“Why?”
I need to be in charge. “I like being the leader of the team.”
“Kind of tall for a setter, aren’t you?”
Wow. Mute Girl actually engaged me in conversation? I watched her gaze linger at my feet and slowly sweep up my body. I stared right back at her, trying to figure out what she found so fascinating. When our eyes met, it took a second to register what was going on. Damn! She had just ogled me. Having her eyes roam over my body…I had to admit it felt pretty great. I winked at her, and a pretty, rose-colored blush crept up her neck a second before she looked away.
Huh. I already knew she elicited some puzzling turn-on inside of me, but was it possible I did the same thing to her? I’d chalked up her heated reaction to my alcohol-induced kiss as mere surprise, but maybe there’d been something more.
“Sure, I’m tall. Every inch helps.” When her lips parted, I knew she’d understood my innuendo. “Besides, your setter’s tall too.”
She finally managed to look in my eyes. “Huh?”
“Nina. She’s a tall setter.”
I wasn’t sure what happened, but something broke the spell between us. Lucia looked down as she wrapped her arms around her midsection. She seemed to stiffen and shuffled from one foot to another.
I took a step toward her. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No.” She kept her head down.
“Hey, China!” Allison’s voice drew my attention to the foyer. “Are you guys expecting company?” I looked at Lucia, but she seemed as confused as I was. The buzzer sounded.
“C’mon,” I said and headed to the front hallway. I felt Lucia come up behind me as I stopped to see Allison frowning at the monitors. The buzzer beeped in staccato.
“Who is it?” China asked as she bustled around me to join Allison.
I felt my shoulders tense. More reporters?
“The guy’s wearing shades,” Allison said. “Don’t know about him.”
I circled around the agents to peer over their heads at the monitor showing the camera feed for the front gate. Definitely shady. The guy wore a baseball cap and sunglasses and leaned out the open car window with his arms up to the side, waving them like a madman.
China pressed the intercom button. “State your business, sir.”
“This is ridículo! You know who I am.”
“Alex!” Lucia piped up with a clap. “I’d recognize that voice anywhere.” She pointed at the monitor. “It’s okay, it’s my brother.”
Oh, fuck. Alejandro Ramirez was even more opinionated than his father, if that was possible. And vitriol, racism, and classism fueled many of those opinions.
Allison turned to look at us. “Doesn’t he have a security detail?”
“No.” Lucia shrugged. “They think he’ll be safe at Johns Hopkins. Only for public events.”
Lucky bastard. “Well, we’re safe at Highbanks, too,” I pointed out. “We don’t need protection either.”
“But then we wouldn’t have the pleasure of dealing with your scintillating personality every day, Mr. Monroe.”
China was such a bitch. She reached for the button again. “Remove your hat and sunglasses, sir.”
I watched Alejandro toss his hands up, appearing pissed off, but he did follow the agent’s orders. A thick head of black, wavy hair emerged once he freed it from the Houston Texans baseball cap, and his dark eyes bored holes into the camera. He’d begun appearing on talk shows over the summer, spouting off about health care in America, pretending he had a fucking clue. It had been obvious he was simply a child masquerading as an adult—he was only twenty-three or something like that, for Christ’s sake. But damn, today he looked more like his father than I’d ever seen him.
China shifted in front of me, and I noticed she’d patted the butt of her weapon in its holster. She tended to do that when she was nervous.
“Wait a minute—you’re not thinking of letting him in, are you?”
China spun around to look at me. “Of course I am. He’s Lucia’s brother.”
I ignored the hurt look in Lucia’s eyes and scowled at China. “But did you know he was coming?”
“No.” China squinted. “What difference does that make?”
“Security protocol!” I placed my hands on my hips. “You’re not supposed to admit unplanned visitors.”
“What’s going on?” With a white towel slung around his neck, Frank arrived on the scene, with Brad lumbering behind him. They both wore boxing gloves and reeked from their workout in the basement.
