Page 54 of Secrets & Lies

“From the Imperial Collection. I thought we agreed years ago that this was reserved for teaching lessons on Russian drinking rules and etiquette.”

“Yes, well. I think it’s Bash and Marcel’s way of saying it’s time to come home.” I poured their shots and then nodded at Alek. “Might as well abide by the rules, at least with this bottle.” He poured me one, following the number one rule: never pour your own shot.

“Za nas,” I toasted.To us.

No break between shots—another rule—had us doing a second round. Alek raised his glass, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. “To brotherhood.”

We talked for a while about an upcoming situation we were going to have to deal with soon. Nik had informed us of the early release of someone who needed a field trip to Graham’s farm. Despite this topic of conversation, Alek seemed like he was on cloud nine.

“You fucked her, didn’t you?” I shook my head at him, trying to hold back the grin on my face.

I could only hope my guess was right. My big brother needed to get his head back in the game. And if fucking her was the cure, then by all means, he needed to get it over with already. This back-and-forth dance he was engaging in was counterproductive to what we were supposed to be doing—solving a missing person’s case.

“Nah, he would have told me about it.” Nik smirked. “But he must have gotten something he wanted from her. Did she invite you inside…her house? Yeah, don’t think we don’t know you’ve been to her place more times than necessary.”

“Well, did you?” I asked once more.

“No, I didn’t fuck her, asshole. But she did agree to go out with me.”

Nik raised his glass. “To the Reaper, the master of manipula—excuse me, persuasion.”

“Laugh all you want, but she’s buckling, which means the gala event is in play. Both of you need to get your bags packed. It’s going to be one hell of a weekend,” Alek said.

As I studied him, I could see an underlying hint of unease. Somewhere along the way, this girl had become a straight-up distraction. And he was all over the place. But the thing that ate at me most was that he was holding back on us, which was against all the rules we had in place. No way was I going to let it go.

Calling him on his bullshit, I bellowed, “No way she agreed to spend the entire weekend with you, Reaper. Your usual charm has gotten you nowhere with her.”

He shrugged like he couldn’t care less, which I knew to be a fucking lie. He cared. His ego had taken hit after hit as he chased, and she rejected his every advance. I narrowed my eyes, trying to see what angle he was playing. I couldn’t immediately tell. That was Nik’s job—or Bash’s. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t poke at him a little. After all, that was what brothers were for.

“If you asked me, I’d say she isn’t into blonds, and that’s why she won’t give you the time of day. Women like men who are tall, dark”—I pointed at Nik and then at myself—“and handsome. You only got the tall gene, sorry.”

“It’s true.” Nik nodded before adding, “The baby’s right about the other part too. You may have gotten her to agree to a date, but there is no way you told her it was a weekend getaway.”

“Shall we place a wager?” I teased, talking directly to Nik.

“Let’s do it,” he exclaimed.

Alek heaved. “Listen, you two. This is important. If we can sufficiently get her comfortable around us, she may be more willing to discuss her past. We’re not getting very far with the leads. Unless one of you has an update?”

Silence hung in the air as I shook my head and Nik remained quiet. Clearly, we had nothing to go on. I resigned myself to the knowledge that this weekend was going to be chaotic at best. The last time I saw the two of them together, Alek could barely control himself. He’d need us to babysit him.Fuck.

“What’s the plan, then?” I asked.

I held my glass out, signaling to Alek to pour me another. I had a feeling I was going to need it. He smiled, and determination crept into his expression.

“Well, you see…that’s where you come in, baby brother. And Crow, she finds me attractive. I’d even say irresistible, given the way she kissed me earlier like she was starving,” Alek proclaimed, drawing a scoff from my throat.

“Let’s hear it,” I breathed.

I leveled my eyes at him, wondering how much of the kiss he exaggerated. As I waited for him to continue, the cool liquid burned its way down my throat, adding more fire to the evening.

“I need you to use all that swagger you’ve got and persuade Kinsley’s best friend, Sarah, to join us for the weekend. Since she couldn’t keep her eyes off you that night at the club, it makes perfect sense.”

I raised an eyebrow, reveling in the power play. “Oh, Reaper. It sounds like you need a favor. But why should I make it easy for you? What’s in it for me?”

“Because, Blade, you fucking love me, we’re brothers, and you know our game nights are epic,” Alek grumbled.

Watching his feeble attempts to downplay his obsession with Kinsley Taylor was comical. A wry smile played on my lips. I didn’t believe for one second that he wanted her to come this weekend because he thought she’d cave and talk to us. I could see right through him.

---