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“What have you agreed?”
Voices from the background increase with a shout as Charlie and Samuel are bickering over something in the front, their strangled voices agitated though I don’t know what it’s all about. Charlie’s cheeks are flushed and his head is slightly tilted backward. He seems to be fighting with something on his lap and when I blink my eyes again, I see it’s a hand. Samuel’s hand.
“That I’d send him our location details,” Mia sounds smug and I drag my gaze from the front row and back to my friend.
“Fuck me,” I mutter. “We got him.”
§ § §
My parents’ penthouse is exactly the same as before I left, yet it feels safe and comfy and likehome. This is where we grew up, Logan and I. This is where, from my earliest memories, Mom played French songs from the 1960s while she was digging through all kinds of information, piecing together her forgotten past.
Charlie and Mia are sitting next to me, looking at some notes from one of the projects Charlie’s working on. Maria, our housekeeper, walks around with trays of coffee and cups, scolding Samuel when he tries to get his hands on some donuts before Logan’s arrived. It’s that usual messy, loving chaos that is my life.
He calls my name before I see him, then I’m being pulled blindly into his strong embrace.
“Oh, I missed you, man,” Logan mutters against my ear. “Next time we’re sending someone else across the Atlantic.” When he starts patting my head—which is ridiculous since we’re pretty much the same height—I duck away, give him a pat on his ass, then hide and take Angélique in my arms. “My beautiful sister-in-law.”
“You know he’ll have yours on a plate now, right?” Her eyes blaze with joy and tears sit in the corners of her eyes.
“Oh sis, you know that you can’t live without me?” I tease and she pats my hand away.
“It’s the hormones,” she sniffs, drying her face.
“Well, I’d miss me too if I was away for a few days.” I chuckle, then place a kiss on her hair. I fist bump Big, Angélique’s bodyguard, then move to take my usual seat at the round table, the one we use for all our gatherings. “So? What’s it like to have sleepovers?”
“It was fun,” Mia starts, but Big lets out a snort. “Some of us couldn’t sleep because ofnoise disturbance,” he air quotes.
“Oh yeah, you’re one to speak. You were quite busy yourself with the lady,” Samuel snarls with an eye roll, while he puts a hand around Charlie’s waist, who has an absolutely mortified look on his flushed face.
“Sammy, leave him alone,” Logan barks. “And can anyone tell me why Mason’s not here?” His bodyguard lets go with a huff. “Something to do with his Pops.”
I hum in understanding, because he informed me that he couldn’t make it to the meeting. He has a rough life, being the only family member to a sickly grandfather, despite the help we offered him when he joined us. Someone clears a spot on the table to put the computer and the next thing we know, I see Mom and Dad smiling at me from the screen.
I start the meeting. “So,Les frères perdus, The Lost Brothers.” I summarize the trip and zoom in once more on our conversations with Philippe and Samuel. My guys react in a similar way to how Austin and I had done over there, especially when Mia shows the copies she’s made of Philippe’s folder.
“What were they like?” Angélique asks.
I roll my lips as I think of an answer. Whatwerethey like? “Well, we met Manuel, who’s a member of thefamily, as they call it, and communicates directly with their clients. He was not particularly friendly. Then the one hypnotizing wassmooth, a bit unnerving, I guess. I mean, the whole hypnosis is intense.” I squeeze my lips, forcing myself to leave out specific details.
I clear my throat. “And then there were thefamilymembers, thebrothers. They were so devoted that they’re like machines.”
“So he’s got himself a little army there,” Angélique hums.
“Do we have an identity or location for the assassin here in New York yet?” My dad questions from across the screen.
“We’re still working on it. Thanks to the spyware I installed on our enemy’s phone, we have started tracing his calls.”
“And…?” Logan drawls.
“And we noticed an American number from a burner phone. So I dialed it, just to see,” Mia drawls.
Logan moves forward into his seat, his eyes narrowed. “And…?”
“He’s willing to talk.” Mia looks smug as her eyes roam around the room.
Samuel snorts. “Took you long enough to say that.”
“That’s geek humor,” Logan says, his twinkle meant for me. “Great stuff though, well-done guys. What do we do now?”
