Chapter 2
INDY
“Do you have to kiss my sister right in front of me?”
I whip a french fry at Rafe before adding, “I know you’re engaged and all that. But right at the dinner table? Is that really necessary?”
Rafe snatches the fry out of the air and throws it back at me. “Yes.” He flashes me a shit-eating grin. “It is necessary.” Then he kisses Eden—my little sister, I may add—again. “Eden’s going to be my wife. So I’ll kiss her whenever I want.”
I reach for another french fry, but interfering Ace pulls my plate away before I can grab one. “He has a point,” Ace says. “They’re living together. Getting married. A little kissing should be the least of your worries.”
From one end of the table, Webb chimes in, “Just think if they decide to have kids. And you’re worried about kissing?”
Tyler catches my eye from the opposite end of the table. “He’s not wrong, Indy. If Rafe and Eden want to have kids…”
My teeth grind together, sending shooting pains through my jaw and down my neck. “I know they’re getting married. Which, for the record, I support. But we’re having dinner. And I look across the table to see my sweet little sister kissing my best friend.”
“Indy.” Eden shakes her head at me. Her voice is gently scolding. “I thought we went through this already. You said you were okay with it.”
Leaning over, I grab a carrot stick from Ace’s plate and flick it at Eden. She must have been taking lessons from Rafe, because she catches it and tosses it right back at me. “Nice catch,” I concede with a smile.
“I thought so,” she replies with a little smirk. “Now. Are you going to stop acting like Windy Indy or what?”
Rafe snorts.
My molars nearly grind to dust. “What did we say about calling me that?” I ask.
Her eyes widen innocently. “What did we say about it? I don’t remember.”
Ace leans forward, resting his elbows on the glossy wooden table. “What’s this about Windy Indy? I don’t think I’ve heard that nickname before.”
“You wouldn’t have,” I mutter. “Not if someone kept her mouth shut.”
Eden brightens as she turns to Ace. “Oh, it’s a funny story. Back when Indy and I were kids, and he was being particularly annoying—”
“You mean all the time,” Rafe interrupts with a chuckle. He loops his arm around Eden’s shoulders and leans over to kiss her cheek. “I’ve heard the stories.”
“Well, when Indy was being annoying,” Eden continues, “I started calling him Windy Indy. Especially when his friends were over. It was really funny.”
I pin Eden with a glare. “Funny like when you bought a whoopie cushion and kept setting it off while I was trying to play video games with my friends? And when you concocted that mixture with the horrible stench? So they all thought I had toxic farts?”
Webb bursts out laughing. “Windy Indy. I love it.”
I fling a carrot stick at him. “Don’t even think about it. Eden gets a pass because she’s my little sister. But you…”
“Does it really bother you?” Eden asks quietly, her expression shifting from lighthearted to solemn. “I thought you were okay with me and Rafe. But if it’s better for us to eat back at our place…”
As her smile fades, guilt sweeps through me.
Why am I giving her and Rafe a hard time about kissing? I don’t really care. I mean, it’s been over six months since they got together, so I’ve had more than enough time to get used to it. I just can’t resist ribbing Rafe sometimes.
Still. If it upsets Eden…
“Sorry, Eenie.” I push up from my chair and round the table to her side. I lean down to hug her, giving her hair a little tousle as I do it. “I was just messing with Rafe. I don’t really care if you guys kiss in front of me.”
Rafe coughs loudly.
“Well,” I amend. “If you guys start going at it at the dinner table, that’s different. If you could save that for back at home, I’d appreciate it.”
Rafe lifts his chin at me. His lips twitch. “Got it. Kissing is okay. But no sex at the table.”
Eden’s cheeks go pink. “Rafe.”
I reach past Eden to punch Rafe in the shoulder. “No talk about sex with my sister. I draw the line at that.”
Eden hugs me back. “Okay, Windy. Only kissing at the dinner table.”
Argh.
Why did I think living with my sister was a good idea?
Well, technically, we don’t live together.
I live in an apartment in the main building of Blade and Arrow headquarters, just like Ace and Webb do.
Rafe and Eden have their own house on the property, a little A-frame we all helped build so they could have some privacy.
Tyler has a small log cabin on the thirteen-acre property as well, since he still struggles being around people sometimes.
But whether we’re inside the expansive house we turned into the headquarters of Blade and Arrow Security’s newest branch or just on the property, we’re all safe—protected by reinforced fences and hundreds of security cameras and motion sensors and even a radar system that can detect drones flying overhead.
