Chapter 3
Zeke
The unassuming ranch-style house was in a quiet neighborhood. I double-checked the address I’d been provided and grabbed my bags from the trunk. It had been a few decades since I’d been to the Midwest, but yep, still pretty freaking flat.
As I walked up the front path, I felt a twinge of nerves. Dad called to congratulate me on my new assignment with only a small amount of amusement. Brenda, however, laughed her ass off.
“See, if you’d listened to me and been more open to assignments, you wouldn’t get sent to Little House on the Prairie.”
Austin, Minnesota wasn’t, 1870s television, but it was a far cry from my home in Northern Virginia.
Some of the differences were improvements.
The traffic didn’t suck so much, the people weren’t in such a hurry, and it didn’t feel so crowded.
Sure, there weren’t coffee shops every few blocks and the top chefs weren’t in driving distance, but I’d been a noted chef for fifteen years. I’d survive.
The living room was nicely furnished, if a bit bland.
Leather couch, a couple of wing chairs, glass coffee table, and an entertainment center linked to the house’s Bluetooth sound system.
Since I was alone, I checked out the rest of the place.
Three bedrooms, one big, two much smaller, master bath, and one in the hallway.
The master bedroom had a king bed, the others had queens. It was livable at least.
Not seeing any indication we’d been assigned rooms, I left my bags in the foyer. Orion was my senior and I didn’t need an awkward confrontation over territory.
Ten minutes after I’d unpacked my laptop and files on the dining room table, a car pulled into the driveway. I’d felt Orion’s aura before; it was him. Standing, I steeled myself to greet my partner.
The door swung inward and in walked Orion Blake. My heart might’ve actually skipped a beat. Fuck, I forgot how hot he was in person. Tall and broad-shouldered, he wore a plain T-shirt that clung to his biceps. He radiated strength and confidence.
His brown eyes scanned the room before landing on me. He studied me closely, and I felt self-conscious under that piercing gaze.
“Nice to see you again, Ezekiel,” he said in a deep, resonant voice.
Dad warned me not to expect him to be open and effusive, but his personality was borderline sterile. I nodded and forced myself to smile. Nothing batshit crazy about that look. “Good seeing you again. You can call me Zeke.”
He gave a curt nod of acknowledgment and an awkward silence stretched between us.
“I didn’t claim a room yet,” I said, gesturing vaguely down the hallway. “I thought you’d like to have your pick.”
“How considerate of you, Ezekiel,” he said in a tone that implied he found very little about me considerate. He breezed into the bedroom hallway without another word. A minute later, he returned and found me rooted in the same place.
“I took the second room on the right, closer to the bathroom. You can have the larger one if you like.”
Orion focused on me again, but it was less judgy. It still felt like he was searching for something, but we’d moved past trying to find faults or flaws. “That’s very considerate of you, Orion.”
Fanboying only lasted until the first dick move. If he thought he was going to cow me into place, good luck with that. Michael said I was in charge, and while I wasn’t going to be a jerk, neither would I be a punching bag.
“You’ve got your sister’s sass.”
It wasn’t a total insult, but I didn’t feel the love. “We get it from Mom. Anyway, since the pleasantries are over, we should get to work. I’ve set out everything Michael gave me, and I wanted to go over my plans for the week.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Bit premature for plans. I haven’t assessed you yet.”
Good thing I hadn’t unpacked. If Michael hadn’t told him I was in charge, this would be a short assignment. “I don’t need your permission. My one condition for accepting this assignment was that I’m in charge of the investigation.”
Again, he studied me, and I’d have given a lot to know what he was thinking. “And you will be, but I’m in charge of your safety. Your father is one of my few friends. My one condition was I’m in charge of your safety. I get to review everything to be sure it’s safe.”
What the fuck? How dangerous was this mission? I’d learned a long time ago to compromise whenever possible so I could focus on fighting for what mattered. Veto power, however, was the same as having the ultimate say. “Understood. What happens when we disagree?”
“If the argument is sound, there shouldn’t be disagreements. But I guess you could always ask your father to mediate.”
