was like a sister to him now. He clenched his jaw and tried to speak as calmly as possible. “Maybe not for you, Cat. But you can’t read minds. You think they won’t want to prod her brain a little?”
Cat made a soft, shocked sound of denial, but Drei kept his eyes on his mother’s face. She was cooly beautiful, calm, but he saw a muscle beside her eye twitch. Cassandra gave a low gasp. His mother may have been able to avoid thinking about what the doctors might do to Cassandra when she’d initially asked, but clearly her thoughts had touched on it when he brought it up.
Cassandra paled. Elena dropped her gaze and brushed at her dress. “I just meant blood tests, for Christ’s sake, Andrei.”
He didn’t need to hear Cassandra’s choked laugh to know his mother was lying. He did snarl then. “Not fucking happening.”
Ignoring the startled looks of his brothers and Cat’s wide-eyed worry, Drei crouched, threw Cassandra over his shoulder, and stalked out.
“Andrei! Come back here! That’s a direct order!” his mother called after them. But he kept walking, big strides eating up the hallway.
Hair hanging down, ass in the air, with his arm clamped tightly around her waist, Cassandra wrapped her arms loosely around his ribcage and sighed.
*****
“You can put me down now.”
Drei kicked the door closed first and then set Cassandra on her feet. Her cheeks were flushed dark red, but not in anger or embarrassment. All the blood had rushed to her head as he carried her out of HQ, away from his mother and brothers and Cat, down the street to his house.
Thankfully, Cassandra hadn’t struggled at all, and it was still early enough in the morning that there weren’t many people out on the street. One bleary eyed guy had seen them and cautiously called out, “Hey lady, you alright? Want me to call the cops?”
Cassandra had lifted one hand to wave and shouted back. “No thanks, I’m fine.”
The man had looked comically confused. Drei threw him a feral grin, unable to contain the amusement he felt at the redhead’s nonchalance.
Now that she was back on her feet, she took a moment to smooth her hair back before taking in his living room.
Unlike his brothers, Drei preferred having an actual place to live. Grig and Em had apartments that were little more than places to sleep in between working and partying. Or, Grig did. Em’s place was decidedly more home-like now that Cat spent most of her time there.
But he’d bought this place a few years ago and actually taken the time to decorate it to his tastes. It was convenient to HQ, walking distance, but it was totally his. There was a living room, dining room/kitchen, two bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms and a decent sized, private yard out back.
He watched Cassandra studying the decor in the rooms she could see – lots of cool tones in the living room, greens and blues and grays, and warm tones in the dining room/kitchen, reds, oranges, and umbers. He liked natural wood and simple furniture and complex artwork.
Drei wondered what she thought of the place, wished he could read her mind too. She looked like she went to the gym or did some sort of physical activity, her arms and belly were toned and muscular. Would her eyes twinkle if she peeked into the second bedroom, which he’d converted into a combination weight room and office?
“I love the dining room table,” she offered, head cocked. It was satinwood, carved all of a piece, a huge chunk of smoothly polished wood. He loved that fucking table. He loved that she loved that table.
“It’s a great table.” Drei’s eyes dropped to the upper swells of her breasts where they pressed against her leather vest. They should probably talk about what had just happened back at HQ with his mother.
Cassandra took a step toward him, eyes twinkling. “We probably should.”
They should probably figure out a safer place
Cat made a soft, shocked sound of denial, but Drei kept his eyes on his mother’s face. She was cooly beautiful, calm, but he saw a muscle beside her eye twitch. Cassandra gave a low gasp. His mother may have been able to avoid thinking about what the doctors might do to Cassandra when she’d initially asked, but clearly her thoughts had touched on it when he brought it up.
Cassandra paled. Elena dropped her gaze and brushed at her dress. “I just meant blood tests, for Christ’s sake, Andrei.”
He didn’t need to hear Cassandra’s choked laugh to know his mother was lying. He did snarl then. “Not fucking happening.”
Ignoring the startled looks of his brothers and Cat’s wide-eyed worry, Drei crouched, threw Cassandra over his shoulder, and stalked out.
“Andrei! Come back here! That’s a direct order!” his mother called after them. But he kept walking, big strides eating up the hallway.
Hair hanging down, ass in the air, with his arm clamped tightly around her waist, Cassandra wrapped her arms loosely around his ribcage and sighed.
*****
“You can put me down now.”
Drei kicked the door closed first and then set Cassandra on her feet. Her cheeks were flushed dark red, but not in anger or embarrassment. All the blood had rushed to her head as he carried her out of HQ, away from his mother and brothers and Cat, down the street to his house.
Thankfully, Cassandra hadn’t struggled at all, and it was still early enough in the morning that there weren’t many people out on the street. One bleary eyed guy had seen them and cautiously called out, “Hey lady, you alright? Want me to call the cops?”
Cassandra had lifted one hand to wave and shouted back. “No thanks, I’m fine.”
The man had looked comically confused. Drei threw him a feral grin, unable to contain the amusement he felt at the redhead’s nonchalance.
Now that she was back on her feet, she took a moment to smooth her hair back before taking in his living room.
Unlike his brothers, Drei preferred having an actual place to live. Grig and Em had apartments that were little more than places to sleep in between working and partying. Or, Grig did. Em’s place was decidedly more home-like now that Cat spent most of her time there.
But he’d bought this place a few years ago and actually taken the time to decorate it to his tastes. It was convenient to HQ, walking distance, but it was totally his. There was a living room, dining room/kitchen, two bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms and a decent sized, private yard out back.
He watched Cassandra studying the decor in the rooms she could see – lots of cool tones in the living room, greens and blues and grays, and warm tones in the dining room/kitchen, reds, oranges, and umbers. He liked natural wood and simple furniture and complex artwork.
Drei wondered what she thought of the place, wished he could read her mind too. She looked like she went to the gym or did some sort of physical activity, her arms and belly were toned and muscular. Would her eyes twinkle if she peeked into the second bedroom, which he’d converted into a combination weight room and office?
“I love the dining room table,” she offered, head cocked. It was satinwood, carved all of a piece, a huge chunk of smoothly polished wood. He loved that fucking table. He loved that she loved that table.
“It’s a great table.” Drei’s eyes dropped to the upper swells of her breasts where they pressed against her leather vest. They should probably talk about what had just happened back at HQ with his mother.
Cassandra took a step toward him, eyes twinkling. “We probably should.”
They should probably figure out a safer place
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