Page 87 of Beyond Enemy Vows

"Calli?" Niko's hand touches the small of my back.

"They're all in there," I say. "All three of them."

His eyes flick to the door, then back to me. "You want to wait?"

"No." I shake my head. "If I wait, I'll lose my nerve."

I can hear them talking business. Normal family stuff. In thirty seconds, nothing will ever be normal again.

"You ready?" he asks, voice low.

I swallow hard. Lie. "Yes."

I push open the heavy wooden door. The conversation stops instantly.

Dimitri, Theo, and Ares sit around the glass table, whiskey glasses and scattered papers between them.

All three turn when I enter.

Theo tilts his head. "Everything alright, Calli?"

I glance back at Niko, who's just out of sight. My chest feels like it's collapsing.

"Don't do anything stupid," I say, looking back at them, though I'm not sure if I'm talking to my brothers or to Niko.

I step aside, and Niko comes into the room.

The air turns lethal and I feel as if the temperature has dropped ten degrees.

Everyone is silent. Frozen.

Then.

Ares is the first to move, fury igniting in his eyes. His hand goes straight to his gun. "What the fuck is he doing here?" he asks as he points his barrel directly at Niko's chest.

Theo jumps to his feet, his chair scraping back. "You've got some fucking balls showing your face here, Petrou," he says, his own weapon appearing like magic.

Dimitri doesn't speak. He launches across the room, fists first. He lands a punch across Niko's jaw with a sickening crack. Niko staggers back but recovers quickly. He snarls and swings back,and suddenly they're grappling, punches flying as they crash into the edge of the table, a lamp falling to the floor and shattering.

"Dimitri, stop!" I scream.

Niko rips his weapon free, pointing it at Dimitri, who's already raised his own.

Suddenly there are guns everywhere, like a deadly standoff.

"Looks like you're outnumbered, asshole," Dimitri says with a cold laugh.

Niko doesn't flinch. "Maybe, but I'm taking you with me."

One wrong move, one trigger squeeze, and this room becomes a kill zone.

My brothers might get hurt, and they'll kill the man I love, and I'll have no one to blame but myself.

"Stop it!" I yell, shoving myself between them. My arms spread wide, shielding Niko. "Stop it now! Jesus Christ, why does everyone need a gun?!"

"Get away from him, Calli," Ares commands, his gun still aimed at Niko.

"No," I say, my voice shaking but steady. I lock eyes with each of them. "No. He's here because I asked him. Because you need to hear the truth. From him, and from me."