Chapter Text
*******
It had been a shitty week; Andrew barely saw Nathaniel off the court on Friday night, nor did he get to bash Riko’s head with his racquet. Then Pig Higgins showed up on Saturday, entirely unwelcome and unwanted, the bearer of news that only reinforced Andrew’s belief in how shitty the universe was. He had to deal with another round of questions from Aaron and the upperclassmen. Then there were the terse texts from Nathaniel during the week, sparse that they were, which indicated that all was not well at the Nest (as if one couldn’t tell from Riko’s unhinged interviews where he ranted about the Ravens ‘decimating’ the Foxes during their game on Friday).
Andrew had a little to vent during his training session with Val on Sunday; they were out in the backyard, sweatshirts discarded on the porch and tank tops damp with sweat from the intense practice. Val had taken Andrew down twice so far, but he’d landed a killing blow on her once and aimed to do so again before they called it quits.
Val feinted to the left, which Andrew pretended to fall for while preparing for a strike at his ribs. He ‘dropped’ his knife and caught it with his left hand while he blocked her weapon and allowed her to barrel him into the ground, intent on raising his blade to her throat.
They stilled on the ground, Val half-sprawled on top of him with his knife below her chin and hers off to the side, their eyes locked on the other. Then she laughed as she leaned back onto her haunches. “Ha! That was good.” She rocked onto her feet and held out a hand, which Andrew begrudgingly accepted. “You’re becoming an actual challenge now.”
“So happy for you,” Andrew drawled, voice thick with sarcasm.
“Yeah, you’re a real sunbeam like that.”
He gave her the finger before he sheathed his knife, then joined her on the porch, where their now lukewarm lattes waited for them. Val let out a happy moan when she sat down and then took a sip while Andrew kept his delight at the rush of sugar and chocolate on his tongue to himself.
“So, any reason for your pissier-than-normal mood today?”
He waited until the latte was half-gone before he answered. “Talk to Lee or Nat lately?”
“Ah.” Val had another sip, then nodded. “Didn’t think you were upset about losing the game last week.” Her dark brows drew together as she gazed out over the yard, lips pursed for a moment before she spoke. “They don’t talk much about their team because of how side branch stuff ties into it; they’re good about not spreading gossip or doing anything that will look bad for the main branch.” Her lips pursed again as the nails of her left hand, manicured but kept to a short length, tapped against the paper cup. “They’re loyal and above reproach.”
They had no choice but to be those things; Andrew wanted to argue but forced himself to have another sip; nothing like being ordered to ‘behave’ or have those closest to you killed in return.
“But what I can say is that…Riko doesn’t make things easy for them,” Val continued, her voice quiet so it didn’t carry far. “And they feel guilty that the rest of the team falls under the side branch.”
He frowned while he interpreted those words; guilty over what? He thought about Nathaniel’s texts the past week, about the ‘asshole snake,’ which were usually accompanied by negative emojis such as skull and crossbones or a fist, and Riko’s ‘wonderful’ personality. “Riko’s abusing the Ravens?”
Val shrugged and set her cup aside. “They don’t come out and say that, but they no longer leave Jean at the Nest when they go away for the weekends. Something’s happening there to make them unwilling for him to be alone at the Nest without them.”
Such as Riko moving on from crippling his partner to taking out his various issues (being an unwanted child, not being the best, his many inadequacies, etc.) on his teammates. Somehow, Andrew wasn’t surprised.
He rarely was when he believed in the worst of people.
They didn’t talk much after that; he was lost in his thoughts about Nathaniel, and Val was busy texting on her phone. After a few minutes, she mentioned that she’d be busy the following weekend (which he didn’t mind since that Friday would be the big Halloween party at Eden’s) but should be free the next Saturday.
The Foxes had an away game that weekend, so the Monsters hadn’t intended to drive to Columbia since they’d return to campus late that Friday night. However, the ‘importance’ of the next day gave Andrew an idea as he nodded ‘goodbye’ to Val.
/You play Columbia on the 3rd/ he sent Nathaniel before he got up and went into the kitchen for more coffee.
It took over two hours before the Raven replied. /You can read a schedule; who knew?/
Haha, how amusing; someone was lucky he had good looks going for him because he certainly wouldn’t make it as a comedian. /Stick @ that weekend/ He’d get everyone to Columbia after the away game somehow if he had to make Nicky drink four Red Bulls and duct tape his cousin’s hand to the GS’s steering wheel.
/Why?/
Andrew clicked his tongue while he typed a response, an image of Nathaniel with a smirk on his face firm in his mind. /So you can give Val a break one week/
/Sounds like fun, but… ☹/
Before Nathaniel could argue that he’d probably be busy with Moriyama business, Andrew pulled out his secret weapon. /NBD, just my birthday that weekend/ Not that he gave a damn about it being his birthday or had plans to do anything that weekend, but the guilt was a great weapon to utilize against those who foolishly believed in it.
It was a few minutes before Nathaniel responded. /I’ll try/ /No promises/
/Bring cake/ Andrew sent, certain of victory. /Lots of it/
He received several knife emojis in response, which didn’t bother him at all; he set his phone aside and went to see if there were any potato chips left.
The rest of October passed quickly; the Halloween party at Eden’s was the usual night of drunken revelry, with Andrew having to deal with three hungover morons the rest of the weekend. Kevin and Wilds were pains in the ass about Exy and pushing the Foxes to win the rest of their games that semester (it helped that they weren’t playing any of the ‘better’ teams for their remaining matches). They kept going on about them having a shot of being in the top four, which Andrew only tolerated (didn’t stab anyone) since it meant that being in the playoffs would allow him to play against the Ravens (theoretically). Nathaniel started texting more often, though he didn’t mention anything going on at the Nest other than Jean deserved to be shipped back to France via the slowest means possible.
(Andrew agreed and suggested that the shipping container not possess any air holes.)
(He also suggested that Natalie be included in the package and received a ‘chop-chop’ message with a meat cleaver emoji from a certain over-protective sister.)
Nathaniel informed him that he, Natalie, and Jean could stay in Columbia the weekend of his birthday. /We’ll show up Saturday am/
Andrew arched an eyebrow at the ‘Saturday morning’ bit but knew better than to ask ‘why’ (at least over text). /Bring donuts/ He thought about that after sending it and clarifying. /Good donuts, ask Val where she gets them/
/Ugh, carbs/
/Damn right donuts & cake. Cake with SUGAR & REAL FLOUR & BUTTER. Anything Keto or almond flour or fake shit, I do chop-chop/
/You suck/
What the hell? Andrew finally gave in to temptation. /If you’re nice, maybe/ Who was he kidding? Nathaniel didn’t have to do anything but breathe, let alone ‘be nice.’
