Crossfire (Cross Duet #1)

56. IVY

56

IVY

I took another sip of my martini, feeling more at ease as the minutes passed. Luna was really sweet and very easy to get along with.

We had discussed the broad strokes of our lives. But between the two of us, she definitely one the more interesting career department, heading up a chapter of the Innocence Project. She was in the middle of telling me about it when two men walked into the room. One of them had similar features to Grayson, but the other…was identical.

Grayson’s clone was in a suit made of fabric that looked more expensive than my entire townhouse, and the other wore casual clothes—sneakers, workout pants, and a fitted mesh top.

“Jace! Bryson!”

Damn, the Lockwood family DNA was strong. Their parents must’ve been models at some point in their life, what with the unfair bone structures and hypnotic eyes. Not to mention, their tall, muscular, broad-shouldered frames. It was like they were cut from a factory producing the hottest men on the planet.

The two men returned Luna’s hugs, but kept their focus on me the entire time.

Self-consciously, I tugged my sleeves down a little lower to ensure no one could see the red marks on my wrists from when Grayson had zip-tied me at my townhouse. How would I explain that if I couldn’t tell them about his career?

Luna pointed to Grayson’s clone. “Ivy, this is Jace and Bryson.”

As Jace shook my hand, I double-checked that my welts didn’t show as I murmured, “Grayson didn’t tell me he was a twin.”

I don’t know why he would have now that I thought about it. He didn’t even tell me where we were going until we got here, but still.

“That’s because I’m better-looking,” Jace joked.

If he didn’t have a freckle on his neck that Grayson didn’t have, I’d wonder if Grayson was playing a joke on me.

I shook hands with Bryson.

“Boys, this is Ivy,” Luna said. “Grayson’s girlfriend.”

Bryson and Jace exchanged a look.

“Grayson has a girlfriend?” Jace arched a brow.

“Isn’t it fantastic?” Luna pressed her palms together with one of those giddy smiles you see women give when a friend just announced a hard-gotten pregnancy.

“Friend,” I corrected with a smile.

But the two brothers were too busy studying me like I was some kind of a science experiment.

“Grayson has never brought a woman over.” Jace tilted his head.

Jesus. Did all Lockwoods have the ability to stare like that—with such intensity, you could forget your own name?

“I’m sure he only brought me because of circumstances,” I managed. You know, like receiving time-sensitive evidence against you being a criminal. “I happened to be hanging out with him today.”

Hanging out included:

1) Revealing our painful pasts to each other.

2) Feeling all sorts of things for Grayson I’d never felt for anyone else.

3) Grayson almost murdering me but changing his mind.

4) Having sex in his car on the side of the road.

Jeez. What an eclectic list. And as for items number one, two, and four, I could see why Grayson was insulted by my rebuttal of the term girlfriend , but this was all moving so fast. Was I really ready for this?

Refer back to item number three, Ivy.

As much as I understood Grayson’s plight and, yes, had deep feelings, officially saying yep, I’m the lethal operative’s girlfriend ? Well, hello, new stratosphere of strange.

“How long have you been…” Dating. That’s what Jace was about to say, wasn’t it? “Hanging out?”

“Not long.” I squirmed under their stares. “So, Jace”—I cleared my throat, desperate to take the attention off me—“what do you do for a living?”

Bryson made his way over to a side table, which contained short glasses that reflected the soft amber lighting of the room and a bottle of brown liquid. Scotch, by the looks of it. He poured two glasses, handing the other to his brother.

“I’m the CEO of a company that buys and sells businesses,” Jace said.

I didn’t know that was a thing.

“What, like stocks?” I wondered.

He took a slow sip. “Sort of. I purchase undervalued companies that are struggling, either financially or operationally. I turn them around and then either keep them in my portfolio or sell them for a profit.”

Portfolio? This guy had a portfolio of businesses like a mutual fund?

“Did you meet Grayson at work?” Bryson asked.

Yep. He’s my assassin, but don’t worry; he almost killed me twice, but changed his mind both times. Both.

True-love junkies, watch out.

I opened my mouth, but snapped it shut.

Grayson said his brothers had a don’t ask, don’t tell deal with work stuff. But these boys were very much asking me. Was it a test? Or were they just exploring the absolute befuddlement that Grayson brought a woman home for the first time?

Either way, I cleared my throat and dodged the question as subtly as a foghorn in a library.

“I’m a nurse,” I hedged, looking where I’d last seen Grayson walk off.

What was taking him so long?