“I’ve got it. Thank you so much.” Isidore crossed the room and shut the windows, blocking out the cool wind and the soft sound of the distant waves crashing. The mansion had been built outside the city of Megalochori along the caldera cliffs. While they might not be near a beach, they had stunning views of the ocean along one side of the house. From the front, the horizon was dotted with the classic whitewashed buildings with the bright-blue domes that were what everyone thought of when it came to Santorini.
After finishing the task, Isidore turned to see Justin checking the lock on the double glass doors that led out to one of the many rear patios. He hadn’t even heard the man moving through the room. Isidore jumped, a little gasp sneaking out of him.
“How do you do that?” Isidore inquired.
Justin smiled at him, his eyes seeming to twinkle with ill-concealed laughter, as if he knew exactly what Isidore was talking about. Yet he still asked, “What?”
“How do you move so silently? Both you and your husband do that all the time. You never make any noise when you move. It’s…”
“Creepy?” Justin supplied.
“Amazing!” Isidore corrected. “Just amazing. Did it take long for you and Gabriel to learn that? Can Alexei do it as well?”
“He can. It’s just hard to notice because his mouth is constantly running.” As he spoke, he lifted one hand and mimicked a hand puppet chattering away. “But I don’t think it took me all that long to learn. Of course, I’m just naturally talented.”
“Don’t fill his mind with your bullshit,” a low, cool voice from the open doorway of the office said.
Isidore jerked his head around to see Gabriel leaning his shoulder against the doorjamb, his dark eyes narrowed on his husband. He couldn’t think of two people who were more opposite in their appearance. Justin reminded him of a golden retriever puppy. He was in bright colors, looking like the typical American tourist. There was always a funny quip perched on the tip of his tongue, and he possessed seemingly boundless energy. He was happy to see everyone and ready to do anything.
Gabriel, on the other hand, was always dressed in dark colors—usually slacks and a dark button-down shirt. His black hair was carefully styled. The only hints of his age were some wrinkles surrounding his eyes and some gray at his temples. His voice was usually ice cold and sharply biting, but even that tempered a little bit when he was talking to Isidore or Athena. Of the two of them, Gabriel’s appearance screamed assassin.
But then he would look at his husband, and the entire aura around him would soften. All his harsh edges would be temporarily sanded away. That had to be love.
Justin snorted. “Some of us just have a catlike grace.”
“Shall I bring up all the times you’ve fallen off the couch while fighting the dogs for a spot? Or the time you got stuck in the beanbag chair?”
A loud hissing noise escaped Justin and he placed a hand on either side of Isidore’s head as if trying to cover his ears. “Stop! Or he’ll think I can’t do this job!”
“No! Never!” Isidore denied with a laugh while Justin lowered his hands to his sides.
While Gabriel definitely looked the part of the assassin, it was still hard for him to believe it was the profession of either man. Yes, Gabriel appeared and at times sounded scary, but he was never mean. He clearly doted on his husband, and they both adored their nephew to the point of constantly embarrassing the young man. Which might have been the point. Isidore wasn’t entirely sure.
“Everyone seems very scared of both of you. I’m sure that you’re excellent at your jobs,” Isidore tacked on.
To his shock, Gabriel threw his head back and laughed. He’d seen the man snicker and smirk but never give quite such a belly laugh.
Meanwhile Justin chuckled and shook his head beside him.
“What? I don’t understand,” Isidore murmured.
“Yes, everyonebut youseems very scared of us,” Justin explained.
“Not once have you hesitated to talk to us or ask us questions. You don’t tiptoe around us,” Gabriel said, walking two fingers through the air as if his hand were tiptoeing through the room. “You’ve gone out of your way to make us feel welcome and part of your group here.”
Justin placed a hand on his shoulder and grinned. “Most people don’t do that when they know what we do for a living.”
“I just want you to feel comfortable while you’re here. Plus, you’ve come all this way to help my sister and me. The very least I could do is make sure you are welcome.”
Gabriel sighed and gave a shake of his head. At the same time, Justin squeezed his shoulder and smiled at him. “Alexei is right. You are the world’s nicest guy. We’ve got to make sure you make it out of this alive.”
“True. It would be like protecting a unicorn,” Gabriel murmured.
Isidore wasn’t sure he agreed with that assessment at all, but it seemed rude to argue with them. “Thank you again for coming to help. I know that Alexei explained that I’m happy to pay all your expenses as well as any fees for your services, but your time, expertise, and lives are worth far more than money. I am grateful that you’ve come to protect Athena and myself.”
“The money is nice,” Justin conceded, but Gabriel was quick to interject.
“But the timing was perfect becausesomeonewas bored and had started to plot against the neighbors. And welikeour neighbors.”