“You’re reaching, Dad. She wasn’t interested and she was mine. Stay clear of her.”

  Jovani chuckled. “Me, stay clear of her? I don’t think so,” he said, and his cell phone rang. It was Merve from the office.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, Mr. Pinioli, so sorry to bother you, but there’s been a terrible accident.”

  “Accident?” Jovani asked, and sat forward.

  “Ms. Priscilla Bane? She was found in her hotel room dead.”

  “Dead?” he asked, raising his voice and looking right at his son. The son who showed no emotion.

  “Housekeeping came in an hour ago when they realized the do not disturb sign was left on the door for three days and nights.”

  “Jesus, what happened?”

  “Looks like…well, an overdose.”

  “Drugs?”

  “Yes. She apparently shot up with a lot of heroin, and then must have slipped and hit her head on the bathtub. She’s dead, sir. I can’t believe it. How are we going to tell the staff? Her friends?”

  “Call Dorothy in human services. Have her handle the notifications. Keep me informed of any updates. Whatever the police need, we’ll cooperate. Anything. This is terrible. I can’t believe she was an addict.”

  “Neither can I, sir. I guess she was really good at hiding her addiction.”

  Jovani ended the call, and stared at his son. “Are you fucking kidding me, Allen? Priscilla? What the fuck were you thinking? You had to fuck her, didn’t you? How did things go wrong this time, huh? How?” He screamed at his son.

  “Everything went fine. You’re just pissed because I got to fuck her and you didn’t.”

  “You think I’m going to protect you?”

  “You are, because without me you aren’t anything. You owe me.”

  “No, you owe me.”

  “No, I kept your lies, your secrets for years from Mom. Your addiction to sex and your indiscretions, and the women you beat to near death,” Allen said to him.

  “To near death, but never killed them, and none of them pressed charges. They loved it. You, have gone over the edge. The point of no return twice now, well three with Priscilla, and if the cops figure out it was you, I’m not helping you.”

  “You will because you owe me,” Allen barked.

  Jovani smiled. “It’s you who owes me from the last “situation” I had to help hide. You owe me big time, and I know exactly how you’ll pay off your debt to me.”

  “I don’t owe you shit.”

  “One fucking phone call, Allen. One.” Jovani threatened.

  Allen exhaled. “What do you want?”

  “I’ll let you know when the time is right.”

  “You’ll let me know now.” Allen raised his voice.

  “We have lost an employee tragically, and need to console our other employees. That means counselors and support. Let’s get through this and make sure you’re not seen as a suspect, then we’ll discuss payoff.” Jovani took a sip and exhaled. Allen was going to make sure he came through, or Allen might be having his own tragic accident.

  Chapter 3

  “I don’t need coddling.” Morris raised his voice at Jo.

  “I’m not coddling you.”

  He stared at Jo, then glanced at Melina. “I got this,” he barked, and used the crutches to walk into the living room.

  “How about we fix something for lunch? You guys must be exhausted from traveling,” Jo suggested, and Blade mumbled something.

  “I’ll help you,” Melina offered, and Morris looked at her.

  He could tell since the moment they arrived that her interest in him disappeared. More than likely she didn’t want to be involved with a soldier, a man who could get shot, stabbed, hell, killed. It was so hard to ignore her. To not inhale her perfume or want to feel her in his arms. Shit, it would make him feel better.

  He slowly made his way past the kitchen.

  “You can help Morris get comfortable on the couch. Vetter and Trek will bring the bags upstairs, and Blade can rest in the recliner,” Jo said, and Melina nodded and cautiously walked over toward Morris. The second her hand touched his arm he froze.

  He stared down into her eyes. “I got it. You don’t need to help me.” She pulled away. “But I’ll accept it,” he whispered, and then she placed her arm around his waist as he headed to the couch. As she helped him, her shampoo invaded his senses, and when she bent down he got a nice look at the deep cleavage of her breasts.

