He glares. “As a medical professional, I have an obligation to urge members of my family to stop hurting themselves.”
“And as a woman who used to be outnumbered by her brothers, I have an obligation to stick up for the new girl.” I smile at Lucy beside me. “You go, Lucy. Girl power. Fight the man.”
She beams at me. “Thank you, Lilah.”
Elijah sighs. “Fine. Do what you want. Just don’t expect me to stitch you up every time.”
I scoff. “Yes, you will.”
“You’re right. Damn this familial love thing.”
“And to answer your question, Lucy…” I say. “Yes. I’m starving.”
“Good,” she says. “Bacon and scrambled eggs are coming soon.”
“You…” I point at her as I pour myself a fresh cup of coffee. “I like you.”
She chuckles. “The way to the Harts is through their stomachs.”
I never had a sister. Never really wanted one. But I adore Lucy Vaughn. Elijah is right. She couldn’t have come into our lives at a better time. After two decades of taking care of us, Dante’s finally found someone worthy enough to take care of him. It makes the idea of us separating again much easier to swallow.
Elijah points over his shoulder. “I’ll go grab my medkit,” he says, casting a quick glare at Lucy’s now imperfect bandage. “Don’t fiddle with it anymore until I get back.”
She winks at him. “Okay, Eli.”
He walks off, slightly stomping as he makes his way up the creaky stairs to the second floor.
We wait until he’s out of earshot before laughing.
“He really takes his work seriously, doesn’t he?” she asks me.
“Oh, that’s nothing,” I say, waving a hand. “You should see him if you accidentally rip out your stitches.”
She flinches. “Ouch. You’ve done that?”
I nod as I sip my coffee. “It was an unfortunate career hazard. I guess those days are over with now...”
Lucy cracks a few eggs into a mixing bowl. “What are you guys going to do?”
I’ve spent my entire adult life as an assassin for Snake Eyes. Daily life was a mystery. Any mission could have been my last. I never thought I’d live to even get the chance to experience a seemingly normal life. I’m not even sure I ever wanted to.
I shake my head. “I have no idea.”
* * *
“Does that hurt?”
Lucy doesn’t flinch as Elijah presses into her purple wrist. “No,” she answers.
“Not even here?”
She winces. “Okay — yeah — that’s a little tender.”
I pour the rest of my coffee down my throat and my tongue twitches for another cup. “Jeez, Eli. Give her a safe word or something.”
Lucy laughs. “It’s not as bad as yesterday.”
“Good,” he says, snatching a fresh wrap from his medkit. “I’ll give you this, Lucy Vaughn. You heal fast.”
“Ballet has beaten me up since I was a kid,” she says, keeping her smile. “I imagine that’ll come in handy hanging out with you guys.”
“Oh, yeah,” I say.
As I stand to move toward the coffee maker, I hear the soft thud of feet coming down the stairs.
“Hopefully not as much as before, but…” Elijah nods. “Yeah.”
Dante emerges from the stairwell and I smile at him. It’s odd how much some things never change. It’s been years since I’ve watched him bound down those stairs, but the result looks exactly the same. His dark hair sits sloppily to one side. His sleepy eyes shy away from the corner window facing the sunrise. Wrinkled clothes and puffy cheeks.
“Good morning!” Elijah says, keeping his focus on Lucy’s wrist.
“Hey, big brother,” I add, fighting my own yawn as I sit down in front of my laptop to finish booking our hotel rooms.
Lucy tilts her head upward and smiles at Dante. “Hi.”
One little word and my brother melts. Even my heart warms a little as I watch him lean over to kiss her forehead. A tough brute like him brought down by a damn ballet dancer. It’s actually kind of sweet.
Dante takes the seat next to Lucy and gestures toward our bags stacked up near the front door. “Going somewhere?” he asks.
“We have a little business to tend to,” Elijah says, finishing the wrap on Lucy’s wrist.