/ahbfedwaieheodod/
There weren’t any more texts from Nathaniel after that; Andrew would be concerned, except there weren’t any from Natalie.
However, Kevin received several from Moreau toward the end of the week, enough to make him act like an indecisive moron and let Andrew know that a particular trio of Ravens would arrive before noon on Saturday and stay at a rental nearby.
Nicky was ecstatic about having ‘company’ for the weekend and an excuse to plan a ‘real’ birthday celebration for Andrew and Aaron for once. Aaron bitched at first about going to Columbia and ‘being stuck with a bunch of Exy freaks,’ then insisted that the cheerleader tramp tag along since Andrew’s boyfriend would be there. Andrew debated asking Nathaniel about getting rid of a body or two for him (birthday present, maybe?) but ultimately decided it would be too obvious if his twin and a certain Vixen went missing that weekend.
That week, his session with Bee was venting about the unfairness life inflicted upon him via cellular division. She made the appropriate murmuring noises for a while before launching into a spiel about how he and Aaron had only really known each other for a few years and that their relationship would deepen over time (right, not when someone still held a grudge over matricide for some stupid reason), then wished him a happy birthday.
(He would have ignored her, but she gave him an expensive chocolate bar as a gift.)
Friday’s game came and was its usual annoyance; they played UNC, a team ranked midway in the southeastern division, which meant that Smalls had to bust her ass out on the court, but not so much the rest of the Foxes (well, Aaron and Gordon and Nicky…). Kevin was still his usual pain in the ass, yelling at everyone to take the stupid game seriously, while Wilds nagged them about how close they were to clinching a spot in the top four.
Andrew would tell them to ‘fuck off’ if it wasn’t for the fact that the Ravens were also in the top four of the southeastern division (they were in the top spot, in fact), and him suffering through another semester of playing meant that he’d get to see Nathaniel (and torment Riko).
He better get a damn good cake tomorrow.
The Foxes won by five points (two of them scored by an astonished Smalls), which meant that the ride back to PSU was obnoxious. Andrew sipped from a small bottle of whiskey while he sent texts to Nathaniel, who didn’t respond.
Kevin, who spent half the ride arguing with his father, eventually came to the back of the bus and noticed him on his phone. “Nat?” When Andrew gave him a blank look, he shook his head. “Jean said that he’s… uhm, busy.” Kevin made a quick stabbing motion, his expression solemn. “Him and Lee, so he probably won’t answer you tonight.”
Someone was being put to work, it seemed. “They better show up tomorrow.” Nothing better happen to keep Nathaniel (and the others, he supposed) from staying out of the Nest for a weekend. From getting away from the Moriyamas for a couple of days.
Kevin sighed as he rubbed his right thumb along the back of his scarred left hand. “They’re… they have a lot of responsibilities.”
They were fucking kids – well, not so much Natalie, but Nathaniel hadn’t even been legal for a year and already had a kill count (from what Andrew could tell) that would make most serial killers envious as hell. A kill count which climbed higher each month and would continue to do so as long as he was Moriyama’s property.
(Yet Nathaniel still managed to smile and laugh because he had things – people – in his life who made the nightmare bearable.)
(Andrew couldn’t understand how he managed that without burning out, without carving himself hollow.)
(Andrew wondered if Nathaniel could be something like that in his life.)
He read a book (or pretended to) until they arrived at the Foxhole Court, then all but shoved his Monsters toward the GS, which was already loaded for the drive to Columbia. Nicky grumbled about driving (as did Kevin about being stuck in the back with Aaron and the tramp). Still, a detour through the nearest Starbucks drive-through quieted him enough that Andrew wasn’t tempted (tempted too much) to commit homicide before they reached the house.
Everyone was tired enough to head to their respective beds once inside, which was okay with him. He didn’t even sneer (outwardly) when the tramp followed Aaron into his room, focused on falling asleep and waking up the next day.
When Nathaniel should arrive.
With carbs.
Real carbs.
(If he knew what was good for him – the redhead wasn’t the only one talented with knives.)
One moment Andrew was dreaming about Wymack forcing the team to do these ridiculous trust-fall exercises over a floor of lava (pressure much?), where he’d paired Andrew with a grinning Gordon when the sound of laughter caught his attention. Since he wasn’t turning into a charcoal briquet, he realized that the sound had come from downstairs and dragged himself fully awake, suspicious of the unusual noise.
No one laughed in the house before nine am. No one.
(Unless they’d stayed up the night drinking and were Nicky.)
Knives in hand, Andrew stumbled his way downstairs, intent on finding whoever had broken into the house, only to discover Nathaniel, Natalie, Jean, Val, and some burly guy in his early twenties gathered in the kitchen. The unknown guy was fussing with the coffee machine, Val and Jean were seated at the table, and Natalie was cooking while Nathaniel grabbed plates from one of the cupboards.
The redhead noticed Andrew and grinned, his eyes bright with some warm emotion; he called out Andrew’s name. “It’s about time you woke up.”
Andrew lowered his hands, which held the knives, and glowered at the unexpected company (and his… dammit, his boyfriend). “How did you get in?” He was greeted with five mocking stares for the question. “Why did you break in so early?”
“I thought you wanted donuts,” Nathaniel said as he motioned to a large box on the counter near the stove. “We made sure to hit the best gluten and dairy-free bakery in the state.”
Andrew raised the knife in his right hand as he approached his boyfriend. “I have an entire backyard to bury you in,” he ‘threatened’ while Nathaniel grinned, Val and the stranger laughed, Jean huffed, and Natalie… well, she gave him a cool look.
“Too much work,” Nathaniel countered, proving that he knew Andrew all too well, as did the fact that the box, once opened, exuded a wonderful aroma of sugar, cream, and sweet dough. Andrew huffed in pleasure as he sheathed his blades, then tugged Nathaniel forward for a brief kiss before picking out what looked like a giant, fluffy cream-filled donut smothered with chocolate icing.
It was delicious.
(It had to be half sugar, which meant it was perfect.)
“You can thank Mat for the recommendation.”
Andrew quirked an eyebrow at the comment from Val, who’d nodded at the stranger who was now grabbing mugs from the one cupboard. “He told us where to get your cake and the donuts.”
The Raven shrugged when Andrew glanced at Nathaniel, who’d settled next to him. “Mat’s Val’s cousin. He helps us out and has a thing for feeding us.”
“Because you’re a scrawny little thing,” ‘Mat’ said as he set the mugs on the counter. “You and Lee.”
