Page 7 of Light in Your Eyes (Romero Brothers #1)

Layla

The car stops in the driveway. Cole steps out and opens the door for me while the driver gets my suitcase from the trunk.

I'm sure that Cole can see how nervous I am—I can't even move my legs to step out of this car. He just nods, giving me a look of assurance.

After taking a deep breath, I brace myself to get out. There's no way that I'm going to back down from this job now.

I look up at the three-story Italian Renaissance-style mansion before me. It looks even more intimidating now that I'm seeing it up close.

I follow Cole, walking up behind him. A guy stands between us and the huge double doors, preventing us from entering.

He looks like a security guard but doesn't dress like one—more like a cruel gangster I'd rather see in a movie than face in reality.

My legs automatically stop as I see the shotgun he's holding.

A small scream almost escapes from my throat when the guy pushes Cole's chest with the tip of the shotgun.

"Identity," the guy speaks with authority, studying Cole from head to toe. Even though we passed the security at the gate, this guy wouldn't just let us in.

Cole chuckles lightly, but the voice that comes out of his mouth is so cold, it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand. "You must be new, huh?"

The guy frowns at Cole's question. Cole raises his hands, and the guy's eyes widen in shock as soon as he sees the tattoo inked on Cole's right wrist. He doesn't just lower his gun—he literally drops it, causing it to clatter on the ground.

What startles me even more is that the guy drops to his knees and quickly apologizes.

When he does that, I notice a small tattoo of black wings on the back of his neck.

It's the same tattoo as Cole's, but while Cole has red streaks on the feathers, this guy has none. It's just a pair of black wings.

Another guard rushes to carry my suitcase. I can only watch helplessly when he inspects my belongings in front of the door. He rummages through my garments like I would have brought an actual bomb with me.

"She's a recruit," Cole tells the guy inspecting my suitcase, causing him to nod.

I turn my back to them and wrap my arms around my waist. Strangely, the air feels too cold for a summer night, sending chills through my body. This place is making me crazy even though I haven't even started my job.

When I turn around, Cole is reading a text on his phone. A frown touches his lips before he shoves his phone back into his pants pocket.

"I gotta go," he says to me. "My flight to Italy was rescheduled. I have to fly there earlier than I thought."

I don't know what to say to him. The circumstances make it difficult to say no, but I also find it impossible to say that I'm going to like this job.

Cole seems to notice my fear and doubt. He places his palm on my shoulder to comfort me. "I know that you may not find this job easy, but please stay close to Kellan. The two of you need each other here. It's what keeps you both safe if something bad happens."

Before I can ask him what that means, Cole strides toward the car, and in a matter of seconds, he's gone. I can only watch with my mouth agape as the car leaves the property through the gate.

"Hey, new girl."

The harsh tone startles me, causing me to turn around abruptly. The guy who just finished checking my suitcase motions with his finger to come closer to him.

I swallow. Every step I'm taking to erase the distance between us feels like forever. I'm not used to people carrying guns, especially when they're not dressed in security uniforms —and when they can point the guns at me without hesitation.

"Your phone." He almost rolls his eyes, as though I'm stupid.

And yes, maybe I am. I don't understand him at all. I can only gawk at him with a blank expression.

"My phone?"

He scoffs. "Yes, your damn phone."

Instinctively, I grip the small sling bag I'm wearing, in which I have my phone. A sense of protectiveness hits me.

Why would he ask for my phone? What is he going to do with it?

Without warning, he storms in my direction. "Do you prefer being inspected? Or do you want to hand it yourself?"

I step back in fear. The need to protect myself screams at me, so I take out my phone. My hand is shaking as I give it to him.

He snatches my phone, flips it around, and cracks open the casing to take out the battery. Then he examines my phone thoroughly, as though there would be a tracker attached to it.

"Give it back." It's surprising that I still dare order him.

Apparently, it's a bad idea. The other guy who bowed to Cole earlier pushes my back with his gun, causing my body to jerk forward. My heart almost stops.

"Just get inside and stop bitching around." He pushes the barrel against my back again to make me walk faster. Now that Cole is out of sight, he doesn't think twice about treating me harshly. "Don't even think about breaking the rules."

What is he talking about? Is there some kind of rules here I have to follow?

How will I contact Archer and Nana if I don't have my phone with me?

