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I shift slightly, bringing Alexis into the fold. "Guys, this is Alexis."

I've already briefed them on her—purely for protocol's sake, of course. After I took her to spot Nolan’s men, she became an integral part of this operation, so my brothers needed to know who she was. Plus, Elijah was the one who helped me execute the wire transfer and trace Nolan's accounts, and he asked plenty of questions. At this point, they pretty much know everything.

Well, maybe not everything—they don't need the details of what happens between us behind closed doors—but they know the important stuff.

Alexis flashes a soft, polite smile, nodding to the room. "Hi, everyone."

"Alexis, meet my brothers," I say, gesturing across the room. "That's Ezekiel. That's Malachi. Over there is Elijah, and this idiot here is Levi."

The tension in the room melts off quickly as they all flash her welcoming smiles and wave. Ezekiel gives her a polite nod, while Malachi offers a brief, respectful greeting.

Levi turns to the wet bar behind him, grabbing a crystal tumbler. "Can I get you a drink?"

"No, she doesn’t want one," I cut in before she can even answer.

Levi rolls his eyes, shooting me an exasperated look as he reaches for a pitcher instead. "I meant orange juice, boss man. Calm down."

Alexis lets out a genuine, musical laugh at our back-and-forth, the sound cutting cleanly through the air of the room.

Malachi leans back against the leather sofa, crossing his arms with a sharp, dangerous glint in his eye. "Oh, so this is Alexis," he says, his tone far too smooth for my liking. "The reason you completely flunked our meeting last night."

Alexis pauses mid-smile, her head snapping toward me. Her brows draw together in immediate confusion. "What meeting?"

I glare at Malachi with enough heat to melt lead. The bastard just smirks right back at me, thoroughly enjoying himself. I am going to fucking kill him.

CHAPTER TWELVE

ALEXIS

I am completely horrified. The thought that my chaotic financial emergency caused Cain to miss an important meeting with his family makes my stomach twist into a knot.

"What meeting?" I demand again, looking around the room for an actual answer.

Before Cain can deflect, Levi is suddenly right beside me, pressing a cool glass of orange juice into my hand. He gives me a reassuring grin.

"Last night we had a crucial sit-down. Cain was supposed to be there, but he was a total no-show. We only found out this morning that he flunked it because he was busy with you."

I gasp, the glass trembling slightly in my grip. "Oh, God..."

Levi gently places a hand on my shoulder, guiding me down into one of the plush leather armchairs. "Hey, don't worry about it. The world didn't end."

Across the room, Cain looks ready to commit murder. He stands rigidly near the desk, glaring at every single one of his brothers with a look so lethal it could strip paint off the walls.

Elijah doesn't even flinch. He looks up from his tablet, raising an eyebrow at Cain. "Why are you standing there like a log of wood? Sit down."

Ezekiel lets out a quiet chuckle from his corner, taking a slow sip of his drink. "Honestly, we better just be happy he's actually early today."

I take a small sip of the juice, observing the four of them in quiet astonishment. I'm completely thrown off by how relaxed the brothers are with one another. Given the bloody, terrifying reputation that surrounds the Kavanagh name across the city, I expected cold military precision or constant underlying threat.

Instead, there's an effortless, almost playful banter between them. Even Cain—despite his obvious annoyance and the dark scowl carved into his face—has dropped the sharp, hyper-vigilant edge he usually carries in public.

Among his brothers, he is visibly grounded, completely at ease in a way I've never seen before. He shifts his dark gaze from me over to Levi, who is still lingering near my armchair.

"Levi, get away from her," Cain grunts. "Don't suffocate her."

Levi groans out loud, dramatically rolling his eyes as he takes a step back. "I was just being a good host, bro⁠—"

Before he can finish his sentence, the heavy office door swings open.