Page 4 of Bound in Blood
* Directly translates to ‘treasure’ but means the same thing as ‘darling.’
* Meaning ‘handsome,’ but I think this one is obvious.
Chapter
Two
LOGAN
Though it was nearly three in the morning, the city was no quieter as Logan stepped outside. The Boston nightlife hummed around them, drunk assholes stumbling out of the bars on the same street that stayed open farther into the night than the one Logan worked at.
Mateo and Marco were right behind him as he shut and locked the door to the bar, the quiet presence more comforting than Logan expected. They made good wind blockers, at least. Logan turned, facing the crisp autumn air, a shiver running up his spine within seconds of stepping out.
Mostlygood wind blockers, then.
Without saying a word, Mateo shrugged off his coat, draping it over Logan’s shoulders and engulfing him in warmth. “There,” he murmured, “That hoodie can’t protect you the entire walk.”
Logan snorted, but tugged the coat tighter around himself, relishing in the warmth. “And here I thought chivalry was dead.”
Mateo grinned, his eyes cutting over to his brother for a second before settling back on Logan. “Call me old-fashioned.”
Logan rolled his eyes, but warmth curled in his stomach as they began the short walk to his apartment. The twins stood on either side of him, like two ridiculously hot bodyguards. ThoughLogan couldn’t imagine a world where he stood next to these two and was somehow the one that turned heads.
As they took the first few steps in the direction of Logan’s apartment, he looked up toward the two of them. “Y’all aren’tactuallygonna murder me, right?”
Mateo let out an amused hum. “And here I thought you would be much more trusting. I hate when my victi… I mean, I hate when mynew friendsquestion my motives.”
Marco exhaled, side-eyeing Mateo before meeting Logan’s gaze. “Is it so unbelievable that we want to walk you home because we like you?”
Mateo inched closer, leaning into Logan’s ear conspiratorially. “Besides, if we were going to kill you, I’d have come up with amuchcooler fake name.”
Logan didn’t reply as they turned down a side street, the city growing just the slightest bit quieter as commercial buildings turned residential.
When the silence started feeling less comfortable and more awkward, Logan spoke. “So, do you two always offer to walk your bartenders home, or am I just special?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Mateo mused, bumping Logan with his shoulder as he stepped just a little closer. “Do you feel special?”
Logan raised an eyebrow, tilting his chin up to meet his golden stare. “So special. I can’t wait to call up the girls and tell them all about it.”
Mateo chuckled, eyes gleaming with amusement. “Make sure to mention how tall, handsome, and mysterious we are.”
“You’re about as mysterious as a picture book,” Marco muttered.
Mateo gasped, clutching his chest like Marco had physically stabbed him. “You wound me,fratellino?*.I am an enigma.”
“You areobnoxious,”Marco corrected, his voice dry, but Logan couldn’t miss the slight upward twitch of his lips. “Andstop with the ‘fratellino,’I’m only five minutes younger than you.”
“It really is your own family,” Mateo said, letting out an exaggerated sigh.
They rounded another corner, Logan’s building coming into view just down the block. The street was empty here, the Boston nightlife fading into distant background noise. As they approached the building, Logan exhaled, his breath visible in the cold night air.
“Do I get a gold star for making it home in one piece?” he asked, stopping on the first step up into the building.
Mateo hummed, tilting his head in mock consideration. “Depends.”
“On?”
Mateo leaned in, the corners of his mouth turning up. “On whether or not you invite us up for a drink.”
