Page 31 of Royal Salvation

“It’s a pleasure to meet you and Justice’s friends are always welcome in my home.” His mum clapped her hands, going into organiser mode with the flip of an invisible switch. “Come in out of this heat and let’s get you settled.”

Justice held out a hand for Lucía to follow his mother, a smile on his face as some of the tension he’d been feeling melted away.

Val, Hurricane, and Bishop would be staying in Cairns but not at the house. Bás had decided that too many new people in the neighbourhood, would make it more likely they’d stand out, so they’d be a few streets away in a rental and could get to them in minutes if needed. He agreed it was the best option and while that was going on, Watchdog, Val, Hurricane, and Bishop would continue to investigate, Bishop being the one with the most helpful contacts. His years as an MI5 spy had given him intelligence and knowledge about people he could leverage, and he wasn’t shy about doing it the hard way if the job warranted it.

Looking around his family home, he was hit by a wave of nostalgia. For years he’d convinced himself that there were no happy memories here, but time and space had given him the distance to remember the good. His father had coloured so much of his childhood but in her own way, so had his mother, and it was those memories that he felt filling his mind now.

Laughter from the den on the left of the kitchen made him look up to see Caleb walking through the door, a large grin on his face.

“Justice, it’s about time you got yourself home. We missed you, bro.” Caleb was the same height as him, with the same hair and eye colour but he was slimmer, less muscled, leaner. While Justice lived in jeans or combat trousers when he wasn’t forced into a suit, Caleb was like a walking fashion doll.

Justice hugged his brother and patted his back. “Looking good, Caleb.”

Caleb ran his hand down his front with a flourish. “When do I look anything else?”

“How about at three in the morning when you’ve had one too many glasses of brandy?” John, his husband, said from the door with a chuckle, his eyes warm as they watched them both.

“Now don’t go making me look bad in front of Princess Lucía.”

Justice moved across to where Lucía was talking to his mum and caught her eye as he moved closer, his body drawn like a magnet to hers. He could practically feel the vibrations of her body as he closed in as if there was a frequency that only they could hear that their bodies responded to.

“Lucía, this is Caleb, my brother, and his husband John.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

“Oh my God, is that a Catherine Walker skirt?”

Justice looked at the simple yellow skirt she wore which somehow seemed to enrich the colour of her hair and just saw a nice skirt. Judging by his brother’s excitement though, it was a designer he knew.

“It is. I just love her stuff.”

Caleb wrapped his hand around Lucía’s shoulder and ushered her towards the den, which led to the garden and the pool. He could hear Caleb and Lucía talking as he lifted his bag and glanced at his mother who was knocking up a feast for lunch.

“Is Lucía in the addition?”

“Yes, darling. I set everything up for her and you’re in your old room. Caleb and John are headed back tonight.”

“Oh.” Disappointment rose in him at the thought of his brother and John, who was like a brother, leaving so soon.

John sipped a glass of wine, his lips twitching. “Oh, don’t worry, we’ll be back next weekend with the kids. That is if I can get Caleb to come home now he’s found a woman after his own heart.”

Laughter found his ears and he liked the sound of Lucía’s sexy chuckle in his home. “She has that effect on everyone.”

“Hmm, so I see.”

Justice didn’t respond to the loaded non-comment but picked up his bag and carried it to his room. Heading back to the hallway where Hurricane had left Lucía’s belongings, he moved them through to the addition. It was a beautiful self-contained area of the house with its own kitchenette, bathroom, small living space, and bedroom. It had been built for his grandmother on his mother’s side but she’d never gotten to use it before she died. The furniture was new, and the décor was elegant, having been chosen by Caleb with his mother’s supervision so he didn’t go too wild.

His bedroom was the other side of the wall so he was close in case she needed him, not that he thought she would. Lucía had stubbornly refused Val’s offer to stay there and help her, insisting she’d be better used finding the people behind the attacks.

Leaving her bags, he closed the door and headed to his own room to call Bás. The decoration was plain navy bedding with white walls and a hardwood floor with a wooden dresser. He’d spent all his time outside, so he hadn’t needed much. Still, it was strange to be back, and he found it was easy to fall into the family swing as if he’d never left.

Dialling the secure line, he waited.

“Yes?”

“We’re here and secure. The team have gone to the safe house.”

“Good, because we have a development.”