Take (Fury Brothers #4)

The women fell into conversation. Dante turned to Kavner. “I see those stocks you made me invest in are up.”

“Of course they are.” Kavner took a glass of wine from one of the servers.

I turned my head and scanned the crowd.

A glimmer of red caught my eye.

As I watched, a woman emerged from the throng. She paused and looked around.

I went still.

She wasn’t tall, maybe five foot five. She had some curves that filled out her red and black flapper dress to perfection. Her black hair didn’t quite reach her shoulders, and was done in a 1920s wavy style, with a headband topped with a red feather.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Suddenly, my headache didn’t feel so bad.

I let my gaze drift down her body. When I looked back at her face, our gazes locked.

She wasn’t quite beautiful, but she was definitely attractive. She had wide eyes, but she was too far away for me to tell the color. She also had a wide mouth, and her lush lips were painted red to match her dress.

This time, I felt a tug. A big one.

The crowd shifted, blocking my view of her.

I set my drink down. “I’ll be right back.”

2

FRANKIE

Wow.

I looked around the party. Amazing. New Orleans sure knew how to throw a shindig.

I mean, there was a freaking tree in the center of the room, with flower-laden branches spreading across the ceiling. They glowed prettily.

I’d only been in the city two weeks, and I liked it already. To be fair, I’d spent most of my time setting up my new laboratory. Even the cute little house I was renting was still filled with boxes.

Tulane was helping to fund my new project…with help from the government. It was my dream come true. I was a microbiologist earning my PhD and helping my country at the same time.

But tonight, I just wanted to have some fun.

Tonight, I wanted to let my hair down a little.

I ran a hand down my dress. I loved the red flapper dress. It was a nice change from my lab coat, and who didn’t like the chance to dress up? I was also wearing a long strand of pearls, and had a cute red-feather headband.

My other goal tonight was to see the Fury brothers.

I’d heard so much about New Orleans’ favorite sons already. Well, okay, I really wanted to see Reath Fury—my brother Jack’s best friend.

My brother idolized the man.

My nose wrinkled. Jack was closer to Reath than he was to me. They were like brothers. I felt a pang. I loved Jack, but he was always away from home. Always off looking for the next adventure.

Mom and I hadn’t been enough for him. I’d learned that as a little girl desperate for her popular brother’s attention.

My mom had always warned me that some men were always looking for the next exciting thing. Something new and shiny. A pulse-pounding adventure.

My dad had been. Not that he’d traveled the world or was unfaithful. No, he’d poured all his passion into his job as a cop.