Page 38 of Storm Warning
Nick nodded. “Exactly. And they used a login tied to an inactive staff account. One that should’ve been archived months ago.”
Kate’s eyes widened. “That sounds deliberate.”
“It is,” he said. “It wasn’t some bored teenager with a keyboard. This was someone trying to make us appear incompetent. Or dangerous.”
She reached over and touched his hand, a silent gesture of support. “And they picked the worst kind of alert to do it.”
Nick looked at her, something dark flickering in his eyes. “We’re tightening everything. David’s already pushed a patch. Whoever did this… they knew how to exploit the cracks.”
Kate laced her fingers through his. “You will find them. And when you do… I hope I get to write about it.”
Nick smiled and relaxed, as she’d hoped, before settling an arm around her shoulders, tucking her into his side.
After a few minutes of contented silence, Kate stirred. “Two questions. First, did your brothers tease you while you were grilling the steaks like you expected, and second, why do you refer to them as your brothers? Are you really related?”
She hesitated, a knot forming in her stomach as she realized her curiosity might be too intrusive. “Oh, you don’t have to answer if it’s too personal. I wasn’t thinking! It’s just that you have different last names and don’t resemble each other at all, yet you keep calling them your brothers.” God, she was rambling!
Nick smiled down at her, his expression warm and reassuring, easing her anxiety. “Shush, it’s okay. You’re fine. Yes, they harassed me.” He glanced toward the outdoor kitchen with exasperation. “They sat at the bar and heckled me every time I stepped outside. Why do you think I came back so quickly?”
He flashed a playful grin that made her heart stutter. “As for the brothers‘ part, well, that’s a bit of a long story. Are you up for it?” His gaze held hers, inviting and earnest.
Kate twisted and peered up at him from her spot snuggled into his side. A spark of excitement flared in her chest—he was opening up, and she didn’t want to miss a moment.
“Author, remember? I will never turn down a story, and definitely not one important to you. Tell me,” she urged, settling deeper against him, her heart thudding with anticipation.
Chapter 16
Unfolding
Nick wrappedhis arms around Kate, drawing her in to nestle against his side. He relished her body against his, her warmth radiating through the thin fabric of their clothing, igniting a spark deep within him—a connection he had yearned for without knowing it until this moment. As he held Kate, he closed his eyes, breathing in her luscious scent—something floral with a hint of vanilla that made his pulse quicken—letting the intimacy of the moment engulf him. This was bliss. Pure, unexpected bliss.
“A long time ago, in a place far, far away…” Nick started, smiling down at her, the memories colliding with the present in a rush of nostalgia that tightened his chest. “Seriously, we met at 16, in high school. A bunch of punks were beating up David because he wore glasses. Zach and I chased them off, and we took David back to my house to clean up. In talking afterwards, I discovered Zach and his mom had been struggling, living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment.”
Affection and amusement warred as he recalled those days, still vivid after all these years. “Imagine Zach sleeping on a sofa! David was on his own as well, orphaned, facing the loss of hishome while I lived in a house bigger than most apartment buildings.”
A soft smile spread across his face as he remembered those first days together, when everything changed. “Marguerite was our butler at the time—she ran the household. So, we asked her how we could combine resources. She devised a plan for Diane, Zach’s mom, to take over as head housekeeper, which meant she could live in. Of course, she brought her two sons with her.”
He leaned his head back against the cushions, staring up at the rafters overhead, not meeting her eyes as he told her what he had never told anyone. His throat constricted. “I don’t have the words to describe what it meant to me to have brothers. My parents were flakes who did nothing but party and waste money. I only saw them a few days a year. We had no relationship. Worse, they sent orders back to their secretary on what I was to do and who I saw. I had no friends as a result. Until Zach and David came along.”
His hand absently stroked her arm as he spoke, grounding himself in her presence. “They didn’t envy me for having wealthy parents. They didn’t call me Prince Nicholas. They recognized the cage it really was. They understood I would have traded it all for a normal family in an instant.”
A memory flashed in his mind, and he burst out laughing, the sound rumbling through his chest where Kate rested against him. “You should have seen their faces the first time they saw the house I grew up in. It was an over-the-top monstrosity. I’ll have to show you pictures sometime. Anyway, they were shell-shocked.”
“Before I knew it, we were inseparable.” He continued talking, sharing stories from their high school days, memories of training at the dojo, the thrill of college, and the moment Zach entered the military. Each tale was a piece of himself he had never exposed to anyone, and with each word, layers of hisheart unfolded. The weight of years of silence lifted with every anecdote shared, leaving him lighter, freer.
“When my parents died, and I discovered the estate was bankrupt, I came up with the plan to build and open this resort. They joined me, no questions asked. David gave up a lucrative job in Silicon Valley. Zach tapped out of the Army when his time was up.”
As he finished his story, he realized this had felt right—more right than anything had in a long time. Kate had nestled her head against his chest, her steady breath a soothing rhythm that anchored him as she listened without judgment or interruption. A small smile danced on his lips, though beneath it lay a swirl of emotions: joy, nostalgia, and a flicker of vulnerability that both terrified and exhilarated him.
“I left a few details out, as I’m sure you’ve guessed. Those are David and Zach’s to share.” The weight of those treasured memories pressed against him like a physical presence. “We may have met under difficult circumstances, but we became brothers in spirit, if not in blood. We’ve been together ever since.”
The bond he described was a lifeline tethering him to the people he cherished most, and the emotion threatened to spill over. His eyes burned, and he blinked against the sensation. These were the men he trusted with every fiber of his soul.
“Imagine the faith it took for them to give up their lives and join me when I started the resort.” He gazed out at the moonlit water, its surface shimmering like scattered diamonds, a gentle smile gracing his lips as memories of laughter and shared moments flooded his mind in vivid detail.
“I’ve found something rare,” he said, a profound realization echoing in his voice, roughened by emotion. “We work as a team seamlessly and still like each other enough to spend anyoff time together. We don’t always travel together, but we do more often than not.”
A chuckle bubbled from his chest, rich and filled with affection. “We do get on each other’s nerves, sure, and the pranks? They can get extreme. But at the end of the day, we’re still family. That’s something I know will never change.”