not when he was so very close.
“I need you to be careful.” Luc paused, the seconds ticking away. “They came after me.”
“Oh.” He closed his eyes, the thought of losing yet another brother too much to bear.
“I’m in the safest place you can imagine. Put the stones away and come join me.” Luc sounded wistful more than hopeful. His brother knew him well.
“I have to try, Luc. I have to.” He was certain this would work. No one had ever assembled all of the cat’s eyes stones, not since they were sent to opposite ends of the earth.
“It will kill you.”
Yves heard someone speaking, talking to Luc, the sound deep, smooth. Vaguely Continental.
“I’m sorry, Luc. I have to try.” He sighed softly. “Take care of yourself. I miss you.”
He hung up the phone without waiting for an answer, then ordered himself another latte. Luc had sent someone. What? A bodyguard? A kidnapper? They had a bargain; they were never in the same place at the same time. He didn’t need Luc’s help.
He checked the window again, but he couldn’t see anything that twigged his sixth sense. Yves chuckled. Spider kitty sense.
He set to work, tapping on his laptop, searching for clues, for a hint of how to turn back time. He had to for Girard.
He had to make this work for all of them.
***
This guy was slippery.
Reuben didn’t know why that should surprise him. Luc was a slinky kitty and this was his brother, right? The coffee shop was tucked away where he almost missed it, but he finally realized that was where Yves had to be, and he backtracked.
Hopefully, the place had pastries.
He was fucking starving. His belly was going to eat itself.
He checked his danger areas. Just Yves. So he went to the counter to order.
His primary looked fucking exhausted, hair limp and eyes with two-week bags. The guy needed a sandwich and a nap.
Maybe two of both.
Reuben grinned. Okay, time to approach. “Can I get three of those ciabatta sandwiches and two lemon pound cakes with my mocha?”
“Absolutely. Turkey or ham?”
“Turkey.” He chose the protein over the fat, even if his primary could pack in both.
“You got it.”
Said primary was deep in his computer, so Reuben guessed he was sending out “take it easy” vibes. Go him.
He hummed, grabbing his order and heading to his target’s table. Time to just brazen it out. “Hey, can I sit with you?”
Yves Felis blinked up, fastening amazing emerald eyes on him. God, they were deadly up close and personal. So bright, like the emeralds the guy supposedly collected.
“Sure. Have a seat. I’m about to leave. Just stealing bandwidth for a few minutes.”
“No, honey. I want to sit with you.” Reuben laid on the Southern, which no one expected when they looked at him.
Yves blinked, stared at him. “Do I know you?”
Reuben sat and man, it was obvious, when Yves realized he was effectively trapped in the corner. That nose started twitching and Reuben swore he could see the tail lashing.
Such a kitty.
“Nope. I bet you know who sent me, though.”
“Tell him I said no to you, too.” The laptop closed with a snap, and then there was a flurry of activity as the little bag was somehow filled with all the electronics.
“Hey.” He put a hand over Yves’, which stopped every motion dead. “Just sit with me a minute and have a sandwich.”
“A sandwich?” Pure black eyebrows lowered, the expression deliciously confused.
“Mmm. Turkey on ciabatta with cranberry mustard. I got a pastry, too. Lemon pound cake.”
“What for?”
“Lunch.”
“Oh.”
He pulled over the tray with the food. “Turkey and bacon. Yum.”
“I... I’m...”
“What? Not hungry? I can smell you.”
Oh ho! Look at those eyes flash. Green lightning, enough to sear him a little.
“I’m fine.” That nose quivered when Reuben opened the container.
“Uh-huh. Smell you.”
“I bathe.” Oh, so cute, pretending to be something mundane.
“Mmm. I know, but then you get your
“I need you to be careful.” Luc paused, the seconds ticking away. “They came after me.”
“Oh.” He closed his eyes, the thought of losing yet another brother too much to bear.
“I’m in the safest place you can imagine. Put the stones away and come join me.” Luc sounded wistful more than hopeful. His brother knew him well.
“I have to try, Luc. I have to.” He was certain this would work. No one had ever assembled all of the cat’s eyes stones, not since they were sent to opposite ends of the earth.
“It will kill you.”
Yves heard someone speaking, talking to Luc, the sound deep, smooth. Vaguely Continental.
“I’m sorry, Luc. I have to try.” He sighed softly. “Take care of yourself. I miss you.”
He hung up the phone without waiting for an answer, then ordered himself another latte. Luc had sent someone. What? A bodyguard? A kidnapper? They had a bargain; they were never in the same place at the same time. He didn’t need Luc’s help.
He checked the window again, but he couldn’t see anything that twigged his sixth sense. Yves chuckled. Spider kitty sense.
He set to work, tapping on his laptop, searching for clues, for a hint of how to turn back time. He had to for Girard.
He had to make this work for all of them.
***
This guy was slippery.
Reuben didn’t know why that should surprise him. Luc was a slinky kitty and this was his brother, right? The coffee shop was tucked away where he almost missed it, but he finally realized that was where Yves had to be, and he backtracked.
Hopefully, the place had pastries.
He was fucking starving. His belly was going to eat itself.
He checked his danger areas. Just Yves. So he went to the counter to order.
His primary looked fucking exhausted, hair limp and eyes with two-week bags. The guy needed a sandwich and a nap.
Maybe two of both.
Reuben grinned. Okay, time to approach. “Can I get three of those ciabatta sandwiches and two lemon pound cakes with my mocha?”
“Absolutely. Turkey or ham?”
“Turkey.” He chose the protein over the fat, even if his primary could pack in both.
“You got it.”
Said primary was deep in his computer, so Reuben guessed he was sending out “take it easy” vibes. Go him.
He hummed, grabbing his order and heading to his target’s table. Time to just brazen it out. “Hey, can I sit with you?”
Yves Felis blinked up, fastening amazing emerald eyes on him. God, they were deadly up close and personal. So bright, like the emeralds the guy supposedly collected.
“Sure. Have a seat. I’m about to leave. Just stealing bandwidth for a few minutes.”
“No, honey. I want to sit with you.” Reuben laid on the Southern, which no one expected when they looked at him.
Yves blinked, stared at him. “Do I know you?”
Reuben sat and man, it was obvious, when Yves realized he was effectively trapped in the corner. That nose started twitching and Reuben swore he could see the tail lashing.
Such a kitty.
“Nope. I bet you know who sent me, though.”
“Tell him I said no to you, too.” The laptop closed with a snap, and then there was a flurry of activity as the little bag was somehow filled with all the electronics.
“Hey.” He put a hand over Yves’, which stopped every motion dead. “Just sit with me a minute and have a sandwich.”
“A sandwich?” Pure black eyebrows lowered, the expression deliciously confused.
“Mmm. Turkey on ciabatta with cranberry mustard. I got a pastry, too. Lemon pound cake.”
“What for?”
“Lunch.”
“Oh.”
He pulled over the tray with the food. “Turkey and bacon. Yum.”
“I... I’m...”
“What? Not hungry? I can smell you.”
Oh ho! Look at those eyes flash. Green lightning, enough to sear him a little.
“I’m fine.” That nose quivered when Reuben opened the container.
“Uh-huh. Smell you.”
“I bathe.” Oh, so cute, pretending to be something mundane.
“Mmm. I know, but then you get your
Similar Books
