Secret Heart: Other Realm, Frost Family Series, Book 3

Lock 5

From the couch, the little girl squirmed in excitement. "Uncle Bren, Uncle Aiden!" she called out happily. "You made it in time! I'm so glad. I was worried the accident by the Kroger's would make you late." She froze. "Mommy, don't stab Uncle Aiden. You can't kill him. The Bad People will win if you do," she instructed sternly. "Auntie Bri, you can't cut Uncle Bren's throat. He can't die today." She smiled suddenly, nodding her head. "Pawpaw knows," she declared in satisfaction. "Pawpaw knows Uncle Bren."

"S-Sensei?" Bren asked uncertainly. "Is that you, Kazuo Chester?"

His hand still holding the gun, Kazuo slowly nodded. "Is that you, Brennan Garvin? Damn, you grew up! Holy hell, I never thought you'd be so damn tall!"

"Dad, you know these fools?" Willow asked in surprise.

"Uh, Willow, what are a bunch of white guys doing in your house? Do you need to tell me something, girl?" Bri asked, her left hip thrust out slightly in a sassy pose. "I mean, yes, they look pretty good, but..." Her brown eyes flicked over to the men. "You know what, I get the feeling this is something we should discuss civilly." Slowly, she lowered her blade, placing it back in the hiding spot she had been keeping it in.

Behind her, Willow stayed in the ready position, katana still in her grip. "Fuck civility. Those two need to die, right now," she insisted.

"Who the hell gives you the right to decided that?" Aiden thundered, the room heating up as his temper did. "Which brings me back to all the fucking questions I have for you! Why the hell did you try to kill me the night before last?!"

Bri shifted into a half-turn, one eye still on their guests, the other on her friend. "Wait, tried? You didn't finish the job? What, were you drunk?" she demanded in shock.

Shaking her head again, Willow ground her teeth. "That doesn't matter," she insisted.

"The fuck it doesn't!" Aiden shouted.

Kazuo sighed heavily. "Alright, everyone. I think we should all just cal-"

Aiden started storming forward further into the room. "I won't calm down right now! I'm confused as fuck and I want some damn answ-"

Bri turned to the man fully. "I think you just need to be quiet right now, sweetheart." In her voice was magic, the kind that captured her target and wrapped them around her finger. Benefits of being a half-blood siren.

Abruptly, Aiden stopped, staring at Bri with a love-struck expression on his face. He nodded, smiling in a goofy manner as he stared at the woman. Coming up behind him in a much more calm manner, hands still up in the air, Bren stared at his boss. "Damn, that's what I call being a whipped man..." He censored his words slightly, for the benefit of the little girl. Shaking his head in amazement, he turned to face the others. "So...um, I guess she didn't tell you. Yesterday when we saw the girl and the woman my boss is a little pissed off with, the girl told me where you lived. I'm sorry that we showed up unannounced, but I didn't think you'd be willing to talk otherwise...Also, please try to forgive my boss. He's normally not this volatile. It's been a crazy past few days, so he's kind of lost his patience with everything right now."

Kazuo eyed the two men, getting a idea. But he didn't want to say anything, in case he turned out to be wrong. "So, Bren, what brings the two of you here?"

Lowering his hands slowly, still standing beside Aiden, he pointed to Prophecy. "She did. Well, besides the whole near-miss killing part between these two," he pointed to Aiden and then Willow. "Mostly though, I just want to know why that little girl called my boss and I her uncles."

Blinking, Kazuo turned his gaze down to Prophecy, in his lap. "That is an excellent question, little miss. Why did you call them your uncles?"