Dante flashes a suspicious eye. “What kind of business?”
I swallow a healthy sip from my mug. “Nothing to worry your pretty little head about—”
“Lilah—”
“Seriously. It’s nothing.” I laugh as I close my laptop. “More than anything, we just want to give the two of you some privacy.”
Lucy shakes her head. “You don’t have to do that. This is your house more than it is mine.”
“We disagree,” Elijah says.
“And…” I shrug. “We need to take a little time for ourselves. Snake Eyes was a part of us for so long. Living off-mission feels… strange.”
Dante nods. “I know what you mean.”
“Maybe it is time to start over,” I think aloud. “Build a new life somewhere.”
Dante reaches for Lucy and lays a thick hand on her shoulder. “Maybe it is.”
A new life. I have no idea where to even start.
Elijah reaches into his bag and pulls out a cellular phone. “We set up a secure line for all of us to keep in touch,” he says, sliding it across the table at Dante. “Just in case.”
“Exactly what everyone needs when easing into civilian life,” Dante jokes.
“It’s an interesting transition.”
Dante scoops the phone off the table and pauses with that I’m about to give you orders look in his eyes. He’s always been responsible for us, ever since we were children. When I beat up a kid on the playground at school, it was always Dante who sweet-talked him out of telling on me. When Elijah and I went on missions alone, it was always Dante who stuffed an extra clip of ammo into our side packs while we weren’t looking. I think I might miss it.
“We’ll be careful.” I smile.
“I know,” he says.
I stand up from the table and move to wrap my arms around him. He returns the embrace, wincing at my strong squeeze.
“Take care of each other,” he says.
I pull back and look between him and Lucy. “Ditto.”
Elijah slides in. “Please, stop letting Lucy hurt herself…” He scolds him with a smile. “My medkit is only so big.”
“I would if I could,” Dante says, staring daggers at Lucy’s devious face.
She laughs and shrugs her little shoulders. “I’ll try and behave.”
“Liar,” he says.
I offer Lucy a hug and I lean close to whisper in her ear. “Give him hell, girlfriend.”
“Oh, I will.”
We chuckle and I move away to allow Elijah to give her wrist a final perfectionist tweak before heading for the door.
I stand for a moment in the living room, glancing around at the house I grew up in. Coming and going from this place has always been bittersweet. I feel the need to stand and memorize every detail because any time could be the last time I see it.
Sure, things are different now. Snake Eyes is gone. We’ve barely heard anything from them since February. There are no more missions. No more bullets to be dodged or stitches to tear loose.
There’s just life.
I’ve never felt so unsure. So utterly directionless.
Elijah nudges my arm on the porch. “Ready?”
I exhale the breath I’m holding and reach into my bag for the keys to my bike. “As I’ll ever be.”
A cool wind eases through the trees around us, combating the early summer warmth lingering in the air. My spine tingles, but after taking several steps toward my motorcycle in the driveway, I realize that it’s not the weather giving me goosebumps.
I spin around and scan the woods for watching eyes.
We’re not alone here.
“Lilah?�
� Elijah glances at me from his bike. “You forget something?”
I shake my head, taking my time looking from one tree to the next but I see nothing out of the ordinary no matter how many times I check.
Finally, I give up. We’re five miles from any semblance of civilization. Maybe I need a vacation more than I thought I did.
“No,” I answer, securing my duffel bag to my bike. “I’m good.”
I pull my helmet on and turn the keys in the ignition, feeling my bike purr with life beneath me.
Chapter 3
Archer
Well, that was close.
It’s a good thing my reflexes are still good or else I’d probably be pinned beneath Lilah’s boot right now.
I keep still behind the tree, pressed hard against the bark with my breath drawn in tight, listening to the rumble of their bikes as they roll down the long driveway.
I found them.
All three Harts but the twins look as if they’ll be gone for a long while. There’s no time to celebrate just yet. This house wasn’t exactly easy to locate, and I have no way of tracking them, wherever the hell they’re going.