“Alejandro Ramirez is outside,” Allison answered. “And Dane was just voicing some concerns about our security protocol for visitors.” She smiled sweetly at me. “But Mr. Ramirez is on our approved list of visitors, so China’s going to buzz him in while I greet him outside.”
All four agents looked at me with challenging stares, daring me to protest. Lucia watched me too, seeming to hold her breath. I sighed as I laced my arms across my chest. “Fine. Just admit the entire Ramirez clan while you’re at it. Mi casa es su casa.”
My grumpy harrumph hung in the air a moment before Lucia grinned. “Gracias, Señor Monroe. Thanks for opening up your casa to us.” She performed a little curtsy, and it was so damn cute I almost grinned too.
Wait a minute! I was supposed to be mad. Alejandro Asswipe was about to breach my territory.
China pressed the button to open the security gate, and Allison arched one eyebrow at me as she crossed between us.
“Here we go,” I said to Lucia. “I get to meet your older brother—this should be good. Do you know why he’s visiting you?”
Her smile vanished. “I think I have an idea.” She rubbed the back of her neck as she trailed Allison toward the front door.
“Stay inside, Lucia,” Allison said over her shoulder before she exited the house.
Lucia turned to face me. She opened her mouth to say something, but then shut it again. Her hands twisted together as she looked up at me. “Be nice?”
I frowned. Why was she so nervous? “This is my house. Will he be nice?”
She winced. “Probably not.”
Fan-fucking-tastic. I braced myself for Adolf Junior.
As Alejandro walked in ahead of Allison, his face lit up. “¡Hermanita!” He gathered Lucia in a bear hug, and I noticed he was maybe a couple of inches taller than her. Still shorter than me. When his eyes found me over her shoulder, he quickly let her go.
His face darkened as he studied me, and I drew to my full height as I stared back at him. I imagined him as the starting setter for Bridgetown University—our biggest rival—and composed a stoic game face to match. From the corner of my eye, I saw Lucia look back and forth between us, her hands fidgeting at her side.
“Welcome, Mr. Ramirez,” China said as she approached him with her hand extended. “I’m Agent Halloway.”
He nodded as he shook her hand. “Alejandro. You’re one of the agents protecting Lucy?”
I looked at “Lucy,” who predictably blushed and ducked her head. She somehow seemed younger…softer…in her brother’s commanding presence.
“I protect Mr. Monroe,” China replied. She gestured to Allison. “You already met Agent Largent, and Agent Frank Vanderberg is also on Lucia’s detail.”
Alejandro grinned as he raised his fists in front of his chest, jabbing the air a few times while dancing and juking. “You guys don’t mess around with security, huh? Are you always this prepared?”
Frank held up his gloved hands and nodded, while Brad gave a hearty laugh. “I’m Brad Jansen. Welcome to the compound.” He bopped Frank’s shoulder with his boxing glove. “This old man and I will leave you to it—we need to get back to work. Frank’s got some catching up to do…what’re you down by, Frank—six or seven bouts?”
Frank shoved the muscled agent toward the basement door. “Dream on, Steroid Boy.”
Once the male agents left, silence descended on the remaining four of us. China cleared her throat, and her glare proba
bly meant I should also welcome Adolf Junior to my house. Fat chance. Then I looked at Lucia, whose eyes pleaded with me. Fuck.
I squared my shoulders and met those cold, Nazi eyes. “I’m Dane Monroe.” I made myself approach the guy to shake his hand, and the force of his grip almost broke a few bones in my fingers. Dude, lighten up.
“Your mother set this up?” Alejandro asked once he let go of my hand. He gestured around the foyer. “Lucia living here, with you?”
I hesitated. What was he implying? “My mother set this up for me. The agents are responsible for Lucia living here.”
“And that’s our cue to leave,” Allison said. Her chuckle sounded nervous. “China and I will give you some privacy. Would you like to make yourselves comfortable in the living room?” She extended her arm to the left.
Awesome. Looks like Baby Hitler will stay for a while. But maybe I could prevent future visits by marking my territory. To let him know this was my house, I led the way to the sitting area. I plopped down on the big chair, forcing Lucia and her brother to share the sofa.
