Page 24 of Condemned By Betrayal
I know she’s talking about my mood more than my haircut.
I smile. It comes out naturally, small but real, and that makes her face brighten even more. She switches the video call to light projector mode. Now both of them are in front of me.
Avi grins. “Where are you going all dressed up?”
“To a housewarming party.”
She raises a brow. “So you do attend parties, just not ours.”
I chuckle as I walk down the stairs.
Lyn and Avi exchange a look. They don’t let me see more of their silent exchange before Avi launches in, her tone buoyant.
“Did you know I’m going to give birth in three days?”
I laugh. “You’re the only woman I’ve ever met who’s this happy about giving birth instead of crying.”
They both go silent for a moment. Then Avi speaks, animated. “I’m so excited to see my baby. And I know it won’t be such a horrible experience, we have our own doctor, Lyn, in the house, after all.”
I don’t get to see their faces as I focus on the road ahead, but I’m all ears.
“Are you walking to the party instead of driving?” Avi asks.
I nod. “It’s the house next to mine.”
“Ohh.” After a brief pause, she speaks up again. “Switch to the back camera. Take us to the party with you.”
I do as she says.
“Tell us something about the people we’re going to meet.”
I reach the entry gate of their house. “First, you’re about to meet the brothers hosting this party—Hunter and Logan Blackwood.”
“Why do those names sound so American?”
“They’re Canadian.”
I step through the gate, and there stands Logan in khaki pants and a pale blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up, the color complementing the blue of his eyes. His curly brown hair is combed casually. He looks every inch the welcoming host.
“Welcome, Elowen. Thank you for gracing this peasant’s house with your presence,” he teases.
I chuckle. “Hello, Logan. Thanks for inviting me.”
“Ahhh, so flirting with a handsome man gets you into the party,” Avi teases.
I walk inside and glance at the phone. I go to jab the screen, ready to give her a piece of my mind, then I see her frowning face. And not just her, Lyn looks worried too.
I look up from the phone and find Hunter standing in front of me, a cigarette in one hand and the other tucked into his pocket. He isn’t smoking, though, he’s just staring at me, the cigarette paused near his lips. There’s a strange look on his face, a mix of too many raw emotions I don’t want to pick apart or understand why they’re there in the first place.
Unlike Logan, he doesn’t look even remotely warm as a host in his black pants and black shirt, though it’s not the clothes that make him seem so unapproachable. He stands like a slammed door with a “do not disturb” sign hanging on it. Hisshoulders are set, his spine a rigid line, his entire body reads like a warning. I’d bet even the air around him is colder.
“Who is he, and why is he looking at you like he wants to devour your soul? And before you say anything, I’m not being dramatic,” Avi says.
I glance at the phone. “He’s Hunter.”
Their gazes are fixed on the screen, I haven’t turned the camera back to my face.
“I’ll talk to you guys later.” I pan the phone around. “Now take a look at the party and get lost.”
