Kenya hadn’t heard the high-pitched whine of the rifle shots, but she’d felt the vibration as they displaced the air around them. Looking up as the second and third shots hit the large window, she was shocked to see tiny shards of glass fly through the air, but the windows didn’t break. Dropping to the floor when she heard the scrape of chairs over the slate tile floor, Kenya was surprised by the relief she felt when Bronx pulled her into his arms.
“I’ve got you, Cheŕ. The windows are bulletproof, but that doesn’t mean whoever is shooting couldn’t have something larger in their arsenal.” She could hear Israel barking orders into his phone as Bronx led her into another room. A chill raced over the surface of her skin when they stepped through a door she hadn’t noticed earlier.
“This is a safe room, Kenya. We’ll stay here until Israel gives us the all-clear. Several members of his team were already outside, updating the perimeter security—that’s why the system was down.” Running his hand through his hair in frustration, Bronx hoped she would hear the sincerity in his voice. “No one would have expected them to act so soon. I’m sure Israel thought he was staying a step ahead of them.”
“Them? Who?” Her head was spinning, questions firing so quickly, it was impossible to focus on any one piece of the puzzle long enough to work out the answer.
“While you were pacing, Israel told me the security tapes outside the dealership showed two men stepping from the shadows as we drove out of the alley. He and Luke ran facial recognition on the three of you, concerned I was being set up. Your information came back immediately. Since they still hadn’t gotten hits on the men, Israel wanted to fortify the perimeter and find out what he could from you.” He saw her green eyes light up and wondered if she would share whatever epiphany she’d just had.
“I came into the house while you were in the shower. Big brother was using the guest bath and didn’t hear the alert.” Kenya didn’t seem convinced Israel was telling the truth. Bronx frowned when she narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced he hadn’t known his brother was eavesdropping.
“I know what you’re thinking—you don’t understand why I didn’t know he was here. Kenya, I admit I wasn’t focused enough to realize he’d intruded. Thinking about you upstairs—naked in my shower—was damned distracting. Even if I had noticed his scent, I wouldn’t have thought anything about it because it’s not unusual for members of my family to use my house as a base when they want to run in the woods surrounding the lake. It’s safer for them to strip and leave their clothes here than it is for them to risk shifting in a public area.”
She nodded, but he wasn’t sure she was entirely convinced. Bronx didn’t take it personally. Kenya didn’t appear to have a positive history with family loyalty and trust. It would take a while for her to feel safe with him and even longer for her to trust the other members of his family.
“Will you let me watch you shift sometime? I wouldn’t want to intrude, and I know we don’t really know each other. If it’s too much to ask, you can just tell me. I won’t be offended. Sometimes, my curiosity gets me into trouble. My mom used to get really frustrated when I’d ask new people to show me their magical skills. She said it was rude, but there wasn’t any other way for me to learn. We moved so many times, it’s a wonder I can even read. Once I was old enough to walk to libraries, they were the first places I went to when we moved to a new town. Most librarians are awesome, and I discovered many of them are retired teachers, so that was a bonus.”
Bronx listened to Kenya rattle on until she finally stopped to take a breath. Pulling her into his arms, he held her until he felt her racing heart slow, and their heartbeats synchronized. He recognized the scent of fear and hated knowing she’d lost the sense of security he’d wanted her to feel in his home. The fuckers outside were going to pay if he ever found out who they were. When she finally relaxed in his arms, Bronx pulled back to look into her eyes, sighing when he saw embarrassment clouding her expression.
“I’m sorry, that was really over the top. I don’t usually panic, but it was a little unnerving, knowing someone was shooting at you.” Bronx felt his eyes widen in surprise.
“Why did you think they were shooting at me, Cheŕ?”
“The trajectory of the bullets was all wrong for them to have been shooting at me.” He was stunned. “I could see small shards of glass flying away from the windows, so it was easy to calculate where the shots came from and their target.”
It took Bronx several more minutes to get her settled enough to sit down. She drained the bottle of water he’d gotten her from the kitchenette, and he wondered if he should have given her something stronger. He was relieved when she finally took a deep breath and shrugged her shoulders.
“It’s… well, you know, everything happening so fast, and I feel like I brought trouble to your door. I don’t have the magical gifts you all have, but…” The door opened, and Israel stepped inside with Cameron Barnes close behind. They didn’t lock the door behind them, so it was safe to assume the threat had been neutralized. Bronx had to give his brother credit, he didn’t waste any time getting to the point.
“I was listening in on your conversation.” Focusing his attention on Kenya, he continued, “Tell us what you know about the bullets.” Holding up his hand when she hesitated, he added, “Stop. I can see the paranoia reflecting in your eyes. We’re damned impressed and want to know how you were able to see the almost microscopic bits of glass dislodging from windows designed to take much more force.” Cam stepped forward, his attention focused on Kenya.
