Page 37 of Assassin's Game
I chuckled. Figures he’d heard that. “And we all say thank you.”
Eli winked up at me, giving Diesel a final pat. The dog stared at him like he was the Messiah. I couldn’t help wondering how long they had been together.
Standing, Eli jerked his chin toward the elevator. “Let’s head up to the kitchen.”
I wasn’t blind to the trust the brothers were showing in allowing us upstairs. Maris joined us as we entered the steel box, and raised her eyebrow at me when Eli stood between us and the keypad as he entered the code that I presumed allowed access to the upper floors.So far and no farther.I totally got it.
The first floor of the mansion was just as big as I thought it would be. The foyer we entered was split by a staircase leading up, a dazzling chandelier above reflecting off the gleaming dark wood floors, exponentially opening the space up. To one side was a living area lined with floor-to-ceiling windows, specially glazed to block views inside at night—we knew, because we’d tried to see in.
Behind the living area were other rooms, presumably, circling to the back of the house and behind the staircase, but we turned in the opposite direction to enter the biggest kitchen I’d ever had the privilege to set eyes on.
“Wow,” Maris breathed, stars appearing in her eyes. “I am in heaven.”
Eli grinned. “My mother loved to cook.”
“So does Abby,” a blonde woman said. She stood next to a little girl seated at the countertop bar. “Hi. I’m Leah.”
The child didn’t speak, just watched us warily. Brooke Marrone. She was six, if I remembered correctly. Watchful. Intelligent, her eyes told me. But when they came to rest on Eli and Diesel, they lit up. “Diesel!”
Leah laughed as her daughter scrambled down from her chair and around the island. “Brooke, take it slow.”
“I know, Mommy.” She slid to her knees a few feet from the dog, fairly quivering with excitement. “Hi, Diesel.” She held out her hand for the dog to sniff.
“I’ve been replaced as the favorite by the dog, as you can see,” Eli said, the twist of his mouth wry. “Leah, this is Mikaela and Maris.”
I offered my hand to the woman I knew was not only Brooke’s mother, but also a nurse and Remi’s fiancée. “Nix, please.”
Speaking of… Remi came through the door just as Leah opened her mouth, probably to question my statement. “Eli has problems remembering her name,” Remi explained.
Speculative amusement crossed Leah’s face. “Is that so?”
“No,” Eli called from the depths of the biggest refrigerator I’d ever seen.
Remi rolled his eyes and gave Leah a smack of a kiss.
I joined her on one of the bar chairs and wasn’t surprised when Maris jumped in to help with the cooking. It wasn’t that I couldn’t cook, just that my results were usually okay, where Maris’s were spectacular. She’d definitely inherited the domestic talent in our family. And the biggest heart. And yet as I watched her interact with the Agozi brothers, I noticed Eli treated her much like he did his soon-to-be sister-in-law. There was none of the flirty, prickly quips I was so often peppered with, none of the long looks and flashes of heat I’d seen when Eli looked at me today. It made no sense; Maris was beautiful and young, and yet Eli’s attitude toward her was nothing like his to me.
When the steaks were seared to perfection on the inside grill and the homemade french fries were finished, Remi loaded a tray with two full plates and bowls of salad. Leah slid from her chair. “I can take that.”
Remi growled, actually baring his teeth at her. “Sit back down,lev sheli. You are not carrying a heavy tray upstairs.”
She pouted prettily at him, looking not the least bit cowed. “I’m pregnant, not helpless.”
I felt my eyes widen. Not just a child, but a baby on the way.
Remi picked up the tray and balanced it on one hand, then rounded the island. He stopped in front of Leah, and the kiss he gave her made me blush and turn away. “You’re pregnant with my baby,” he rumbled, the tone dripping with sex and dominance and satisfaction. “I’ll carry it.”
Leah had to clear her throat before she responded. I hid a smile behind my hand. “I’ll get the drinks,” she said.
When the two of them departed, taking the food to Abby and Levi, I guessed, Eli fixed a plate for Brooke while the little girl scooped dog food into a bowl for Diesel. “He needs his dinner too,” she stated matter-of-factly.
Eli agreed. “Just like us.” Directing his niece to wash her hands, he then grabbed her plate and nodded to the long table across the kitchen. “Come eat.”
Apparently the Agozis didn’t do formal dining, although I could see a very formal dining room through a wide opening at the back. While Eli cut Brooke’s steak into small pieces, Maris fixed herself a plate; then I took my turn. By the time I was mixing my salad, Eli and I were alone together behind the counter.
My heartbeat pumped a little faster.
Brooke’s laughter filtered over from the table. Eli came to stand beside me, and when I glanced up, I saw his gaze on his niece. “She’s a sweetie,” I said quietly, not wanting to interrupt the interaction at the table. “Reminds me of Maris when she was a kid.”
