Page 110 of Nothing More

Tenny snorted.

“I will tear out your voice box,” Raven hissed. Registered the looks, part shock, part amused. Smoothed her face and turned to Melissa. “Thank you, Detective.” Melissa’s lip curled at being addressed thusly. “I’m sure there’s plenty of cocoa in the cupboards, and Christmas movies on the telly to keep us entertained for the time being.” She sat back down. “We look forward to your update.”

Melissa hesitated. Raven knew she wasn’t buying the innocent routine, but, in the end, she sighed, nodded, promised to be in touch, and left, Pongo trailing after her.

Tenny stood up off the chair and stretched, making a show of it, hands toward the ceiling, lifting up on his toes.

The door thumped shut, somewhere down the front hallway of this ridiculous, overlarge flat.

Raven said, “You.” Sharp, tight, a word like a Chinese throwing star. Aimed right at her insufferable brother.

Kat set his mug on a table and headed for the door. “I’ll head out. Call later.”

Bennet knocked Shep unsubtly on the shoulder. “Come help me whip up breakfast.”

Shep made a face. “You know I don’t cook – ow, shit, alright, alright.”

“Tennyson.”

Reese plopped down on the sofa, socked feet up on the table. “I warned him,” he said, by way of bland apology.

Tenny dropped back to his heels and worked the kinks from his lower back, hands on his hips. “You didn’t warn me about shit.”

Reese sent him a mulish look.

“Save the foreplay,” Raven snapped. “I cannot believe you arrived – after I expressly told Fox not to send you, by the by – made a massive scene in a very public place, and then proceeded to facilitate a murder in which Toly is implicated.Unbelievable.”

Tenny dropped his hands, adjusted his stance, and squared off from her, prepared for battle.War, she’d said to Toly, and it always was with her brothers, even with this newest one.

Before Tenny could fire first, Toly stepped into the center of the room, unseen until the moment he broke Raven’s stare-down with her brother. He swiped both hands through the air,knock it off, and glanced between the two of them. Raven’s inherent urge to resist the command was overcome by the expression of pure shock on Tenny’s face.

Toly said, “You’re not doing this.We’renot doing this.”

“Who died and left you–” Tenny started, and Toly said, “Shut up, asshole.”

While Tenny was processing, he continued: “This isn’t your chapter, isn’t your problem, isn’t your life.”

Tenny drew himself to a stiff and dangerous posture. Darkly: “It’smysister, though.”

Despite all the drama, and anxiety, and ridiculousness, Raven felt a pulse of warmth. He’d never before referred to her as his sister, never flexed his protective, fraternal muscles in that way. Between that, and sitting guard over Cass, she felt nearly affectionate toward him. Just like all her brothers, he was a prickly smartarse who tried valiantly to hide his love and loyalty.

“Yeah,” Toly fired back, “but you aren’t the only one here who’s invested.Calm down.”

Given the circumstances – and the source –investedfelt terribly soft.

Tenny didn’t look happy about it, but he subsided. A bit.

Toly propped his hands on his hips, very officious and in-charge. Raven would be lying if she claimed she didn’t find it hot. “They saw you? The men at the bar?”

Tenny’s expression went prickly. “We had hats on. And–”

“Doesn’t matter. If they saw you, you’re out.”

Tenny folded his arms, defiant, but it was Reese who spoke, socks sliding along the edge of the coffee table. “What are you gonna do, then? If you won’t use us.”

“I’m…” His head turned a fraction; Raven thought he could glimpse her in his periphery that way. “I don’t know yet. I’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, see,” Tenny drawled. “That’s not gonna work on account of the whole sister thing.”

---