Natalie spoke up at last; she seemed to be making an egg and chorizo scramble. “Not all of us are half-bull, like you and your cousins.”
Mat laughed at the comment. “We’ve been called worse.”
“Speak for yourself,” Val said as she grabbed a donut and sat at the table. “I think there’s something to Aunt Cora’s cooking.”
“Lots of it and always so good.” Mat grinned as he poked the half-full pot of coffee. “Dad always tells her she should open a restaurant, but she complains she’s busy enough keeping all of us out of trouble.”
“She has a point.”
“Come on, as if we’re gonna do anything to make her break out the look.”
Val shivered as if disturbed by something. “That’s almost as bad as when Abuela says she’s going to light a candle for one of us.”
The two cousins exchanged mournful gazes while Nathaniel watched as if fascinated, and Andrew wondered when the coffee would be ready.
Meanwhile, Natalie appeared to have finished cooking their breakfast. “I can’t promise it’s as good as Mat’s mother’s, but here’s something to eat that won’t spike your sugar levels dangerously.” She gave Andrew a significant look as she set the large pan on a heating pad already placed on the kitchen table.
Some people didn’t know how to live; Andrew gave her a blank look as he ate the last bite of his donut, then got up to fetch two more. Since the coffee was finally finished, he poured himself a mug and fixed it with the usual amount of sugar and milk.
He was mollified to notice the large cake, covered with icing and bearing the label from a well-known Columbia bakery, in the fridge when he retrieved the milk—and other groceries.
Natalie shook her head when he sat back down but didn’t say anything while she merely continued to spoon the food out on everyone’s plate except his. “What are your plans for the day?” Nathaniel asked after he picked up his fork.
“Elevate my sugar levels, drink alcohol, and barely move.” Andrew arched an eyebrow as he stared at Natalie, daring her to say anything; she merely rolled her eyes and handed her brother the hot sauce. “It’s my birthday.”
“Okay.” Nathaniel nibbled on his bottom lip as he splashed the sauce on his breakfast, then passed the bottle on to Mat. “Is that… like a tradition or something?”
Andrew gazed at him for several seconds before he turned toward Natalie. He didn’t have to say anything; she guessed the question without it being spoken and gave her brother a small, sad smile. “It’s rare that we’re out of the Nest for birthdays, where such celebrations are considered a distraction. The most that happen outside of it is we may receive a present or two.”
“Knives,” Jean said with an aggrieved expression. “They receive knives.”
“Hey, I gave Nat that sweet stun gun this year!” Mat beamed as if proud of himself while Nathaniel nodded. “Could stun an elephant with that thing.”
Andrew would be more than a little disappointed if Nicky got him another bottle of cologne this year when Nathaniel got the really good stuff.
“See, it’s not all knives,” Nathaniel said before sticking his tongue out at his partner. “Though a nice gift or two aside, it’s normally the same old day for us.” He frowned as he stabbed his fork at a piece of sausage. “Unless, you know, we’re putting those gifts to use.”
Natalie leaned toward Mat with a slight smile on her face. “The stun gun works well. It’s a good thing it’s not used on anyone we plan to keep alive, considering the damage it does.”
“No!” Jean stood up and slapped his hands onto the table. “No ‘stabby’ talk during meals!”
“Yeah, yeah.” Nathaniel rolled his eyes as he spooned more food onto his partner’s plate. “We know the rules. You sure are sensitive about a little blood for someone whose countrymen took great delight in public executions.”
“Because I’m not some demon doing a horrible job pretending to be human!”
“If you were, it would explain the terrible taste in men!”
“Like you’re one to—“
“Boys.” As soon as Natalie spoke, Jean and Nathaniel fell quiet, while Val and Mat appeared upset (most likely over the morning’s entertainment coming to an abrupt end). “We don’t want to make a bad impression on our hosts this weekend.”
Val scoffed as she got up to fetch the pot of coffee. “With this bunch? They fight worse than my brothers, always sniping at each other.”
Andrew gave her the finger for that honest assessment of the Minyard/Hemmick household even as he held up his mug for a refill; right around the time a blurry-eyed Nicky stumbled into the kitchen.
“Why are things so- oh! People!” He rubbed his eyes as if in disbelief at what he saw before he grinned. “We have people here!” At least this time, he wore blue pajama pants with small rainbows all over them and a matching shirt sporting a flying unicorn with a rainbow coming out of its ass. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
Andrew ignored him while he fixed his coffee.
Val introduced Nicky to her cousin (and broke the news to the pest that Mat was straight) while Natalie handed him a plate of food. Figuring it wouldn’t be long before the others woke up as well (maybe not Kevin, who could sleep through almost anything), Andrew hurried to finish the last of his eggs and got up from the table to dump his plate in the sink. He grabbed another donut, gave a pointed look at Nathaniel, and then went outside to smoke on the front porch. When the redhead came out to join him, he’d finished the donut and lit a cigarette.
“Happy Birthday. Here’s to another day closer to death.”
Andrew grunted as he blew out a plume of smoke and turned to face the smirking bastard. “Ha-ha.”
Nathaniel’s dimples were on full display as he handed over a mug of milk-lightened coffee, one full of tea (green, of course) held in his other hand. “It’s the truth; either you’re alive or dead.”
“Says the man who helps with that fine line.” Andrew sipped his drink and noted that it was appropriately sweet.
Nathaniel shrugged before he hopped up onto the porch’s railing. “You know that they refer to us as ‘shinigami,’” he answered in German. “This one guy even had a fatal heart attack when all we did was show up and pull out our knives.” He didn’t appear bothered by that fact, but why would he when he killed upon the Moriyamas’ orders? When he was surrounded by death and torture at such a young age?
Andrew had always considered himself the most fucked-up person, but he wondered if Nathaniel deserved that title. He also wondered if that was part of their attraction: finding someone else so broken and lacking in what others considered ‘morals’ and being accepted by them—finally being considered ‘normal’ by someone.
“What, no chop-chop that night?”
He was given a blindingly bright smile in return for his question. “Lee’s hoping to make up for it this weekend.” Nathaniel laughed when he flicked ash at the asshole, the sound just as bright as his smile. “Come now; I didn’t say who!”
He laughed again when Andrew gave him the finger, then hid his smile behind the rim of his mug. Things were quiet while Andrew finished the cigarette, then he went over to stand between Nathaniel’s (his boyfriend’s) muscular thighs. “Both of you have to behave this weekend.”
“Hmm, what about Jean?” Nathaniel asked as he raised a hand to Andrew’s head and waited to toy with his hair until Andrew nodded.
“He’s Kevin’s problem.” He knew the dealer wouldn’t harm Kevin—at least not on a physical level—so he refused to involve himself in their…whatever.