It was the second time in one minute he’d mentioned my father. “Dad’s not here and he didn’t give me this mission. If we don’t agree, either I do it my way, or I take the highway. Then you can explain it to Michael.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. You think you know Michael, but take it from one who really knows what he’s like, you won’t score any points running to him whenever you get your feelings hurt.”
This was a pointless discussion. I wasn’t going to out dickhead the king dickhead. “Got it.”
I packed up my stuff, shoved it back in my case, and zipped it shut. Without sparing him a glance, I grabbed my suitcases and headed for my room. Time to go home.
“Get changed. Gabriel had a training room installed. We’ll meet in an hour for a practice session.”
I ignored him and shut my door louder than I planned. Petulant child wasn’t the look I wanted to project. I pulled out my laptop and started an email to Michael, letting him know I was resigning. Three sentences in, my door opened, and I flicked my wrist and slammed it shut.
“It’s closed for a reason.” I left off the “asshole” I was thinking. “Knock if you want to come in.”
He turned the handle, but I’d already barred it with my telekinesis. It wouldn’t hold him, but if he broke it down, I wasn’t even going to give Michael a heads-up before I left.
A house-shaking blow struck the door, shattering half the wood, but my obstruction held. I jumped off the bed and glared at him across the wall of translucent energy. “What the ever living fuck is your problem, asshole?”
“I said training in an hour.”
“I heard you. Have fun, I’m not going to be there.” Hellfire, I wasn’t going to be here in an hour.
“You think this is some kind of game?” He pushed against my barrier, and it held him back. Unfortunately, the door jam and wall were showing signs of stress. Rather than risk destroying the room or even the entire house, I let him in. “I told you I’m in charge of your protection.”
“Well then you’re out of a job. I’m going home.”
I hadn’t thought of what I’d do if he tried to stop me, but I was pretty sure he wouldn’t hurt me too much.
I collected my things again and tried to leave, but he barred my way.
This time I didn’t back down. Dad would rip him apart if he hurt me, which might not do me any good, but it was hopefully a deterrent.
“Running home to Daddy?” he asked in a mocking tone.
Resorting to taunting me into staying meant I’d won. “Nope.”
I pushed past him and didn’t stop until I was out the door. Tossing my things in the car, I pulled up Michael’s text and called Gabriel. I watched the front door, half expecting Orion to come charging out to drag me home.
“Zeke?” The voice on the other end was laden with disappointment. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m done. He broke the door to my bedroom and threatened to bring the entire house down because I refused to train with him.
” The words rushed out in a torrent, which almost sounded like a preteen telling on a sibling.
“He came in, telling me how it was going to be. I told Michael I worked alone, or at least I was in charge. Two minutes in and it isn’t going to work. ”
I heard him take a few deep breaths. “I’ll talk to him.”
If Orion hadn’t broken my door, I’m sure they’d have thought I was overreacting.
But he had, and it was borderline sociopathic.
“Be my guest, but I’m going home. I’m not going to end up dead because he has an alpha male complex.
Since he thinks he knows how best to do this job, let him do it all.
Then he doesn’t have to argue about every move. ”
My subconscious must have known it was safer to call Gabriel than Michael.
Had I said this to the other brother, I might have had my ass singed by lightning.
I heard typing on the other end. I couldn’t decide if he was texting Michael, Orion, or Dad.
It didn’t matter. I wasn’t wrong, and I wasn’t backing down.
“Go get a beer. I’ll be there in an hour.”
Gabriel’s angry tone was punctuated by the call going dead. I didn’t like turning tail, but it wasn’t a suggestion. He didn’t want me to stay in the area, and getting a beer was a lot closer than going home.
Backing up, I left the neighborhood. I was sorely tempted to keep driving until I was back in Virginia, but then I’d be defying a direct order. Dad might defend my decision to leave, but he wouldn’t tolerate me disobeying Gabriel.
I didn’t feel like a beer at 2:00 p.m., so I opted for a late lunch. The town was full of chain restaurants. I’d go to one of them and wait for further orders.