by Amy Sumida
“The Army turned you down because they didn’t have your shoe size?” I was aghast. “What size do you wear?”
“Eighteen,” Kael said.
I gaped at him.
“Yeah, it’s true.” He smirked.
“I’m sorry?” I blinked.
“The thing about men who have big feet.” He grinned wickedly.
“Yep”—Zaire cut in—“they wear big shoes.”
“That too.” Kael smirked and walked away. “You hungry, Tempest?”
“Yeah!” I called after him.
“Good,” Kael’s rumble rolled back to me. “I hope you aren’t a vegetarian.”
Chapter Six
Kael turned out to be a good cook as well as a passable medic. It was a little painful to chew, what with my jaw bruised, but I was so damn hungry, I didn’t care. Steak salad with fresh bread. I had expected something more manly from him, but when I mentioned it, he’d gruffly replied that their parents had taught them healthy eating habits.
“I’m so focused on work, most of the time,” I confessed. “I don’t cook or even worry about what I’m eating.”
“We’ll change that,” Zaire vowed. “You need to get back to a healthy weight.”
“Too skinny,” Kael muttered.
“She’s been starved.” Blaise rolled his eyes at his older brother.
“I know,” Kael growled, “and I’m not happy about that.”
“As if any of us are,” Zaire sighed. “Could we save the sibling fights for another time? Say, when we don’t have a guest.”
“She’s a soldier,” Kael said. “She understands fighting.”
“She understands fighting, not bickering,” Zaire corrected, then looked to me. “How are your feet? Did your cuts break open from the walk?”
“You mean the whole three feet you let me walk after you carried me down the stairs?” I smirked. “They’re fine. Actually, whatever salve Kael put on them seems to be helping a lot.”
“Mom’s recipe.” Kael exchanged a look with Zaire.
“The one for emergencies?” Blaise asked.
“Yes,” Zaire said in a tone which brooked no further discussion.
“Was your mother a doctor?” I asked in an effort to get past the weirdness.
“A healer,” Kael said. “She was more old school in her ways.”
“Herbs and stuff like that,” Blaise added. “We have a really nice garden she helped us plant.”
It suddenly occurred to me that each brother was so different from the other. They had some common features, but not enough to be full siblings. And I hadn’t even got their last names. There was something off about them, my agent senses were tingling.
“I never caught your last name,” I noted abruptly.
“Nor did you offer yours.” Zaire grinned.
“It’s Alexander,” I said immediately. “Tempest Alexander.”
“Zaire Medvedev,” Zaire offered.
“You’re all Medvedevs?” I asked.
“Of course.” Kael narrowed his eyes on me. “Why wouldn’t we be?”
“You just look very different.”
The brothers exchanged a glance.
“What was that about?” I asked pointedly.
“We share the same mother,” Zaire explained. “We have different fathers.”
“But you all have the same last name?” I asked. “You took your mother’s name?”
“Cause we’re all from the same lit”
Zaire had a sudden coughing fit.
“Damn, are you okay?” I pounded his back. “Can you breathe, Zaire? Do I need to maneuver you?”
“Do you need to do what to me?” Zaire looked up in shocked surprise.
“You know, maneuver.” I motioned.
“The hindlick,” Blaise offered.
“The Heimlich,” Kael corrected with an eye roll.
“That’s what I said.” Blaise grinned.
“You can try either of those on me, anytime.” Zaire smirked.
“So you’re okay, then?” I asked. “That was sudden. I didn’t even see you take a bite.”
“I took a drink, it went down wrong.” Zaire glanced at Blaise. “Some things can be hard to swallow.”
Blaise grimaced.
“So, you’re half brothers.” I got back to them. “You seem pretty close in age.”
“Oh yes.” Blaise smiled.
“Just a few years between us,” Zaire added quickly.
“That must have been rough,” I said. “Did your mother raise you all together?”
“She and our fathers,” Blaise said cheerfully.
“Wait. What?” I blinked.
