Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 84544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
The smile on Kairo’s lips turned into a sort of smirk, and he looked at their hands. It was only then that Isidore realized that he was standing there, holding Kairo’s hand, forcing him to continue to grip his finger. With a strangled cough, Isidore released his hand and took a quick step backward.
Was the sun extra hot today? That had to be it, because his face was on fire.
He didn’t know whether to be disappointed or grateful that Kairo’s friend texted a minute later to inform them that they were at the house waiting for them. He ignored the pointed look from Athena and led the way to the car.
Which brought up an interesting thought…
“What are we going to do about this car? Aren’t we worried about it being reported stolen and the police catching us?” Isidore inquired as he slid into the passenger seat.
“Oh, I would love for them to report the car stolen,” Athena crooned from the rear. “Please let us be caught.”
Kairo snorted and started the engine. “She’s right. They’re not going to report it stolen because they risk you telling the police about your kidnapping and being held hostage while your lives were threatened. They can’t risk that.”
“That is a good point.” Isidore nodded. He really was bad at thinking like a criminal. He needed to work on this more, so Kairo didn’t think he was a complete idiot.
“But once we get to the house, a couple of the guys will wipe it down, strip it of identifiers, and dump it somewhere. That way we don’t have to worry about Vanko using the car to track us,” Kairo reassured them.
They pulled up to a two-story white square building with a small yard in front filled with blooming flowers. The second floor had a patio area that looked out on the quiet street. Two plain white sedans were parked in the short driveway while a large, black SUV sat on the street in front of the house. Kairo pulled up behind the SUV and turned off the engine.
Kairo jumped out and started to head up the sidewalk toward the house, while Isidore hung back with Athena, using the pretense of helping her gather their groceries and Joey—though she really didn’t need help with either. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard the front door open. A tall Black man with piles of muscles and a huge smile greeted Kairo first, pulling him into a tight one-armed hug.
A strangled laugh escaped Kairo as he hugged him and quickly asked about his shoulder.
“It’s fine. Doc Will got me in with an orthopedic surgeon while we were in Athens. Got an MRI. I don’t need surgery, but I’ve been given a shit-ton of PT exercises to do every day,” the man grumbled.
“Like you’ve ever had a problem with a little exercise,” a new voice interjected. Another man stepped out of the front door. He was shorter than the Black man, with salt-and-pepper hair and a beard.
“Wow. Kairo could have warned us that he worked with so much hotness,” Athena whispered in Greek next to him. Isidore glared at his sister and she shrugged. “What? I might not be interested in touching it, but I can appreciate beauty as much as the next person.”
That was not what his glare meant.
How could she comment on the attractiveness of the two newcomers when they’d been with Kairo all this time? Clearly, he was the most handsome of all of them. Did Athena truly not see that?
Blind. Athena was blind. That was all there was to it. His sister was blind.
The Black man released Kairo only to have Silver Fox wrap Kairo up.
Did they all really need to hug him? Isidore tamped down his inner child’s demand of when it was going to be his turn to hug Kairo.
Probably never. Kairo likely saw him as the annoying client he couldn’t wait to get rid of. He was so reading too much into their shared looks and little chats. Whenever his mind wandered, it went straight to the memory of sitting on his bed with Kairo, their shoulders brushing against each other. Kairo’s heat had seeped into him, warming him everywhere. If he’d been a bold and daring person, he would have leaned over and kissed the man.
But he wasn’t bold. Or daring.
And they’d been interrupted by gunfire and a ferret.
Yeah, seemed par for the course when it came to his life.
“I’m fine. I’m fine,” Kairo exclaimed as he playfully batted away the hands of his friends and took a couple of steps toward Isidore and Athena, who were lingering at the edge of the yard. “Look! I brought new clients.”
“Letting ourselves be kidnapped is not how we get clients,” Silver Fox murmured.
“I—” Isidore started to argue, but his words were drowned out by the larger man who’d spotted Joey.