Page 8 of Shielded Secrets

“And what’s this type?”

Blonde. Short. Curvy. Quick to smile. Sarcastic and patient. Someone just like… Kelly Garnet.

“Interesting.”

“How so?”

She crossed her arms and shrugged. “I never would have pegged you for having a type. All you brothers just go for whatever is easiest.”

I narrowed my eyes at her, not fond of this assessment. “How stereotypical of you.”

“Just calling it like it is. Anyway, I suppose we’ll need to keep an eye out for someone who fits your vague ‘type’.”

I laughed. “Keep an eye out? You make it sound as though you’ve got a gaggle of girlfriends to matchmake me with.”

“I met some girls at college…”

Bingo.She’d given me the in I needed. “The only friend I saw you make was Kelly.”

She nodded, frowning a bit. “Yeah, that’s true. I mean, I did see Irina once or twice, but we were never friends then.”

That had changed since Irina helped Eva and Lev escape danger and captivity. Vik had just proposed to Irina, too, so the women would be more like cousins-in-law soon enough.

When she didn’t elaborate, I drew a deep breath. “Have you talked to Kelly lately?”

She shook her head. “She started to pull away from me after her attack. When I had her stay at the apartment with me and Lev, she seemed aloof at times.”

I’d noticed it then, too. “I wonder why.”

“Lev said it was because we were a new couple and she didn’t want to see us all lovey-dovey all the time.” She shrugged.

“Because it reminded her of how single she was?”

Eva nodded. “Maybe. But she hasn’t really ever returned my calls or texts. Emails. Anything. She knows I’m engaged to Lev, but she didn’t reply about being in the wedding.”

“Maybe she’s cautious to really get involved with the Family.” I hoped that wouldn’t be an obstacle. “Because she’s a civilian and would rather not get tied up in all of our drama and danger.”

“I can see that. Because when we looked into her and brought her under our protection, she was hesitant to ever open up about her past. Her past that had a lot of gaps in it, gaps she never would’ve talked to evenmeabout.”

“Because she was in the foster system,” I reminded her, well informed about the limited file the family had on Kelly. Of course, we’d looked into her. She was an outsider befriending the Baranov Mafia princess. She had to be vetted, at least to know she wasn’t spying on her or us.

“But Kelly was always so guarded and quiet.”

I shrugged. “Some people just are.” I liked that about Kelly. She wasn’t overly eager to be the center of attention but preferred to observe and watch, to witness the world happening around her instead of making it the other way.

“Did you see her when you were on campus last?” She perked up, scooting to the edge of her chair. “I know Lev had you continuing some of the checks there, along with a few other men.”

I nodded. “I saw her from a distance here and there, but she was busy.”

“With whom?”

I shook my head. “No one. Just busy with what looked like a full load of classes and working.”

Eva nodded, frowning. “Yeah. That adds up. She’s a hard worker.”

“Not just working on her degree. She got a job in an office and at a bar.”

She furrowed her brow. “What? Why? That wouldn’t give her a lot of time to study.”

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