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"What the hell do you think you're doing prowling around in the hall and scaring everyone?" Caleb asks.
"I wasn't prowling," Nicco replies. "And what the hell are you doing jumping on people without even looking to see who it is?"
"What's happening?" Boone comes down the hallway and looks at her brother and Nicco. "I told you he was trouble," she says, jabbing toward Nicco with her thumb, though I notice that her gaze lingers on his impressive physique.
"Shh!" Caleb says, holding his finger to his lips again. We all quiet and in the distance I hear sounds like someone is downstairs.
"Probably just Deacon raiding the fridge," Boone says, though she whispers so maybe she's not so sure.
"What are you guys doing?" a deep voice asks from behind me. I jump and spin and see Deacon coming out of his room. Thankfully he's tying a robe around himself. I don't think I could take many more nearly-naked men at the moment. I've seen more of Nicco than I care to and I sure don't want to see Deacon in the all together.
Nothing against Deacon, but it's just a bit too familiar.
"That blows your theory," Nicco hisses at Boone and she sticks her tongue out at him. Then he grabs it and holds it between his thumb and forefinger while they have a staring contest.
"Oh for fuck's sake," Caleb whispers and heads for the stairs. I follow close behind. When we get to the first floor, he motions for me to stay behind him and we walk silently into the kitchen. Caleb flips the switch and there, with a half-eaten cookie in his hand, is the guy from the diner. The one who was looking for me.
His eyes go wide and when he sees me standing behind Caleb, he drops the cookie and points his phone at me. "I knew it," he says, cookie crumbs falling from his mouth.
"I thought you left town," Caleb says standing in front of me to block his phone from recording me.
"I'm not that dumb," he says, though with cookie crumbs on his chin, it's hard not to think he's a little bit dumb. "When I saw the big goon bodyguard of hers," he nods toward me and raises his hand up to try to record over Caleb's shoulder, "I knew she wasn't far away. In fact, he's the one who led me to her. Big oaf."
"He's no oaf." We all turn to see Boone entering from the other side of the kitchen. She's got a kitchen towel in her hands and she uses it to snag the guy around the neck and drag him to the ground.
I don't know much about Boone's background, but I have to wonder if she's had Ninja training.
Nicco hurries in from behind her and grabs the guy's phone from his hand and raises it high in the air, as though he's going to smash it on the floor.
"No," Caleb calls out. "We need that. We need him."
* * *
ALEX
"No one is going to believe this," the guy, we've learned his name is Todd, says. "This is the dumbest thing I've ever done."
"No, the dumbest thing you've ever done was enter this house," Caleb says and the tone in his voice is both ominous and to me, incredibly sexy.
Todd cowers a bit and doesn't protest any more. His eyes dart between Caleb and Nicco, who have put on clothes, thank goodness.
"What's everyone doing?" I glance toward the door of Caleb's bedroom and see Willow gaping at the set up. "Who's that?" She points at Todd, then tilts her head to the side. "It's late for guests, you know."
Lissy takes Willow by the hand and leads her away with promises of a snack before she returns to bed. Lissy glances back at me over her shoulder as she leaves and mouths, "Sorry," on her way out the door with her daughter.
"Okay, I think we're ready," Caleb says, fluffing the pillows behind me.
"Are you sure this will work?" I whisper to him. "Are you sure we can count on him?" I gesture with my head toward Todd, the pest.
"Oh, Todd will be the most cooperative person you've ever seen," Caleb says, glaring at the intruder who shrinks back a bit under the intensity of Caleb's gaze. Then his eyes shift to Nicco and he goes a bit pale.
I stifle a smile.
"I'm ready," Todd finally says. He eyes Caleb warily. "You promise you won't hurt me?"
"As long as you do as I tell you. Can you do that, Todd? You'll get the scoop of the year. Isn't that what you want?"
"Mostly I just want to get out of this loony bin," he mutters. Boone clears her throat and he looks at her with trepidation. "Just don't let her hurt me. I saw the way she lassoed the big guy. She's nuts."
