TWENTY-FOUR
“NO KIDDING.” Interest piqued, that revelation straightened Zairn up. “All this time I thought you were making him up.”
“If I was, he’d be nicer.”
“I won’t call him that,” Sam said, apparently forgetting Zairn could hear him.
“No, you don’t call him that,” she said, tucking herself against Zairn when he put an arm around her. “Only I call him that. He’s Zairn or Z, whatever you prefer.”
Zairn opened a hand, literally the hand of friendship, or maybe brotherhood. “Pleasure to finally meet you.”
“He’s not an idiot,” she reassured her brother.
“Porter was an idiot.”
“And maybe when you put on your big boy pants and bring someone home to us, we’ll return the favor in passing judgment on your love matches. Just shake the guy’s hand, geez, Sam.”
Breathing in, he boosted his shoulder from the pillar and shook hands with Zairn. God, she could’ve squealed in delight. Jane would’ve done it for her, if she’d been present.
“She’ll drive you crazy,” Sam said. “You’ve gotta watch her ‘cause she gets mixed up in shit.”
“I’ve noticed that about her.” Zairn flashed her a smile. “I’m blessed she lets me ride along on her adventures.”
“Most of the time you ride along.”
“Most of the time,” Zairn said in agreement. “Sam, you didn’t sit up front with the family.”
“That’s not his style,” she said, resisting the urge to loosen some buttons and slip a hand into Zairn’s shirt.
It had been too long since they’d been alone.
“Sam is five years older than me. We were his annoying, sometimes flamboyant, younger sisters. I can be quite loud, and Sonia likes to perform. Sam stayed in the background. He’s always been a background kind of guy. He’s a watcher, not a doer.”
“But you still asked me to dance with you.”
“Well, you know, some might say it’s a miracle I got down the aisle. Guess this is a ‘stranger things have happened’ kind of day.”
“How long are you in town?” Zairn asked.
“A while.”
See, just like she said, a ‘stranger things have happened’ day.
“You’re staying in LA?” Could he tell that was just hilarious? The strained smile torturing her lips had to become a laugh. “You? In LA? For more than a minute?”
“Don’t worry, you won’t have to witness it.”
“Oh, I will,” she said, nodding vigorously. “I would not miss this for all the rubies in the world. My big brother in LA…” She patted his arm. “In the big, bright, shiny city. My awkward and uncomfortable big brother—”
“Don’t you have a honeymoon to go on or something?”
“Nope, we did that already. And we’re loaded, we can vacation whenever we want.” She’d thought getting married or the wedding were supposed to be the highlights of her life. Sam, in LA, it would be like an SNL skit. “Did you bring your sunscreen?”
“I spend a lot of time around the equator.”
“Ew, is that like a sex thing?”
Zairn squeezed her. “Since when do you ew at sex things?”
Her expression probably said it all. “Since they were coming out of my big brother’s mouth.”
“Is that how I get you to go away, Talks-Alot? Talk about sex?”
“Talks-A-Lot?” Zairn’s amusement needed no translating. “That’s what you call her? How come Blayne never told me that? Tells me everything else.”
She coughed. “Didn’t I tell you you’re not allowed to talk to Blayne?”
“Why is he not allowed to talk to Blayne?” Sam asked.
Her regard flattened. “Would you want your other half talking to Blayne?”
“Good point,” he said with the slightest nod before returning to his inspection of the room.
“Oh, oh…” She grabbed his hand, holding it in both of hers between them. “Does that mean there is another half? Do you have another half? Is that why you’re here? Is she here?”
“Got a lot of potential targets in this room.”
Tripp should be her next stop on Sam’s introduction tour.
Either they’d hit it off or hate each other’s guts.
Tripp never really hated anyone. Sam, on the other hand, found people distasteful.
Not as individuals, just in general: people.
And she called herself cynical? Where did it come from?
Her big, beautiful brother, that’s where.
“You haven’t spoken to anyone in this room,” Roxie said. “You can’t fall in love with someone if you haven’t spoken to them. What you’re targeting is sex.”
“What’s wrong with that, Little Sister?”
“Nothing, but you can’t sleep with anyone without talking to me first.”
That brought not only his attention to her, but a slight lift of his upper lip. Was he laughing at her?
“I’ve gotta vet my dates through you?”
“Or Zairn,” she said, completely serious.
“You’re kidding me.” Next time his scrutiny on the crowd seemed more intent. “Now I’ve gotta take one of these women home.”
“You don’t have a home,” she said. “And you might be able to sleep with one, you just have to check with me first.”
“Did you check with me before sleeping with him?” he asked, his chin bobbing in Zairn’s direction.
“No, because you don’t know him. I know all these people.”