Not that I’m worried about my own safety.
After over fifteen years in the Army, much of it spent as part of the elite A-Team, or Green Berets, I know I can protect myself.
There might have been a time a few years ago that I wasn’t as confident, but ever since coming to Portland to help Eden last year, I’ve felt more like my old self again.
Which is good, because if I want to be a useful member of Blade and Arrow Security’s Shadow Team, I need to be on top of my game. I can’t hesitate when it comes to protecting people, whether it’s clients or my friends and family.
Honestly, I’m glad Rafe and Eden are together, even if I like to give Rafe a hard time about it.
Back when everything happened last spring with that fucker going after Eden, Rafe was there for her.
He dropped everything to fly across the country to protect her.
And I know damn well he’d protect her with his life, if it came to it.
Plus, he makes her happy, which counts for a lot in my book.
Especially considering all the shit Eden went through.
All I have to do is see the way Eden lights up when Rafe’s around, how she instinctively gravitates towards him, how she can’t help from dropping his name into every conversation, regardless of the topic.
Discussing plans for the upcoming weekend? “Oh, Rafe was talking about going hiking and bringing a picnic. Do you want to come with us? I can make extra sandwiches.”
Talking about a movie that just came out on streaming video? “Rafe and I are going to rent it tomorrow night. He said it’s surprisingly accurate for a movie about bounty hunting. Do you want to watch it with us?”
If I had to pick a man for my sister, in truth, I couldn’t have chosen a better one. Was it a little strange at first to see my best friend and sister together? Of course. But he takes care of her in all the ways that count. He protects her. He supports her. He’ll do anything to make her happy.
And he loves her.
My best friend, who insisted he never wanted a relationship, claimed they weren’t worth the trouble, fell madly in love with my sister. Proposed to her. And this summer, they’re planning to get married.
Rafe talked to me before he proposed, not to ask for permission, but to reassure me of his intentions.
“Eden can make her own decisions,” he explained, “so I’m not asking for permission.
But I want you to know, I’ll do anything for her.
Whatever she needs. Whatever she wants. I’ll protect her to my last breath and I’ll spend my life doing my absolute best to make her happy. ”
“So,” Eden says brightly, smiling at me as I return to my seat, “maybe we could have a bowling night this weekend. Pizza, wings, beer…” She casts her gaze around the table. “What do you guys think?”
Ace nods. With a chuckle, he says, “Count me in. I need to redeem myself after last time.”
“You mean after you rolled three gutter balls in a row?” Webb asks. “I’d say you’re due for some redemption after that.”
“I had a cramp in my hand,” Ace retorts. “From all the painting. It wasn’t my fault.”
One of the additions we made to the Blade and Arrow HQ was a two-lane bowling alley down in the basement. Is it necessary for our business? Of course not. We provide protective services, not bowling instruction. But Eden loves bowling, so Rafe insisted on building it for her.
No one complained. Not even when it took four full weekends to get it all done. Because me and Rafe aren’t the only ones who love Eden. Ace, Webb, and Tyler have taken her on as their adopted little sister. So when Rafe brought up the idea, we were all on board.
“I think so,” Webb replies. He glances at Rafe with a questioning expression. “When are we leaving for Seattle again?”
Rafe lifts his chin at Webb. “Sunday night. We’ve got two red-eye tickets booked, so we’ll arrive first thing Monday morning.”
Eden turns to Rafe. Her brows pull into a concerned V. “I forgot about your trip. If it’s not a good weekend—”
“It’s a perfect weekend.” With a smile, he adds, “We’ve got plenty of time to get ready on Sunday. I think a bowling party on Saturday night sounds like a great idea.”
Rafe and Webb are scheduled for a security consult for a tech company in Seattle next week, where they’ll spend three days searching for weak spots in the security infrastructure and training the existing team on new tactics and skills.
Usually we focus on jobs that are more investigative, like our last pro-bono case, which was helping a woman whose ex-husband was blackmailing her with AI-generated revenge porn.
Which is fucked up, by the way. What kind of man would do something like that? And to someone he used to be married to, no less?
Then again, I shouldn’t be surprised. Not after the shit I’ve seen. But still. It pisses me off.
Anyway, the CEO of the tech company knows Cole Mitchell, another fellow Green Beret and founder of Blade and Arrow Security. So when the job came up, there was no question of us taking it.