Page 49 of Wilde and Deadly

Rowan’s face flushed. Davey opened his mouth to tell Dominic to go to hell, but the espresso machine screeched, drowning out his words and Dom’s laugh.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting the urge to smack his little brother upside the head. “Can we focus here? We’ve got a situation.”

“Right, right,” Dom said and pulled himself up to sit on the island, sipping his espresso. “Family meeting. Okay, I’m here. I’m sort of awake. Shoot.”

Elliot’s eyes narrowed behind his glasses as he studied Rowan. “What kind of situation?”

Rowan crossed her arms, her stance defensive. “The kind where someone wants Davey dead.”

Dom’s head snapped up. “Wait, what?”

And here came the hard part.

Davey exhaled slowly, steeling himself against the storm about to hit. Luka, who had curled up on the couch when Dom didn’t feed him, lifted his head at the shift in the room, ears pricking up.

Yeah. Davey wasn’t the only one bracing for impact.

His fingers flexed at his sides before he met his brothers’ gazes, something in his chest twisting at the concern already shadowing their expressions. “Someone put out a hit on me last summer. Rowan was hired to do the job.”

The room went deathly silent.

Dom’s espresso cup clattered against the countertop as he set it down hard. “Holy… fuck.”

Elliot pulled off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose like he needed a second to process what he had just heard. He was the most easy-going of them, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a temper, and that temper now simmered in his eyes as he slid his glasses back into place. “Why the hell is she still breathing?”

“Hey!” Davey’s body moved before his brain caught up, stepping into Elliot’s path, his palm slamming flat against his brother’s chest. Luka startled at the sudden motion, scrambling up from his spot on the couch and giving a sharp bark.

“It’s okay,” he told his dog, then focused on Elliot again. “Back off, El.”

“Back off?” “Back off?” Elliot shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his expression twisting, disbelief warring with fury. “She washired to kill you, and you’redefending her?”

Dominic jumped down from the counter, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced by a hard glint in his blue eyes. “You tried to kill our brother?”

“No,” Davey said, keeping his tone sharp and authoritative, hoping to curtain all arguments. “She was hired, but she never intended to go through with it.”

Rowan remained silent, her face impassive, but Davey felt the waves of tension radiating from her. Like a coiled spring, ready to snap. He hated that. Hated that she was prepared to fight his family if she had to. That she expected to.

“Have you lost your mind?” Elliot demanded, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “She’s an assassin, Davey. She can’t be trusted.”

“I trust her.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Dom said.

“I am. Rowan could have killed me a hundred times over if she wanted to. She didn’t. She came to me instead and told me the truth.” Of course he’d had to fuck the truth out of her, but he hadn’t minded that part.

And given the faint stain of a blush coloring her skin, Rowan was remembering it, too. But that wasn’t something he was about to share with his brothers.

“Jesus Christ,” Dom muttered, running his hands through his messy hair. “This is way above my pay grade for this time of morning.”

“It’s almost noon,” Elliot reminded.

“But it’s not yet, so it’s still morning. You know I don’t do mornings.”

Patience, Davey reminded himself, was a much-needed quality when dealing with Dom, but his supply was running low. He gave himself a moment to rein in his irritation. “Look, I know this is a lot to take in, but Rowan’s on our side. She’s in danger, too, and she’s going to help us figure out who’s behind this.”

Elliot scoffed and crossed his arms. “And we’re supposed to believe that? For all we know, this could be part of her plan.”

Rowan snorted. “If it were, it would be a very stupid and convoluted plan. I could’ve just walked up to him at any point, shot him through the head, and walked away, and none of you would’ve been the wiser. But I didn’t because I don’t want him dead any more than you do.”

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