  “You look good, baby,” he whispered, and he expected a smile, a blush, something that indicated she was hot for him still, but got nothing but cold shoulder. He was right. She wanted nothing to do with a man in his position and profession. She adjusted the pillow. Then she helped Blade as he struggled to shift his weight to move the throw pillow.

  “Let me get that for you, Blade,” she quickly moved to assist him, and Blade’s hand went to her hip and slid along her ass.

  She stepped to the side. “Do you need anything else right now?”

  “To pick up where we left off would be nice,” Blade said, and licked his lips.

  “I’ll check on lunch.”

  As she walked away, Morris stared at her ass, and her sexy body in the tight black skirt and work blouse. She came right over from work to help Jo with them. That was sweet. Melina was sweet, and young. Fuck, how young she was made him feel like a dick for wanting her. He couldn’t get shot in the fucking arm like Trek? Then he would still be able to make some moves on Melina and satisfy her in bed. He would feel a lot better feasting on her sexy body. Damn, this is crazy. She isn’t like other women. She’s special and I should push her away and not pursue this. Then he looked at Blade, who watched Melina like a hawk from where he sat. Trek and Vetter walked into the kitchen to join Briar, Cliff, Ace, Corona, and Danny.

  He listened to them talk about helping out and what they would need. Morris closed his eyes and exhaled. He didn’t need anyone but his brothers. Together they would get through this. He glanced at Blade again. He was just staring at Melina as she walked back into the room with two water bottles.

  “How about some water to drink? Your sister said you both felt a little sick to your stomachs, and my understanding is that the medication you’re taking is strong stuff. Maybe this will help.” She walked toward Morris first.

  “We don’t need to be waited on like invalids,” he snapped at her and took the water. She pursed her lips and then walked over to Blade.

  “Why are you here anyway? We got this,” Blade snapped at her.

  She swallowed hard. “I guess I just needed to see for myself that you all were okay. Nothing more. I know there’s nothing more,” she said, and looked at Morris with disgust and sadness combined.

  Her words hit him. Nothing more? Was she saying what they did together before he left meant nothing to her? His head was spinning, but before he could react, she turned around and headed back into the kitchen. He could hear Jo. “You don’t need to leave.”

  “I have plans and you all have this covered. I just needed to make sure they were okay. I see they’re just fine. I wanted to be here for you. Let me know if there’s anything I can do. Bye, guys.” He heard the door close, then Jo appeared, hands on her hips.

  “That’s no way to win a woman’s heart. Any of you,” she stated as Trek and Vetter walked into the room with her and sat down on chairs in the living room. They were all exhausted, pumped full of painkillers, and none of them wanted to talk. Knight placed his hands on Jo’s shoulders.

  “Let them rest. They can take care of themselves. It’s how all soldiers are, baby. You should know this from living with your brothers for so many years.”

  “Yeah well, even though they’re stubborn and can take care of themselves, I still nearly lost them. I can also see how important it is to surround yourselves with people who truly care.”

  “Jo, we don’t need a bunch of people coming over and gawking at our injuries and seeing us at less than a hundred percent, okay. Let’s leave it at that,” Trek told her.

  “That’s not how Melina was seeing you. She was just as upset and worried as I was when I found out you were all injured and could have died. Her care and concern was authentic.”

  “She’s a good friend to you,” Vetter told her.

  Jo stared at them. “She didn’t come here just because her and I are good friends. I’ll just leave it at that. I made sandwiches. Do you want them in the kitchen or in here?”

  “We’ll take care of it, Jo. Thanks,” Morris said, and she walked back into the kitchen. Morris looked at Blade and Vetter and Trek.

  “Let’s eat then rest up. Take our time recouping before any decisions are made or actions taken. The commander will give us all the time we need,” Morris said, and struggled to get up.

  Ace came over to help him. “If you guys aren’t interested in Melina, let me know.” Morris shot him a look.

  “What?”

