Page 130 of Crossfire
“Then, what do they think you do for a living?” I whispered.
He squeezed my hand, pulling me to the front door.
“I’m trying to get our story straight,” I pleaded.
“They don’t ask.”
Twenty feet and counting until we reached the door.
“They don’t ask.” My eyebrows cinched so close; they could probably high-five each other.
“My brothers and I drifted apart after my mother’s death.”
Still,how are you, what do you do for a living—those were noninvasive questions.
“We’re trying to change that now,” Grayson continued, whispering. “But they know nothing about the…organization I work for. We kind of have adon’t ask, don’t tellsituation.”
“Then, what am I supposed to say?”
“Nothing.” Grayson’s voice was firm. “You say nothing.”
“Your family doesn’t know what you do for a living, but I do?”
“Cat got out of the bag.”
When you broke into my house and tried to murder me.
I shook my head. I didn’t like this. What if I said the wrong thing? What if I slipped?
“What am I supposed to talk about with them?”
“Whatever you normally talk about with people.”
“I normally talk about medical histories, dressing bandages, and if they took their medications.”
And that’s when another thought occurred to me.
If Grayson was a killer, were his brothers equally dangerous?
55
IVY
As soon as the door opened, Hunter’s gaze snapped to Ivy.
He tried to keep it subtle, but Hunter’s glare swept back to me with a look that shouted,You brought the hostage here? To my home? Are you fucking kidding me? Even though I’d tried to disguise it, she might recognize my voice or some other identifying feature and figure out it was me who was babysitting her!
But I needed Hunter’s help, and based on my last count, even with the hostage help, he still owed me.
Besides, I cared about Ivy, so it was only a matter of time before she’d meet him anyway.
I mean, I assumed that’s what people in relationships did. That’s what Hunter did when he started dating Luna, so we might as well get this official meeting over with.
“Ivy”—I motioned with my hand—“this is my brother Hunter. Hunter, this is my girlfriend.”
At my proclamation, Ivy’s cheeks incinerated with crimson while Hunter clenched his fists at his sides, the muscle in his jaw pulsing like he was silently praying for the strength to not throttle me right here and now. Helping me hold a woman hostage was bad enough. Inviting her to his home where shemight recognize him? Worse. Inviting this woman into my life for the foreseeable future?
Well, that was just asking for trouble, wasn’t it?