“Every single one? Your entire family consists of seven people… And Blayne’s in the gray zone.”
“Speaking of, I know you know men who own guns,” she murmured, leaning in. “How come you haven’t had any of them go all big-brotherly on Blayne yet?”
“He and Sonia deserve each other, Talks-A-Lot. I go big-brotherly when it’s necessary. Besides…” Another nod at Zairn, “bet he knows some guys who own guns. Shit, you have access to Sean Ballard and Ryder Stone, what’s the problem? Cost too much of your allowance?”
“They’re on account, actually, and I instruct them without Z’s permission all the time.”
“You do?” Zairn said like that was news to him.
It wasn’t. The guy never got through saying that her access was absolute. And she did talk about these things, most of the time. Wasn’t her fault if he chose not to listen.
“Might need the nod if you’re paying them to kill a guy.”
“You know, you’re right though…” She sighed. “Blayne’s not worth the potential charge. I like Ballard and Stone too much to send them to prison.” Her head dropped against Zairn. “And this guy would be lost without me.”
“Where do you think you’re going?” Zairn asked. “We’ll pin it on them. Tell the cops you were with me the whole time.”
“I like this guy,” Sam said, matter-of-fact.
She exaggerated her laugh. “Because he’ll give me an alibi? Geez, brother, catch up to the now, please. Every time I get arrested, he bails me out or pulls strings. Z’s got the routine down.”
“Thought you knew she gets mixed up in shit.”
“She does and I do,” Zairn said. “I’m around to make sure she gets away with it.”
Sam’s eyes dropped to hers. “I like this guy.”
Twice in as many minutes was a good sign.
“Well, too bad, he’s taken,” she said. “I already married him, find your own.”
“He got a sister?”
“No, and ew again, you’re not allowed to screw around in the family. Most of the women in this room are family, so I say again, check with me before you screw them.”
“I know your rules.”
“I know you know, but that’s also not the point. A lot of these women are taken, occupied, otherwise involved with guys who don’t like other guys moving in on their territory. Z knows everyone, he can hook you up with someone suitable. Someone unthreatening who won’t get you maimed.”
“He a pimp?”
“We’ve got to pay for the rubies somehow,” she said. “But, no, though some woman here will owe him something, I’m sure one of them would take on a charity case like you. If not, we’ll blackmail someone.”
“Dark. Sinister… I like that.”
“You’re not really making the best impression on your new brother.”
Zairn shrugged. “Hey, he likes me, my work is done.”
“Good. Does that mean you won’t speak to him on a regular basis like you do my dad?” She filled Sam in. “My Casanova actually likes talking to Dad. Freakish.”
“Guess it’s a different variety of acceptance when you grow up without one.” That was—Sam said it so casually yet it was a tornado through her. “Right?”
“Nothing you can’t find out on Huddle Hunt,” Zairn responded to Sam, nonplussed.
Pushing away from her love to put her back to Sam, she reached up to her guy’s jaw. “Why did you never tell me it like that?”
“It’s not a big deal, Lo.”
“It’s a big deal. You can talk to my dad any time you want.
All the time. He’s your dad now too. Officially.
” Had been since last year but… “And you have a brother now. Another brother, a new brother, I know you have a lot of brothers. This one’s not so easy to get on the phone.
If you ever want to play a game of pin the tail on the hobo, he’s good to chase around the planet.
Don’t expect to find him though, so keep your wagers low. ”
“Hobo?” Sam asked.
“What? You’re homeless, aren’t you? Of no fixed abode? It’s just another word for drifter.”
“But you chose to go the shabby way.”
She shrugged. “It’s a choice. Same as your choice to float around the world like abandoned litter. You know you’re not twenty-two anymore, brother, right?”
“Roxanna is good at keeping tabs on her people,” Zairn said. “Always surprised me you were the exception. Family is important to her.”
Both of the blood and non-blood variety.
“It’s not through lack of trying, I’ll give her that.”
“Yeah, Sam suits himself, comes and goes. Of course…” Facing her brother again, she rested back against Zairn. “If you’d stayed in touch, you’d be living the billionaire lifestyle right now.”
“I’ll pass, thanks.”
“Always on the move. Keeping to himself. Mr. Lone Wolf.”
“We move in different circles, Talks-A-Lot.”
“It’s like we’re from different planets. Are you sure we came from the same womb?
“Objectively…” Zairn said, which immediately piqued her radar.
Her acuity narrowed. “Objectively what? Hmm, Skippy? Remember you want to get laid tonight.”
“Babe, it’s only fair to highlight, we don’t stick in the one place for too long either.”
“Yeah, maybe these days I travel, but it’s not like in my blood…” Though maybe Sam was proof that vagrancy was in the genes. “And I have a fixed abode. I’m contactable.”