Nico (Pecan Pines #13)

1. Isaac

ISAAC

The first thing Logan packed was a gaming console. The second thing he grabbed was a portable espresso machine, and the third thing he added was a framed photograph of himself.

I stared at the photo sitting on top of an open suitcase. Then I looked at my younger brother, then I glanced at the photo again.

"You packed a picture of yourself,” I said, keeping my tone even.

Logan glanced up from where he was folding clothes across the bed of his apartment.

"It's signed,” Logan pointed out, as if it mattered.

"It's signed by you,” I said.

"Exactly."

I closed my eyes. My brother was twenty-eight years old, a famous actor who had millions of followers, and was still somehow the most exhausting person I knew.

The apartment was a disaster zone of half-packed luggage, garment bags, filming materials, and boxes of promotional merchandise from Shadowfall: Requiem.

Posters leaned against walls. Scripts covered every available surface. Someone from the studio had apparently dropped off another shipment of marketing materials this morning.

I had already tripped over a life-sized cardboard cutout of Logan twice.

"You don't need that,” I told him.

"The fans love it,” Logan answered.

"The fans aren't coming to Pecan Pines."

Logan pointed toward a box.

"Those fans are,” Logan said smugly.

I followed his finger. Several dozen fan letters sat neatly bundled together. I frowned. The studio screened most of the mail before it reached him, but not everything.

Some people took celebrity admiration too far. Most were harmless, but some weren't. I'd learned that lesson years ago.

"I'll look through those later,” I told Logan.

"They already screened them,” Logan pointed out.

"I'll look through them anyway,” I said firmly.

Logan rolled his eyes.

"See? This is why people think you're scary.”

"Good,” I said with a nod.

"No, not good."

“I disagree.”

He snorted. I zipped shut one of the suitcases and moved it beside the door. The truth was that somebody had to be cautious. Logan certainly wasn't.

He'd been famous for nearly a decade now. He’d done movies, television, and voice acting. Heck, he’d also done commercials, conventions appearances, and magazine covers.

Now he was starring in the live-action adaptation of Shadowfall: Requiem. Apparently one of the most popular video games in existence. I didn't know much about it.

I knew there were swords, monsters, magic, and enough devoted fans to fuel an entire economy. The production company had chosen Pecan Pines as one of the primary filming locations.

Which was exactly how we found ourselves preparing for a month-long stay in wolf territory neither of us had been in before. Well, it was not entirely unfamiliar territory, because Cooper Hayes was there.

My gaze drifted toward the window. The memory arrived unexpectedly. I thought of Logan and my old hometown. Winter Valley, with its snow-covered forests, and pack runs beneath moonlit skies.

Cooper had been older than me, already respected, and carrying responsibilities that most wolves spent their lives avoiding. Even back then he'd possessed that strange ability to make people listen without raising his voice.

Years had passed since he'd left Winter Valley, ages since since I'd seen him in person. Still, when he'd personally offered hospitality to Logan and me during filming, I hadn't hesitated.

There were very few alphas I trusted. Cooper was one of them.

Logan tossed another shirt into his suitcase.

"You know," he said casually, "most brothers would be excited about this."

"I'm thrilled,” I told him.

"You don't sound thrilled, so that means…you're worried?” Logan asked.

"I'm always worried." I pointed toward him. "Because of you."

"Because I'm famous,” Logan stated.

"Because you're Logan."

His grin widened. Unfortunately, that grin still worked exactly the same way it had when he was twelve years old and trying to convince me to help hide evidence after breaking something.

"I'll behave,” Logan told me.

"No, you won’t,” I said grimly.

I stared at him, and he stared back. Then he sighed dramatically.

"Fine. I'll be on my best behavior,” Logan grumbled.

"We're guests,” I reminded him. "Of Alpha Cooper.”

"I won't embarrass you,” Logan promised.

I narrowed my eyes. He smiled, and the smile alone told me I was doomed. A few minutes later, he collapsed backward across the bed.

