Page 53 of Awakened by Sin

“It has a movie theater, gym, elevator … you get the drift.”

She nodded and then turned to face him. “Did Regal show up at his husband’s house?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“And he understands that his services are no longer needed.” He cocked his head to the side. “Do you always jump into situations like that?”

“I wasn’t in danger.”

“The assistant could have turned on you.”

“I would’ve handled him.” Angel gave her a skeptical look that made her inwardly bristle. “My dad was an enforcer. He taught me how to fight dirty and shoot a gun. Also, I’ve been training with Blade for months.”

“It still could’ve gone wrong.”

“But it didn’t. You should be thanking me.”

Angel slipped his hands into his pockets, which made him appear proper and boyish, an appealing mix she wasn’t falling for.

“What did you think of my sister?” he asked.

The abrupt change in topic was odd, but she went with it. “I love her.”

“I thought you might.”

“I’m going to visit her.”

He didn’t look surprised. “She’d be over the moon to have company. I’ll have to warn Raul before you visit.”

The other Roman brother, the one that handled the legitimate side of the Roman empire. Vinny had mentioned him in the past. “Warn him? Why?”

“Dealing with Luci is almost more than he can handle. If he has both of you, he’s going to need reinforcements. Besides, I have a feeling Luci’s going to try to convince you to move to New York. She’s always trying to befriend …” He paused and shrugged. “Hired help.”

She mulled over that telling pause for a few seconds before she arched a brow. “Hired help? Does that include prostitutes?”

Angel grinned but otherwise ignored her question. “Raul prefers to deal with figures and paperwork. He won’t know what to do with the two of you.”

“I don’t need a babysitter. Why doesn’t she have friends? She’s obviously friendly.”

“It’s safer for her not to have much contact with the outside world. We have too many enemies.”

Now she really wanted to see Luci. God, it sounded like the poor girl had been locked up for years. “That sucks. I’ll make an effort to call her.”

“She’d like that.”

Angel Roman might be an undercover ruthless asshole, but his love for his sister was genuine. She didn’t like the spear of warmth that spread through her chest. She turned away and toured the massive kitchen he would never cook in and the stately library filled with books he would never read. The house, like so many things about him, didn’t add up. It was an expensive prop to intimidate, attract, and manipulate.

She and Angel were chameleons. They used their pretty exteriors to get what they wanted and took great pains to conceal dark insides that had the ravenous cravings of a junkie. She hid her intelligence while he concealed his ruthlessness by portraying an amused, controlled façade.

She turned and found Angel leaning against the wall, watching her.

“Dinner?”

He threw that out there so casually, but her inner devil jumped up and down and clapped her hands in excitement. The look in his eyes promised it would be a night to remember. The silence stretched. Her toes curled, and she resisted the urge to shift restlessly. He was doing it deliberately, using his magnetism to reel her in and make silent promises with those dreamy blue eyes. It would be easy to accept the invitation and see where the night took her, but …

“I’m meeting someone tonight.” Alice needed her, and the animals at the shelter needed homes.

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