Page 10 of Lethal Beauty

Ick, I twisted my face in disgust at that visual.Just what I needed before dinner. “You ever stop to think that I’m just lazing around in a hot tub and that you idiots just came in from the frozen tundra?” I snapped. “I’m not ignorant, never have been, never will be. Y’all just came in from the outside and are taking this completely out of context. And,” I talked over Boone when he tried to cut in, “if y’all were a hundred percent confident in that thought, then you wouldn’t have been sneaky about it.”

Keene settled his glass on the table next to him. “We weren’t sneaky about it. It’s not like we told them to hide what they were doing. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even know they were there.”

That was a lie, but I wouldn’t point it out. “I meant from Gideon. If you all were in agreement, you would have included him in ganging up on me like you always do.”

“Your brothers just care about you,” my father interjected, and I bit back a wince because I knew it was true. But I knew I was right, too.

“And I love them right back, but that doesn’t mean they have the right to control my life with zero input from me,” I sniffed, downing half of my glass of wine in one go. “If they pulled that shit with each other—“

“Language,” my father cut in, but I continued talking.

“They would have beat the others bloody, and all y’all know it. Just because I’m a woman—“

“Your gender has nothing to do with it. If you had as much training as the rest of us, we wouldn’t have as much as an issue, andyouknow it.“ Royce leaned forward, prepared to argue his stance.

“That’s bullshit,” I flung the words back, my temper getting the better of me, and my father snapped that time.

“That’s enough, young lady. Your mother raised you better than to use such language. Your brothers worry about you, and they’re well within their right to look after you as your older brothers. They’re hardly keeping you from living your life, just trying to do their duty to keep you safe while you do what you were born to do.”

I ignored him. My mother was the one I’d learned half of my vocabulary from, and I wasn’t about to let him start guilt-tripping me that early in the meal. Besides, he had no idea what I’d really been born to do—he’d lost that right long ago—and it certainly wasn’t posing for pictures. I stared Royce down, hating that he thought me so incapable but not able to rectify his incorrect assessment. “Regardless,” I took a deep breath. “I’m no Bimbo Barbie. Just because I make my living on my looks does not mean I don’t have a brain. If you had come to me and had an actual conversation—“

“You would have agreed to it?” Boone asked snidely, taking a large gulp of his drink.

“I might surprise you,” I taunted. “After all, I agreed to the bodyguard Valencia has been requesting me to take for months after Gideon expressed concern a few weeks ago.” As a unit, they all straightened, and I raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t know that, did you?” I murmured. “Not sure why you started doubting him, but it has to tear at him that y’all thought you had to go around him.” I let the reprimand linger, wanting it to hit home. I might not like being outvoted and run rough-shod over all the time, but I didn’t like the change in dynamics and wanted it fixed.

“I hope you don’t mind,” a voice from the doorway pulled all of our attention to the newcomer, “but I was in town and thought I’d stop by.”

“Uncle Harry,” I said in surprise, rushing over to hug him. My father’s younger brother lived in Houston but was always a welcome face. Not only was I fond of him, but his presence would keep Daddy in line for the evening. “Is everything okay?” I asked, looking at him carefully. He was as lean as my daddy was broad, his ice-blue eyes stark against his pasty skin. My family was all olive-skinned, sunshine-loving, dark-haired Italians, living life large and loud. Uncle Harry couldn’t be more different. He would probably burst into flames if he spent more than a handful of minutes outside, and his cultured voice, void of the deep Texan accent the rest of us had, was soft and controlled, though his pack-a-day habit had taken a toll on him, its tone resembling sandpaper. I wasn’t sure why the two brothers shared tobacco as a vice, but I was sure there was a story there somewhere.

“‘Course it is.” He patted my shoulder awkwardly. He never was good at showing affection. “I just heard you were home for a few days and wanted to see you with my own two eyes. How’s everything going? I heard you secured a highly prized contract with a clothing company a while back.”

I smiled, taking a step back so he could nod at his brother and nephews in greeting and trying to keep my weariness in check. “I did. It’s probably the highlight of my modeling career to be selected by Valencia as the face of their new line.”