"You need a hobby,” Logan pointed out.

I continued checking travel documents.

"I have a hobby,” I replied rather defensively.

"What is it?" Logan asked, curious.

"Keeping you alive,” I said in a deadpanned voice.

Logan barked out a laugh. "I walked right into that."

The drive to Pecan Pines took a while. They were peaceful and glorious hours, because Logan couldn't create new problems because he was asleep in the passenger seat.

The closer we got, the more picturesque the landscape became. I spotted dense forests, rolling hills, and long stretches of open road. Something inside my chest loosened slightly.

Winter Valley had been home once. Then it hadn't. Life had a way of changing shape when you weren't looking.

By the time we reached the pack compound, Logan was awake and bouncing with energy. I immediately distrusted that energy. Excited Logan was dangerous Logan.

The security gate opened. Several wolves stood guard. They appeared professional and alert. Good, because I approved. The compound itself was larger than I'd expected.

People moved through the grounds with easy familiarity. Pack members, I assumed, families and children. For a brief moment, I watched them.

Wolves moved through the compound carrying groceries, talking with friends, chasing after kids who were moving too fast and listening too little.

Nobody looked particularly concerned about anything beyond the usual problems of everyday life.

It was hard to believe the pack had once been in upheaval when Cooper took over. I'd heard enough over the years to know how bad things had gotten. Looking at it now, you'd never guess it.

The place felt solid and safe, like something built to last. That was rarer than most people realized. Logan climbed out of the vehicle.

"Nice place,” Logan commented.

I grabbed our luggage.

"Remember what we talked about,” I reminded him.

"Yes, Dad."

"I hate when you call me that,” I complained.

A familiar laugh reached us before I could respond. I looked up, and saw Cooper was walking toward us. He looked a little older.

There were a few more lines around his eyes, but he was still unmistakably Cooper. His wolf was strong and steady. Cooper had the kind of presence that filled space without demanding it.

"Isaac,” he greeted.

I stepped forward and clasped his forearm. "Cooper."

"It's good to see you,” Cooper said, tone genuine.

"You too."

Logan immediately appeared beside me. "Nice to see you again, Alpha."

"Good to see you, Logan,” Cooper said with a smile.

His gaze flicked between us. Probably confirming that neither of us had murdered the other during the drive. A reasonable concern.

After greetings were exchanged, Cooper led us toward the administrative building.

"We've already started security preparations," he explained.

"Appreciate it,” I said.

"Your brother attracts attention,” Cooper commented.

"That's one way to put it."

Cooper chuckled. "We take safety seriously here."

I liked good answers. The office building smelled faintly of coffee and cedar. Cooper guided us down a hallway.

"We've assigned someone from our IT department to work directly with your security needs,” Cooper said. That caught my attention.

"IT?" I asked, impressed.

"Surveillance systems. Monitoring. Digital security."

Interesting. Very useful, actually. Modern threats didn't always come from physical sources. Sometimes the most dangerous person sat behind a computer screen.

We entered a conference room. A man with glasses was already seated at the table.

He looked to be in his mid-thirties, maybe older. He wore a calm expression, and had a neat appearance. A laptop sat open in front of him. He stood when we entered.

"Tony Alvarez," he introduced himself.

His handshake was firm and confident. Every inch of him screamed competent, and I I liked him immediately. Tony didn’t engage in unnecessary chatter, and he didn’t seem to know or care who Logan was.

Excellent. If this was the person handling our security coordination, things might actually go smoothly. Tony nodded toward Logan.

"Pleasure to meet you,” Tony said. Then toward me. "And you."

“Likewise,” I said.

This man understood boundaries. I could work with that.

Cooper began explaining the security structure. He talked about camera coverage, access points, patrol schedules, and emergency protocols.

Everything sounded organized, reasonable and efficient. For the first time all day, I started relaxing. Maybe this filming schedule wouldn't be a nightmare after all.

