Page 92 of Stalked

I freeze, my fork halfway to my mouth. “And where did you hear that?”

“Security logs.” Landon's expression remains neutral, but there's a glint of amusement in his steel-blue eyes. “Someone disabled the cameras in Lia's building at 2:47 AM.”

“Fucking snitch,” I mutter.

Knox perks up immediately. “Wait, you actually broke the twenty-four-hour rule? You?”

“Mind your own business.”

“The man who's been lecturing us about the rules of the Hunt for years,” Knox continues, warming to his theme. “The one who made me sit through that two-hour presentation on them?—”

“That was necessary after what you did with the fire extinguisher last year.”

“That was one time!”

Xavier clears his throat. “Can we have one family dinner without discussing fire extinguishers?”

“I still maintain that was innovative problem-solving,” Knox insists.

Mira leans forward, curiosity lighting her hazel eyes. “Fire extinguisher?”

“Don't ask,” I warn.

“Oh, I'm definitely asking,” Bianca says, grinning at Knox. “What did you do?”

Knox waves his hand dismissively. “It was nothing.”

“He flooded three rooms,” Landon supplies helpfully.

“Because someone,” Knox glares at me, “forgot to mention the sprinkler system was integrated with the fire suppression.”

“I didn't forget. I assumed you had basic common sense.”

Sadie adjusts her glasses, a small smile playing at her lips. “I'm fascinated by what series of events leads to needing a fire extinguisher during a Hunt in the first place.”

“Candle play gone wrong,” Knox admits. “But in my defense, the curtains were extremely flammable.”

“Most curtains are,” Lia points out, taking a sip of her wine.

Xavier pinches the bridge of his nose. “The insurance claim was a nightmare.”

“You should've seen X trying to explain that one to the adjuster,” I say, unable to suppress my grin at the memory. “What did you tell them again?”

“Electrical fire,” Xavier replies flatly. “Which is what I'll be telling them when I murder Knox and dispose of the body.”

Mira touches his arm. “You're not actually going to murder your brother.”

“The night is young,” Xavier deadpans.

“See, this is why I never volunteered for cleanup duty,” Landon says. “Too much paperwork.”

“You never volunteer for anything that requires human interaction,” Knox shoots back.

“Efficient delegation,” Landon corrects.

Sadie laughs. “That's one way to put it.”

“What about the chandelier incident?” I ask, warming to the subject. “That was three years ago, right?”