“From the outside, it is almost impossible to find the damage. I’m not sure anyone would have ever found those small lines in the glass if you hadn’t mentioned seeing them. Now, what we’d all like to know is how you did it.” Cam Barnes swore he was retired from the CIA, but no one believed retirement was an option for an agent as skilled and highly trained as Barnes.
“Excuse me, have we met? I’m not sure why you believe I’ll tell you anything.”
Bronx tried unsuccessfully to suppress his chuckle at the surprise he saw flash in Cam’s eyes. Typically, the only person who dared to challenge Cameron Barnes was his lovely wife and submissive, CeCe. Dr. Cecelia Barnes, a world-renowned pediatric surgeon, was only submissive to Cam—and at times, that was questionable. Cam recovered quickly, stepping forward to extend his hand to Kenya.
“You’re right. I’ve been terribly rude. Please accept my apology.” Cam introduced himself and surprised Bronx by telling Kenya he was a former agent.
Tilting her head to the side, Kenya studied Cam for several seconds before responding. “Thank you for your candor. I met your wife about a year ago.” Bronx saw Cam’s brows raise in surprise since he hadn’t mentioned CeCe. “I helped a friend who has a street cart selling coffee outside Dr. Barnes’s hospital. She was my favorite customer. Her vivacious energy was always the bright spot of my day.”
Watching the change in Cam’s demeanor was remarkable. Bronx doubted Kenya could have handled the situation better—three simple sentences, and she had Barnes eating out of her hand. Hell, she should be selling cars.
“You should have that bullet taken out of your leg. Why deal with the pain?”
Bronx sensed his mate was testing the other man, but she’d also rewarded his forthrightness with a small reveal of her own. There is definitely more to Kenya’s magic than camouflaging herself. I’m going to enjoy learning all her secrets. If she is anything like the other women in my life, it will take a lifetime. Bronx loved his sisters—each of them so different, yet they shared so many traits, it was easy to see they were sisters. It was turning out, his sisters-in-law were no different.
“Damn, I swear, brilliant women are God’s gift to the world and my private curse.” It was easy to hear the respect and amusement in Cam’s tone.
“I think God is onto you, Cam.” Israel’s taunting voice drew laughter all around. “Kenya, as much as I care about my friend’s good health, my new bride has schooled me more than once on the importance of HIPPA. Don’t ask me what it stands for. I only know it means nobody in the medical community is going to tell you jack shit without a signed waiver that’s been notarized by three witches, a Rabbi, and a saint.”
“All kidding aside, rest assured, I’ll be asking you questions about the bullet at some point in the near future, but right now, I’m interested in your take on the ballistics.” Cam nodded toward the door. “Let’s take a walk.” Bronx swallowed back his frustration as Cam led Kenya down the hall to the family room. Israel put his hand on Bronx’s forearm, holding him back when Cam and Kenya stepped outside. Bronx stiffened as a growl vibrated deep in his chest.
“Calm down. I’m not trying to keep you from following your mate. I wanted you to know this situation is snowballing on us. We’re meeting with Kyle and Kent tomorrow, but for now, I want you to know there were two shooters. Kenya is right—one was aiming for you. The other was positioned to take her out but didn’t shoot when the first bullets bounced off the glass.”
Bronx stared at his brother in disbelief. How the hell had anyone managed to get close enough with Israel’s team working on the perimeter? Building a successful business taught Bronx the importance of prioritizing, so he set aside any questions that weren’t solution-oriented. If it wasn’t going to solve the problem at hand, set it aside for now. Learning to prioritize was one lesson he learned quickly, having recognized the mistakes his father made. It was his mission to do things differently, and he’d always been able to separate what was critical from what simply needed to be done—until now.
“Believe me, I understand—everything is different when your mate is involved and even more difficult to deal with before you can claim her. You know Kenya is safe with Cam. Hell, the man has become fucking obsessed with figuring out how magic works. The biggest threat is him questioning her until she wants to throw him in the lake.” They both shook their heads, knowing the man was chasing a pipe dream. Master magicians were often several hundred years old, and most would tell you they were still learning. “I don’t know how she saw the bullets or the glass slivers, but it’s damned impressive.” Knowing it wasn’t her only magical skill made Bronx wonder how deep Kenya’s magic ran and what it had to do with her mother’s nomadic lifestyle.
“Let’s go outside. I want to watch your mate deal with Cam. She seems to have a great head on her shoulders. Seeing her stand up to him earlier was great.” Israel slapped Bronx on the shoulder as they walked out of the safe room.
“She’s going to fit in great. Everyone is going to love her. Let’s go see if she has any idea who was lurking in the shadows in the alley.”