Page 43 of Tango
She offers me a bright smile as Bradyn opens the back door and lets his dog jump out. “You must be Alice,” Kennedy greets.
“I am.” I shake her offered hand. “And you’re Kennedy.”
“I am,” she replies. “Which means you’ve done your research and already know my husband.” Bradyn and his dog climb the steps.
“I do. Nice to meet you, Bradyn Hunt.” I offer him my hand.
“You too,” he replies. His voice is slightly gruffer than Tucker’s, his expression too. I get the feeling that Tucker is the more relaxed of the brothers, and I honestly can’t wait to meet the rest to prove that hypothesis one way or the other.
Two down, two to go.
“Is this—Bravo?” I ask, hoping I’m right on the phonetic-alphabet naming. When I say his name, the handsome German shepherd looks over at me, ears perked.
“It is,” Bradyn replies.
“You’re a handsome boy too,” I say to the pup, who wags his tail so fast his entire body shakes alongside it.
Tango jumps forward, clearly jealous of the affection Bravo is getting, and the two start wrestling.
As they’re running around chasing each other, a UTV drives up and parks alongside the truck. A large dog jumps out of the back and joins the fray as another Hunt brother—this one Elliot—climbs out, his baseball cap on backward. A woman with fiery red hair climbs out of the other side, and the two link hands as they head up the porch.
“This is Elliot and his wife, Nova,” Tucker tells me.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” I greet. “I’m Alice.” I have to actively fight against the urge to step back just so I can stare at the three of them side by side. These brothers were undersold by their files. These men are straight warriors. Like the kind I’d see in a movie, planning an all-out assault on a compound where the odds are stacked against them.
“You too,” Nova says with a friendly smile. From what I learned about the family, I know she’s a former detective with Dallas P.C. and now works alongside the brothers in their company. Most of the missions she does are with her husband Elliot. Which, even given the nature of their business, is super romantic.
“Alice,” Elliot greets. “I hear we’re trying to clear you of murder.”
“Elliot,” Nova scolds. “Sorry, he doesn’t have much tact.”
I let out a light laugh. “He’s not wrong. I’m working on shredding the false video they released. I have faith it will all come to light. Just a matter of when.”
Elliot offers me a nod, and we all turn as Dylan pulls up to the house in a black truck. He and Delta jump out. Honestly, he looks more relaxed than any other time I’ve seen him as he makes his way to the porch. Is it because his brothers are here?
“Got that fence patched,” he says. “Riley’s getting cleaned up; then he and Jules will be over.” Dylan turns to me. “Alice.”
“Dylan.”
With a final nod in my direction, he heads into the house.
“He’s a bit on the quiet side,” Kennedy tells me.
“So I’ve noticed.”
“Shall we head inside?” Tucker asks, clapping his hands together. “I’m starving and would love to con Mom into a taste-tester’s bite of banana pudding.”
Chapter 15
Tucker
Alice shouldn’t fit so well.
Yet I’m sitting here, watching her chat with Lani as though they’ve known each other since forever. She and Kennedy have a riding date for tomorrow, apparently, and my parents are already discussing the three of them joining us for church on Sunday.
Sunday? That’s, like, three days away.
We’ll surely have this all figured out by then, right?