“How’s Mom?” Lucia asked.
Alejandro looked at me like he was waiting for me to leave, but I didn’t budge. He leaned in and spoke rapid Spanish to his sister, and I stifled a laugh.
Lucia pressed her lips together. “Dane habla español también.”
His narrowed eyes darted to me, displeased.
“It’s okay, you can talk in front of the gringo.” This time I didn’t bother to stifle my chuckle. When he didn’t speak, I asked, “Why are you here, Alejandro?”
“This is not good. Not good at all. I have to find out on the news that my little sister is living with you—”
“Sorry, we practice almost all day long,” Lucia cut in. “I didn’t have time to call.”
I didn’t like him getting on her case—she’d done nothing wrong. “That news story was days ago. You must not have been that concerned.”
He refused to look at me, and his voice lowered with fury. “I had a test to study for. I’m in medical school.”
As if I didn’t know that. He’d shared that fact with every news outlet in America. Not that one year of med school made him the expert he purported to be on health care policy.
“I just…” He sighed. “Are you okay here, Lucy?” He cradled her elbow as he searched her eyes.
“I’m fine.”
“Dad told me he offered to find you another place, but you didn’t take him up on it.”
I felt my eyebrows lift. That was news to me.
She snuck a glance at me, and that lovely blush spread across her face. “I don’t have time to move, and the agents can’t find another place, anyway. Like I said, I’m fine.”
“I still don’t like it.”
And I didn’t like him hounding her for something outside her control. “Dude, what do you think? That I’m going to force her to drink Democratic Kool-Aid or something if she lives here? This wasn’t her choice.”
“Stay out of this, cabrón. Why are you even here?”
“Classy. Call me bastard again and you won’t be here for long.”
He popped to his feet. “You’re all about choices, ¿verdad? I know how your mother loves choice. Abortions have killed fifty million babies. That’s a great choice right there.”
“You’re such an assbag.” I was on my feet before I knew it, and I loved the height advantage over Adolf Junior. “Just like your father.”
“Our father has more honor than a hundred Democratic senators!”
“Oh, yeah, like the Republicans have so much honor. Kicking mentally ill people off disability? Does that make you proud?”
“Damn bleeding-heart liberals! You’re ruining our country.” His flaring eyes and clenched jaw made me wonder if he was going to take a swing at me.
Lucia cried, “Alex!”
We both turned to her. I’d almost forgotten she was there.
“Cálmate, hermano. Tranquilo.” She rubbed his shoulder.
Tranquilo. Her soothing voice echoed in my mind, instructing me to calm down. I inhaled a long breath, trying to remember what Phil would tell me when I freaked out in the huddle in the middle of a close game. But even the Bridgetown setter didn’t have the audacity to label my mother a baby killer.
“It’s okay, Alex,” Lucia cooed. “It’s okay to disagree on stuff.” She kept murmuring soothing words in his ear, and his shoulders slumped as he nodded. How did she do that? She was the freaking Tea Party Whisperer or something.
The evaporation of his rage now complete, Alejandro returned to the sofa. Feeling calmer myself, I sat back down too. He gave me a sheepish look. “Lo siento. That wasn’t my most mature moment. My dad always tells me I’ll never get anywhere unless I learn to control my temper.”
Huh. Mom had said the same thing to me.
“That wasn’t right to say that stuff about your mother,” Alejandro said.
But no way in hell I’m retracting my criticism of your father. “Especially since it was her generosity that allowed Lucia to live here.”
“Generosity?” Alejandro’s eyebrows rose.
Apparently enfurecido had replaced tranquilo.
He sucked in a breath. “You…You actually believe that? That she’s generous?”
“Alex?” Lucia fidgeted next to him.
“Lucy.” He scoffed, then looked at her. “You can’t let him get away with that.”
“Get away with what?”
He knocked the heel of his hand on his forehead. “Jesus. Don’t tell me you’re so naïve!”
“Stop being a jerk, Alex—I’m not naïve.”
