Page 65 of Obsessions of the Heart

That, I could tell myself was a fantasy, but now that I’d had the reality, I could never go back.

When I read what coffee shop Ravi was going to meet her at, I immediately hacked into their security system. Thirty minutes before they were planning to meet, their whole system was up and at my fingertips.

I had been having uneasy feelings since Roux took care of that issue at the house, and then there’d been the incidents at the library and the mall. She was either a magnet for trouble, or someone had caught on to how much she meant to us and was putting her or us to the test. No matter what, I didn't like it.

With a hot cup of coffee in hand, I watched the shop’s security feed for thirty minutes, cataloging who was coming in and out, and went through the employee roster, including monitoring their socials. I wanted to be prepared for anything.

As soon as she stepped through the door, my whole world halted. She was perfection personified. My eyes traveled to my locked drawer, and a soothing wave rippled from my heart. Yes, and now she’s mine, ours. We won’t lose this chance again.

My eyes stayed glued to the screen to pick up when she breathed or tucked her hair behind her ear. Her absolute cuteness knew no bounds; she practically floated in line. I regretted that cuteness a second later when the barista gave her a set of eyes that made my blood boil.

Grabbing my phone, I pressed Ravi’s speed dial and heard the click of an answer. I barked, “Get there now. Some filthy dog is trying to smell our woman. Exterminate him.”

Ravi growled, “Almost there… and while I want to do what you said, I won’t be able to do that and talk to Rin. Send Roux when he goes on break.”

Nodding to myself, I replied, “Done. Call me when you guys are finished.”

The next second, Ravi walked into the coffee shop, and I was able to breathe again. He wouldn't let that ooze-riddled maggot defile our woman with his touch. By the time I hung up and settled back for a show, Roux came into my room.

“Have they met up yet?”

I gave a sharp shake of my head, eyes closed. He sat down on my bed, and my insides pinched. That was the bed Rin and I’d shared. Turning back to the monitor, I reminded myself we’d never been picky about our rooms and spaces before… until she showed back up in our lives.

While we might have agreed that we would share her, that she would be all of ours, that didn't prevent the ugly feelings of jealousy and possession that I seemed to have when Layrin was involved.

I’d shared everything with my brothers, even our damn woman. Could I not have some small scrap of space that was just mine? Some part of her that was only for me?

“Get off the bed,” I snapped, knowing that I was going to need to figure out how to handle all of that better, but I had time. Rin was going to be with us forever.

His eyes drilled into my back while I watched him through the monitor. He rose up and crossed his arms, clearly irritated, but he was going to need to get used to it. If Ravi had her clothes in his room, then no one got to be on my bed but Rin and me.

Roux stomped up, pointing at the monitor. “Where the fuck are they going? I thought they were going to talk in the shop.”

Clicking around, I zoomed in and followed them as far as I could, but they were indeed leaving the grounds. “Text him.”

Roux yanked out his phone and typed away. I tried to find another camera that would give me a good shot of them, but they were in a dead zone. Ravi knew fucking better than that. He must be distracted.

His phone buzzed, then Roux called out, “He said they’re coming here. Her request.” The side of his mouth tipped up as he read the text over again. He was finally on board. About fucking time.

Letting out an exhale, it felt like all the pieces were coming into place. There were a few bumps in the road, but it wasn't enough to veer us off course. We just needed to keep this up, be her shield and make sure that we gained just a bit more power before we got her submitted as an Externus. Once she was approved, we could spend the rest of our lives together. Simple.

My phone rang. Looking down, I saw it was Ravi, so I opened the phone. “What do you need me to do to get the place ready for Rin?”

“Shit. Fucking shit. Rin. Rin!” Jumping out of my chair, I clutched the phone. My mind was running with a million different scenarios, none of them good.

“Ravi?”

“Oh gods. Okay. I think she just passed out. That might actually work in our favor.” Ravi wasn’t making any sense, and I was having a hard time keeping myself in a calm combat mode since Rin had apparently passed out.

“Ravi, tell me what’s going on, now!”

Roux crowded over me, so I turned the phone on speaker mode. Ravi’s heavy breathing was the only thing I heard for three seconds before he said something that made my stomach drop.

“A black sedan tried to ram into her while she was waiting for me on the curb. I barely made it in time to get her out of the way.” He took another shaky breath. “She’s in the car with me now, heading to our place. The second I got her into the car, she passed out.”

Vibrating menace and destruction, Roux glared at the phone like this was all its fault. He spat, “Who the fuck was it, Ravi? Just get me a name, a descriptor, anything, and I will hunt them down like the fucking dogs they are. I will slit their throat—”

Ravi’s voice found its even edge as he said, “I don't know. Black sedan, no plates, and blackout windows.”

---