4. CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FOUR
I vy
RANGERS LEAD THE WAY.
Those are the words tattooed on Brody’s upper back along with other inscriptions I can’t make out from where I’m seated. Not that I’m trying too hard. My attention shifts to his defined back muscles glistening with perspiration. Each step produces a ripple and flex that holds me captive. His strong wide shoulders taper to a slim waist and down to a firm—
The bathroom door slams shut, cutting off the nice view.
My god. I snap my eyes away and stare at the blank TV hung up on the wall. A side glance at the Iris and Callum proves that neither caught me staring. Still .
Minutes pass and Brody doesn’t come out.
I’m in a sour mood. I only keep myself in check because of Iris. All of this is for her safety, and I don’t want her looking over at me and thinking I’m mad. But I’m barely holding back from exploding.
My sister folds in on herself like a pile of dirty laundry, keeping her hoodie pulled tight over her head even though we’re in the hotel room away from curious eyes.
I want to tell her to relax but how could I? I’m anything but myself. I hardly slept last night even though Callum declared the hotel where we were holed up safe. Iris kept tossing and turning. At one point I was sure she was sobbing. But when I turned her over, she was fast asleep, which meant she was crying in her sleep.
I spent the rest of my waking hours writing to my boss and asking for an indefinite leave. My polite, reasonable letter was met with a caustic response that threatened my job security if I didn’t sort myself quickly enough. And to add to that, I’m not getting paid while I’m away.
Iris was kind enough to allay my worries about how we’ll keep our heads above water without my salary.
“The label is paying me the royalties directly after what Dad did, remember?” She’d squeezed my hand. “We’ll be alright.”
I don’t want to be like my parents who used her for what she could give them. I’m her older sister. I should be providing for her. But any argument I put up was met with her stubborn rejection of my self-sacrifice.
“It’s not even a lot. Let me do this for us, okay? You’re going out of your way to help me. I want to contribute too.”
I don’t push the issue. I hate feeling useless and since we’re sisters, we must share some of that DNA that drives us to be self-sufficient, or try to be.
My eyes are gritty and heavy but sleep eludes me. I fell into a fitful sleep sometime between four a.m. and five a.m. only to get woken up by Callum thirty minutes later. Ever since, I haven’t been able to close my eyes and get some rest. I usually dislike early mornings… And given the whole freak show that was last night and today, this has been one of my least favorite mornings in forever.
I look at the closed bathroom door. It doesn’t open under the weight of my stare.
I thought Callum would bring us to a safe house out in the middle of nowhere like in the movies, but no. We’re at a fancy ski resort. A ski resort! Already, a few folks looked Iris’s way and kept looking despite the attempt at a disguise with her hoodie. Hell, that lady flirting with Brody— ugh —looked like she recognized her. Which only made my sister withdraw into herself even more.
I glance her way and my heart tightens. She’s the shell of the bright, happy girl I used to know.
Don’t even get me started on Brody. From the moment our eyes caught, I knew he was going to be a special kind of difficult. He refused to look away, his icy gray gaze growing flintier the longer he took me in. I’m certain I didn’t look as put together as the woman clinging to him but still. No need to try to disintegrate me with just the eyes. Try because he couldn’t. I eat intimidating glares for breakfast.
But something happened between the moments our eyes locked and the moment Callum called him away. Something that left me flustered and warm despite the chill that clung to our skins. That’s why I avoided his gaze in the hallway. It called to something in me, but I wasn’t going to answer. Not until he proved himself capable of ensuring Iris’s safety. And not afterward, either. He’s meant to protect my sister and nothing more.
I have no doubt he has a selection of women on his roster too. What with his open flirting with that lady and how many eyes were drawn to his towering stature. He’s hard to miss. It doesn’t help that he’s fine as hell. Yes, I said it. Bite me .
The very least he could do was prove he wasn’t just a pretty face, but no. He didn’t even have the decency to leave our presence before taking off his shirt and showing off back muscles that look like they’re hewn from stone. The vivid picture reappears in my head. I bury my face in my hands and let out a groan.
“He’ll be here soon,” Callum says. “We must have caught him at a bad time.”
If I were bothered by his lengthy absence alone, that’d make this much easier. But now my tired brain has convinced itself that he is attractive. Awareness stirs in my lower belly.
No. No . I shouldn’t think about the man meant to keep my sister safe like that. Or maybe it’s his fault I think this way. He should have been more professional.
Just then, the bathroom door opens and Brody returns wearing fresh clothes. I’m not sure whether to feel glad or sad that he has a shirt on now. His golden blond hair is combed back and the excess hairs on his face are tamed into a nice shave showing off a strong jawline.
My fingers twitch with the urge to fix my hair. Wait, no. I don’t need to look good. What’s happening to me? It’s the lack of sleep. I need to get myself under control before I embarrass myself.
Brody grabs a straight-back chair and plops down before us. His legs are long and strong, and thick thigh muscles strain against the jeans. Elbows braced on his knees, he leans forward with his hands clasped before him. “So, tell me everything.”