"But, my phone—" I don't even have time to finish my complaint because the guy pushes me through the door and shuts it.

Then, what's happening inside the mansion shocks me. I'm petrified, like a statue.

Here, it's totally different from the outside.

Here, it's loud and filled with so many people—no wonder they have a dozen cars out there.

I didn't expect that I would be walking into a party—a freaking party where people are drinking and dancing, lost in their own world. Deep thumping music rings in my ears while my eyes are scanning the place.

I'm greeted by an enormous area with a high ceiling that makes me feel like I just stepped into a ballroom, but it's nothing like that in a fairytale. The interiors and furniture are all dark, I feel like I was just shoved into an ancient castle.

Two spiral staircases stand on each side of the hall, and when I look up, it only confirms my thought of how majestic this place is. There are corridors on the second floor, leading to more rooms and more parts of the house.

When my gaze darts back to where I'm standing, all I can see are people. And more people. They're talking. Laughing. Making out. Kissing. Bodies are moving in sync with the music beat.

There's only one thing surfacing in my head: I don't belong here. What the hell am I doing in this place?

I hear a boisterous laugh somewhere in the distance, and then someone bumps me in the shoulder quite hard.

"Sorry," the person says to me.

As I turn, I see a pretty girl with tanned skin and black eyes. I'm still overwhelmed by the surroundings, so I can only stare at her blankly instead of responding to her apology.

She squints at me, a strand of her curly hair falling over her face.

A guy with light brown hair and pale skin stands next to her, draping his arm around her shoulder. He stares at me curiously. "I haven't seen you around."

Uneasiness stirs inside me. "Yeah, I'm new."

The girl's brows furrow. "Who brought you here?"

I swallow. "A guy named Cole."

She looks like she's trying to digest what I said, and then her eyes widen in shock. "You're kidding me. Cole Madden?"

I don't know what she meant by that, but it seems that Cole is quite famous here—I remember that the guy guarding the door instantly dropped to his knees after noticing the tattoo on Cole's wrist.

"Actually, I don't know his last name," I mumble.

The girl laughs. "There's only one Cole in this family, and there's no way that he just recruited you."

I'm about to tell her that I was hired by Jaxon Romero to take care of his blind brother, but before I can open my mouth, the guy chirps in, "Technically, he could," he says to her in an amused tone. "He's a knight."

The girl rolls her eyes. "Of course. What I'm saying is that he wouldn't recruit just anybody. Cole wouldn't." She studies me from head to toe, almost snickering. "And she doesn't look like she can fight. Pretty sure that she's not the kind of newbie Jaxon would approve."

I'm officially lost. I don't know what they were talking about and what kind of nonsense this is all about.

"You mean, Jaxon Romero?" I ask.

The girl stares at me in disbelief. "Now you're talking as if you don't even know our king. Are you here because someone bullied you in Truth or Dare? Or are you here for a bet? This kind of thing never gets old." She sighs, shaking her head .

"Seems like the first one," the guy speaks like he's trying to hold back laughter, tossing me a look of pity.

I really want to leave this place because of the way they make me feel even more uncomfortable, but a part of me wants to know what they're trying to say.

"I'm Brea, by the way. And this is my boyfriend, Gio." She extends her arm for a handshake while Gio bursts out laughing, as though she just made up their names.

I reluctantly accept the handshake.

"You are...?" She raises her brow in question.

"Layla," I say.

Brea grabs my arm and drags me further into the house until we stand under the staircase, away from people dancing and talking, even though the music and noises are still pretty loud in my ears.

"Well, Layla." Brea stares at me, lowering her voice. "Normally, we don't do this. One would expect to be buried six feet under if they dared step into this place. But..." Her eyes glint with mischief. "Consider this as our generosity. We won't tell anyone that you sneaked in."

"You're fucking crazy," Gio blurts out, but he can't hide the adoration on his face when he stares at his girlfriend. Her daring personality may be the reason he likes her.

"Come on, I was once bullied too," she purrs, leaning into him as she playfully touches his chest. "Besides, Truth or Dare is always my thing." She returns her attention to me and smiles. "So...Layla."

She sighs while I involuntarily hold my breath, preparing for what she's about to say. The longer I stay in this place, the more anxious I become because of the unexpected things I find .