“And we know all too well how Kevin handles problems.” Nathaniel smirked when all Andrew did was give him a blank look for that statement. “What?”
“Shut up,” Andrew muttered before tugging the smart-ass’s head down. “Yes?”
“Yes,” Nathaniel breathed out, his pale eyes bright with desire.
The same desire burned through Andrew as their mouths pressed together, as Nathaniel’s arms rested over his shoulders, and those muscular thighs tightened around his hips. Dammit, the emotion should have settled by now, should have calmed down, yet it only grew stronger with each touch, each taste. What was it about Nathaniel that made him more addictive each time?
Andrew didn’t know, which was why he was determined to have as much as he could for as long as the improbable redhead allowed.
*******
Nathaniel knocked his left shoulder into Andrew while Val declared she had first dibs on the shower. “Not bad for a newbie.”
He was given a narrow look for the compliment while Andrew flipped the knife in his hand twice before he returned it to its sheathe. “So says the man too lazy to practice with me.”
Checking to ensure that Nicky had followed Val and Mat inside, Nathaniel shrugged before answering. “It’s not a good idea for me to do that in front of outsiders. That and you need to learn a bit more first.” He was used to practicing with Natalie and didn’t want to hurt Andrew by overestimating his reflexes and skills.
Andrew clicked his tongue as if annoyed, yet his expression was blank. “Lazy.”
“So says the person who plans to do next to nothing for the rest of the day.” Nathaniel smiled as he nodded toward the house. “You know it would make Kevin very happy if we practiced together—”
“Finish that sentence, and I’ll stab you.”
He chose to laugh at the ridiculous statement and allow himself to be pushed onto the porch and inside the house, where the others appeared to be arguing about what to eat for lunch. Kevin wanted something healthy to balance the sweets and alcohol, while everyone else vetoed him. No one wanted to compromise until Natalie cleared her throat.
“We’ll have sushi for lunch, and Mat’s making tacos for dinner.” She held up her phone, which had a local sushi restaurant on the screen. “Give me your order, and Val will pick it up once she’s finished with her shower.”
It looked like Aaron wanted to complain, but when Natalie gave him her ‘do you really want to argue with me’ smile, he quickly agreed that sushi was a great compromise. Andrew clicked his tongue—either over his twin’s antics or Natalie’s—but merely chose the most disgusting maki rolls possible. Beef and barbeque sauce? Cream cheese and jalapeno? Buffalo chicken?
“There’s something wrong with you,” Nathaniel told his boyfriend as he selected his order (a sushi platter to share with his sister and Jean and several slices of sashimi).
“Takes one to know one,” Andrew said before he went to shower.
Everyone gathered in the living room to eat once the food arrived; Val and Mat enjoyed a couple of beers with their lunch, Jean shared a bottle of wine with Kevin and Katelyn, while Andrew and his family did a few shots of vodka.
Nicky held the bottle out to Nathaniel. “Aren’t you gonna celebrate with us?”
Natalie was quick to snatch the bottle and set it aside. “He’s underage.”
Aaron snickered as he fumbled to pick up a piece of sushi with chopsticks. “Like that matters here.”
“Yeah, we don’t care about that stuff,” Nicky insisted as he motioned toward the bottle. “That and you’re legal, right?”
“Thank you, but we don’t drink.” Nathaniel smiled and then ate his toro sushi. “We’re not into it.”
Nicky looked as if he’d told him they didn’t believe the world was round. “But…you’re—”
“He told you ‘no,’ drop it.”
Nicky flinched as if Andrew had yelled at him and shoved a maki roll covered in sauce into his mouth. Nathaniel nodded in gratitude at his boyfriend, who nodded back, the motion curt.
He didn’t want to explain that he and Natalie couldn’t risk letting something slip if they became inebriated, something about the Moriyamas or their past lives. They couldn’t risk losing control of themselves and causing harm to someone if startled.
That they refused to give up the precious little control they had in their lives to something like alcohol.
It was quiet for several minutes until Katelyn asked Mat what kind of tacos he was making for dinner. He told her about his father’s ‘famous’ carnitas recipe, how there’d be grilled fish for ‘those allergic to calories,’ and fried chicken for the ‘two albinos who probably can’t handle spice.’
That made Aaron argue (loudly) that he ‘wasn’t an albino, dammit,’ while Katelyn fell to the floor in laughter, Kevin grinned in delight, and Andrew pointed out that Nathaniel and Jean weren’t much darker than him and his brother.
“Yeah, but we spend most of our days underground; what’s your excuse?” Nathaniel smirked at Andrew, who gave him a blank look in return before throwing a piece of ginger at his face.
“No food fights!” Nicky jumped up from the couch with his arms extended. “We’re not trashing the place while guests are here!”
“So fussy,” Aaron sneered, yet a disapproving look from his girlfriend made him fall quiet. She suggested that they play games instead, which was quickly accepted.
Andrew may not like the young woman, but Nathaniel thought she had a good head on her shoulders. If anything, he didn’t understand how she put up with someone like Aaron but had to admit that he didn’t know the other young man very well.
Other than what Andrew told him.
Mat went to do something in the kitchen (he forbade Nathaniel and Natalie from being anywhere near food prep after one of their missions). That left Nathaniel sitting on the floor at Andrew’s feet, splitting his attention between his homework and watching everyone other than him and his sister take turns at Mario Kart.
Natalie shook her head at the shouting and curses as everyone’s competitive nature came out (well, Andrew remained quiet, but there were several threatening looks on his end). Still, Nathaniel caught her smiling as she read one of her textbooks.
“If only you were this enthusiastic while on court,” Nathaniel murmured when Andrew rammed Kevin’s cart off the course, prompting the striker to jump on his feet and scream about cheaters.
“If only there were brain cells in your little bird head for something other than Exy,” Andrew shot back as he nudged Nathaniel’s head with his knee.
“Oh, there is; I devote a good amount of brain cells to the whole ‘chop-chop’ thing.” He smiled when something—it felt like the game controller—smacked him on the top of his head.
Val and Aaron were playing (more like Val was decimating Aaron while Katelyn and Nicky cheered her on) when Nicky’s phone rang. He continued to watch the game while he picked it up, not bothering to look at its screen, and answered it casually.
Within an instant, his demeanor changed, as did his cousins’. “Mom?”
Nathaniel felt Andrew shift behind him, the tension in his strong legs as he leaned forward while Aaron paused the game and turned to watch his cousin. Val didn’t complain about that; she rose to position herself between Nathaniel and Natalie while Jean glanced back and forth between them. When Kevin started to speak, Jean tapped his arm to silence him.
