on the kitchen counter, shoving it into his mouth to chew with an exaggerated smile. “My guess is the latter.”
“That’s real funny, asshole.” I rub Penny’s back, trying to loosen her rigidity. “Seriously, don’t worry about your brother. I’ll speak to him after he cools down.”
Keira reenters the room. “Guys, I don’t know how much time we have. Layla will keep the kids occupied as long as she can. But who knows how long the nanny will take to get here on short notice?”
“Okay. Everyone, hurry up.” Torian leads the way to the hall at the other end of the living area. “My office. Now.”
I give Pen a final squeeze, then step back. “You’ve gotta be hungry; you didn’t eat breakfast.” I grab her hand and lead her to the kitchen. “Food? Coffee? Both?”
“A piece of fruit will be enough. My stomach isn’t playing nice.”
I grab an apple and raise a brow in question.
She nods. “Thanks.”
I lob the Granny Smith at her and pour myself a mug of caffeine. Sarah and Hunt help themselves to the fridge. Within minutes we’re all in Torian’s office, Keira sitting in the middle of an elegant sofa, Sarah and Hunt leaned against opposite armrests, while Penny and I remain standing, side by side.
“So, what’s this about one of Luther’s men being here in Portland?” Hunt asks. “I thought we took out those fuckers in Greece.”
“I thought we did, too.” Torian takes a seat behind the large wooden desk, and turns his Mac screen to face us. “Penny, on the other hand, thinks this is Robert. One of my father’s nearest and dearest.”
The bank ATM image is on display, the poor picture quality magnified with the larger size.
“Looks like a big blur to me.” Sarah leans forward, squinting. “How can you be sure?”
“I’m not.” Torian swings the screen back to face him. “We’re playing it safe. But whoever it is stole from us.”
“It’s Robert,” Penny murmurs. “There’s no question.”
Everyone looks at her, their expressions differing from mild skepticism to Hunt, who rolls his eyes with blatant disregard.
“How do you want us to go about finding this asshole?” I ask. “It’s in our best interests to keep this shit quiet and smoke him out as soon as possible.”
Torian nods. “It needs to be fast and unnoticed. So far there have been no whispers about him being in town, which means it’s either not him, or he hasn’t made his presence known to any of my father’s men.”
“It’s him,” Penny repeats. “I swear to God, it’s him.”
“It’s okay.” I take a mouthful of coffee and close in behind her, rubbing my free hand along her arm. “Why don’t you go spend some time with Tobias while we figure this out?”
“So you can question my sanity without me here?” She swings around to face me, her eyes pleading. “You still don’t believe me. You think I’m crazy.”
“I believe you.” It’s the truth. “I trust your judgment.”
“Nobody thinks you’re crazy,” Sarah adds. “We just need to be sure of what we’re up against.”
“Speak for yourself,” Hunt mutters. “She stole my car. If that doesn’t scream batshit I don’t know what does.”
I glare at him. “I’m done with the jokes. If Robert’s here, we all need to watch our backs.”
“He is here.” Penny faces Torian. “And my sisters need to be taken care of, too. Who’s looking out for them?”
“Benji should already be on his way back. Once he arrives, I’ll get him to arrange security.”
“He’s coming here?” I disguise my annoyance with another mouthful of coffee. “Does that mean all the women are with their families? Why the hell haven’t I been updated on this?”
“He’s taking the last one home today.”
“I can get started on the security arrangements,” Keira offers. “That way the other women will be taken care of sooner than later.”
Torian shakes his head. “It can wait. We’ve got more important things to focus on.”
“More important things?” Penny seethes. “More important than their lives?”
I dump my mug on a nearby bookshelf and return to my position behind her, placing both hands on her waist. “That’s not what he meant.”
“Then what did he mean?” She shrugs away from my touch.
“Penny,” I warn.
She can’t make waves in here.
At my home it’s different. She can rail on me all she likes without consequence. But here, Torian will use her anger against her. He’ll make her regret the outburst.
“No, let her speak.” He leans back in his chair. “If she wants to criticize how I’ve saved her and her friends, by