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Authors: deba schrott
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mine. She’d always been deeply jealous of the fact that I shared something with Nessa she never could—the bonds of Fury sisterhood.
I struggled to sound cool, like her words didn’t bother me in the slightest. “No can do, Jess. Sorry.”
Her eyes narrowed and she marched toward the impressive stairway leading to the second floor. “We’ll see what David has to say about this!”
“Yes, let’s do. But make it fast. They’ll be here soon.”
She faltered, right foot not quite making it to the first step. “They?”
“The group of super-secret agents hoping to use you all—well, most of you—against me, thus luring me into a trap I won’t be able to escape, et cetera, et cetera.”
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. You do take pride in bringing danger down on this family.”
“That’s just my number one goal in life. Jeez, Jessica. Could you stop bitching long enough to take care of what matters? Getting you all to safety.”
Her eyes widened and she clenched the railing. “Oh my God. Con.”
My body tensed. “Where is she?”
“Softball practice.”
I should have known. My niece practically lived and breathed softball. “Shit. Scott, you get Jess and David back to your place. I’ll grab Con and meet you there.”
He leveled unblinking eyes on me. “I don’t think so. Elliana and Mac can handle your brother and sister?’
“In-law,” Jess and! replied in tandem, then glared at each other.
“Sister-in-law. I’m not leaving you alone until this is over.”
“But I’ll be faster flying.”
“Unless they’re already waiting for you there, in which case you could just be deader. Now, could you stop bitching long enough to take care of what matters? Getting your niece to safety.”
I hated it when he turned my own logic against rue— something he’d always been adept at. The bastard.
The doorbell rang, signaling that Ellie and Mac had been tuned in to our conversation. I left Scott to deal with them, jogging up the stairs, careful not to touch my sisterin-law, heading to the room in the house my brother loved above all others. Our father’s onetime study.
My hand clenched on the room’s wooden door frame. David reclined in our father’s old wingback chair, fiddling with a fancy ballpoint pen as he stared out the window at the waves rolling in the distant seascape. Classical music played softly in the background, a taste inherited from our father during his sober days. Silver touched the hair at each of his temples and faint lines shadowed his eyes. That was something new. He looked so much like Dad I fought back tears. My older, beloved brother. The one who’d abandoned me for his shrew of a wife.
Not fair, Riss, my conscience pointed out. He never completely cut you off despite what she wanted.
What she ordered. But he had his daughter to think of And, much as he loves you, you’re only his sister.
Not his wife.
Logic did nothing to lessen the hurt. It never did.
I licked my lips. “David?”
He leapt to his feet and hurried across the room. “Riss? Oh my God, it’s good to see you. Feels like years!”
I kept my expression bland as he hugged me tightly. It had been years.
“You look fantastic. The same beautiful you.” He brushed the tips of his hair self-consciously. “While I look positively ancient.”
A grin slipped before I could shove it away. “Oh, completely. What are you now? Fifty? Sixty?”
He shot me a mock glare. “Not even a day over forty. Well. Perhaps a few days over.”
Several more than that, seeing as how I was in my thirties and he was thirteen years my senior. He’d developed a habit of “losing” time the past few years.
Initial pleasure gave way to practicality. “Wait. Jessie actually let you in? What happened? Oh, God.
Con?”
“Is perfectly safe. And I’m going to make sure she stays that way. But some very nasty people are on the way here, hoping to use my family against me. Friends of mine are going to take you and Jessica
I struggled to sound cool, like her words didn’t bother me in the slightest. “No can do, Jess. Sorry.”
Her eyes narrowed and she marched toward the impressive stairway leading to the second floor. “We’ll see what David has to say about this!”
“Yes, let’s do. But make it fast. They’ll be here soon.”
She faltered, right foot not quite making it to the first step. “They?”
“The group of super-secret agents hoping to use you all—well, most of you—against me, thus luring me into a trap I won’t be able to escape, et cetera, et cetera.”
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. You do take pride in bringing danger down on this family.”
“That’s just my number one goal in life. Jeez, Jessica. Could you stop bitching long enough to take care of what matters? Getting you all to safety.”
Her eyes widened and she clenched the railing. “Oh my God. Con.”
My body tensed. “Where is she?”
“Softball practice.”
I should have known. My niece practically lived and breathed softball. “Shit. Scott, you get Jess and David back to your place. I’ll grab Con and meet you there.”
He leveled unblinking eyes on me. “I don’t think so. Elliana and Mac can handle your brother and sister?’
“In-law,” Jess and! replied in tandem, then glared at each other.
“Sister-in-law. I’m not leaving you alone until this is over.”
“But I’ll be faster flying.”
“Unless they’re already waiting for you there, in which case you could just be deader. Now, could you stop bitching long enough to take care of what matters? Getting your niece to safety.”
I hated it when he turned my own logic against rue— something he’d always been adept at. The bastard.
The doorbell rang, signaling that Ellie and Mac had been tuned in to our conversation. I left Scott to deal with them, jogging up the stairs, careful not to touch my sisterin-law, heading to the room in the house my brother loved above all others. Our father’s onetime study.
My hand clenched on the room’s wooden door frame. David reclined in our father’s old wingback chair, fiddling with a fancy ballpoint pen as he stared out the window at the waves rolling in the distant seascape. Classical music played softly in the background, a taste inherited from our father during his sober days. Silver touched the hair at each of his temples and faint lines shadowed his eyes. That was something new. He looked so much like Dad I fought back tears. My older, beloved brother. The one who’d abandoned me for his shrew of a wife.
Not fair, Riss, my conscience pointed out. He never completely cut you off despite what she wanted.
What she ordered. But he had his daughter to think of And, much as he loves you, you’re only his sister.
Not his wife.
Logic did nothing to lessen the hurt. It never did.
I licked my lips. “David?”
He leapt to his feet and hurried across the room. “Riss? Oh my God, it’s good to see you. Feels like years!”
I kept my expression bland as he hugged me tightly. It had been years.
“You look fantastic. The same beautiful you.” He brushed the tips of his hair self-consciously. “While I look positively ancient.”
A grin slipped before I could shove it away. “Oh, completely. What are you now? Fifty? Sixty?”
He shot me a mock glare. “Not even a day over forty. Well. Perhaps a few days over.”
Several more than that, seeing as how I was in my thirties and he was thirteen years my senior. He’d developed a habit of “losing” time the past few years.
Initial pleasure gave way to practicality. “Wait. Jessie actually let you in? What happened? Oh, God.
Con?”
“Is perfectly safe. And I’m going to make sure she stays that way. But some very nasty people are on the way here, hoping to use my family against me. Friends of mine are going to take you and Jessica
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