From all sources (Val, Andrew, background checks), Nicky and his parents weren’t on speaking terms (other than a brief call at Christmas), so why was his mother calling him today? Judging from the crease between Natalie’s dark brows, she was thinking the same thing, especially when Nicky’s expression went from hopeful to confused.
Andrew’s name was repeated several times during the call, something about all three of them being invited to Thanksgiving dinner. One glance around the room was enough to tell that no one thought it was a good idea.
Nathaniel met his sister’s gaze and saw a mutual understanding in her dark eyes. Nobody other than Ichirou and Stuart knew they were here this weekend; they’d spent last night handling official business in Charlotte, so they could truthfully say they were away from the Nest for work.
As far as Riko knew, they were away from the Nest for work, probably in New York City.
They may have led him to believe they would be in New York City (Jean going on about the restaurants he wanted to eat at that weekend).
If this was another harebrained scheme by the asshole snake to remove Andrew from Kevin’s life…well, the timing wasn’t too bad, their visit aside. They were busy with finals approaching and wrapping up the last games of the season, despite the Ravens being in first place by a wide margin.
However, they had people who assisted them and looked out for them and their interests (theirs and the main branch’s), and such a thing wouldn’t have gone unnoticed for long. The simple truth was that anything Riko did these days jeopardized the main branch.
One day—hopefully, one day very soon—Ichiro would finally give Nathaniel and Natalie the go-ahead to remove the threat that was his brother. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t happen until Kengo, who’d chosen to ignore anything to do with his discarded offspring, died.
It wouldn’t be long now.
Natalie’s chin dipped the slightest of increments, to which Nathaniel quirked his left eyebrow an equal amount. She set her book aside to pick up her phone, probably to text Stuart or Raiden.
Aaron began the interrogation as soon as a panicked Nicky hung up on his mother. “What the hell is going on? What does Aunt Maria want?”
“I don’t know!” When Andrew gave his cousin a cold look, Nicky shook his head. “No, really! She called to wish you both a happy birthday and to invite us to Thanksgiving dinner.”
“Us.” Andrew’s voice was the flattest Nathaniel had ever heard, and even Aaron appeared upset. “The woman hasn’t spoken about me in two years, and now she’s inviting me into her—no, into Luther’s home to break bread?”
Nicky managed a nervous chuckle as he nodded.
“Well, have fun going by yourself,” Aaron said as he poured himself a shot of vodka. “I’d rather deal with Abby’s crappy cooking than Uncle Luther’s sanctimonious ass.”
“But…but Mom told me that it has to be everyone! I can’t go by myself!” Nicky wrung his hands together in obvious distress while he glanced back and forth between his cousins. “You have to come along!”
“I don’t have to do anything.” Andrew rose from the armchair and stalked out of the room, cigarette pack clenched in his right hand. Nathaniel nodded to his sister before he followed the goalie onto the back porch.
Andrew had already lit a cigarette when he closed the door and leaned against it. “It’s so refreshing to see a family dynamic more fucked up than mine.” He laughed when Andrew gave him the middle finger. “I thought everyone wanted to spend time with their families for the holidays.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Andrew stared at him as he took a deep drag on the cigarette, then blew smoke in his face; Nathaniel knew well enough by then not to inhale until he was done with his show of temper. “Are you actually encouraging me to have dinner with my asshole relatives?”
“I’m doing nothing of the sort, just making idle conversation.” Nathaniel smiled, his eyes opened wide as he glanced around the backyard. “You know, we could set up a mock goal out here and—” His smile grew when Andrew’s fist twisted in the front of his black sweater. “Yes?”
“Shut up about Exy, and you’re up to something.” Andrew’s hazel eyes narrowed as he studied Nathaniel’s face. “What do you know about that phone call?” His fist twisted tighter in the fabric as he threw the cigarette aside. “Is it Riko?”
Nathaniel sighed and let the smile fade away. “We don’t know for certain, at least not yet. But considering the timing and the odd circumstance, Lee and I are suspicious.”
“You think it’s a trap.” Andrew’s grip on his sweater loosened; his hand slid around to grip the back of Nathaniel’s neck. “What, you’re proposing I should spring it? Bored of me already?”
Nathaniel gnawed on his bottom lip while he considered the question. “We should know soon if Riko’s involved and how,” he admitted. “I guess the next part is up to you, though either way, we’re dealing with it.”
“It’s my problem, my family—”
“It’s a risk to the main branch,” Nathaniel hissed in German as he used a belt loop on Andrew’s jeans to tug him closer. “We’ll deal with it.”
They stared at each other for several seconds before Andrew clicked his tongue. “We’ll both deal with it.”
“I suppose we will.” Nathaniel smirked and switched back to English. “You should know better by now. No one gets the chance to chop-chop you before Lee; we have to make sure that—”
Andrew surged forward to kiss him; it was hesitant at first, but when he eagerly parted his lips, the pressure grew in intensity as his boyfriend’s fingers slipped into his hair and gripped his right hip. He draped his arms over Andrew’s broad shoulders, delighting in the feel of that muscular body pressed against his own, the smell of cigarette smoke and coffee surrounding him, and pleasure surging through his body.
Andrew’s thigh nudged between his legs, making that pleasure spike when the door opened. “There you are, Nat. We’re putting on a movie. I know you don’t want to miss it.”
As they pulled apart, Nathaniel swore that Andrew growled, the sound low and frustrated. He forced himself to smile at his sister despite his annoyance and moved to step between her and Andrew. “Thanks,” he lied. He knew that Natalie meant well, but her protective nature was becoming overbearing.
“You’re welcome.” She flashed a smug smile at Andrew while she held the door open.
“Next time, no siblings allowed,” Andrew muttered as he followed Nathaniel inside.
Nathaniel silently agreed.
*******
Andrew tapped his fingers against the steering wheel of the GS as he drove to Luther’s house, the car quiet (save for Nicky’s obnoxious pop music playlist).
Good ole Luther, such a saint, a true paragon of virtue; who wouldn’t want to spend their afternoon in his presence?
Hmm, anyone who despised two-faced liars and hypocrites but Andrew had been told he had high standards.
Well, Bee told him that, among many other amusing things.
In the back seat, Nicky leaned forward, his hands clutched between his knees. “Andrew, I can’t—”
“Hush,” he told his cousin. “Don’t thank me for this.” Not when dear Nicky’s ridiculous hopes would soon be dashed; his parents hadn’t invited them to dinner to forgive old sins (on their part), but to bury the hatchet in Andrew’s back.
Same old same old.
“I still don’t understand why we’re bothering with them,” Aaron grumbled, as always the cheerful soul. “It’s going to be another bunch of the usual sermons before someone gets us kicked out again.”
