Part 7 (1/2)

All of them glowering darkly, bodies tensed as if for a fight.

Which Lily would be more than happy to give them.

Chapter 6.

Lily was furious on so many levels, at the accusation and suspicion in Gabriel's tone, but mostly with the fact that all four of her brothers had obviously broken into her apartment. Such behavior went way beyond an invasion of her privacy and s.p.a.ce.

”Lily,” Jonas protested softly when he saw the light of battle in her eyes.

She removed her hand from his arm and stepped around him to confront her brothers. ”How dare the four of you walk in here as if you own the place-”

”Possibly because we do,” Gabriel came back tightly.

”What?” Lily stared at him incredulously.

He gave an unapologetic shrug. ”Knight Security bought this building the day after you moved into it. We also increased security, and installed surveillance cameras outside, front and back.”

Jonas gave an inward wince, at the same time as his outward expression remained impa.s.sive. Gabriel didn't know his little sister at all if he thought that information was going to go unchallenged.

”You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!” Lily exploded, hands clenched at her sides. ”All this time, I thought I was being so independent- You're nothing more than a controlling monster. All of you are. And to think that minutes ago, I was telling Jonas we needed to call you.” Her furious gaze encompa.s.sed all her brothers. ”Get out,” she snapped between gritted teeth. ”All of you, just go, before I say something we're all going to regret.”

”We're only trying to look out for you,” Asher defended.

”I didn't ask you to look out for me. I don't need you to look out for me,” she added vehemently.

”All evidence to the contrary,” Gabriel snarled. ”Someone was killed at the theater you work in earlier this evening, another person seriously injured, and I had to hear it on the national news.” His angry glare included Jonas too now. ”What the f.u.c.k were you thinking, Jonas, not letting me know what had happened?”

”Respecting Lily's privacy? Allowing her to be the one to make the decision as to whether to tell you or not?” he came back calmly.

”I heard about the murder and attack on the national f.u.c.king news channel!” the other man repeated, as if he didn't quite believe it himself.

Jonas shrugged. ”And Lily and I have been a little preoccupied the last couple of hours.”

”So we all saw,” Gabriel snapped, his eyes glittering like twin emeralds.

”And what is that supposed to mean?” Lily bristled.

”This is your bedroom, the lights are off, and the two of you are alone together.” Gabriel's eyes narrowed. ”And I obviously made a mistake asking Jonas to protect you, when he can't keep his d.a.m.ned hands to himself!”

”You- How dare you? And for your information, I was the one who had my hands all over him just now, not the other way around!”

”True,” Caleb put in softly, and then held his hands up in self-defense as Lily turned that glare on him.

Asher scowled. ”He wasn't exactly fighting her off.”

”I wouldn't fight either, if a beautiful woman wanted to put her hands all over me,” Ethan drawled.

”Well?” Gabriel ignored his youngest brother to challenge Jonas.

”Do not turn this round on Jonas.” Lily stepped forward. ”This is between you and me, and right now, I don't like any of you very much.” Tears glistened in her eyes. ”When are you going to trust me enough to let me grow up? To be independent?”

”It isn't you we don't trust, Lily,” Ethan soothed.

”Well, it certainly seems that way to me. And I was going to call you,” she told Gabriel. ”Probably once Jonas and I were settled into the hotel-”

”What hotel? What the f.u.c.k is going on here?” her eldest brother demanded.

Jonas had heard quite enough, knew there was too much anger and resentment between Gabriel and Lily right now for either of them to truly listen to anything the other had to say.

In Jonas's opinion, Lily's anger and resentment were justified. Putting in extra security and street surveillance was one thing, but buying the building where Lily lived and then having Gabriel walk in when he felt like it was unacceptable. He was pretty sure Gabriel's anger was mainly caused by fear for his young sister's life, but that in no way excused this behavior.

”I was following protocol, Gabriel,” Jonas spoke evenly. ”You remember what that is, don't you? First priority, to secure the princ.i.p.al? In this case, that would be Lily. Which is why I was moving her to a hotel.”

”Oh.” The other man deflated like a punctured balloon.

Jonas nodded tersely. ”Talking of which, I suggest we all retire to the sitting room and leave Lily to pack her suitcase.”

”Wow, I think that's the most I've ever heard you say in one go, Jonas,” Asher taunted.

He shot the other man an irritated glance. ”The alternative was to kick the s.h.i.+t out of the lot of you. Which, in the circ.u.mstances, Lily may have preferred,” he added with a rueful glance in her direction. ”I just happen to think dialogue will suffice on this occasion.”

Lily didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the incredulous expressions on her brothers' faces. Or shout go, Jonas, as her brothers all preceded him out of her bedroom and the door closed quietly behind them.

She felt grateful to Jonas for removing them as she sat shakily on the side of her bed and drew in several deep, controlling breaths. Her body felt as if she had been on a roller-coaster ride and taken her emotions on the highs and lows along with it. That disgusting graffiti. The intimacies she had shared with Jonas. The attacks on Charlie and Evan. Charlie's death. The interview with the police. Last but not least, learning that Knight Security owned the building she lived in.

She knew her brothers well enough to know the latter probably meant there was a lot more security in this building than she-or Jonas?-were aware of. Although possibly not; Jonas was quiet and lethal, but he was also highly intelligent, and he knew how to protect ”his princ.i.p.al.” Jonas had known about that added security.

d.a.m.n him.

d.a.m.n them all.

To be fair to Jonas, he was only doing his job. But her brothers' had stepped over a line by putting that extra security around her without even telling her. As for buying the building she lived in...

Intrusive, yes. Stepping over a line, yes.

But those things might also have kept her safe from her stalker up till now.

”How on earth did you manage to get rid of them?” Lily eyed Jonas curiously, her head turned on the backrest to look at him as she sat beside him in the SUV. By the time she came out of her bedroom with her packed bag, her brothers had all gone and only Jonas remained.

He gave a humorless grin. ”I pointed out that Gabriel engaged me to protect you and they should all just back off and let me do my job.”

Her eyes widened. ”And that worked?”

”It did once I told them the alternative,” Jonas murmured with satisfaction. The Knight brothers were arrogant b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, but luckily, Jonas was equally so.

”Which is?”