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When Aurora Justice had adopted four rough and tough Aussie street kids, she had not only saved their lives, but had given them a precious gift for teenagers living by their wits—hope.
Seth pushed away the invading sadness at the reminder of his loss. That wasn’t for today. Aurora had demanded her sons rejoice in life and grab each opportunity as it presented itself.
To do so, he asked some questions of his own.
“Nitro’s an interesting name. There a story how that came about?” Seth turned to Harper, surprised at her giggle.
Nitro pointedly ignored Harper as he answered. “A science experiment gone awry in my dad’s garage when I was fifteen.”
“He burned it down.” Ryan said, unfazed by his friend’s answering glare.
“Technically, the structure was salvageable.” Nitro lifted a shaggy leafed herb from its pot and shook the roots free of dirt. Unfortunately, that just happened to be over Ryan’s head.
“Idiot.” Ryan brushed soil out of his hair.
“Nitro, the back half of the garage was missing. You landed in the swimming pool.” Harper’s gaze twinkled. “He and I grew up next door to each other, Seth. Two squares in the round hole of the country club set. Both sets of parents probably thought we were switched at birth with their real offspring.”
Nitro came from money. That could explain how he could afford to pay the rent on a barista’s wage. Trust fund, maybe?
“I was in the same class at school as Nitro.” Ryan placed potted herbs around the edges of the bean filled bed. “But unlike these two, I hit the lottery with my parents. My dad designed album covers in the seventies and eighties, what he calls the golden era before technology killed vinyl, and my mom is a former model who partied with Rod Stewart. Considering I’m twenty-six and doing my residency in Neurosurgery at Harborview Medical Center, I’m the responsible one in the family.”
Seth glanced at Harper. “You have interesting friends, coffee girl.”
The garden nymph heaved a sigh. “Honestly, I’ve tried for years, but there’s no shaking them.
Nitro rolled his eyes. “Please, having us around makes her day. We’re part of her pack of strays. We should have T-shirts made, except Magda would refuse to wear one, and nobody’s brave enough to argue with her.”
“Magda?” Seth looked around the group.
“My chef,” Harper sent Nitro a warning look. “And she’s lovely, if a little temperamental.”
“A temperamental chef? Who’d have thought?” Seth raised his brows.
Harper laughed. “Magda and Carol are legends getting the orders out with the help of my crazy team. But I like to putter and taste test and generally get in the way.” She shook her head, sending her lopsided bun into a perilous nose-dive on the side of her head. “Magda would skin me like a fresh caught rabbit if I ruined her operations.”
He couldn’t hide his smile at her serious tone. “Sounds like Magda’s a force to be reckoned with.”
Nitro snorted. “Ex-Soviet Red army. Probably a bodyguard to some aging Communist leader. Stands six feet tall and I swear she could break your neck with her thighs. And after last Thursday she’s eager to meet you.”
“Nitro...” Harper’s gaze focused like a fiery beam of displeasure on her friend.
The younger man shrugged. “Well, it’s true.”
“I’ll keep Harper in front of me as a shield at all times.” He laughed as he caught her attempted punch in his arm and kissed her knuckles. There was something about her hand, the softness, the way it fit so easily into his, that he liked and made him keep hold of it even when she tried to tug free.
Ryan straightened from the garden bed. “Good idea. Magda’s got a soft spot for her boss.”
He’d know all he needed to about Magda once he read all of Adam’s reports.
During the meal at Dillon’s Thursday night, the brothers had worked out a preliminary plan of action. That included deep background checks of Seth’s employees and some associates, Harper, her employees and Fox.
Seth didn’t hold an ounce of guilt about checking out other people’s private lives. Not with his family under threat.
According to Heath, so far, they’d found no red flags, or else Adam would have taken action. But apparently, Stanton Fox had gone to great lengths to keep many of his business dealings and friendships private. That had hooked Adam’s interest, which meant his brother would keep digging.
Nitro may have done his Google search of Seth, but that would be amateur hour compared to Adam’s meticulous findings.
“Hey, Seth, help me shift this will you?” Nitro stood next to a large terracotta pot holding a miniature lemon tree.