“I don’t understand why I’m here for this.” Kevin tugged on his seatbelt while he gazed at Andrew as if expecting an answer. “I could be practicing.”
“Sunday is a day of rest,” Andrew intoned as he pulled off the highway. “It’s also a free meal.”
“As always, nothing from you.” Aaron slumped lower in the back seat and pulled out his phone to text someone, probably the cheerleader tramp.
“I aim to please.”
It was quiet the rest of the way to Luther Hemmick’s house. Nicky was nervous about seeing his parents, Aaron in a snit and busy texting, and Kevin upset about missing his precious Exy practice. As for him, Andrew felt something akin to emptiness.
Finding out that Luther Hemmick willingly used his son’s desire to be accepted by his parents to get Andrew where Riko wanted him…well, Andrew wasn’t surprised. He knew he couldn’t trust Luther after the man refused to believe him about Drake. Pig Higgin’s visit had only reinforced his loathing of the so-called ‘righteous’ man.
Nathaniel wouldn’t say what lay in store for him at the Hemmick’s house, just that Riko was his usual ‘unpleasant’ self, and they had it under control.
They better tell him more than that before he did a bit of ‘chop-chop’ himself, especially if he had to put up with Luther Hemmick for too long.
He’d sworn never to return to Nicky’s former home and detested having to break that vow.
Luther was his usually jolly self, full of disapproval and incriminations within moments of them entering the house. Maria was as useless as ever, something that cooked, cleaned and agreed with Luther rather than an autonomous person. The food was better than Abby’s, but the company was much worse.
It soon became clear that the Hemmicks still considered their son a pariah, and no forgiveness would be found for his relationship with Erik—that he was still unwelcome as long as he continued his ‘unnatural ways.’ When Luther—teetotaling Luther—mentioned a bottle of alcohol in an upstairs bedroom, Andrew leaped to fetch it—to get out of the man’s presence and have something to drink.
As he went up the stairs, it eventually occurred to him that the offer was highly suspicious. He slipped a knife free from his left armband and crept down the hall; he opened the bedroom door where he’d been told the bottle was located (again, suspicious as hell) as quietly as possible before he slipped inside.
The room was empty, but judging from the rumpled bed and a half-closed dresser drawer, someone had been there recently. On top of the bed, there was a bottle of wine (a cheap chardonnay).
As Andrew stood there staring at the bottle, his phone pinged. Opening the text from a blocked number, he saw an address near the PSU campus and a smiling fox face. Andrew huffed as he shoved his phone back into his pocket, grimaced at the wine (alcohol was alcohol), and went back downstairs.
Luther seemed thrown off by his quick return and excused himself from the table. Andrew had to improvise a corkscrew since the ‘dear’ Hemmicks didn’t have any (even more suspicious); the alcohol was quickly divided between the four of them and consumed by the time Luther finally returned.
They didn’t stay for dessert; Luther snapped at Nicky when he mentioned going to Germany for Christmas, and Andrew had enough of the farce. He told the asshole that when he was ready to be a real Christian to call his son and ordered his Monsters to get in the car. Nicky hesitated and then rose from the table when his parents refused to look at him or protest their departure.
It was a quiet ride back to campus.
Nicky curled up on his bed and called Erik—despite the time difference—while Aaron went to spend the evening with his cheerleader tramp. Kevin wanted to practice, but Andrew dropped him off at Wymack’s with a little white lie about ‘talking to Bee.’
It wasn’t quite a lie; he sent her a text telling her that Nicky had been let down again by his family, but he didn’t stop by to see her, as he’d implied. Instead, he drove to the address left for him by a certain Raven with a penchant for knives and murder.
He wasn’t surprised when it ended up being an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere, the perfect setting for a horror movie. An old Ford Bronco, which had seen better days, was parked in front of the house next to a shiny new Mercedes coupe. Andrew inwardly sneered as he walked past it, but he supposed it was acceptable as a disposable vehicle.
He saw Mat and Val first, dressed in black clothes that looked worn and comfortable. They stood with their backs to him in what probably had been the house’s dining room, the wooden floor covered with faded blue tarps. Despite his attempt to be quiet, he suspected they were aware of his presence.
In front of them were Nathaniel and Natalie, dressed in tight black clothing. They looked ready for a night of clubbing, all sleek and elegant…except that they moved more like predators than humans.
Oh, and the sharp, glittering, bloody knives in their hands.
Andrew’s attention was so focused on the two of them (on Nathaniel), on the way they slinked around the man hung as if a piece of meat in the middle of the room. They would lash out with those sharp blades like a cobra striking its prey, in and out so quickly that the only proof of their actions were the slashes they left behind; it took him at least a minute to realize who they were slicing apart a piece at a time.
Drake.
Drake Spear hung there naked like a piece of meat, keening in pain and begging for his life.
Drake Spear.
He didn’t realize that he’d moved forward until he ran into Mat’s muscular arm.
“No, you stay here,” the man told him while Val turned around to gaze at him. “Leave those two alone.”
“The fuck I will—”
“Nat told you they’d deal with this, so yes, you’ll stay,” Val said, her eyes cold and voice sharp. There was no sign of his sparring buddy before him, only an enforcer ordered to hold him back. An enforcer who was loyal to the two skilled assassins currently flaying the skin from the nightmare who’d done his best to break Andrew.
He thought about shoving a knife in Val’s throat to get past her, but that left Mat at his back. Also, Nathaniel would probably be upset with him if he killed the woman. Dammit, he hated considering the consequences of his actions.
“You’re buying the good donuts forever,” he huffed as he pushed Mat’s arm aside.
“Whatever,” Val said, a hint of warmth in her voice as she shifted to the left, enough for Andrew to have a better view of Drake being sliced apart.
After a few minutes, he had to admit that there might be something to Natalie’s chop-chop threat.
Also, Nathaniel and Natalie were impressive as hell; no wonder the main branch was so feared when it could use the two of them to ‘cajole’ cooperation from friends and enemies alike.
(Nevermind that someone as young as Nathaniel shouldn’t be so skilled at what he did, at sliding a blade into a person’s body like that. He shouldn’t be able to do it with such a steady hand and blank face.)
“They’re not asking any questions.” Andrew glanced at Val when he noticed how quiet the two were, that Drake was the only one speaking (sobbing, screaming, pleading, gibbering).
“You got here a little late.” She rubbed her forehead as if troubled with a headache. “The first part was them extracting a confession from him, enough to know that Riko sent him here to ensure that you’d be out of commission.”