  He helped him stand and then get to his crutches. Morris didn’t even want to be walking across the room, but Jo got to him and now he was trying to prove how he didn’t need help. What the fuck was Ace saying? Was he interested in Melina? He and his brothers were checking her out, talking to her and smiling. Fuck, he was jealous.

  Ace walked with them to the kitchen.

  “Just saying, the woman is hot, sexy, classy and her body is exceptional. If you don’t’ want to snag her, then—”

  “Shut the fuck up, Ace,” Vetter interrupted. Everyone got quiet. Morris looked at Vetter, Trek, and Blade, then around the room at Jo and her men, and Danny, Ace, Corona, Briar, and Cliff.

  “Whoa, no need to get upset. You blew her off and were nasty to her, so obviously there’s no attraction or feelings there, and well, Melina is single, so are we,” Ace added.

  “Just stay the fuck away from her. She isn’t some woman for the five of you to play with,” Blade stated.

  “Stay away from her? Why would we do that? Why would any man with a fucking brain do that? She is smart, beautiful, funny, and kind. Hell, just having a woman who looks like her on your arm would make other men go nuts with jealousy. You know I like to be the center of attention,” Corona now added.

  “Did you see her ass in that skirt? My hand could cover most of one cheek. It looked solid, too, like ice, toned and not flabby,” Cliff added, using his hand and pretending to be feeling an ass. Melina’s ass.

  “Definitely tone. The woman works out hard. I think she does kickboxing at that studio near the dojo. I saw her walking out of there last week in tiny black spandex shorts and a tank top that showed off her—”

  “Shut the fuck up!” Morris raised his voice, and Briar who had been talking smirked.

  “So when did the four of you decide you wanted Melina as your woman? Who made a move, Morris, Blade?” Danny asked.

  “You made a move on Melina?” Jo asked.

  “Obviously,” Blade snapped, and started to eat his sandwich.

  “Wait up, if you like her, why the hell were you just being such dicks to her?” Flynn asked them as he wrapped his arms around Jo’s waist and she leaned her back against his front.

  “We weren’t dicks to her,” Trek said.

  “Blade and Morris were. Didn’t want her here,” Leif added.

  “It wasn’t that we didn’t want her here. Can we drop this please so we can eat and then rest up?” Morris said to them, and Ace chuckled.

  “So the big bad mercenaries have the hots for the sexy brunette with the glowing, hazel green eyes? My God, this is going to be fun to watch you guys fuck up,” Corona teased.

  “Kind of like you guys will more than likely do with Jo’s friend Amber,” Blade said, and Jo gasped.

  “You guys and Amber? What?” she asked.

  “There’s nothing going on with us and Amber,” Danny said to them.

  “Your eyes are on her all the time when she’s around. Thought you would make a move at the party last month,” Trek said to him.

  “Make a move like disappear with her into a bedroom, Morris?” Ace replied.

  “What? You didn’t, Morris. Please tell me that you didn’t seduce my best friend.” The guys chuckled, including Jo’s men.

  “This is funny,” Knight said aloud.

  “What happened in the bedroom during the party?” Cavanaugh asked.

  “Jesus. Is this how things are going to be now? You, Jo, forcing a family conversation about our personal lives?” Morris asked, and rubbed his head and his eyes. His head was spinning. He needed sleep. Lots of sleep. He thought of Melina. He could have had her with him, instead he pushed her away.

  “We’re a family now. All of us. That means we’re all here to discuss things, to help make decisions,” Jo said to him.

  “Since when, Jo? We are all grown men. We handle things on our own,” Vetter said, and stood up and threw out the paper plate his sandwich was on.

