Page 115 of Emerald

“You’re home.” A man rushes up and pulls Elena in a hug. Who the fuck does he think he is? Elena hugs him tightly. Then I see one of the Clark sisters come up behind him and rub his back, she gives Elena a nod and a smile. Oh. That must be her brother. Ease up, Nash.What? It’s been a stressful twenty-four hours, my nerves are shot.Suddenly, I hear an older man wail beside us. He starts speaking Russian, and I watch as Anna and her father reunite. “Anna?” Elena’s brother asks, I think she said his name was Max.

“Yes,” she answers, then his eyes land on me and his brows pull together.

“Who is this?” he asks Elena, his jaw ticking with unreleased tension. Didn’t Brooks say he was an assassin, too, for the Bratva? Shit. Elena spins around and puts her hand in mine, the woman behind him gasps as she pulls me toward her brother.

“This is Nash Madden. I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for him,” she explains. That isn’t true, but the way her brother is looking at me like he wants to kill me, I’m going to assume it’s her way of diffusing the situation.

“You must be Max, Elena’s brother, it’s an honor to meet you. She talked about you a lot,” I say, holding out my hand to him. He takes it and tries to crush it, but I don’t let him.

“Why are you touching him?” Max asks Elena while still glaring at me.

“Would you cut out the overprotective brother bullshit, I could kill Nash in two point five seconds or less. I can handle myself,” Elena argues with him.

“I know, but you’re still touching him. Why?” Max presses.

Elena rolls her eyes and the pretty woman behind Max, I think it’s Grace, giggles as if all this is funny. “He’s my … um … Nash what are we?” Elena turns to me.

“You’re mine and I’m yours,” I tell her, looking down at those sea foam green eyes as a wide smile lights up her face.

“That’s it,” she agrees, turning back to her brother, who looks even more pissed off.

“Babe, stop.” Grace tugs on his arm.

“The man is old enough to be her father,” he snips.

“No, I’m not.”

“Max!” Elena warns her brother.

“You’re not dating my sister. You’re not good enough for her.” He points in my direction.

“Max!” Elena warns again as she lets go of my hand and takes a couple of steps toward her brother. “I will not allow you to insult Nash. He is one of the most caring, patient, loving, and truly good guys I have ever met. He makes me happy. I thought you were over-protective, he is much worse, but I know that’s because he cares about me, not because he can get something from me. He makes me feel more like a human than the monsterthat I am. You should know what that feels like,” she states, her eyes flicking to Grace.

The hard stone in my chest cracks open hearing her words.

“Grace is my wife.”

“Because of me!” she yells.

“I don’t understand how you went out on a mission and came back in love,” he says, throwing his hands up in the air.

“I don’t know, Max, how do you? Wasn’t Grace your mark? Weren’t you supposed to keep an eye on her?” She glares at him.

“This is about you, not me,” Max argues.

“Babe, I know Nash,” Grace tells her husband.

“You do?” He looks between his wife and me, still with murder in his eyes.

“He used to work with Brooks and Sophie. You’re ex-military, right?” Grace asks.

I nod. “SEALs.” Max’s eyes still narrow on me.

“You like Brooks?”

“I tolerate him.” Max huffs.

Grace shakes her head. “I think it’s great you’ve found someone,” Grace says to Elena. “And you’re not a monster by the way. I won’t hear you talk about yourself like that,” she tells Elena. “Welcome to the family, Nash.”

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