Kael smacked Blaise in the chest.
“Ow, what?” Blaise scowled at him.
“You shocked her.” Kael waved a hand to me.
“Your dads all raised you?” I asked as I processed what Blaise had really said. “As in, together? Under one roof?”
“We have a very unusual family,” Zaire offered. “We’ve been raised to appreciate love wherever you find it, and not to judge.”
“Are you saying that your mother was with all three of your fathers at once?” I felt my face redden. “I mean, not at once, but… did she? Oh hell.”
“She was married to three men,” Kael said succinctly.
“She had a child from each of them,” Zaire added.
“It was an amazing way to grow up.” Blaise smiled. “Three dads and a mom who loved us. Everyone should be raised like that.”
“But we don’t judge the way other people live,” Zaire said to Blaise as if he’d said it a million times before.
“And neither do I.” I nodded. “Good for them, that they found each other.”
“You really think so?” Kael asked.
“Absolutely.” I shrugged. “Love is elusive. To find one person you connect with is a miracle. Three? Your mother must have saved babies in a past life because, in my book, she’s a damn lucky woman.”
Blaise’s smile was bright enough to blind me.
“She was,” Kael agreed, “but so were our fathers. She loved them fiercely. Right up until the day my father died.”
The brothers went solemn.
“I didn’t mean to pry.” I held up a hand.
“No, it’s fine.” Zaire swallowed roughly. “It’s a bittersweet story. Kael’s father passed away gently, in his sleep. The best way to go, in my opinion.”
“He was lucky to the end.” Kael nodded.
“Our family had been strong till then,” Zaire sighed. “Uncle Ivan’s death destroyed the others. My father, our mother, and Blaise’s father all died shortly after Ivan.”
“Broken-hearted, every one of them.” Blaise sniffed.
No, wait. That wasn’t Blaise, that was me. Fuck, I was crying. I don’t cry. I’m not a crier. I angrily swiped at my face and fumbled for something to say. The brothers were staring at me intently, and it was getting awkward.
“Sorry,” I offered. “I’m not this kind of woman usually. Must be my vulnerable state.”
“Or the fact that you think love like that is beautiful,” Blaise said. “Who wouldn’t? It is beautiful. I want the same thing for myself someday.”
“We all want that,” Zaire said softly.
Chapter Seven
I tried to give Zaire his room back, but he insisted I needed the bed more than he did. He had an air mattress he was sleeping on in Blaise’s room. I insisted that would be fine for me, that with my injuries, I wasn’t going to be comfortable anyway, but he was a gentleman and refused.
In fact, they were all gentlemen. Kind of strange considering how, and where, they lived. I had worried over their intentions for the first couple days, but soon it became clear that these were just good men. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d met one. Even SCCIT was full of bastards. My boss, Travis Leighton, was a piece of work himself, though he was also a firm supporter of justice. It evened out to where I could work for him, but not really like him.
Which was one of the reasons I was okay with leaving him hanging, waiting for word from me. The reason I wasn’t okay with it, had nothing to do with him, and everything to do with Lucy and Gretchen. Those girls were due to be sold soon, maybe even sooner than planned since I’d made my escape. Hopefully, Michelle had made it to the police and brought justice down upon their furry asses already.
But I couldn’t bank on that. Nor could I send one of the men down to make that important call for me. I needed to go, no matter how battered I was. It had been two days, I had to get those girls out of there. Then there were all the others who had already been sold. Every day I laid around recuperating, they were being raped and abused. Not fair. Not right. It weighed on me, a pain far worse than any of my physical injuries. I had to get my ass in gear and get this handled.
I hobbled down the hall to Blaise’s door and knocked. He answered nearly immediately, a book in his hand.
“Hey, Temp.” He grinned. “You need something?”
“I need to go make that phone call,” I said.
“I’m happy to go for you” He started, but I cut him off.
“I need to make the call or my boss will be suspicious,” I said. “Will you drive me into town?”
