rose and tugged at the bottom of the shirt she wore last night. She tried not to think about walking into her apartment with her brothers and Aida there; if she did, she’d wear these clothes for the rest of her life instead of returning home.
“I’m ready if you are,” she said and tried to sound cheerful when she felt like she was walking to the guillotine.
Cassidy held her breath as she opened her apartment door. I will not blush. I will not blush. I will not blush.
No matter how many times she told herself this, heat crept up her neck and into her face as she opened the door and poked her head inside. Cassidy scanned the empty hall to the bedrooms before looking to the empty couch. She was about to breathe a sigh of relief when she spotted Aida in the kitchen.
“What’s going on, Stealth Ranger?” Aida asked as she bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing.
“Stealth Ranger?” Cassidy inquired.
Aida opened the fridge and removed a bag of blood before closing the door. “I don’t know; you look like you’re trying to be all sneaky. Stealth Ranger was the first thing that popped into my head.”
“Where are my brothers?” Cassidy asked as she stepped into the apartment; Dante followed her inside.
Aida grinned at Dante and waved before shooting Cassidy a knowing look. Unlike her brothers, she didn’t worry Aida would say or do something stupid, but her friend would demand details later.
“Kyle still hasn’t come home from last night’s adventure; he’s kind of like you in that way,” Aida said with a wink, and Cassidy’s blush crept to the roots of her hair. “Julian ran out to get me the paper; I want to take a look at the Realty section, so I’m making his breakfast.”
“I’m glad he’s out,” Cassidy said. “But why not look online?”
Aida tore off the top of the blood bag and poured it into a mug. “We already did, but there might be something in the paper that’s not online. I know it’s unlikely, but I like to cover all my bases. Besides, Owen had a big showing last night at a gallery in the Back Bay. I’d like to see if it made the papers.”
“Who’s Owen?” Dante asked.
“He’s an artist I used to work with; I’ve handled a couple of showings at the gallery where I work,” Aida said.
“Aida is an extremely talented photographer, and she’s just as talented when it comes to setting up galleries to display art,” Cassidy said.
Aida gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “You give me too much credit.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit sometimes,” Cassidy said.
Aida grinned at her as she put the mug into the microwave. “You’re right; I am pretty amazing.” She turned away from the microwave to focus on Dante. “Julian and I have been saving money in the hopes of opening a gallery. Unfortunately, rent is an issue. Boston’s not cheap.”
“No, it’s not,” Dante agreed.
Cassidy squeezed his arm. “I’m going to change.”
“Okay,” he said.
She released his arm and rushed down the hallway. Julian wouldn’t be gone long, and she planned to escape before he returned. She couldn’t avoid her brothers forever, but she wouldn’t mind a few more hours without them.
Cassidy changed before heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth, wash her face, and pull her hair into a ponytail. She reemerged to discover Dante standing at the counter with Aida and flipping through one of her photo books.
“You are really talented,” he said.
“I like you.” Aida looked up to wink at Cassidy as she walked over to join them. “Cassidy better keep you around.”
“I agree,” Dante said.
“We should go, or we’re going to be late.” And my brothers will be here soon. As soon as she thought it, the doorknob rattled and turned.
She bit back a groan when Julian entered the apartment with a few newspapers tucked under his arm. However, it wasn’t enough that her older brother had returned, but somewhere along the way, he also found her twin.
Cassidy almost smacked herself in the forehead. She should have dressed faster, but they probably would have run into them on the street. At least on the street, she could have grabbed Dante and run the other way; now, there was nowhere for her to run.
Julian and Kyle stopped walking the second their eyes landed on her, and then those eyes traveled to Dante.
“We were just leaving,” Cassidy blurted. “We have an appointment.”
Her brothers looked back to her as Dante