“So what happened to your face? Your boyfriend tune you up?”
Daniel stiffened. Alex wasn’t sure what this was—maybe some kind of territorial thing? It was only a guess; Alex didn’t have a lot of experience with other women. In the distant past, she’d suffered through a couple of immature roommates, liked a few other lady science geeks, and made small talk with the rare female underling who didn’t flee her presence. Mostly she’d worked with men, and she didn’t know all the rules for doubleX-chromosome interactions. At a loss, she went with the truth, though she probably should have waited to see what Kevin had told the woman.
“Um, no, it was a Mafia assassin.” Alex worked her jaw, feeling the bandage pull against her skin. “Oh, and the older stuff was just Kevin trying to kill me.”
“If I’d actually been trying to kill you, you’d be dead,” Kevin grumbled.
Alex rolled her eyes.
“What, you want to go another round?” Kevin demanded. “Anytime, sweetheart.”
“The next time I put you down,” Alex promised, “it will be permanently.”
Kevin laughed—not derisively, like she expected, but with genuine delight. “See what I mean, Val?”
The woman looked like she was trying not to smile. “Okay, you’ve piqued my interest. But I have only the one extra room.”
“Ollie’s good at roughing it.”
“Whatever,” the woman said. Apparently it was an agreement. “Get all that mess out of my living room.”
She skimmed close by Daniel as she passed them. Without a backward glance, she headed upstairs. The kimono was very short, and both brothers watched her climb with partially open mouths.
“You turned her down?” Alex muttered under her breath.
Kevin heard her and laughed again. “Let’s move this stuff before she kicks us all out.”
? ? ?
THE EXTRA BEDROOM was bigger than Alex’s entire DC apartment had been. And it wasn’t as if she’d been living in a dive; her place was what real estate agents described as a luxury apartment. This place, though, was several degrees beyond mere luxury. Kevin had seemed on the level when he said the woman was a hooker, but Alex hadn’t had any idea that profession could pay so well.
Kevin stacked the duffels against one wall.
“Ollie, you’ve still got that cot, right? There’s a huge walk-in closet off the bathroom. Check it out and see if it will work for you. You could set up on one of those couches out there, but it might be best to keep you out of Val’s line of sight as much as possible.”
“Of course Alex will sleep in the bed,” Daniel said.
Kevin’s eyebrows pulled together skeptically. “Really? You’re going to get all chivalrous about Ollie?”
“It’s like you never even met our mother.”
“Relax,” Alex said as Kevin bridled. “We’ll work it out.”
“Fine,” Kevin said.
“Should I have been more careful with my words out there?” Alex asked Kevin. “You said she’s not trustworthy.”
Kevin shook his head. “No, you’re fine. Val might kick us all onto the street when she’s tired of us, but she won’t sell us out. I’ve bought her time and her discretion. What happens with Val stays with Val. She has a reputation to protect.”
“Okay,” Alex agreed, though she wasn’t sure she entirely understood Val’s policies.
He moved to the door, then paused with his hand on the knob. “There’s plenty of food in the fridge if you’re hungry, or we can order something in.”
“Thanks,” Alex said. “I’ll sort my stuff out first.”
“Yes,” Daniel said. “Let us get situated.”
Kevin hesitated one more second, then stepped back into the room. “Uh, Danny, I just wanted to say… it’s good to see you. I’m glad you’re safe.”
Like before, as he was leaving the ranch, Kevin looked like he wouldn’t be opposed to a hug. Daniel stood awkwardly, his body language full of ambivalence.
“Yes, well, thanks to Alex,” Daniel said. “And I’m glad you’re not dead like she thought you were.”
Kevin barked a laugh. “Yeah, me, too. And thanks again, poison woman. I owe you one.”
He exited on another laugh, leaving the door cracked behind him.
Daniel gave Alex a long stare, then went to the door and quietly shut it all the way. He turned back to her, and there was clearly an argument about to begin. She shook her head and motioned him to follow her farther into the guest suite.
For a second, the bathroom made her forget why she’d come this way. A swimming pool–size tub was set into the floor, surrounded by marble and a faintly blue tile wall that shimmered like a pale sea. A showerhead the diameter of a truck tire was suspended from the ceiling over it.
“What is this place?” Alex gasped.
Daniel shut the door behind them. “Kate—or rather Val—is apparently quite successful.”
“Do you think she’s really a prostitute, or was that just Kevin trying to make the story better?”
“I didn’t come in here to talk about Val.”