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Around the table, eyes went wide, then all swung to me. I was starting to get the picture that maybe Nero and his brothers were all skirting the edge of the law. I pointed to my chest. “Hacker, remember?”
The four other men relaxed, and Cal pushed his plate away with a sigh. “Today was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. I’ve been on borrowed time for a while. They probably should have canned me after that fuckup in Moscow.” All three of his brothers pulled a face and groaned, and Cal nodded. “Anyway, today I might have kinda disobeyed a direct order to hold my position while we were doing recon on a target, and possibly that might have led to me triggering a minor landslide that might have alerted the target to our presence and location and might have led to me buried in mud.”
“Cal…” Nero gave his brother a look that reminded me of a disappointed parent more than an older brother.
“I’m not saying that’s what happened exactly because that information is obviously classified, but it’s a solid workingtheory.” Cal picked up his beer and took a long swig. “I wasn’t cut out to follow orders.”
“That’s bullshit. You were a SEAL.” Julius set his fork down with a clatter.
“Yeah. And?”
“You wouldn’t have made it through BUD/S if you couldn’t follow orders.” Quin glared at his twin.
“Maybe I just can’t stand following orders from the asshole I was working for.” Cal wouldn’t meet Quin’s gaze.
A long beat of silence passed, then Quin gasped. “No. Tell me you didn’t.”
“What?” Nero looked frustrated as he looked back and forth between Quin and Cal. “You’re doing the twin thing. What are we missing?”
Quin pointed an accusing finger at Cal. “He slept with his boss.”
“Cal!” Julius and Nero both said at the same time.
Cal shrugged. “Hey, it got me out of trouble after Moscow. Pros and cons, right?” He put on a fake smile. “Besides, I’ll find another gig. Alex isn’t the only former military guy running his own ops.”
All three of Cal’s brothers shook their heads, and the table fell into silence. Cal was right, though. There were plenty of guys running their own op shops, offering services to the highest bidder. Some were even exclusively on the right side of the law. Technically. I guessed as much as guns for hire could be.
An idea was niggling at the back of my mind, but it would require more research. A yawn cracked my jaw, and Nero’s attention moved quickly from his brother to me, his hand sliding over mine on the table. “You okay, Lucky?”
I nodded. “Just tired. It’s been a long day.” Now that I was full, all I wanted was to clean up and spend some time alone with Nero.
“I know.” He squeezed my hand again, and one of his brothers made a gagging noise. I didn’t turn to see which one it was, but my money was on Cal. Without missing a beat or taking his eyes off me, Nero flipped the offending brother off and stood, holding his hand out to me. “Let’s go upstairs so you can get settled in.”
“Okay. I’d love to shower.”
Nero pulled me from the kitchen, leaving his brothers sitting around the table and grabbing the bags from Target and Otto from where they’d been dropped right inside the door. Watching him pick up my stupid stuffed animal made my heart flutter.
“Should we help clean up?” I asked when we hit the landing halfway up the wide staircase.
“Nope. House rules. I cooked, so they clean.”
“Oh, okay.”
Upstairs, a wide hallway with a gallery that looked over the foyer stretched the length of the house. Doors were set far apart, and several smaller hallways led deeper into the second—or was it the third—floor. I followed Nero down a hallway to the far right.
“Cal and Quin are on the other side, and Julius’s room is down the same hall but at the back of the house.” Nero stopped in front of a warm wooden door that matched the trim throughout the rest of the house. “I figured you’d be more comfortable over here. I’m just across the hall.”
He’d pushed open the door, and I caught a glimpse of a large guest room with a window that looked out over the backyard, but I didn’t step inside. “What do you mean you’re across the hall?”
Nero ran a hand over the back of his neck. “I didn’t know if you wanted to be alone.”
“I don’t. I want to be with you.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
He pulled the door closed. “This room is made up for you, so if you change your mind…”
