Page 34 of Lethal Beauty

I nodded, giving him a sad smile. “It’s the family tradition, right? Serve our country, then come home to focus on Accardi Tactical.” I wiped my nose. “That’s all I ever wanted to do. Ever since I was a little girl, but Daddy wouldn’t have it. He told me outright that if I enlisted, he would disown me. No daughter of his would ‘sully herself in the dirt or sordid business of war.’ A.T. would be passed down to his sons. Daughters had no place there, and my life was destined for modeling.” I shuddered. “I’d never seen him that angry or sincere. I have no doubt he would have followed through if I’d enlisted the way I wanted. I’d just gotten my first big modeling job, and Daddy had been over the moon, sure it was a sign from Momma that I was on the right path.

“That’s why I try to stay away during shareholder meetings,” I whispered. “I know you four had to go against him to get me my shares anyway, and if he thought I was taking even a passing interest …” I trailed off. “And, to be honest, it’s probably better that way.” Being a full working partner with my brothers at A.T. was all I’d ever wanted—still wanted if I were truthful. But I couldn’t work there without revealing my training at some point, nor would I ever be satisfied with an H.R. or finance position that my brothers would offer out of guilt.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Royce asked, looking haggard. “You had to have known we didn’t feel that way.”

I shrugged. “It would have just gotten everyone upset. Daddy still had full control of the shares when I was eighteen. He started breaking it up a few years later. And y’all didn’t do anything that made me think you disagreed with him, though I knew you didn’t feel as strongly. Y’all came back as men with the weight of A.T. and your service on your backs. No one had time for a pesky younger sister. No one had time to go to the range for fun or do the things we used to do when y’all were on leave. And even if you did, the last thing you’d want to do on a rare day off was to hang out with me.”

Gideon’s eyes were haunted. “He told me he’d arranged for a nanny to be there for Gia while we were working.”

I blinked because there had definitely been no nanny, just me, Gia, and a whole lot of baby books I’d ordered off the internet.

“That you watched her for an hour or so most days until we got home.”

I shook my head, feeling awful to have placed this on him. “There wasn’t anyone but me. Not during the summers or weekends. Someone came in to cover the hours I was in school, but they left as soon as I got there. Thank goodness you’d shown me the basics when she came home, or I don’t know what I would’ve done. She was so sickly when she came home from the hospital that I used to have nightmares that something I did wrong ended up killing her.”

“But even the bottles were made up for me at night.” He still looked a little shocked.

Shrugging, I admitted, “I set them up for you. You were working all the time, plus had Gia. God knew I was getting a crash course in what taking care of a newborn was like, and I wasn’t trying to hold together a business. I just wanted to help cut any time off I could so you could sleep or spend as much time just being with her as possible.”

He swallowed hard and, in a move I wasn’t expecting, pulled me from my spot on the chair into his arms, squeezing me so tight I could barely breathe.

“I’ve loved you since the day Momma put you in my arms,” he whispered against my hair. “You are the best of us, little sister. Never let anyone tell you otherwise.”

I felt a tear slide down my face. For the first time since our mother died, I wasn’t ashamed of letting it fall.

Chapter 17

Alessia

Aftermyuncharacteristicallyemotionalbreakdown, we all seemed to need some together time. Since I’d never gone grocery shopping the last time I was home, I piled into Keene’s SUV—it was the closest, and my feet still hurt—and we followed the parade of cars leaving my driveway and heading to Gideon’s. Out of all of us, he had it the most together and had groceries regularly delivered to his house. He pulled out steaks and fixings while the rest of us helped around the outdoor kitchen and firepit. It was too hot to light a fire yet, but Boone and I got one ready since we all knew Gia would want one as soon as the sun set.

“Where did Matteo take Brody off to?” Keene asked, drying his hands on a towel. “If he’s over at my place, I should get him.”

I raised my water bottle to my lips, taking a sip before replying, “They went to Matteo’s gym to beat on each other in the name of male bonding. They know to head here once they’re done and showered.”

Gideon wouldn’t mind the extra mouths to feed, and I was hoping Matteo might give me a lift home tonight so that we could talk without worrying about Brody or my brothers overhearing. I was dying to know what D.M. had given me that he thought was important enough to seek me out. I knew without question I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t get to look at that flash drive.

Gia came running up from where she’d been playing on her swing set. “Aunt Lessia.” She slid to a stop. “Uncle Royce won’t play with me on the slide.”

I smiled, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. “That’s because your uncle is too big to get into the fort.”

She frowned. “He said he isn’t in play clothes.”

Grinning, I winked at her. All my brothers had obviously come straight from the office—all were still in suits. “That’s just because you haven’t found the right game.” I got up, heading for the garage while Gia trailed behind.

She smiled as I pulled what I was looking for out of the bin. “That’s awesome!” Gia practically squealed, turning on her heel to bolt back outside. I followed at a more leisurely pace, my bruised feet making it difficult to walk in my normal stride. I kicked off my flats, throwing them next to my chair, letting the cool, thick grass cushion me as I stepped onto the lawn.

“Go long,” I yelled to Gia, who sprinted farther down, arms out, trying to catch the football I’d intentionally overthrown. It bounced away from her while she gamely tried to figure out where it would land next.

I heard Keene snort. “You never could throw a decent spiral.”

Turning, I cocked an eyebrow at him. “Like you could do better?” I challenged, and he rose to his feet, rolling his sleeves up. Everyone had long since discarded their coats and ties in the name of comfort. Gia returned with the ball, tossing it to Keene, who had to reach low to snag it before it hit the ground. It took less than three minutes before Boone joined in, and in ten, even Gideon was tussling around with Royce, turning our ball-tossing into a mostly friendly game of touch-football with Gia, Gideon, and Boone on one side, me, Keene, and Royce on another. Their shoes and clothes might never be the same, but judging by our smiles, it was well worth it.

My heart clenched as Gideon kneeled without a care about the dirt he was getting on his pants, showing Gia where to put her hands on the ball so that she could replicate Keene’s pass. He, too, had rolled his shirtsleeves up, revealing the ink swirling down his forearms. Gideon had always been a contradiction. He was a lawyer who fought like a demon, a clean-cut businessman covered in ink from his collarbone to forearms, and who knew how far down his torso. He held us together yet held himself apart at the same time.

Matteo and Brody came around the corner, matching grins on their faces as they saw what they were walking into. “Got room for two more players?” Brody asked. He wore jeans that hugged him in all the right places but were loose enough to show he was a man’s man.No city-boy skinny jeans here, I thought. His black tee shirt was tight around his biceps, and I could almost imagine seeing his six-pack abs, but I figured it must be mostly my imagination since his shirt was not quite tight enough to reveal what was underneath.

Gia cheered, yelling that she wanted Matteo on her team. Matteo grinned, his khaki cargo pants and blue shirt as dressed up as I’d ever seen him. Gideon looked over, and I saw a look passing between him and Matteo, but they both looked away before I could identify it.

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