Page 44 of Tempting Her Dragons

“I’ll try to piece together his movements. You didn’t hide as you traveled, so if he’s determined, he will track you. If he has enough knowledge to stay off the grid, he will be in the area soon.”

“Great.” I walk across the yard. “I have to tell Saphira.”

“You could keep it from her. At least until I know more.”

“This is why you aren’t in a relationship,” I say. “I would like to stay on her good side.”

“I suppose.”

“Does Mom know?” I ask, stepping onto the porch.

“Of course. I can’t keep anything from her; she knew the minute she saw me. The woman is vicious when it comes to protecting her boys.”

I smirk. “Yes, she is.” I open the door. “Keep in touch. I want more information by the end of the day. This needs to be contained.”

“It’s what I do.” He ends the call before I can.

“Contain what?” Mav asks just as Saphira comes out of her bedroom.

“We need to tell her,” I say. I knew she would understand when we watched her kill, but we didn’t want to overwhelm her that night. I wanted her to come to terms with our sudden bond. Ever since, we’ve gotten interrupted every time I’m about to bring it up.

“What’s going on?” Saph asks. She is dressed in tight jeans with rips down her thighs, and I want to take them off of her instead of telling her. She’s wearing Mav’s shirt from last night over a white tank.

“I called our friend to check in,” I start, grabbing her hand and leading her to the kitchen. “Why don’t we eat while I tell you,” I suggest as she sits on the stool.

“I can eat and listen,” she says.

“There was a reason we weren’t shocked by what you do.” I lean against the island, and Mav hands her a plate. I don’t need to ask Mav for permission to reveal our jobs. We discussed it the first night, and we both know she needs to know everything about our lives. “We do similar work.”

“Alright,” she says slowly. “Explain.”

She’s perfect for us. “We live on the same land with our mom. We sell food that we grow so we can look normal and harmless. Do you know how many people are kidnapped every year?”

“Probably too many,” she says.

“We understand their desperation and pain more than most. Years ago, we met a man in the business of finding people, digging into their lives. The things that people want hidden, he can easily track and get the truth. We formed a friendship. He knew what we had been through because he knew our mom. She had worked with him before, and he was the one who helped her find us.” I can never stay frustrated with Shade; he saved us, too. “When we were older, our mom revealed more about her life. She helped people escape situations that were harmful or abusive. We joined the family business.”

“She trained us,” Mav says. “She taught us how to fight and use our dragon gifts.”

“She may be small in shifter form, but she knows how to fight dirty and use any weakness to her benefit.” I pick up the breakfast burrito Mav prepared. “She is our idol.”

“She didn’t force us, but she was honest about what she did,” Mav says. “Our contact sends us information. If someone is being held against their will, in a kidnapping situation or by a husband, we go in and take them out.”

“Depending on how bad the situation is, we either kill the kidnapper or send them to the police,” I explain and take a bite.

“That’s commendable,” Saphira says. “What is the problem?” she asks again.

“Our contact told me someone is trying to find us.” I sip my coffee. “A young woman was kidnapped in a parking lot by a man who had done the same thing several times. We got the job, but not soon enough. She had been captive for three months. She was in rough shape. We went in, got her out, and killed him. We gave her the resources to get help and money to start over somewhere new. She was grateful. Our mom was with us and comes with us for most jobs. The girl heard my name and saw our faces. I was told that the kidnapper had a brother. We didn’t know that when we did the job. Usually, we do extensive research on the family of any mark. We need to be careful if they have people close to them. We would have taken more precautions.

“The brother found her. He tortured her for information on who killed his brother. She told him what she knew. Our contact found out and called to warn us.” I hate that we are responsible.

“Did he kill her?” Saph asks, her food forgotten.

“No, but she’s in rough shape.”

“How does he know it’s the brother?” she asks.

“The man we killed looks just like him. He’s a twin,” I say.

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