Unbelievable as all this might sound, Bryce knew his brother’s computer skills were off the charts amazing, and always correct. If Haydn said information indicated Matteo Zalotti was no longer the head of London’s Mafia, then Bryce had no doubt that was the current situation.
There was also the fact that both he and Bella had felt there was something off about Matteo earlier. That it seemed as if he was hiding something.
Could the something Matteo was hiding possibly be that he was no longer the head of the London Mafia? That after his father’s death nine years ago, he possibly never had been?
Because, as Bella suggested, her brother was protecting her?
If that was the case, then Bryce had no intention of allowing the situation to continue. Or of Bella being under any sort of threat. Or her brother being blackmailed to ensure her continued safety.
“We need to speak to Nikolai,” Bryce told his brother firmly. “If anyone knows how to deal with this situation, it will be him.”
“You need to speak to him,” Haydn corrected. “The two of you seem to have bonded, and I’ve never met the guy.”
Bryce gave a firm shake of his head. “I’m staying here to protect Bella until we know for sure what’s going on.”
“Don’t use me as an excuse,” she snapped in agitation. “I’m more than capable of taking care of myself if I need to.”
“Abso-fucking-lutely not,” he refused harshly. “First you have some crazy stalker, and now this Ricci of the Italian Mafia might be threatening you too. It isn’t safe to leave you here unprotected.”
“I—”
“I’ll stay here with Bella,” Haydn cut in. “My brothers might think of me as just being the computer nerd of the family, but I have the same ninja skills they do,” he assured Bella dryly. “Well…maybe not the same as Bryce, but I can still kick ass when I need to.”
Bella made a mental note to ask Bryce at some other time why his skills differed to his brother’s. Right now, there were more important things for them to deal with. “I want to come with you—”
“No.” Bryce’s tone was uncompromising.
She scowled at him. “You can’t stop me.”
“Try me.”
“You can’t tell me what to do, Bryce.”
“Right now, that’s exactly what I’m doing,” Bryce stated. “Having you there with me could put someone else in danger,” he added before she could say anything else.
“You?”
“Maybe.”
Bella glared her frustration, sure Bryce was only saying that to stop her from continuing to insist on going with him. But if there was even the remotest possibility that she might cause Bryce to be hurt… “Okay, I’ll—” She broke off as her doorbell rang for the third time this evening.
Haydn grimaced. “Erm, I might have called Rourke earlier,” he told his brother.
Bella’s brows rose. Yet another of Bryce’s brothers knew where she lived and had come to visit?
“Why didn’t you just invite all the brothers over here?” Bryce was obviously of the same opinion. “We could have had a fucking party!”
Haydn looked unperturbed by the outburst. “I did call all of them. Atticus is still away with Jenna and not expected back until Friday. Logan and August are also away right now. Lucan is in the States. Rourke was the only one available. Stop glowering at me,” he snapped at Bryce. “It was pretty damned obvious after talking to you earlier that your head isn’t where it needs to be. Not the one on your shoulders, anyway,” he added pointedly.
“You—”
“Stop it!” Bella stood between the two brothers before the exchange could become physical. “One of you needs to go and answer the door. Preferably before Rourke kicks it down,” she added dryly as the doorbell rang again, and for much longer; obviously someone, and it probably was Rourke if Haydn had invited him, was keeping their finger on the button.
“And you need to go and put some fucking clothes on,” Bryce snapped.
Bella threw up her hands in exasperation. “I am more than adequately dressed. But I’ll go and do it if it pleases you, sir,” she added in a sarcastic tone.
He snorted. “That will be a first.”
Bella moved to stand in front of him, fingers lightly caressing his abs through his T-shirt. “That isn’t what you said earlier,” she murmured in a sultry voice.
Bryce turned to glare at Haydn as he gave an amused snicker. “Shut the fuck up.” He turned back to Bella. “Your arse is going to be so sore again later,” he promised her.
“Ooh.” Her eyes widened with mocking excitement. “That sounds…intriguing.”
Bryce made a disgusted noise. “I give up.” He strode out of the room and down the hallway.
“Much as I enjoy watching one of my big brothers about to explode,” Haydn drawled softly, “I think you might want to do what Bryce says before he brings Rourke back here and then doesn’t bother waiting until later to spank your arse but decides to do it in front of the two of us.”
“He wouldn’t— You’re right, he would,” Bella acknowledged as Haydn gave her a pointed glance. She quickly turned on her heel and hurried from the room and up the stairs.
By the time she came back down a few minutes later—fully dressed in the thin blue sweater and lowrider jeans—the three men seemed to have decided on a course of action in her absence. Bryce and Haydn—who was the only one who had the computer skills necessary to access the online evidence to show Volkov—were to go and see the Russian while Rourke stayed here with Bella.
Bella had seen this brother before too, of course, again at the hospital while visiting his stepsister. Rourke and Logan were the youngest Steele brothers, and twins. Physically, they were identical, both tall, very dark, and very handsome, but the two men were completely different otherwise.
