“Careful, brother dear. You’re on speaker with our brand new financial expert that Gabrielle arranged for us. Catriona Walsh.”
Again, vile words flowed over the line, but soon the cultured British voice found some sort of calm when it spoke again. “Sorry about that, ma’am. I’m Archer Blackwood, unfortunate brother of this no-brain cop who knows better than to trap me on an open line without me knowing.”
“Please, Mr. Blackwood. No need to apologize.”
“Archer, please. Now, Liam, thank you for introducing me, but I have other things to do.”
“Wait.” Liam turned the phone in his direction. “I need a safe place for Catriona to stay. Can you find her a room somewhere with lobby security and all the trimmings?”
A low growl crested. “Do you remember that we’re close to Christmas? Do you think I have free hotel rooms popping out of my pockets?”
It was Liam’s turn to snarl. Catriona found it fascinating to see the brothers’ interactions, from teasing, to annoyed, to frustrated, and she was sure it wasn’t the end of it.
“I can’t keep her at my apartment. It’s not the safest place. And don’t talk to me about Gabrielle, she’s already off and gone. No offense to Miss Walsh, but self-defense is not her strong suit, thus the security.”
Again, another sigh came from the other end. “I’d offer you the apartment beneath mine, but Kai has taken it with Isabel for the time being. Wait a sec.”
The line went silent for a moment and Liam looked up at her. “Sorry about that.”
Amused, she shook her head. “Don’t be. It was amusing. I don’t have brothers or sisters, so I like to hear them going on with it. How many brothers do you have?”
“There’s six of us. Lazarus King is the one who found us all. Archer Blackwood is the rich Brit and very annoying, Kai Jones is the funny guy, or rather he thinks he is. He’s a surfer too. Aleksei Voronov is former Russian mob and cage fighter, and Sam Sarkhan is… complicated.”
“Wow. So many.”
“We’re similar in age as well, although our backgrounds are very different, as well as the reasons why we hate the man who sired us.”
She could almost taste the venom in his last words. “What’s your father’s name?”
“Jamieson Finch.”
Catriona gasped, having heard the name many times on the news. At first, he was depicted as the most successful business there was, with a burgeoning political life that many had predicted leading to the White House. The latest she’d heard was the accusations of slave rings and pedophilia. Proof that people who seemed to have the best reputation could conceal the vilest of secrets, in addition to making babies out of wedlock and abandoning them to fend for themselves. No wonder the brothers hated their father so much.
Before she could ask more questions, Archer came back on the line. “Okay, I just called Aleksei and he agreed to lend you one of the apartments in his building.”
Liam snorted. “Aleksei would never do that. What did you threaten him with?”
“Okay, let me rephrase that. I asked Aleksei, who refused, and then asked Deva who agreed. That’s the best I can do. His building is as secure as mine, and with the holidays, you won’t be able to find anything as good in any area of Chicago. After the New Year, I’ll be able to get you something else.”
“Okay. Thanks, Archer.”
“No problem. Call if you need anything. Same for you, Miss Walsh. And thank you for your help.”
When he hung up, silence descended upon them, and it was clear that Liam Harker wasn’t a man accustomed to stillness or silence, and he started talking right away.
“Did you bring bags with you?”
“Yes, everything is in the rental car I left at the restaurant.”
“Good, let’s get them so you can get settled.”
He headed for the door, but Catriona stayed in place.
“We.”
At that single word, Liam, who as almost at the door, turned. “What?”
“We. That was the arrangement, the agreement we agreed to. And you said so yourself, your apartment doesn’t have a sufficient level of security.”
