Page 66 of Wilde and Deadly

Sabin, leaning lazily against the kitchen counter, barely glanced up from his coffee. “Now,ma petite, you wound me. Not even a hello first for your big brother?”

Vivi shot him an unimpressed look as she breezed inside, a stack of garment bags slung over one arm, a pile of boxes balanced effortlessly in the other. Her golden hair was styled in a sleek twist, her makeup flawless, her entire aura screaming high fashion.

“Oh, please,” she drawled. “You don’t need a hello. You need a swift kick in the ass.” Her eyes narrowed. “And a haircut. You’re looking a bit scruffy,mon frère.”

“You ever gonna admit I’m the better-looking sibling?”

“Oh, sweetie. Confidence is adorable on you. Delusion, less so.”

Sabin smirked. “Love you, too.”

Vivi’s gaze swung to Rowan, and she unleashed a noise high enough to make a dog wince. “Ro! Oh my God, look at you! You’re even more gorgeous than I remember.” She dropped everything unceremoniously on the nearest surface and pulled Rowan into a tight hug. “It’s been way too long.”

Rowan tensed, instincts flaring at the sudden contact. But then Vivi’s familiar scent wrapped around her—warm vanilla and jasmine, the same kind of perfume Vivi loved as a teenager—and the tension melted away. Memories rushed in, unbidden. Long summer days on horseback, racing each other through the fields. Climbing the rocky trails around the HORNET compound, their laughter echoing off the mountains. Sneaking out for midnight swims in freezing alpine lakes. Whispered conversations and giggles as they drooled over the elite warriors training around them. Two girls finding solidarity in a world dominated by testosterone.

They had been inseparable once.

Rowan hadn’t realized how much she’d missed this—missed Vivi—until now.

Why the hell had she let that slip away?

She relaxed, allowing herself a brief moment of genuine warmth as she returned the embrace.

“Jesus, Vivi,” she said as they pulled apart. She eyed the garment bags and boxes. “Did you rob a boutique on your way here?”

Vivi’s laugh was musical and carefree. “Please, darling. Like my brother, my thieving days are long behind me. These looks are one hundred percent Vivianna Cavalier originals. Now, let me look at you.” She circled Rowan like a predator, then tsked. “You look like you’re going to a funeral, not a gala.”

Rowan glanced down at her all-black ensemble and shrugged. “What? It’s practical.”

“Practical isn’t going to cut it tonight, honey. We’re going for drop-dead gorgeous.”

“I prefer my targets drop-dead, period,” Rowan muttered, eyeing the dresses warily.

Vivi laughed, a rich, warm sound that filled the room. “Oh, I’ve missed your dark humor.” She circled again, then tilted her head, tapping a manicured nail against her chin. “Strong build. Good posture. Great shoulders.” She gave a smile so much like her brother’s Rowan blinked in surprise and clapped her hands together. “Oh, this is going to be fun!”

Rowan glanced at the mountain of silk, lace, and beaded fabric Vivi had brought. “That’s debatable. You sure you packed for the right person?”

“Oh, yes. You have power,cherie.And you’re sexy as hell. We need to lean into that.”

She glanced down at herself. Sexy. Right. She’d always looked at her body as a weapon and had never felt particularly sexy. Well, except in Davey’s arms.

She shifted uncomfortably, fighting the urge to cross her arms over her chest. If Vivi noticed her unease, she didn’t comment.

“Okay, let’s get you out of those combat boots and into something that’ll make Davey’s jaw hit the floor.”

Rowan snorted. “I’m not trying to impress Davey.”

“Sure, sugar.” Vivi turned to her brother, motioning to all the dresses she’d dropped. “Sabin, be a sweetheart and help me get all this into the bedroom?”

Sabin opened his mouth to say something no doubt sarcastic, but there was a knock on the door, stopping him. He set down his coffee and moved fast, casually drawing his gun as he checked the camera. For never having been a soldier, he sure moved like one.

Or, no. An assassin. Quick, quiet, deadly.

“It’s Dom.” His posture relaxed and he re-holstered the weapon, then pulled open the door. “We all good, yeah?”

“Yeah, Davey just sent me to—” Dominic froze for a second when he spotted Vivi. Then he exhaled through his nose, his mouth pulling into something that wasalmosta smirk as he stepped into the room. “Vivianna. Didn’t know you’d be here already.”

Vivi lifted her chin, her expression unreadable. “Surprise.”

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