I wait until their bikes disappear into the distance before grabbing my bag.
The front door bursts open. I freeze again as Dante walks out onto the porch with his phone pressed against his ear.
Shit. I don’t have time for this. If I don’t run now, Lilah will slip away again, and I’ll be back to square one.
“Fox Fitzpatrick.”
I pause as my curiosity piques. It’s not every day one gets to eavesdrop on a conversation between two deadly fugitives.
“How did you get this number?” Dante asks, scanning the tree line around the driveway. I drop back. “So I heard. What do you want?”
An echoing engine roars in the distance, reminding me of my real objective as Dante continues to bicker on. Part of me doesn’t want to hear this at all. It’s Snake Eyes business and I’ve already witnessed my fair share of that before.
Dante chuckles, looking angry. “And here I thought you called to threaten me.”
I look at him again, hoping he doesn’t suddenly come pacing in my direction.
“Cut the crap, Fox,” he says. “What I did doesn’t compare to what you’ve done. What you did brought a great deal of pain on me and my family and that’s not something I’m prepared to forgive. Actions have consequences.”
My phone chimes in my pocket and I rush to silence the alert tone. Thankfully, Dante’s running so high on adrenaline he doesn’t hear it.
I relax into the tree and smirk as I read the message.
One new charge on their grandmother’s card. Two rooms booked this morning at the Botsford Plaza Hotel in St. Louis. The twins are headed south.
Gotcha.
Finally, a young woman appears on the porch to beckon Dante back inside. Brunette, athletic. Very cute.
Not bad at all, mate. Not bad at all.
He joins her on the porch and whisks her up into his arms to carry her inside.
I seize the opportunity and sprint through the woods toward the highway.
See you soon, Lilah.
Chapter 4
Lilah
“Lily? Eli? Is that you?”
There are few things in this world that make me feel better than my grandmother’s smile.
“Yeah, Grams,” I say, stepping into her room. “It’s us.”
She throws her book to the floor and pops up out of her chair by the window, grinning wildly as she crosses the room toward us. “My god!” She reaches me and cups my face. “What happened to my babies?”
I hug her, being extra careful not to squeeze too hard, but I can’t help it. This woman raised me. “You look amazing, too, Grams.”
She releases me and slides over to Elijah. “And who’s this handsome creature buried beneath the bangs of a 90s sitcom character?”
I laugh and he rolls his eyes.
“Fine.” He sighs. “I’ll get a haircut.”
“That’s my good boy.” She turns back around to her chair. “And where is Dante?”
Elijah and I pull two chairs free from the small table in the corner.
“He’s traveling,” I answer, keeping it vague.
Our grandparents aren’t aware of our activity in the most dangerous criminal organization in the world — and they hopefully never will — but we still have to account for all the traveling we do. Volunteer work for me. Doctors Without Borders for Elijah. International trade deals for Dante.
“Still?” She shakes her head. “Boy needs to settle down.”
“He’s traveling with his girlfriend,” Elijah adds. “So, he just might be doing that very soon.”
Her eyes grow wide. “Really?”
I nod. “She’s nice. You’d like her.”
“What’s her name?”
“Lucy.”
“Lucy, Lucy,” she repeats. “I like that. What does this Lucy do?”
“She’s a dancer.”
“Exotic?”
I chuckle. “Ballet.”
“Oh, that’s okay, then.”
Elijah clears his throat. “Where’s Gramps?”
“Oh, he’s out back playing golf with the guys,” she answers. “But I’m sure he’ll ditch them if he knows you’re here.”
“I’ll go surprise him,” he says, standing up.
“Don’t give the man a heart attack, now. He owes me a back rub.”
“I won’t.” Elijah laughs on his way out.
Grams looks at me with a serious expression lining her wrinkled face. “Now, what’s with the bruise?”