“What’s the rush?” Kael’s voice came from behind me.
I turned to see him leaning in his bedroom doorway. He was in a pair of worn jeans and nothing else. His chest was magnificent, a fucking work of art. Golden-brown skin curving over muscles that should be illegal. My eyes followed his washboard abs down to the fly of his jeans. The waistband hugged his lean hips loosely, and the top button was just starting to slide out of its hole. Just a little more and maybe the zipper would give up, and…
“Tempest?” Kael was frowning. “Did you hear me?”
“Yeah, uh.” I cleared my throat. “I need to call in and tell them about the other women the Wright brothers have. They’re going to be sold soon. I can’t just”
“Sold?” Kael growled, cutting me off. “Other women? Tempest, god damn it, why didn’t you say there were other women there?”
“Uh, because it’s my job to save them, not yours.”
“It’s my job as a decent man to protect women and help those who are being abused.” Kael’s jaw clenched. “If I’d known there were more—”
“Nuh-uh.” I pointed into Kael’s face. “You need to understand something here, Sir Kaelalot. You can’t save these girls. You don’t have the right tools for the job.”
“Oh, I’ve got the right tools.” He smirked.
“Not enough of them.” My lips didn’t even twitch at his innuendo. “These men will cut you down with automatic rifles before you get anywhere near the house. I need to call my people in so they can deal with this.”
We faced off until Kael finally nodded, “Fine, but you’re not going into town. If the Wrights are so dangerous, I don’t want them to see you and know we have you. Blaise will go and buy a disposable cell phone.”
“I will?” Blaise asked. Kael gave him a look. “I mean, yeah, of course I will.”
“Is that good enough?” Kael asked.
“It’s really good.” I sighed. “Thank you.”
“I wish you’d let us help you more,” Kael grumbled.
“You’re doing enough as it is.” I waved a hand to my rapidly healing face. “I don’t know what you guys put in that salve, but it’s amazing. I’ve never healed so quickly. It’s almost…” I blinked and then frowned.
I was about to say it was magical, but I knew better than to mention magic around civilians. That could lead to trouble.
“Yes?” Blaise asked.
“No, nothing.” I shook my head. “Where’s Zaire?”
“Downstairs, making dinner.” Blaise put his book away, then grabbed his wallet. “Come on, I’ll help you down the stairs.”
“I got her.” Kael picked me up before Blaise could protest, and I came skin-to-skin with his amazing body.
He carried me with ease, like I was a child. His muscles barely bulged. As disappointing as that was, it was also damn impressive. I wasn’t a big woman, but I wasn’t small either, and I’d been gaining back my weight rapidly from the brothers’ cooking. My cheeks were already looking full again.
Kael smelled amazing, clean man and something earthy. Pine perhaps, but the wood, not the needles. I laid my head in the curve of his neck and took a deeper whiff. Shivers raced down my spine and my legs clenched together. Damn, that was a good smell. There I was, recovering from a hell of a beating, and my libido sat up and panted because of Kael’s scent.
Okay, maybe not entirely because of his smell. The feel of his warm skin under my fingers may have had something to do with it. And the way he held me, fingers curving into me tightly. His dark hair was silky against my forehead, and I may have rubbed my face into it.
Kael chuckled.
I froze.
“No, don’t stop,” he said. “I like a little nuzzle as much as the next man.”
“Hey, you’re getting nuzzled?” Blaise angled around Kael. “Next time I get to carry her downstairs.”
“She’s still healing from being beaten,” Zaire’s voice came out of the kitchen. “Can you two yahoos stop fighting over her like a couple of cubs?”
My face went red.
“Uh, I’m good,” I said. “You can put me down now.”
“If you’re sure.” Kael grinned.
He let go of me slowly, so that I slid down his body, and ended up pressed against his chest. His hands trailed over my back, then came up to fuss with the bandage on my face.
“Let me take a look at that.” Kael waved a hand towards a very masculine, leather chair. “Sit down.”
