Page 85 of Devil in Her Details

He thought being foxed or erect was a problem when mid-mission, but the biggest danger was five feet two inches of maddening, fearless Lilly. He couldn’t damn concentrate for more than a few seconds at a time before all of his senses shifted back to her.

This wasn’t good.

He could be bleeding, exhausted, outnumbered, and his mind would still be mapping exits and calculating odds. Now he felt as blind as a bat. He swept the street again, all the places someone might hide, but whatever she’d glimpsed was gone. Repositioned or retreated, he couldn’t say without inspecting the crooks himself, which he wasn’t doing with her behind him. He debated his options. The best at the moment was retrieving her belongings and making haste.

“Dagger.”

Dagger turned at the familiar voice, spotting Maxen, hand in hand with his wife, Calliope, approaching.

He nodded at his brother, most of the tension draining from his shoulders at another Fury present. “Calliope.”

His sister-in-law smiled at him in greeting. “Dagger.”

He inclined his head, gaze shifting to Maxen. “What are you doing here?”

“Calliope needs things,” his brother said simply. His sharp eyes, however, missed nothing. His whole bearing shifted, stepping slightly forward and angling himself closer to his wife, sensing danger.

Not how he wished to meet his brother again after the way their previous contact ended. He didn’t know what to bloody say.

Lilly stepped out from behind him and grinned at the couple, wasting no time in introducing herself. “I’m Lilly. Lilly Trenton.”

His sister-in-law returned Lilly’s grin. “Calliope Fury.”

Dagger nearly did a Lilly-eyeroll at the insufferable satisfaction on his brother’s face at that introduction.

“Don’t mind us,” Dagger muttered.

“I mind,” Maxen said. “What’s going on?”

Never a question with Maxen. Dagger sighed. “Maybe nothing. Maybe something.”

His brother’s gaze shifted between him and Lilly. “Why is Miss Trenton with you?”

Dagger flinched. Trust Maxen to point out the big gaping hole in his armor. Yes, he’d been careless. There was no dressing his mistake up pretty. He’d walked a woman into a potentially unsecured building. That was the kind of mistake he didn’t make. When it came to Lilly, however, had he ever thought straight?

“Didn’t search the shop,” he admitted, once again cursing his inattentiveness when his brother’s face darkened to a thundercloud.

Maxen made a small motion with his fingers, and Saint peeled from the shadows at their rear. He didn’t wait for instructions, merely crossed to the shop and slipped inside. He should have known his brother wouldn’t be alone.

“Leave Calliope and Miss Trenton with Saint,” Maxen said quietly. “We hunt.”

Dagger’s jaw tightened, reluctance stabbing at him. The last time he’d left Lilly with his brothers, Saint had run his mouth enough to send her marching out the door. He had no particular desire to repeat that outcome. He shook his head, about to decline, when Lilly’s hand found his.

He dropped his gaze to her, finding a smile of reassurance on her lips.

She squeezed his hand once. “That’s fine. Go. We’ll wait in the shop.”

Dagger searched her gaze. So well-behaved. Suspiciously well-behaved. This sort of easy agreement from the lynx was never innocent. It reminded him of how she had tried to sneak off. Made him suspicious on principle.

Damn it.

Leaving her would be breaking his own damn rule about sticking together. He didn’t want to leave her alone, but for now, he didn’t have a choice, whether she was up to no good or not. He had to trust his brother wouldn’t let any harm come to her.

Dagger squeezed her hand back, holding on a moment longer than he should have, only letting her go of her hand when Saint stepped out and gave a single nod. He unclenched his jaw. It was, he decided, one of the more difficult things he’d done recently. “I’ll be right back.”

She nodded. “Be safe.”

He watched as she motioned Calliope over, who turned to Maxen and murmured something that looked suspiciously like be good to before joining the lynx as though they’d known each other much longer than a few minutes. Lilly sent him a saucy grin of pure, unrepentant mischief before disappearing into the shop with his family.