I sit back, wondering for a second what she means, and then I recall the purple shiner above my right eye. Cuts and bruises are such a common thing for me that I don’t even think twice about them anymore.
“Oh…” I brush my hair away to poke at it. “This was nothing. Just a stray punch in my self-defense class.”
“You’re taking self-defense classes?”
“No, I teach one.”
“I was gonna say...” She smirks. “You’ve always had a knack for taking care of yourself. It’s a good talent to pass on.”
I fight that awful churn in my gut. Lying is second nature to me. That doesn’t mean I enjoy it. “Thanks, Grams.”
“And men?”
“What about them?”
“Don’t tell me a cutie like you can’t snag one.” She points a finger. “Especially not when a beast like your brother can find a girl.”
I chuckle and look down. “I haven’t exactly been baiting that hook lately.”
“Well, why not?” she pauses. “Are you a lesbian? It’s okay if you are, honey. I won’t judge. In fact, a few of my favorite memories from my youth include me and my friends experimen—”
“No,” I cut her off. “No. Not a lesbian, Grams. I’m just… very busy with work.”
“Well, if you ask me, it’s about time for you to start getting very busy in the bedroom.”
I blink. “Grams…”
“How old are you?”
“Uh…” I think hard. “Twenty-six?”
She kisses her teeth. “By the time I was your age, I had a seven-year-old.” She points a wrinkled finger at me. “Find a man, toss up your legs, and start making some babies.”
I cringe at her words. “Grams. Please, no…”
“I’m not saying it’s required,” she says. “There are many perfectly happy people out there without children and I respect that. However, in all the years I’ve mentioned this to you, you have never said the words, Grams, I don’t want children. Until you do, I reserve the right to bug you and your mother would have done the same.”
“And why aren’t you bugging Elijah about this?” I ask.
She cackles. “Oh, I will.”
I breathe a laugh. “Grams, I…”
The words linger on my tongue, but I can’t seem to force them out. Nailing down a man and firing out kids is something reserved for normal peo
ple with normal lives. I’ve never thought twice about that but now that Snake Eyes is gone…
“I’m not ready for that kind of thing yet,” I say.
She smiles. “Okay. I won’t mention it again… until next year.”
I nod, offering her a little hope. “Maybe next year.”
“Lily!”
My grandfather walks in with his arms outstretched. I instantly laugh at his baggy golf pants and the silly hat hanging off his head.
“Hey, Gramps.”
I stand up to hug him and he gives me a weak squeeze. He’s aged the most between them but they’re still so warm and spry. Not nearly as cold and decomposed as their doctored death certificates claim they are.
When you join Snake Eyes, you’re dead to the world. Our grandparents already buried our mother and father. We weren’t going to make them go through that again.
We couldn’t leave them at the lake house by themselves for various reasons, among them being Gramp’s deteriorating health, so we put them here under new identities. Attachments are dangerous in our line of work and we didn’t want anybody using them against us. They’re as dead to the world as we are. It’s the safest thing for them and they’re happy here. They’d be happier if we visited more often but doing so would only draw suspicion.
“How long will you be staying this time?” Gramps asks as he takes a seat next to Grams.
“A few days,” Elijah answers. “We’re both cashing in on some vacation days.”
“Good for you.” He stops to slap Grams’ hand. “Oh, we should introduce him to—”
“That new nurse!” she says over him.
Elijah deflates. “Guys, no.”
“Oh, but she’s so pretty!” she continues. “Long blonde hair, big blue eyes. Good teeth. And she’s hosting bingo night tonight! You have to stay and meet her.”
Elijah looks at me, drawn to the grin stretching across my face. “Maybe some other time.”
“Well,” she throws up her hands, “I just want to make sure my grandbabies are taken care of.”
“We take care of each other, Grams,” I say. “Always have.”
“And you always will but you can’t give each other everything. All twins split up eventually.”
Mad Love Page 2
