Read 02 Blood Roses - Blackthorn for Free Online

questions asked. Don’t search for answers you don’t need to find. If you’re right about her, the less she suspects, the better.’
    ‘And if this is a set-up? What if that’s what she wants – to get in here, to get on the inside and lower our guards?’
    ‘You’re being paranoid.’
    ‘How many of them have you had to deal with, Jake? We need to know what we’re up against and there’s only one way to be sure.’
    ‘And if she is what you think she is, and you prove it?’ He frowned at his brother’s fleeting glance as Caleb stood from the bed. ‘Tell me you’re not going to kill her. Caleb, we need to talk about this. You act on impulse and you’re going to regret this.’
    Caleb placed the ashtray back on the bedside table and exhaled his last stream of smoke. ‘When do I ever act on impulse, little brother?’ he replied as he met Jake’s troubled gaze.
    ‘And what am I supposed to say to Alisha?’
    ‘That dawn’s the safer time to go, just like you suggested. You tell her you need to get down to the club for a couple of hours to show your face and stop any awkward questions about how we saved your life – any of which could put her talented sister at risk. Tell her you want her company. Tell her whatever you need to, but I want her out of this apartment for the rest of the night.’
    ‘If Leila is a serryn, you shouldn’t be alone with her.’
    He smiled. ‘I think I’m more than capable of handling her, Jake.’ He glanced down at her two small silver protest rings as he stubbed out his cigarette. ‘It’s time me and that little fledgling out there got to know each other better.’

Chapter Four
    A lisha all but stomped back down to Jake’s room. It was an overreaction on Leila’s part – just a stupid overreaction that was so typical of her. And now she had the embarrassment of telling Jake that they had to leave, because she knew the look in Leila’s eyes – a look that told her she meant every word of it.
    It was going to be so humiliating.
    She’d known it had been a risk getting Leila there. She knew that as soon as Leila discovered the truth, she’d be furious. She knew it was too much to expect Leila to be quietly escorted back off the premises without protest, willingly leaving her little sister behind in the evil domain. She would have argued more, but she knew Leila was better off left out on the terrace before any more of the routine spiel started coming out – especially in front of Caleb. Jake would probably find it amusing but from the little she knew about Caleb, he’d find it anything but.
    She sighed with impatience as she stopped at Jake’s door. Caleb had been nowhere in sight so she guessed he was probably still inside too. She felt her nerves give way, her heart pounding.
    She knocked on the door before turning the handle, and stepped inside.
    Caleb’s gaze met hers from the far side of the bed. Her stomach flipped. Two months of occasional glances in her direction and it still made her feel like an inadequate teenager on every rare occasion they made eye contact.
    From the first moment she’d seen him across the club, before she’d even known he was Jake’s brother, her pulse had raced – a rate that had become painful when Jake had introduced them. Her heart had sunk as Caleb had only responded with a swift dismissive glance before taking his brother aside to discuss club business.
    But that was Caleb’s way. She’d learned that much. Caleb needed neither people’s time nor approval, which only added to his appeal. Jake and he were so different in that respect. Jake thrived on the attention that Caleb ignored, attention instantly brought by being Caleb’s brother. And females who weren’t impressed by Caleb’s aloofness were quickly placated and enamoured by Jake’s flirty and more accessible manner. But Caleb was always the ultimate goal and everyone knew it.
    The brothers were co-owners of the club as well as other various ventures around the