“She said she’s going to stop traveling so much after this,” Gia announced from the hallway, running over to hug her grandpa before doing the same with her great-uncle. Gideon came in a second later, his dove-gray suit impeccable as always. “So that she can be home more.”

“I said I’m going to be more selective about what I take,” I corrected, not wanting anyone to put words in my mouth, noting my father’s face was already reddening. “I didn’t say I was going to be home more.” As much as I wanted to, I wasn’t sure I could be. To do my job, I had to maintain my skills, and being home never failed to spark the desire to relax my defenses in the worst possible way. I could be myself personality-wise, but in other aspects of who I was, I still had to hide. At least while modeling, everything I did was a cover. It was easier to be someone you weren’t all the time than to be half that person.

Gia pouted. “I don’t see why if you took on fewer jobs, you couldn’t be here more. You live here.”

I shook my head. “I live here sometimes, not all the time.”

That had all the men in the room save Uncle Harry turning on me in an instant. “What the hell do you mean? You live here sometimes?” Boone demanded, and it wasn’t lost on me that Daddy didn’t correct his word choice.

“It means sometimes I live here, and sometimes I live elsewhere,” I said with exaggerated patience. I hadn’t meant to let that tidbit slip, but now that I had, I would have to live with the consequences, though damn if I was going to get into a fight over it with Uncle Harry in the room. At least I wouldn’t start the fight, but I was willing to finish it if necessary.

“Your home is here. Where else would you be?” Royce asked, his frown dark.

“I have more than one home. Several, in fact.” I kept my back to the room as I filled my wineglass, feeling the piercing stares of my brothers and father.

“I’d wager a guess that I’m not the only one in this room who has other residential properties,” I said mildly, raising an eyebrow at Gideon. “Anyone else upset that Daddy has a house on the coast or Gideon has a townhome in D.C.?” I took a sip from my wineglass. “No? How about Keene’s cabin in Colorado?”

“How do you know about—“

“I’m a little sister. Snooping is in the job description.” I waved a hand in dismissal. “The important thing to note is that no one else is upset at the idea of them having other residences. Why should I be any different?” I challenged. “I have several homes in Europe. I’m often in Italy on shoots, and I own property in Milan and Paris and an apartment just outside Monte Carlo, close to the city of Nice. It makes sense for me to have a home of my own to recharge, even if the companies I work for would provide hotel accommodations.” In reality, I also had properties in Switzerland, London, and New York, and a tiny cabin in the middle of nowhere Canada. But I didn’t need to divulge that part, especially since they were buried in shell companies and fake identities. “Now, can we please move on to less-aggravating topics? I don’t think this is appropriate dinner conversation. After all, discussing money, property, and investments is considered crass.” I couldn’t help the dig at Daddy’s references to proper behavior, but it went over his head, though I saw Keene crack a smile.

Dinner progressed with little fanfare after that, largely because of Uncle Harry’s presence. Daddy’s attendance might not prevent a family brawl, but to do so in front of our very-proper uncle didn’t sit right with any of us. And my uncle’s view that I was an adult kept Daddy from laying into me for declaring I was pulling back from modeling. I knew he disagreed with the decision, and I’d catch an earful if he got the opportunity, but I’d distanced myself from him enough, both personally and professionally, that other than bluster and lecture, there wasn’t much he could do. I only had to stop myself from brandishing my steak knife once when Gideon brought up the fact that he’d seen Matteo yesterday morning before most would consider it polite visiting hours at my house. I smoothed it over with everyone, laughingly telling him I was still jet-lagged and that Matteo had offered a four a.m. class since he couldn’t fit me in later that day. “Yoga is excellent for the body,” I’d announced, and I had to admit I’d added it to my workout routine years ago due to the excellent muscle control it incorporated.

Not one of us was foolish enough to think it was the end of the discussion, however. I knew our argument would continue tomorrow when I’d promised to stop by the offices. They hadn’t told me a time, but I planned on coming in early. If I was going to storm out, I might as well do it early enough to get shit done afterward. And with any luck, I could avoid Daddy for at least a few weeks, delaying that showdown as long as possible. After all, one argument a visit really should be enough, and I could tell the one with my brothers was going to be a doozy.

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