Page 40 of No Longer Safe

My appetite disappeared immediately. Sweet wasn’t the word I would use to describe that particular brother. Or rather any of the brothers.

Dimitri tossed his plate on the table and sat down. Oh, it was a full family breakfast. Where was Alexei? Ace? Ugh. What was going on? “He’s got quite the handshake.”

“All of you met Brian last night?”

“Who do you think showed him up to his room?” Ivan said from the doorway as he sipped out of an ivory mug.

I needed Carina. Why had I thought it would be a good idea to face off with the brothers without her?

“You look kind of pale, honey, is there anything I can get for you?” She waved for the butler. “Please get Ms. Wilde some apple juice. She might need the sugar.”

I didn’t know what I needed. I needed fresh air. I needed to get out. Alexei staged something. It only made sense. What did they say to him?

“He was very polite,” Dimitri said around a mouthful of eggs and it sounded more like, “he wub airy delight.”

“Polite?” I squeaked.

“Oh, exceptionally, we can’t wait to spend the day with him.”

My eyebrows shot up on my forehead. “What?”

“Oh, yes, Alexei planned a whole guy’s trip out to the range!”

The range? “The shooting range?” The room was starting to spin.

“Doesn’t that sound fun?” Alexei leaned in the doorway and I could have jumped up to strangle him. I had to remind myself that there were too many people in the room, too many witnesses. He must have seen the murder in my eyes because his small smile turned into a mischievous one.

“That kiss must have made him tired.” Alexei chomped on a slice of bacon.

He’d seen the kiss? He’d seen me in the hallway? Where was he hiding? Oh my gosh. This was only getting worse. This was a game I didn’t know how to play. This was a game I couldn’t even participate in.

“I thought the range would give us a good amount of time to get to know each other and show off our skills. What do you think, Mother?” Alexei played innocent. He was anything but.

“I think it’s a fantastic idea, did you invite your father?”

Alexei’s eyes went dark. “No.”

“I think he would enjoy it.”

Dimitri chuckled. “No thanks, I would rather be in a very public area for when we shoot with Father. He could kill us all and no one would know.”

The blood drained from my face. I was going to be sick. The room spun slightly and how I managed to stay upright was beyond me.

Brian hated guns. He didn’t see the point in them. Even though his father was an avid, prolific hunter, he still hated them. He fought for gun rights in our little town. He was all about things being safe and guns were not that in his book. I didn’t care either way. My parents were hippies. My father insisted the only reason he owned a gun was so they could protect their camper. I was pretty sure he’d never shot it before. I didn’t think he knew how to shoot it. My brother on the other hand? He loved guns and owned several when he was in the US and not living in Japan.

The worst of all of it was that Brian was already out of his comfort zone and this would just take it right over the side of a cliff. Based on the look in Alexei’s eyes, that was his plan. Where was Ace? Ace knew Brian and knew this wasn’t a good idea.

Unfortunately, when Ace came down the stairs in a ball cap, jeans, and a t-shirt I knew my case would fall on deaf ears. This was not going to end well.

When Brian came downthe stairs, there were circles under his eyes and his smile was strained as he leaned forward to kiss me. Alexei practically skipped forward to smack him on the back. Brian fell forward but his smile stayed put. It was the fakest smile I’d ever seen but it was a smile.

“I hear I have a full day of bonding with the Cristof brothers.” His voice was just as tight as his face.

“Mhmm,” I hummed. I didn’t know what to say. He pulled me into him and nuzzled my neck. Another new thing he’d never done before.

“I was hoping I would get to spend the day with you,” he whispered against my skin. It ignited hope within me, but not desire. Not passion.

“I know,” I whispered back. Alexei was somewhere close. I didn’t know where, but I could practically feel him and how smug he was.

---