Page 28 of Romero and Juliette

My phone pings in my pocket.

Aria: Jude knows about you and Cruz.

Well, shit. That didn’t take long.

Me: How’d he find out?

Sofia: He has some legit detective skills, as it turns out.

Aria: A combination of tracking your phone and remembering that’s where your man was headed.

Sofia: He’s already left the garage to head to the sanctuary.

Me: Shit! Why didn’t you lead with that? I gotta go.

By the time I get to the lot behind the dog sanctuary, I can hear my brother’s voice before I even see him. It’s the kind of low, sharp tone that makes the hair on my arms stand up—the same one he used to use when someone messed with me in high school.

“Jude!” I call, but he doesn’t turn.

He’s already crossing the gravel, jaw tight, shoulders squared, heading straight for Cruz, who’s standing near his van. Thankfully it looks like the other guys have unloaded the dogs, and Evan and Marley are dealing with their immediate needs.

My brother advances on Cruz.

Jude has always looked like he might be mean with tattoos and piercings, but the truth is, he’s always been a complete softie. Especially when it came to his sisters. And now his wife, Emory. But right now, his face is locked in an expression that gives me pause.

“Jude, stop!” I shout again, but he doesn’t.

Cruz doesn’t move, doesn’t even blink. He just stands there, calm in that maddening way he has, watching Jude close the distance between them.

“You think this is funny?” Jude snaps. “You think it’s cute, going after my kid sister like that?”

Cruz’s voice is low. “I don’t think any of this is funny.”

“She’s half your age!” Jude’s face is red now, sweat glinting on his temple. “You bring your van into my shop, I fix your brakes, help you outfit it for your specific needs, and all the while you’re thinking about—” He cuts himself off, glancing at me like the words are poison. “What? How to seduce my baby sister? What the hell’s wrong with you?”

Cruz doesn’t flinch. “Nothing’s wrong with me.”

“Bullshit.”

The punch comes fast. A sharp crack echoes across the gravel. Cruz’s head jerks to the side, but he doesn’t hit back. He just wipes at his mouth with the back of his hand, checks for blood, and looks at Jude again.

“You done?” he asks quietly.

Jude shoves him, hard. “Not even close.”

This is when my reinforcements arrive. Both of my sisters and my sister-in-law. If anyone can make Jude see reason, it’s Emory.

But my brother hasn’t noticed their arrival. “Jude!” I rush forward, grabbing at his arm. “Stop! You’re not helping anything!”

He turns on me, eyes wild. “Stay out of it, Juliette!” He reaches to pull me behind him, the way he always has, the way big brothers do. “I’ll deal with you later.”

Except I’m not little anymore. I yank my arm back. “Don’t you dare treat me like I’m twelve!”

Cruz moves then—just one step forward, but the air shifts around him. His voice is steady, deep, and dangerous in that quiet way that makes everything stop.

“You can put your hands on me all you want,” he says, low and even. “Blacken both of my eyes, bust my lip some more, break some ribs if you have to. But understand that you may not touch her like that. Or raise your voice to her. Do either of those things, and you and I are going to have serious problems.”

The world goes still. The only sound is the wind rattling through the oak trees and the distant barks of the dogs from the kennels.