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The genuine shock on Rhys’ face and the way his adorable cheeks heated, when he realized who was at the door, told me that he had no idea about our second profession. How could he? Someone as pure as Rhys would never look at us the same if he knew. Hell, he would have never let last night happen if he knew.
Rhys just didn’t fit the profile of people who usually hired us. The ones whom police refused to touch or were too scared to. Just like with any job, I looked up our clients before we met them. I didn’t like surprises.
Rhys Knight, however, was a surprise, and not just because I received his name from Dmitri after we had gotten back home last night. Rhys was unassuming with dark brown, doe eyes, and a lean build that screamed a silent strength he had created to survive his nightmares. The fact that his beautiful body was now covered in marks made by my lips just made this worse. I should have never indulged last night but fuck, he was so enticing and everything I needed at that moment. Sharing him with Gia was a memory I wouldn’t soon forget.
I sincerely hoped Rhys wasn’t tangled up in our world and that the lingering innocence in his expression stayed far longer than mine did.
My eyes roamed the chaotic design of greens, yellows, and blues that contrasted and twisted around the cupboards and screamed for relief. I had seen similar designs in older homes, but Rhys didn’t seem like he enjoyed the older ambiance, and I didn’t blame him for wanting to change it.
Stepping back into the kitchen, I finally focused on Dmitri’s question. “There’s a possibility this is something else but we won’t know until we speak with him.” I tried to keep a professional expression plastered on my face but it was difficult when all I wanted to do was walk down the hall and pull Rhys into my arms. It told me just how fucked I was that I didn’tjustwant to replay last night’s escapade. Ignoring that problem for now, I grabbed a tape measure from my belt and started on the small island in the middle of the kitchen. As is, the stand served little to no purpose. When we were done, though, I’d have an entire plan that would suit this small space and bring it back to life.
Gia clearing his throat drew my gaze back to the hallway. He was slowly inching himself toward Rhys’ room and I had to drag him back into the kitchen. “Don’t even think about it.” I knew he was just trying to help but at some point, we had to draw the line between business and pleasure. My words didn’t wipe the stupid grin off his face, though, his blonde mane flapping against his neck, a stark contrast with his dark skin. I fucking loved the odd colors he experimented with although the blonde was one of my favorites.
Reaching forward, I tangled my fingers in the base of his mane, tugging ever so slightly. I was rewarded with a pleasured grunt, Gia’s eyes flashing with desire that he wouldn’t get to act on until we got home. Served him right.
“I wasn’t going to do anything,” Gia finally muttered. I released him, stifling a laugh. Gia was full of shit and we both knew it.
Dmitri chuckled as he turned around and leaned against the counter before folding his arms across his chest. “Why? He’s cute as fuck. A little skittish. Just Gianni’s type. Besides, he’s your type too.”
That wasn’t the point and if we didn’t focus, Dmitri was going to see right through the thinly veiled detours I kept trying to throw his way. “Leave him alone. Looks like he’s got one killer hangover from whatever party he stumbled home from.” I neglected to mention the truth about last night because we weren’t here for that and I didn’t want to explain my hypocrisy to Dmitri in Rhys’ kitchen.
On our way home, I’d let it slip and Dmitri could do with that information what he chose to.
Right now, I really wanted to go into that room and take care of Rhys, my protective instincts overriding everything else. Dmitri said it was my curse and the French bastard wasn’t wrong. I had this burning desire to protect anyone and everyone, especially my family.
It was ultimately why most of them ended up hurt or dead. Anyone I had ever cared about other than the two men in this room had left or lost their lives. All except for my brother’s kid, Paval, and I would fucking die for that kid. If anything ever happened to him, I’d never survive. Neither would Dmitri and Gianni, for that matter.
Our unconventional relationship worked for us though. Paval had three dads and I had two men to lean on that would never leave my side. Through thick and thin, always together. Sure, we roped in the occasional additional party for a night or two of fun but it was never long-term and never permanent. I couldn’t handle any more loss. Even if that beautiful statistician down the hall had already gotten under my skin and I wanted to do more than just nurse his hangover.
“Thought this was a job. Like ajob,” Gianni blurted out as he hopped up onto the counter and began swinging his legs. The youngest by nearly five years and the only full-blooded American of us three, he tended to be a lot more relaxed in his approach. He was the ‘fun’ one but he could afford to be. His upbringing screamed pristine suburban life while mine and Dmitri’s were a bit… darker.
Dmitri shrugged as he set down his tools. “Does it matter? We could use something simple for once. The last job was a bit tough.”
And once again, the Frenchman wasn’t wrong. The last job we had almost lost Dmitri when a client had neglected to let us in on a few details. The job itself had been straightforward—we were just rescuing a piece of property that belonged to our client. However, we weren’t told that the heirloom was part of a decades-old tryst between two warring families and that anyone in possession of the item held the rights to the company.
It was all very hush-hush so no amount of research would have dredged up that kind of information. The worst part was when one of our rivals was hired to keep us from our mission. In the end, we retrieved the piece but not until our client forked over double the amount and a bonus for Dmitri’s hospital fees. He was lucky that the shot lodged in his chest hadn’t killed him. This job didn’t accidentally have healthcare options.
And as much as I had wanted Dmitri to stay holed up at home, continuing to heal, he wasn’t much of a ‘sit and let things pass him by’ sort of partner. I wouldn’t want him any other way, even if I caught the way his jaw tensed every so often as he warded off the pain.
Taking one last look around the kitchen, I made some mental notes. The paperwork hadn’t said much about what Rhys was looking for so we’d just give him options. This job didn’t seem like it would pan out—whether it was an actual renovation or something else. We’d need to speak with Rhys to figure it out anyway.
The vibration of my phone in my back pocket dragged me back to the present.Fuck.
“Who is it?” Gianni leaned forward, still propped up on the counter.
“The school.” I swiped the green button across the screen. “This is Valentyn.”
“Mr. Kolas? Ah, yes… we need you to come to the school as soon as you can. It’s about Paval.”
I hung my head. These calls weren’t new. It wasn’t that Paval was a problematic kid. It was the fact that the world didn’t understand him. Even at 5 years old, he knew what he wanted and he worked to get there. Apparently, that’s not how kids his age were supposed to handle things. They were supposed to be, well… kids.
“He’s been suspended for the week.”
“Why?” I put the phone on speaker, Dmitri furrowing his brows as he came closer and rested his chin on my shoulder. He threw his arms around my waist as we listened in, the heat against my back calming enough to keep me from raging at Paval’s teachers. We all knew our little boy didn’t do things to get suspended. After all, he took after my brother and my brother had beenverytimid.
“He punched another child and refused to apologize. We would like you to come in so we can speak about it.” I resisted the urge to growl, knowing that there was a reason Paval had acted out. Therehadto be. My brother had taught him better than that.Wehad taught him better than that.
I didn’t even respond as I hung up and took off in the truck, leaving the other two to finish up the measurements. When I got to the school to retrieve Paval, a flurry of unruly brown curls attacked my legs, fingers digging into my upper thighs as my kid clung to me. I picked him up, my heart breaking slightly as he stuffed his face into my neck and tightly wrapped his arms around me. There were no tears or sniffling but I knew Paval well enough to know that the current situation had distressed him.