Callum starts to speak but I cut him off.
“It’s only decent to introduce yourself first, don’t you think?” I point between Iris and me. “Since we’re strangers to you and all.”
His icy gray eyes latch onto mine. A surge shoots through me. It’s the same way it felt when he looked at me in the lobby. There’s a depth to him. An underlying current beneath the handsome veneer. He’s not a man to be trifled with.
Callum mentioned that he’s ex-army, right? Well, fuck that. This is not the army. Civilians behave civilly, and if he wants to attend to us, he has to prove that he has some decency. I hold his stare not caring that my eyes hurt. Or that my belly swirls with strange sensations.
“You must know who I am if Callum brought you here.” His deep baritone voice holds a stern note. “I’ll learn about you as we speak. So I suggest you start telling me what I need to know. I don’t have time to waste.”
“And you think that we do? You kept us waiting as you took your sweet time putting on your makeup! The least you could do is apologize but I guess that’s asking too much of you.”
He leans back, sizing me up. “Look, lady—”
“It’s Ivy, and you’d have known that if you followed the right protocol.”
“Listen here, Ivy,” he speaks through his teeth. “I am the one who sets the protocol so you better behave yourself or you’ll find your little ass out in the fucking snow.”
I gasp. “Don’t you dare threaten me.”
“That was not a threat. It’s a promise I intend to keep and I’m prepared to show just how quickly if keep running your mouth.”
Who does he think he is? “Oh, really? Show me—”
“No, no.” Callum stands, walking between us. “No one is showing anyone anything. Calm down, guys.”
“Tell him first!” I point at Brody.
Brody rises to tower over Callum. “What the fuck, man? Why did you bring trouble to my doorstep?”
“I am not trouble. You are trouble,” I hiss. “You should learn how to treat your clients properly.”
“Clients?” Brody’s frown deepens like that’s the worst word he has ever heard.
“Yes, and I’m reconsidering.” I’m not. We have nowhere else to go. I trust Callum’s judgment but I’m so damn tired and Brody is a piece of work.
“You’re not reconsidering,” Callum says sternly, and then he turns to Brody. “She’s not.” Back to me again. “You know why we’re here, Ivy. Reel in the temper.”
“I don’t have a temper,” I murmur, arms folded and eyes cast to the side.
“We’re doing this for Iris,” he says, “so we all have to get along somehow.”
Iris . I turn to see my sister’s eyes on me. She looks both shocked and sad.
I messed up. But I won’t give Brody the satisfaction of seeing me sorry. It’s not him I owe an apology to anyway, it’s Iris.
I tip my chin up and pretend I’m unaffected. “Fine. Let’s talk.
The men take their seats. I don’t miss Brody’s eyes flicking to me with a heavy dose of suspicion. Right back at ya, buddy.
“This is what happened,” Callum begins and goes on to explain the harrowing couple weeks Iris and I have endured between the online threats and the home invasion. He breaks it down, putting it in his police terms, making it sound graver than it already is. “They couldn’t remain at their home so I set them up temporarily in a hotel last night. I made sure to watch everyone going in and out so no one suspicious would get to Iris.”
Iris and I share a look. He didn’t tell us that he did that.
“Before sunrise, we started the drive to Pine Peaks. I made sure I wasn’t followed the entire way. I brought them here because I know you’re great at what you do and you’ll be able to keep them safe.”
Brody looks from Callum to me and Iris. Why do his eyes linger on me for a second? And why does his scowl deepen?
He sighs and rubs his forehead.
“You can do this, right?” Callum asks.
“I can.” His jaw flexes. “But the decision is not mine to make alone. We’ve started but not everything is in place yet.”
“Wait, you’ve never protected someone before?” My eyebrows go up.
His eyes snap to me. “Not in your fancy cities, I haven’t. But check in with the families in the villages overrun by terrorists and they’ll ask you why you’re so intent on doubting me.”
I bite my tongue. We’re trying to get him to help us. I can’t be too eager to point out his flaws. Men and their big egos hate that. And ex-military? The giant chip on his shoulder could block out the sun.
“So, what do you say?” Callum asks. “Will you take them on?”
“I have to speak to Nick and Zane...”
I slap my hands on my knees, sighing heavily. “I knew this was a waste the moment we walked in. It’s really simple, Brody. Yes or no. Are you going to help us or not?”
His body tenses as he readies to lay into me.
“We accept.” Iris raises her voice for the first time since Brody came in.
We all spin her way.
She speaks again, sounding softer. “We accept your terms.” She apologizes to me with tender eyes. “Speak to who you have to. We will wait.”
“Thank you,” Brody says to Iris but his eyes are fixed on me. “At least someone knows how to communicate without starting a fight.”
I press my lips together and refuse him the satisfaction of drawing an argument out of me. I’ll bide my time, gathering all my ammunition to use against him later.
That is, if he and his team agree to work with us after my outburst. I hope I haven’t ruined a chance to secure Iris’s safety.