“This is all a political ploy!” He threw his arms in the air. “This isn’t about generosity. She has ulterior motives for everything she does!”
Shut the fuck up.
“What are you saying?” Lucia seemed baffled.
“She ‘allowed’ you to live here to distract the media from Yemen.”
My heart thundered. “You son of a bitch.”
“No, I’m afraid that honor is all yours, son of that bitch Monroe.”
Now I was the one who sprang to my feet. My hands itched with the desire to smack the smug off his face.
“Dane.” Lucia stood and shook her head.
“Bite me, bitch nugget! You don’t know anything about my mother!”
He just kept sitting there, smirking. I wanted to spike his volleyball-shaped head right into the floor.
Lucia crossed over to me. “Dane.” Her hand clasped my wrist. “Don’t let him get to you.”
I looked down at her hand cradling my wrist and noticed the femininity of her long fingers. I felt the warmth of her skin on mine, and my fists unfurled. But my heart skipped a beat when I felt a tremble flow from her hand to my wrist.
“Why are you shaking?”
She yanked back her hand. “You’re…you two are stressing me out.” She glanced at her brother. “Listen, whatever Senator Monroe’s motives were, she did allow me to live here, which helps keep me safe. You want that, right? You want your hermanita to be protected?”
Alejandro grunted.
Then she looked at me. “And you should be more understanding, Mr. Psych Major.”
How’d she know my major?
“You have a little sister, too. How would you feel if Jessica was forced to live with Alex at Johns Hopkins?”
My jaw unhinged. “That would never happen.”
“Well, how would you handle it if it did? Probably a lot more aggressively than Alex is handling it, knowing you.”
“What does that mean?”
“You seem to enjoy jumping in to stir the pot. You’re just like our little brother Mateo, arguing with Alex all the time.”
“You’re comparing me to a sixteen-year-old?”
“Hey, if the shoe fits…” Alejandro chimed in.
I rolled my eyes at him.
Lucia’s hands perched on her curvy hips. “Do I have to separate you two?”
My burst
of laughter surprised me, and judging from Alejandro’s expression, it surprised him too. Lucia was finally showing some spunk, which I had to admit was preferable to her flitting-bird persona. Maybe she’d needed the comfort of a family member to help coax that out. I studied her. “You’re the middle child, right? I bet you play mediator a lot. You seem really good at it.”
“¡Oh, Dios!” Alejandro said as he stood. “Don’t try to psychoanalyze our family, Monroe. Even a psychologist like your mother couldn’t help us.”
Wow. That was about the longest olive branch ever extended. I wasn’t sure how to respond. “My, my mother doesn’t practice anymore.”
“She’ll be practicing again soon.” Alejandro grinned. “Once our dad crushes her in the election.”
I shook my head. Aannnndd…olive branch yanked back.
“Where’s the cocina in this place, Lucy? I’m cooking you dinner before I fly out tomorrow.”
“No, Alex!”
He took off in the wrong direction, muttering something about nutrition for athletes, and she began to follow him before turning back to me. Her dark eyes shone as she blinked at me, and I noticed some dimple action as she smiled. “Thank you,” she whispered, then spun around to chase her brother.
I looked down at my wrist and could almost still feel her gentle touch on my skin. Then I pressed my hands to my face, massaging my closed eyelids, as I exhaled. What was this right-wing girl doing to me?
Chapter 9
I LET ALEX WANDER AROUND the house for a while, refusing to show him the correct way to the kitchen, until he stumbled upon it himself. He whistled through his teeth as he entered the expansive space. “So this is how green-energy thieves live. Good thing the government pays so much to fools like him. This house is so worth digging into deeper debt with China.” He poked his head into the fridge, then the pantry and eyed me. “I’m making you a sandwich.”
Awesome. I clenched my jaw.
“Most freshmen eat at the dining hall,” he said as he assembled fixings on the counter. “They’re too clueless to cook for themselves. Are the agents at least cooking for you?”
“Sometimes.” Brad made a mean flank steak. Of course, I’d only allowed myself a bite or two before rushing off to practice.
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