Page 74 of At Your Mercy

“You’re a cradle robber,” Hayes shot back immediately, grin widening.

“Uncle Wes, really,” Hudson chimed in, shaking his head in mock disapproval. “You keep telling us to make responsible choices, and then you go and pick up a—what? An albino twink that asks you to dismantle a trafficking ring for him?”

“He’stwenty-nine,” I repeated, voice flat as stone.

Hayes arched a brow. “Which makes him, what, twenty years younger than you?”

“Twenty-one,” Hudson corrected smoothly.

My jaw worked. “He’s a goddamn survivor who’s risked more than any of you know to get us this fucking intel. So shut the hell up, or get the fuck out of my building.”

Greyson lifted his head finally, fixing his brothers with a look sharp enough to cut glass. “You two ever stop to think that maybe helookedlike a potential threat because he’s lived his whole life surrounded by predators? Because maybe you’re looking at someone who’s learned survival in the worst possible ways?”

The twins sobered a little, but not enough to keep Hudson from muttering, “Fucking therapist.”

I let out a sound that was half growl, half sigh. “You two are lucky you’re family. And, as a matter of fact, he is a threat. Could disembowel you in your sleep.”

“Sounds like you have hands-on experience with that, Uncle,” Hudson quipped.

“I never took you as the pretty-boy type,” Hayes teased. “Guess Grey gets it from you.”

Grey snarled at him, “Stop fucking talking about Lane.”

Both twins smirked at him, but turned their attention back toward me. “So, is it serious? Must be since you’re going through this all for him,” Hayes said.

“It’s not any of your goddamn business,” I shot back, voice sharp enough to put an end to the teasing. “But yes, he’s mine. That’s all you need to know.”

Greyson, mercifully, cleared his throat and steered us back. “Focus. We’re talking about trafficking victims, not who Wes is or isn’t with. Let’s get the op solidified before you two make him walk out of here.”

The twins exchanged one last mischievous glance, then leaned back in their chairs, quieting down.

I let out a slow breath, rubbing at my temple, and glanced over to Ich, who looked like he was going to combust from the awkwardness of observing our bickering.

“Let’s go over it again from the top.”

18

Ronan

I sat with my knees on the couch, sprawled over the back cushions, staring impatiently into the kitchen. Mom was humming under her breath, sleeves rolled up, a strand of pretty blonde hair loose against her cheek as she rinsed the last of the dinner plates. Dad sat at the table beside Henri, his reading glasses sliding down his nose as he tried to make sense of the mess of glue and cardboard that was supposed to be a solar system.

On the floor between us was Lia, softly giggling as her Barbie rode around on the back of her elephant stuffie.

“Flower, aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for the bath?” Mom called, her back still to us as she finished the dishes.

Lia gave a big, dramatic sigh, making me laugh. She pressed her finger to her mouth as she looked up at me. “Shhh!”

“I can hear you over there,” Mom said, slight amusement in her tone.

Dad huffed out a laugh and turned his attention from the table to Lia. “Come on, herzchen. Listen to Mom, yeah?”

Lia held his eye contact as she threw herself to the floor, spreading her limbs out like a starfish.

Dad shook his head at her antics and went back to focusing on Henri’s work.

“Are you almost done yet?” I asked.

Dad gave me a distracted smile as he glanced over to where I was hanging off the back of the couch. “Almost, Andreas. Just need to help your brother get Jupiter to stop collapsing.”