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Ehren desperately clung to his smile and returned the nod with a tiny wave, feeling like an idiot. “Thank you for your help, West.”
Edison chuckled and clapped Ehren on the shoulder. “It’s okay. That nod means he likes you.”
“Now that you’re here, everything should go fast now,” West murmured, almost like he was talking to himself. Yeah, that didn’t sound fucking ominous at all.
“Ignore him. He’s just an old grump,” Edison continued, but there was something in his smile that seemed to have stiffened. There was way more to that comment than West simply being grumpy and Ehren knew it.
Taking a deep breath, Ehren turned toward Sexy Santa and extended his hand. “That obviously makes you Charlie Sands. I’m Ehren Galanis. It’s my fault that your brother is in danger, and I’m very sorry about that.”
“No—” Stephen’s argument was immediately cut off by a loud bark of laughter from Charlie.
The man tipped his head to the ceiling and rocked on his heels. When he looked at Ehren, his entire face transformed to one of open joy. It was like being faced with a totally different person, and this was even sexier than the angry man he’d first seen.
“I don’t believe that for a second.” Charlie reached out and wrapped an arm around Stephen’s shoulders, pulling him in close. “I know what kind of meddler my little brother is. He lives to stick his nose into other people’s business, and I can definitely see why he wanted to be all in your business.” For that last bit, Charlie’s voice had slowed and deepened, turning to warm honey in his ears. Wow, he was good.
Stephen groaned, but he didn’t shove his brother off him. In fact, he actually wrapped an arm about his waist and shook his head in resignation. “Watch it. He’s mine,” he grumbled to his brother, but he winked at Ehren.
With introductions out of the way, they hurried over to baggage claim to retrieve their luggage and then to the pair of cars they’d brought. West and Edison drove off ahead of them as he and Stephen climbed into the back seat of the Range Rover. Charlie settled behind the wheel. Kairo buckled into the passenger seat but turned to face them between the seats.
“We’ve got your hotel room. Do you want to sleep and catch up tomorrow?”
“I want to see the key,” Charlie rumbled as he maneuvered them out of the parking lot and into traffic.
Stephen threaded his fingers through Ehren’s. He looked up at the man’s worried eyes. “Food?”
Ehren nodded. “Food would be fantastic. I’d also like to know what you’ve found.”
Kairo nodded and was typing on his phone. “I’ll text Ed and West to make a stop for food. Any allergies? Spicy? Not spicy?”
Ehren shook his head. “No allergies, and I don’t mind spicy.”
“Watch the spice level for Stephen,” Charlie cut in, earning a huff from Stephen. It was really sweet the way he watched out for his brother. This protective streak had to be genetic, though he wondered if Stephen realized how similar he and his brother were. Maybe that was why they drove each other crazy.
“Got it,” Kairo murmured, still typing away.
“Did West and Ed run into trouble while they were here?” Stephen asked.
Kairo lifted one shoulder. “Eh. Not too bad.”
“I don’t know what that means, Kairo,” Stephen grumbled. “For Ed, ‘not too bad’ could mean anything from some light stalking to blowing up half the city.”
Kairo flashed him a wide grin. “All of Ankara is still standing. No explosions, but yeah, they were definitely followed. Might have gotten a warning, but nothing they couldn’t handle.”
Ehren’s stomach twisted and his fingers tightened with Stephen’s. “I’m so sorry you’ve gotten dragged into this.”
“Don’t you worry about us,” Charlie said gruffly. Ehren looked up to see Charlie watching him in the rearview mirror. “This is the kind of stuff we live for. It’s a bit of fun for us.”
Kairo added his own smile. “Trust us, Ehren. We got this. We’ll get this sorted soon enough and keep you two safe. Piece of cake.”
Stephen released his hand so that he could wrap his arm around Ehren’s shoulders, pulling him closer. “As much as I hate to say this, Charlie is right. These guys are experts at handling danger and crazy situations. It’s why I didn’t hesitate to reach out to them. They’ll get to the bottom of this and keep you safe.”
Ehren smiled, laying his head on Stephen’s chest. “Keep us both safe,” he corrected.
“Exactly,” Charlie chimed in.
The ride to the hotel didn’t take too long. Not enough time to doze off, unfortunately. They grabbed their luggage and hauled it up to their room, stopping there only long enough to drop it off. Apparently, Edison not only knew the best places to get food, but he was also lightning fast about it. He and West arrived right on their heels with bags of the most delicious-smelling containers.
