Cease Fire (Blackbridge Security 9)

His weak attempt at a pep talk helps a little, and I nod my head in acknowledgment.

I’m a catch, and I can think that without it making me a douche. I’ve got a great job and amazing friends. I help people for a living, in a capacity that doesn’t seem like actual work. At the rate women hit on me, I’d say I’m good looking. I’m fit and healthy. I have a great hairline and a decent smile.

It’s Jules that’s missing out.

That’s the conclusion I come to as I climb out of Brooks’s truck and grab my suitcase and garment bag from the back seat.

Check-in is quick and painless. The front desk clerk hands over our keys and wedding itinerary with a smile. Thankfully, Jules has disappeared from the lobby, putting off an awkward encounter for later.

Brooks calls the elevator as I go over the itinerary.

“Four damn days of events,” I mutter. “My sister is a damn diva.”

“Your sister is far from a diva and you damn well know it. Plus, she’s in love and getting married. These things are supposed to be celebrated on a grand scale.”

“I can’t even imagine the cost of all this,” I hedge.

“You’re not paying for it, so it’s not your problem to worry about. I don’t think your sister nor Spencer will go broke paying for all of it.”

He’s got a very good point. Spencer Madison is a savant when it comes to the stock market, and my sister is a financial adviser that also does very well for herself. Their relationship is a little on the taboo side, considering they met at work, and the little fact that he’s her boss.

“You know they refused to let my parents pay for anything?”

“I bet your dad didn’t argue,” Brooks says with a chuckle.

My dad is an extreme penny pincher. He’d suggest them getting married in their backyard like my oldest brother Jason did just to save on having to pay for a venue.

“My parents’ backyard is amazing.”

“It is,” Brooks agrees as we step off the elevator onto our floor for the weekend.

“If you give me five minutes to take a breath and wash my face, I’ll head down with you,” Brooks says, stepping in front of his door.

I’m in the room next to him. “Where are we going?”

He points to the itinerary in my hands. “The mixer? It started fifteen minutes ago. Beth isn’t a diva, but I’m not going to test her limits on her wedding weekend. We have to go.”

“Okay,” I agree, opening my hotel room door with the keycard. “Five minutes.”

I disappear inside my room, exhausted, when honestly, I haven’t done anything all day long. Hell, we haven’t spent much time away from the office in the last couple of months. I know that has more to do with Deacon, my boss and the founder of Blackbridge Security, not wanting to be away from his wife Anna and his son.

I head to the bathroom, leaning on my flattened palms as I stare at my face in the mirror.

I feel a sudden and desperate need for change, and I know that has more to do with not being exactly thrilled to be here this weekend. I’m happy for my sister, ecstatic that she’s found someone she loves, someone she wants to spend the rest of her life with. I’m the youngest of five, with three older brothers and Beth. My only sister was born right in the middle of four boys, and as the only female born of my parents’ generation, she’s treated like the princess she is. It’s no wonder her getting married is all that has been discussed for the last year.

“Four days,” I mutter to my reflection.

I don’t know how long I’ve been staring at myself without actually seeing familiar features, but a knock on the door jolts me back to the present.

Brooks smiles at me when I tug open the door. “Ready for a drink?”

I chuckle. “Damn right I am.”

“We’re going to need to talk to Deacon about work,” I say, wanting the conversation to be on anything other than this weekend. “I’m getting restless just sitting at the office and taking local jobs.”

Brooks makes a non-committal sound, forcing me to look over at him.

“You don’t want to travel?”

His lips turn down. “I haven’t really had the urge.”

“Because you’re working in the lap of luxury.”

Brooks has been providing private security for a rock star for the last several months.

“Working for Archer Bremen hasn’t been a walk in the park,” he mutters as the elevator doors slide open.

I jerk to a stop at the threshold, my eyes skating down the length of Jules’s body before I can stop myself.

“Jules!” Brooks says, stepping ahead of me and wrapping her in a hug.

He spins her around as if he hasn’t seen her in a decade. Her laughter fills the elevator as I step inside to join them.