I sat and he fussed more.
“I’ll be right back,” Blaise called.
“Thank you, Blaise,” I called back.
“I expect a neck nuzzle when I get home,” Blaise said as he left.
I immediately had an image of necking with Blaise, and not in a nuzzling way. That guy had some sensual lips. The thought made me wince. What was wrong with me? I was practically panting over Kael thirty seconds ago, now I’m fantasizing about his brother. There had to be a law against that.
“You like pasta?” Zaire poked his head out of the kitchen, his hair wild and his icy eyes flashing.
“Yes, I like it,” I whispered. “I like all of it.”
Chapter Eight
“Goldilocks checking in,” I said into the cell phone.
“Did she just say ‘Goldilocks’?” Blaise asked with a wide grin.
Zaire and Kael had matching expressions of shock. Kind of cute, actually.
“Where the fuck are you, Alexander?” Leighton asked as soon as we were connected. “We have that woman you saved. She led us to the place you were held at, but it was empty when we got there. The pack has disappeared.”
“There were two women I left behind”—my throat threatened to close up on me—“were they… ?”
“Gone,” he declared coldly. “You really fucked the pooch on this one, Tempest.”
“Sir, I—”
“Just tell me where the fuck you are,” he snarled. “I’ll send a chopper for you.”
“But what about Lucy and Gretchen?” I asked. “I need to find them.”
“The fuck you do,” Leighton said. “You’re off this assignment. I’m sending Raptor.”
“Raptor? He’s a fucking psychopath!” I shouted.
“He’s a psychopath who gets results.”
“I get results,” I argued. “I can’t help it if they have…” I trailed off when I saw how interested the Medvedev brothers were in my conversation. “Hold on, Sir.” I put my hand over the receiver, and said to them, “Sorry, give me a minute.” I limped into the kitchen, then got back on the phone. “I can’t help it that they have really sensitive noses. They scented me, and got the drop on me.”
“Something you are well prepared for,” Leighton pointed out. “You fucked up and now you’re off
the job. Deal with it like a grown-up.”
“The hell I will,” I snapped and hung up the phone. “I’ll rescue them on my own.”
I shuffled back into the living room to find three gorgeous faces staring at me in concern.
“That didn’t sound productive,” Zaire noted.
“The Wrights have disappeared, along with the women. Michelle made it to safety, so at least there’s that. But there were two more captives there, and several more who had already been sold. I have to find them, but my boss has taken me off the case.” I plopped into an armchair, then winced when I hit a bruise. “Wants to send a chopper for me.”
“And you told him?” Kael asked.
“To shove it,” I growled. “I’m not done until those women are safe.”
“Good for you.” Blaise nodded. “And we’ll help you.”
“What?” I frowned. “No. You’re civilians. You need to stay out of it.”
“I think we’ve had this conversation already.” Kael crossed his arms.
“Plus, it sounds like you could use some trackers,” Zaire said. “We can help you… Goldilocks.”
The brothers shared a chuckle.
“Laugh it up.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s the hair”—I waved at my honey-colored locks—“and the innocent looks.”
“You don’t look so innocent right now.” Blaise waved a hand towards my injuries.
“And you aren’t capable of saving those women by yourself,” Kael added. “Not in this condition.”
I sighed and rubbed a hand over my face. It caught on the bandage. I growled and yanked the gauze off. Blaise winced but then took another look. He smiled. So did the others.
“Looking good, Gold.” Kael smirked. “I like you better without bandages.”
“Well thank you, Captain Obvious.” Zaire grimaced. “I would hope you’d like her better without them. Unless you have some weird fetish we don’t know about.”
“I’ve seen women rock some bandages,” Kael said.
“You have not.”
“Oh yes”—Kael nodded—“hot, wounded women, just like the one we have here.”
“This is getting really weird.” Blaise frowned.
“You’re telling me.” I scowled at Kael. “You have issues. See a therapist.”