The conference room door exploded open. I actually thought something had gone wrong. My instincts immediately sharpened.

"Sorry I'm late!" A voice blurted.

A younger man practically stumbled into the room carrying a laptop, two phones, a backpack, and what appeared to be three energy drinks.

He nearly dropped all of them, recovered, dropped one again, then recovered again. He had dark hair, bright blue eyes, and far too much energy.

Words seemed to pour out of him faster than gravity could keep up. For a second, I just stared. Cute. The thought arrived so unexpectedly that it caught me off guard.

He wasn’t movie-star handsome, wasn’t the least bit polished…but simply cute. He had the kind of face that looked permanently on the verge of either laughing or getting into trouble.

Who the hell was this guy? Before I could wonder much further, my wolf stirred. The reaction was subtle at first. A flicker of attention, then curiosity.

Then the newcomer's scent reached me. My wolf immediately became interested.

I frowned. That was new. I'd dated men before. Heck, plenty, over the years. Some relationships lasted a few months, some only a few weeks. My wolf had never cared one way or the other.

Attraction had always been entirely my business. This was different.

My wolf wasn't pushing forward or doing anything dramatic. He simply lifted his head and paid attention in a way he never had before. Which, unfortunately, made me curious too.

I shut that line of thinking down immediately. There was probably a perfectly reasonable explanation. I'd spent the last several years focusing almost exclusively on Logan's career.

I was in charge of security details, travel schedules, public appearances, and even crisis management. Dating had fallen somewhere near the bottom of my priority list.

Fine. Maybe all that meant was I hadn't gotten laid in far too long. That was certainly more believable than whatever nonsense my wolf seemed to be suggesting.

Satisfied with that explanation, I turned my attention back to the newcomer, just in time to watch him nearly drop one of his energy drinks for the third time.

"I got the message and then I was finishing the firewall update and then Sarah needed help with the server thing and then somebody unplugged the backup system for some reason which honestly should probably be a crime because who does that and…”

He finally stopped, looked up, saw Logan, and froze. His eyes widened, then widened even more.

"Oh my God,” he whispered.

I felt dread, pure and immediate.

“You're actually Logan Lawrence."

Logan grinned, because he was Logan, and he loved meeting fans. The stranger turned toward Cooper and Tony.

"He's actually here,” the guy whispered.

"Yes, Nico,” Tony said, then let out a polite cough.

"The Logan Lawrence,” Nico said. "The Shadowfall Logan Lawrence.”

Nico made a strangled noise. Then his attention shifted, and his gaze landed on me. The moment stretched. A strange flicker passed through his expression.

There was surprise, confusion, and something I couldn’t name. Then he smiled, bright and open. He appeared far too dangerously enthusiastic for my liking.

"Hi there, guy with Logan.”

My wolf stirred unexpectedly. I ignored it immediately, because absolutely not. Whatever nonsense my wolf thought it was sensing could stay quiet.

Nico shifted his backpack higher on one shoulder.

"I'm Nico Greene. IT specialist. Huge fan. Not of you," he said to me quickly. "Well, probably you too. You seem great. I meant Logan. Not that you're not great. You probably are. I just don't know you yet."

Silence. Tony closed his eyes briefly, like a man questioning every life decision that had led him here. Cooper pinched the bridge of his nose.

Logan looked delighted. I looked at Nico, and Nico looked back. He was still smiling, and I realised he was wearing a Shadowfall: Requiem T-shirt underneath an unzipped hoodie.

A Shadowfall lanyard around his neck, a Shadowfall keychain hanging from his backpack, and possibly Shadowfall socks. I wasn't sure, and I didn't want to know.

Only moments ago I'd been convinced Tony was handling security. Competent, experienced, and professional Tony. Then this man had burst through the door like a hurricane fueled entirely by caffeine and fandom.

A terrible feeling settled into my stomach. The kind of feeling I usually got five minutes before Logan created a problem. Slowly, I looked toward Cooper.

"Please tell me he's not assigned to us,” I said.