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Travis slanted a look at her.
She made a vague gesture toward her own features and shrugged. “Every time we see you, you look just a little more different. It was intentional, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.” What was the point in lying now?
“You wanted to avoid detection by any sort of facial recognition software.” She rubbed a hand over her swollen belly, a fine line forming between her brows.
“That was one of the reasons,” Travis acknowledged. “I also needed to make sure I kept my brothers, my family safe.”
Sebastien stared at him incredulously. “So there was no wreck in the Alps ... you just, what, went and smashed your face to disfigure yourself so you wouldn’t look like us?”
“Icouldn’tlook like you—and I sure as hell couldn’t wear the same face as Trey,” Travis pointed out.
Sebastien still looked like he wanted to explode and Marin laid a hand on his knee. Her gaze slid to the room where the security team waited with Ressa and the kids. “I assume there’s a reason why a couple of super-scary-looking muscle types joined you both. And why you’re telling us this now.” Slanting a look at her husband, she said, “Sebastien, let’s dial down on the anger so he can finish saying what he needs to say.”
“Well, this is goingto be fun.”
Isabel and her sisters stood in the foyer, the three of them together for the first time in several years.
Ellison’s brisk announcement hadn’t been one of excitement and neither Marilyn nor Isabel were going to pretend otherwise. Mari gave her twin a sidelong look and muttered under her breath, “You could have stayed in Boston. I wouldn’t have cared.”
“You need somebody to help watch out for you,” Ellison said.
“Is ... Bella can do that.” Mari shot her oldest sister an apologetic look and Isabel shrugged it off, her attention focused on Ellison.
“Because she’s done so good so far?” Ellison snorted. “It sounds like we’re about to get uprootedagainand no doubt it’sherfault.”
Isabel closed her eyes. She was used to Ellison reacting like this, but she wasn’t in the mood today—sonot in the mood. She’d been talking with the kids’ caseworkers, trying to explain what she safely could, and unfortunately, there was no ideal situation to moveanyof them on such short notice—Jacob would likely still end up in a group home, Aaron hadn’t fared well with any of the other foster homes he’d been in, Storm didn’t want to leave because she feared it would make it that much harder for her father to find her, and nobody wanted to take both a five-year-old and a seven-month-old baby.
“Juststopit, Ellie,” Mari said in a sharp voice.
“I’m notdoinganything,” Ellison said, pressing her hand to her chest. “I’m just pointing out that we’re in the same mess we always end up because of Isabel—”
“You sound mean.”
Isabel clapped a hand over her forehead at that pronouncement.
The twins both looked up.
At Mari’s smothered giggle, Isabel shot her youngest sister a look. Mari offered a small shrug.
Ellison looked disgruntled as she located the pretty little blonde sitting on the top step with Storm leaning over the railing just a few feet away. Both girls were looking at Ellison with the same interest one might study a bug under a microscope.
“Yeah, well, you look short,” Ellison finally said before looking back at Isabel. “Yourfoster kidsare still here? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“You shouldn’t cuss in front of me,” Brooklyn piped up.
Ellison whipped her head around, the short, choppy locks of her hair flying around her face as she looked back at Brooklyn in astonishment. “Noted, pipsqueak!”
“And you shouldn’t call me names.”
Storm covered her mouth with her hand, but not before all of them caught sight of the smile dancing on her lips.
“Brooklyn, please go to your room,” Isabel said, not bothering to hidehersmile.
“But I wanted to ask you something!”
“Okay.” Isabel folded her arms over her chest. “Ask, then go.”
