” I mutter as he enters the room.
“You interviewed in here?” Lyam asks. I see his gaze catch on the open door to the second room. His brows rise. “You’re my fucking idol, Thayer.”
Thayer shrugs, scowling, and sits in a chair. He jerks his chin to a chair for Lyam to sit in, then gestures for me to come to him. Lyam looks curiously from me to Thayer, then back again. I can tell there are questions he wants to ask. I hope he doesn’t ask them because I don’t know the answers myself.
When I reach Thayer, he pulls me onto his lap. My cheeks flame while Lyam watches as Thayer whispers in my ear, “Even in front of my brothers, you belong to me. You’ll do what I say and when. Is that clear?”
I wonder if this is part of the job, part of the scam, for me to masquerade as his slave and hide my identity. I wonder if he’ll still be like this when the people after me are no longer a threat.
I wonder if I want him to.
I gasp when he grips my leg. “Answer me.”
I nod. “Yes. Yessir!”
Lyam doesn’t even look at us.
So this is normal for them, then. My whole body warms against Thayer’s, as he wraps his arms around me like he’s buckling me into a seat, only the seat ishim.I shiver when he puts his mouth to my ear. “Very good, Savannah. You passed the test.”
Without explanation, he pulls out a laptop and hits the power button. Fabien and Nicolette sit on the screen in front of us, and here I amsitting in Thayer’s lap.
There’s no turning back. Even if this was part of the act, there’s no reason for him to have me sitting on his lap when no one else is here, and no one else can see me. I know then that Thayer’s making an emphatic declaration for his brothers to see: we’re together.
Fabien’s gaze darkens, and Nicolette looks as if she wants to reach through the screen and smack Thayer. I’m suddenly glad it’s hard to make eye contact on a conference call.
I swallow hard and lace my fingers in Thayer’s.
Nicolette pulls herself together and gives me a little wave. I give her a little wave back.
Phew.
I want to reach out into the screen and hug her. I want her to tell me it’s okay, that no one else is going to die because of me… includingme.
I want her to tell me what it’s like being in love with a mobster.
Fabien clears his throat. “Savannah, how are you?”
“Other than being nearly smothered by your very overprotective brother? I’m peachy.”
Nicolette smiles and actually laughs. “Tell me about it.” She turns to Thayer. “Thayer, are you taking advantage of my little sister?”
Oh, yeah, my sister and I have a lot to talk about.
“Taking advantage?” he asks in that voice that I immediately know means business. “What do you mean?”
I sit up straighter, even though I’m on his lap. “No one’s taking advantage of anyone, Nicolette, and you and I have a lot of catching up to do.”
Nicolette blinks. Lyam laughs out loud, and Fabien clears his throat. “Tell us what happened, Lyam. Fill us in.”
Lyam straightens in his seat. “Nicolette, Savannah, you’re family now. No reason to hide anything.” He strokes his damn snake. She practically purrs.
I sit still, listening and hoping that the damn thing can’t reach me.
“First, I want to know how much you two know.”