He stilled at those words, but neither Val nor Mat acted any differently to him, gave him pitying looks, or shifted away from him. “Riko wanted me gone.” He could easily imagine how Drake would manage that; he almost pushed forward again but forced himself to remain still.
“Yes, unable to protect Kevin.” Val shook her head while Mat scoffed. “One track mind with that guy, it seems. Now they’re preparing a message to send back to Riko. Well, Tetsuji, really.
“They should be done soon. We don’t have a lot of time.” Mat frowned as he checked his phone, giving the impression of someone running late for an appointment.
Andrew wanted to ask him if he had better plans for the evening than watching a sick bastard receive his just desserts but kept quiet.
As if they’d heard him, Nathaniel and Natalie stepped back from the bloody mess that was Drake in unison, their blades lowered and expressions blank. Andrew was impressed to notice that, besides their gloved hands, there was little blood on their clothes or bodies.
They must have a lot of skill and experience to avoid the blood spray.
“Andrew.”
He frowned when Natalie turned toward him, Nathaniel busy cleaning the knives they’d used on Drake.
“If you’re going to tell me that it’s my turn, I’m not amused,” he said as he approached the young woman (the Moriyama assassin). “Also, you didn’t finish the job. He’s still breathing.”
Natalie’s expression was smooth as glass, her dark brown eyes empty of emotion as she held a clean knife out to him. “We thought you might like to have the honor.”
He stared at her for several seconds, wondering if she truly was offering such a thing (thinking about all the times he’d dreamed of it, of putting an end to the pain and degradation), but her expression never changed, and her hand never wavered. He turned toward Nathaniel, who was just as blank-faced and empty-eyed and received a tiny nod.
Wondering if this was a dream, if Luther had poisoned him during that lousy dinner and he’d passed out, Andrew accepted the knife and approached a wheezing Drake, who didn’t seem to recognize him.
“The eye’s a good spot, but you’ll have problems reaching it with the way he’s tied up,” Natalie offered, her voice quiet and emotionless despite the jab about his height.
“The femoral artery is quick unless you want to drag it out,” Nathaniel suggested.
“Stick with quick; we need to get you cleaned up, the body wrapped, and this place torched,” Mat called out.
Andrew clicked his tongue, annoyed at being told what to do, at rushing something he never thought possible. Still, it was happening; he held a knife in his hand in front of a helpless Drake, prepared to ensure the monster never hurt anyone again.
(Never hurt Aaron.)
For a moment, he debated ensuring that Drake knew it was him, that AJ held the knife ending his life, but he decided it wasn’t worth it.
He’d left AJ behind and refused to allow Drake to call him it again.
He went with Nathaniel’s ‘advice,’ and if he sliced a bit wide and deep, causing a piece or two of flesh to fall off…well, call it a learning curve. Something like satisfaction bubbled inside him as Drake uttered one more scream before bleeding to death.
“I’ll take that.” Natalie gently pried the knife from his hands while Mat and Val quickly cut down the body and began to clean up the mess. “Nat, you can take the first shower.”
While peeling off the bloody leather gloves from his hands, Nathaniel paused as he gazed at Andrew but quickly nodded and walked away. Andrew took that to mean they’d talk later.
“Give him a few minutes to return to normal,” Natalie said while setting the knife aside, confirming his thoughts. “Speaking of which, are you all right?”
Suspicious of her sudden concern, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Why did you let me do that?”
She focused on removing her gloves and placing the cleaned knives in a leather backpack as if giving herself a moment to gather her thoughts. She looked up as she zipped the bag closed. When she spoke, there was a hint of emotion in her soft voice, a glimmer of understanding in her dark eyes. “I know Nat told you a little about my past, how I crossed his father’s path because I was part of a gang that worked for his organization. I doubt he told you that my initiation into the gang was to be raped by several of its members. I killed the worst of them before I was taken to Baltimore and thought you might appreciate the chance to do the same.”
Upon hearing Natalie’s confession, several thoughts went through Andrew’s head: the first being that she was very young when the initiation took place, considering her fostering with the Wesninski family. Second, she still was young when she’d killed one of her rapists. There was also the fact that Val and Mat didn’t react to her story as they bundled up Drake’s body.
Sweet little Natalie Shields, the Ravens’ do-gooding angel who raised money for charities and collected donations for the needy, avenging those who took what they never should with sharp knives and no mercy. Andrew would hate her if not for that quiet understanding untainted without sympathy or pity.
She didn’t offer excuses for what she’d done or useless words about making things better.
Nothing would give back what was stolen from them.
They would only find comfort in knowing that one less demon now roamed the earth—by their hand.
Perhaps that would help when the nightmares inevitably came.
It didn’t take long for Nathaniel to return, his hair wet and black clothes replaced with loose, light grey sweats. Despite his casual appearance, he still looked gorgeous.
Natalie paused to cup his face between her hands and gaze into his eyes for several seconds before she went to shower, which left them alone (Val and Mat were hauling the body out to the Bronco).
“You okay?”
Andrew scoffed at the question as he reached out to tug on a black-streaked strand of red hair. “What’s supposed to be bothering me? That my asshole uncle set me up to be alone in a room with my former foster brother, a wanted child molester, that I walked in on you and your sister cutting apart said former foster brother, or that I got to kill the bastard?”
Nathaniel scrunched his nose as he considered his options, his demeanor still not quite ‘right.’ “I guess about killing the bastard. It was more hands-on than your previous kill and not premeditated.”
“I’m adaptable.”
Now Nathaniel narrowed his eyes. “You complained for a week about Nicky buying the wrong bottled water. A week.”
He tugged harder on his idiot boyfriend’s hair. “I’m adaptable when it counts.” The bottles Nicky bought had crappy lids.
“If you say so.” Nathaniel batted his hand aside and, when Andrew hummed, entwined their fingers together. “Your uncle really is an asshole.”
“So is Riko. What happens now?”
His murderous little Raven sighed, an expression of weariness washing over him for a moment; Andrew imagined being a university student, acclaimed Exy player, and feared assassin was quite the workload. One day the exy junkie would learn that it was best to be lazy. “We head back to the Nest while Mat and Val clean things up here, and Tetsuji gets a rather unpleasant package in another day or two. “
Andrew thought about that while he lit a cigarette. “You think it’s going to do any good?”
“People aren’t happy. Riko chose someone involved with the police, meaning that questions will be asked. Efforts will be required to deal with the mess he made, which never should have happened because he’s been told to behave.” Nathaniel appeared frustrated, a much better look on that gorgeous face than blankness or exhaustion. “Is it enough yet to tip the scales against the value he provides and the negative publicity of his death? I don’t know, but it’s getting there.”