  “Since I was saved from death a second time. Since all of you men that are in this room are my world, my everything, my family, my lovers,” she said, and glanced at Leif, Knight, Cavanaugh, and Flynn. She then looked at Morris. “I know you’re in pain. You’ll have to go through a process to recover, but you will recover. Melina will not see you as weak, but she will think the worst of you if you did share a moment, some form of intimacy that drew you together right before you left for that mission that nearly took your life. She’s a good woman, a good friend, and she’s been hurt before. By a man who she thought was perfect, who cheated on her and more. She hasn’t dated anyone since or let down her guard. I ask that if you don’t have true feelings for her then let things be, now that you’ve upset her. However, if you care, if hurting her makes you feel like shit, then fix it, because every day is a gift. Every opportunity to connect with someone, to make a bond, a friendship, a meaningful connection is a gift in itself. You nearly lost the opportunity to explore an attraction to Melina. You got a second chance. Don’t blow it.”

  They were all quiet. “Technically, they blew the second chance today, so maybe “third time’s a charm?” Ace teased, and they chuckled.

  Morris didn’t say a word as the conversation changed, but one look at his brothers and they all felt like idiots. He needed to talk to Melina and explain. Later, after he rested his head and made sure he didn’t say something stupid. As he looked around them and took in the sight of everyone who was there, and then to his sister Jo, he couldn’t help but feel how full his heart was. How happy, peaceful, encouraging it was to have this support and this bond. All because of Jo. She brought them together as a family. She was extending that family with Cavanaugh, Flynn, Leif, and Knight.

  He watched as Leif walked with a slight limp across the kitchen to pull Jo into his arms and hold her close, just because. Morris wondered if he would have a limp. If he would wind up having to give up his profession. Blade’s words echoed in his ear that he said while they were in the truck, adrenaline pumping, fear of how close they came to death and thinking they might not make it out alive. He said he was done with this bullshit. Were they done? They had more than enough money to live off of. Was this their last rodeo? Could they pursue civilian life? Settle down at forty? Could Melina be part of that with them?

  He felt the ache to his head, and of course the panic. He was jumping the gun. He didn’t even know how she felt about all of them. Maybe she just let down her guard that night because the lust was so strong. He didn’t know and it was not the time to make decisions. He was drugged up. Another day. Another day, and when it was right, when his head was clear, he could ask himself the questions that needed to be asked, and figure out the answers with his brothers. Another day. Melina wasn’t going anywhere.

  * * * *

  “So, when were you going to tell me about the bedroom incident at the party last month, and how that was the reason you were so down while my brothers were away?” Jo asked Melina.

  Melina held her gaze. They had met for lunch down the block from Melina’s office building. Flynn brought her and was meeting with friends of his about some freelance work for the police department in Sussex.

  Melina exhaled and looked away. Jo covered her hand with hers. “Hey, we’re best friends, talk to me.”

  “It’s your brothers though.”

  “Who I know are stubborn idiots. Tell me what happened.”

  “It was crazy. The attraction was instant, and well, as you know we were all drinking, and I was buzzed, not drunk so I knew exactly what I was doing, but the alcohol definitely took that edge of fear off.”

  “Of course. It was a great party, a celebration,” Jo added.

  “Well, basically Morris was staring at me and me at him. Then I use the restroom, come out to the hallway and he was there. We’re just staring at one another and I’m thinking holy shit, he is gorgeous, intimidating, sexy, and hardcore. Wondering what exactly he does as a mercenary, and he’s eating me up with his eyes, and the next thing I know he’s pulling me into his arms and kissing me.”

  “That sounds incredible.”

  “It was incredible, and I felt so much, and the fear wasn’t there, Jo. Not a worry about getting hurt, or being used, it felt right.”

  “What happened next?”

  “I’d rather not go into the details.”

  “Melina, seriously? I won’t be freaked out. I want to know how far did you go?”

  “If I was a different person I would have gone all the way and then some, it was that good. Felt that right. The instant attraction, desire, connection to Morris was through the roof. I didn’t though. I put on the brakes despite the battle to just go for it. I didn’t want to feel like it was all about sex, yet part of me didn’t care if it was because it felt incredible to be in Morris’s arms, to feel his touch, his mouth on me. Jesus, I can’t go into details with his sister.”

  Jo laughed. “And big bad Morris fucked it all up because he freaked out and panicked. This is funny when I think about it.”