Kick Back - Susi Hawke Page 0,26

to take it. You have to act fast with my family."

My eyes never left the road as I took his hand and lifted it to my lips to kiss the back of his fingers. "There is no need to apologize, Dear. You're absolutely right, we have a boat to catch."

Dear bounced in his seat, cursing under his breath when the seat belt rubbed against his neck. "Damn right we do. Next stop, Lisbon. And after that… Slovenia, here we come."

6

Dearil

We were met at the dock in Volksberg by the town priest, funny enough. I figured it was like déjà vu for Nathaniel, except he was on the other side this time. The man was in a hurry and didn't want to chat but was kind enough to give us directions to the Horvat castle.

Yes. The brother he'd agonized over all these years was apparently living in a castle. Good for him, I supposed. It stood high on a hill, overlooking the town below. The walk there was easy enough, but my heart raced the entire way. I was nervous for Nathaniel yet excited at the same time.

I guess I was anxious enough for both of us because Nathaniel wasn't showing any outward signs of nerves. He walked right up to the door and rang the bell with his head held high and a smile on his face. When the door opened, a smaller version of my mate greeted us.

Tony. Live and in the flesh. And, judging by his designer clothing, not doing too bad for himself.

He stood there in shock for several seconds before lifting a shaky hand to his mouth. "Nate? Is it really you? How did you find me?" He glanced briefly at me before looking nervously behind us.

Nathaniel immediately put him at ease. "Hi, Tony. God, I have missed you and prayed for you every day that you were gone. Don't worry, our parents aren’t with me. They're dead to me, after what they did to you. I hope you know that I didn't have anything to do with it. I didn't even know it was happening until after the fact."

Tony made a choked sound that was half cry, half laugh as he flung himself at his brother. "I knew that, Nate. Not for sure, but I knew in my heart that the brother I knew would never have gone along with what they did. I've prayed for you too, and missed you so much. I would've gotten in touch but I couldn't try until I was free and then…"

He paused midsentence and stepped back with a laugh. "Where are my manners? Come inside, let me feed you and give you something to drink while we tell our stories." He glanced at me with a rueful smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't even introduce myself to you."

Nathaniel put his arm around me. "This is my mate, Dearil Moreno. Call him Dear. He's the one who helped me find you."

Tony barely blinked before pulling me into a hug. "That makes you my new best friend." He dropped his arms and squealed as he hugged himself and bounced up and down a few times. "I'm so happy, I can't even begin to tell you. Come on, let's get you out of the cold. You're lucky we didn't have any snow on the hill. It's a steep walk from town but nearly impossible when it's icy."

I started to ask how he knew we had driven but answered my own question when I remembered walking around a gate that blocked their road. He led us into a dining room where a meal was laid out. An attractive alpha who could only be Marcel blotted his mouth with a napkin before standing to greet us.

Tony rushed to his side and slipped an arm around his waist. "Marcel, my brother has found me. Can you believe it? Nate and his mate, Dearil, nearly gave me a heart attack when I opened the door." He skirted the table and bustled around a large antique sideboard, introducing us while he grabbed extra place settings.

Marcel invited us to sit down and politely asked about our trip. I was caught up in how cozy Tony had seemed with him and let Nathaniel do the talking. I smiled my thanks when Tony set a plate in front of me and encouraged me to help myself. "We don't stand on ceremony around here, believe it or not. The only staff we have live in the village and went home hours