Wonderful; perhaps it would only require one or two more attempts on Andrew’s life—or one of his family’s.
“Such a shame there can’t be an accident during training one day,” he drawled as he flicked the ash from his cigarette off to the side.
The comment wrung a groan from Nathaniel that morphed into a weak laugh. “Funny thing; when you constantly ask if you can kill someone, they become suspicious of you if something happens to him.”
Andrew clicked his tongue. “You didn’t think that one through.”
“Unfortunately, no.”
They didn’t say anything else after that, just stood there, close enough to feel each other’s body heat. Andrew was too raw from seeing Drake again, and Nathaniel hadn’t completely recovered from ‘work.’
Yet there was something to being near each other; judging from how Nathaniel leaned toward Andrew, he felt the same.
All too soon, Natalie came to lead her brother away while Mat warned Andrew to get out of the house before it burned with him in it.
Andrew didn’t need to be told twice.
(He hoped if he dreamed of Drake that night, it was of him sliding the knife into the sick bastard’s flesh again and again.)
*******
Natalie nudged her partner in the side as she closed her locker. “Be careful, okay? I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Susan gave her a mostly reassuring smile. “I’m heading straight to our room and won’t leave it until you return.” She returned the nudge when Natalie didn’t say anything. “Don’t worry; I didn’t mess up today and was perfect in the last game. I even got a compliment from Tetsuji! It’s all good.”
It should be, but Riko’s temper had been terrible the past week. His uncle finally seemed to be trying to control it after Riko sent a freshman to the infirmary.
There was a chance that Elias might be able to play again sometime next year.
Tetsuji ordered Riko to leave for his pro team early, but Natalie wouldn’t feel that the Nest was safe for her teammates until the sadistic asshole was gone and Ichirou had a chance to talk to his uncle. At least she was on her way to see about the latter.
Dressed in loose pants and a fitted wrap top—all in thick black silk—she headed to the East Tower. Along the way, she ran into Nathaniel, who was similarly dressed in black—form-fitting trousers and a thin cashmere sweater that hugged his upper body. He looked so beautiful that she wanted to shove him in a closet, lock the door, and tell Ichirou that he couldn’t make the meeting.
She knew that Ichirou had picked out those clothes.
Judging from the frown on Stuart’s face when Ichirou went straight to Nathaniel when they entered the main room at the top of the tower, she wasn’t alone in her fears. He pulled her close for a quick hug and whispered ‘talk later’ in her ear before he let her go.
“-see that it didn’t bruise after all. And now you won’t have to play for several weeks, yes?” Ichirou held Nathaniel’s chin between his fingers as he turned Natalie’s brother’s face this way and that, his gaze intent.
One might say…hungry.
“Well, we still have practice, and the team’s staying here for winter break, so they’re ready for the playoffs.” Nathaniel’s smile was strained, yet he didn’t pull from Ichirou’s grasp.
Thankfully, Stuart shoved a glass of whiskey toward Ichirou, which finally prompted their lord to let go. “Your team may be staying, but you won’t,” Ichirou told Nathaniel.
“No, we’ll be with you,” Nathaniel said as he motioned between Natalie and himself.
“Hmm.” Ichirou tossed back the whiskey and set it aside on an end table before he grasped Nathaniel’s arm. “Come, I need you to translate for Maksim and me.” He gave Stuart a curt nod. “You and Natalie can talk to Hoga while we wait for Tetsuji to arrive.”
Natalie ground her teeth in frustration at being separated from her brother and unable to do anything about it. She bowed her head, and when she went to track down Hoga, probably to talk about distributing stolen cars, Stuart gave a gentle tug to her left hand.
“Come on, let’s get a drink first. Hoga talks better with bourbon in him.”
True, but she suspected that Stuart wanted more than to make their discussion with the taciturn Japanese man easier.
She waited until they were alone by the bar to speak in French. “What is it?”
Stuart glanced around while he poured a generous tumbler full of expensive bourbon; the smell made her wrinkle her nose. “You’re to go to the city and work with me, but Ichirou’s heading to Tokyo to handle things before his father…you know.”
Before Kengo passed away, the doctors only gave him a few more months. It took a moment for the meaning of his words to sink in. “He’s taking Nat with him?”
Nathaniel would be alone with Ichirou in another country? Nathaniel would be alone with Ichirou without her?
Stuart grabbed her arm before she could go after Ichirou. “I’m sending someone with them,” he hissed out, his fingers biting into her wrist until she stilled.
“Who?” They better be prepared to defend Nathaniel with their life.
Stuart was quiet as he poured her a glass of iced green tea. “My niece.” He met her gaze as he handed her the drink. “Jamie won’t let anything happen to him.”
Jamie had never met Nathaniel in person, but they were blood and were both Hatfords.
They were both Hatfords, which meant they gave much to avenge their own and keep them safe.
Natalie would have to trust Jamie to protect her brother.
She didn’t like trusting others with what mattered most to her.
“She best not,” she said as she watched Stuart serve himself a hefty pour of whiskey.
He huffed as he picked up the two drinks. “The two of you will get along smashingly.” He motioned for her to lead the way to Hoga.
She’d talked a few times to Nathaniel’s cousin and usually did get along with the other young woman. That didn’t mean she was happy leaving Nathaniel’s safety in Jamie’s hands, not when it was her job to protect her baby brother.
Mary had ordered her to watch over Nathaniel and had paid a terrible price to have her sent to the Nest and remain by Nathaniel’s side, to have a life as something other than one of Nathan Wesninski’s officers. One might not think it much different than belonging to the main branch, but she had Nat, Jean, and many other wonderful things.
Nathaniel was her responsibility; he was her family.
She would do anything to keep him safe, anything.
She would bear the burden of killing for the Moriyamas if he ever felt it to become too much to do and would kill anyone who thought to do him harm.
No crime was too much if it kept him safe.
His safety was more important than hers.
It wasn’t that she felt an obligation to keep him safe but that she knew he’d do the same for her. He’d give his all to fix things if he thought she was in danger or needed help.
He’d give his all for her.
They were there for each other (and Jean), and that would never change.
That was why she had a knife tucked away in a safe place, one stained with Drake Spear’s blood and bearing Andrew Minyard’s fingerprints.
Maybe Nathaniel was right about Minyard, and she’d never have to use it against the young man. Maybe.
But if he ever hurt her brother…well, her ‘chop-chop’ plan didn’t only include physical suffering.
When she caught sight of Ichirou’s left hand resting on the small of Nathaniel’s back, the man standing too close to her brother, she forced herself to keep walking beside Stuart.
Nobody got away with hurting Nathaniel.
Nobody.
*******