Page 85 of Nothing More

Sergei shook his headno.

Raven blinked, and didn’t know whether to cry, laugh, crawl beneath the table, or some combination of all three.

She settled for murmuring “bollocks” instead.

Then she whirled on Ian, who’d already put on a faintly pained expression of apology. “You knew about this, didn’t you?”

His smile was more of a wince.

“Oh my God, yousent the jet for them, didn’t you?” She smacked his bicep – hard.

“I take it you know them?” Prince drawled from across the table.

“They were going to come anyway,” Ian reasoned. “No sense making them ride. Or, worse yet, fly commercial.”

Raven turned back to the horror show unfolding across the restaurant, just in time to see Tenny throw back his head and fling out an arm in Toly’s direction.

“Ah, there he is!” he called in that fake, but flawless accent. “My brother!” Followed by something boisterous in Russian.

Toly looked as caught-out as he was probably capable, face locked-down, lips compressed, brows slanted sharply. He stood rooted, and that was enough to prove he was rattled. Though clearly not happy about it, he must have recognized Tenny, because he stood still and let him strut across the room toward him, Reese following sedately. When he was in range, Tenny hooked a fur-covered arm around Toly’s neck, reeled him in, and delivered a smacking kiss to his cheek, followed by more excited Russian.

Toly’s gaze slid her direction, sparking with leashed anger.

“Where is she?” Tenny demanded. “Where is my new manager?”

“Oh God,” she murmured, remembering. “Last night, at the tree lot. Toly showed up, and Greg saw him. I said he was my assistant.”

“Understandable, given he’s been playing that role,” Ian whispered.

Tenny was coming toward them, Reese following, Toly being dragged.

“No,” she went on, “but I made up this silly story about Toly having a brother who I was going to take on as a client.”

“Hm, yes.” Ian didn’t sound surprised. “Shepherd may have passed that along.”

“I’ll murder him,” she said, without heat, because it was difficult to breathe at the moment.

The trio reached them, Toly more or less in a headlock at this point. Tenny propped his free hand on his hip, as he’d done at the hostess station, and let his glasses slide dramatically down his nose so he could meet Raven’s gaze, Devin blue to Devin blue.

He said, “So you’re this manager Tomeslav” – here he jostled Toly – “wants me to work with, eh?” He made a show of cocking his head and studying her. Then, the little bugger winked.

Smile brittle, Raven said, “Yes, I’m Raven Blake. Perhaps we could discuss business somewhere more private.”

~*~

The nearestprivateplace was Prince’s pub, Hauser’s, which he offered up readily, and which sported a back room with thick doors that could be locked from the inside.

Raven kept her lips firmly clamped shut until she heard the click of the lock, and then she rounded on her brother, now grinning like a madman as he twirled his sunglasses by an earpiece. He spread his arms wide, which caused his shirt to ride up even further, flashing a tattoo under his last rib: an old-fashioned cavalry officer in feathered hat, saber upthrust for the charge. “What do you think of Yuri?” he asked. He soundedproudof himself.

“I think he’s a bloody stupid idea, you dumb sod,” Raven snapped. “What the hell are you doing?”

Unperturbed, Tenny swung a chair around and climbed up to sit on a table, feet in the chair’s seat (Prince’s mouth flexed in a subtle show of distaste). He fished a cigarette from an inner pocket, which sent the fur coat sliding unheeded off one shoulder. “Fox said someone was trying to kill you. You didn’t think one of uswouldn’tcome, did you?”

It truly was a shame she couldn’t get him under contract, because his legs, and cheekbones and all-round sauciness were made for the runway.

It was also a shame he wasn’t going to get the chance to become her favorite brother, because she was going tomurderhim.

“No one’s trying to kill me. We have no idea what these people want – nor who these people are. It’s certainly nothing that warrants that ridiculous show you put on at the restaurant.”