Logan’s hair was overlong and messy, and he always had stubble on his chin, taking laid-back to the extreme, both in his manner and his clothing.
Rourke had sophistication and charm, and had shorter, expertly styled hair, was always clean-shaven, and wore formal tailored suits with silk shirts and ties. Even now, on a Sunday evening, Rourke wore a perfect-fitting charcoal-gray suit with a pale gray shirt and striped tie. Bella was pretty sure his soft black leather shoes were also handmade.
“Is that arrangement okay with you?”
Bella knew she must look visibly taken aback by Bryce asking her opinion. Basically because she was. “And if I say no, it isn’t?”
He shrugged. “Then I’ll stay here with you. I can easily telephone Nikolai and explain the situation to him and tell him that Rourke and Haydn are on their way to see him, and why.”
She looked at him searchingly. “You would really do that?”
Bryce knew he’d been acting like a jealous idiot since Bella came downstairs wearing the red silk robe—and he hadn’t forgotten the black bra and panties beneath! But that was probably because Bryce really hadn’t liked Haydn seeing her dressed in so little or looking so wanton, with her hair loose about her shoulders and her lips slightly swollen from their kisses earlier. She had obviously never looked in a mirror and seen herself like that, or she would never again doubt how desirable she was.
Bryce nodded. “If that’s what you would prefer, yes.” His knuckles beneath her chin lifted her face up toward his. “Is that what you want?” he prompted huskily.
She glanced at Rourke as he and Haydn chatted softly together on the other side of the room. “Don’t your brothers think helping me at all is a bit odd?”
Bryce shrugged. “It’s what we do.”
“But I didn’t hire any of you—”
“Family and friends don’t need to hire us for our protection,” he bit out. “And from the moment you stood guard outside that bastard’s hospital room five weeks ago, ensuring he couldn’t hurt Jenna again, you became both.”
“But—” Bella’s words were cut off when Bryce’s lips claimed hers.
It had been the last thing she was expecting with two of his brothers in the room. It wasn’t just a barely there peck on the lips either, but a full-blown, openmouthed, tongue-stroking-her-tongue kiss that robbed Bella of her breath and made her knees weak.
She drew much-needed air into her lungs when Bryce ended the kiss minutes later. “What the hell was that?” she gasped against his throat as he continued to hold her tightly in his arms, his cheek resting against the top of her head.
“I’m staking my claim.” The words rumbled in his chest.
“Your claim—”
“Let’s not start arguing again.” Bryce sighed as he straightened. “I’m new to this, okay?” He held on to the tops of her arms as he lowered his face to her level. “But that was me letting anyone who wants to know that I’m not finished with you.”
Bella gave a dazed shake of her head. “You’re right, you really are bad at this.”
“Yeah, I am,” he accepted. “But that doesn’t make my intentions any less sincere.”
“And what might those intentions be, Mr. Steele?” Bella bit her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing.
“I’m going to marry you one day soon.”
Bella’s amusement fizzled into bemusement, and all she could do was stare at Bryce, eyes wide, her mouth slightly agape.
“I guess Max did get your tongue, after all,” he mused.
After all that had happened today, after Bryce had just stated he intended to marry her one day soon, he remembered the name of her neighbor’s cat? She wasn’t even sure she remembered her own name right now!
“He’s a rather handsome and unforgettable cat as I recall.” Bryce’s answer was Bella’s first indication she had spoken the words out loud. “I have to go now.” He reluctantly released her. “I have the key to let us back in, so go to bed if you need to. And try to behave for Rourke while I’m gone, hmm?”
She frowned. “Define behave?”
Bryce found himself chuckling, knowing his life would never be boring with this woman in it. “I’ll be happy if you just stay here and neither of you is hurt before I get back.”
“I— Did you mean it?”
Bryce instantly sobered as he saw the uncertainty in Bella’s expression. “I don’t make jokes about things like marriage.”
No, he didn’t look as if he was joking. “You’ve only known me for a day.”
He shook his head. “I’ve known you for one day, five weeks, six hours and thirty-five minutes.”
“But who’s counting…” she murmured incredulously.
Bryce touched one of her creamy cheeks. “Who’s counting,” he agreed. “There hasn’t been a minute of that time I haven’t thought about you and wanted you.”
She swallowed. “But you didn’t call me.”
He smiled ruefully. “A man is allowed to at least try not to give in too easily.”
“Easily!” Bella echoed incredulously. “You’ve been an absolute pain today.”
“Not all the time,” he reminded.
No, not all the time. “Please stay safe.” She reached out to gently squeeze his arm. “And please don’t…don’t let anyone hurt Matteo either.”
Bryce leaned forward and kissed her chastely on the forehead. “I’ll do everything within my power to ensure nothing happens to your brother.” He stepped away, giving a nod to Haydn, the two men leaving the house minutes later.