The Devil's Daughter

If someone told me five years ago that before the age of twenty-one I’d be living in a San Diego penthouse with a billionaire, and that I’d have a pair of bodyguards following me around every second of the day, I wouldn’t have believed them.

But it’s true. For a week now, this has been my life. My two bodyguards, who were once childhood friends, live with me twenty-four-seven. They go where I go, watching my every move. Because what I didn’t realize until a week ago was how very valuable I am, at least to the man who is dead-set on carrying out a vendetta against my father.

“Seriously? It’s not like a rogue puppy trafficker is going to jump out and snatch me. I’m not nearly cute enough.”

I slip past, secretly pleased by how over-the-top his behavior has been since starting this gig. He gawks in mock offense. Behind me, his twin brother Baz chuckles. The pair look like dangerous mercenaries in matching black cargo pants and black shirts. They’re not carrying guns, but they have huge knives in sheaths attached to their belts. It’s a pretty sexy look, if you ask me.

“Just let him have this moment, Ellie. We’re not used to guarding someone so cute. Or who we like being around as much as you.”

“Was Papá Flores that bad?” I ask, and immediately regret it. Ben snorts derisively. Baz frowns. I sigh. “Sorry. Too soon, I guess.”

I move farther into the lobby of the local Humane Society, marveling at how clean and bright it is. The facility looks almost brand new, with a spacious waiting room and a front desk manned by an attentive young woman about my age, who smiles brightly at me when I turn to look at her.

“Hi,” I say. “I’m just here meeting my brother and his girlfriend.”

The clerk, whose name tag reads “Damaris,” is momentarily distracted by the wall of muscle at my back. “What? Oh, wait. Are you friends with Toni Valentine?” She perks up.

“Yep! She’s picking out a puppy today and invited me to help. Who can say no to puppies?” I grin and bounce on my toes.

A gruff expletive from behind startles me, and the next thing I know, Ben’s at my side, leaning over the counter. “She used her real name? Can I see your appointment schedule?”

Damaris leans back, startled by the huge man suddenly leaning into her workspace. He grabs the top of her monitor and swivels it on its arm. Baz joins us on my other side, peering at the screen.

“She should be using an alias,” he says. “Sam should know better.”

“Guys, it’s just the Humane Society.”

“Doesn’t matter. She goes out anywhere but her shop, she needs to take precautions. Is she here yet?” Ben snaps at Damaris. She blinks and shakes her head, rolling back a little farther in her chair.

“Y-You’re early.”

“Ben! Chill the fuck out!” I snap, smacking him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry,” I say to Damaris. “I thought they were better trained.”

“I-It’s okay,” she says, eyes wide. “I think she’s here now, though.” She lifts a hand and points toward the door. Both twins turn and move in one smooth motion. They have the double glass doors open before Sam can even reach for the handle. Both my brother and Toni freeze in place in the middle of the vestibule.

“No alias?” Ben says. “What the fuck, Toni?”

Toni heaves a groan and Sam narrows his eyes. “It’s the fucking Humane Society.”

“That’s what I said!” I push between both twins and wrap my brother in a big hug. “Missed you, Sammy. Just ignore them, they’re being overprotective.”

He hugs back in that way that makes everything right with the world, and it’s hard to let him go. After hearing he and Toni were kidnapped a week and a half ago by the very cartel boss who Baz and Ben are guarding me against, it’s been hard not to appreciate every second we have together.

Obviously they both made it home okay, but in the wake of that trip, both my newly discovered half-sister and I have been forced to endure increased security measures to make sure we can’t be used as leverage against our father again. Our other sister, Celeste, lives with our father in Los Angeles, at a huge estate with the most advanced security in existence. But when Toni and I refused to move, Arturo was forced to make accommodations for us.

“Elle,” she croons huskily as she enfolds me in her embrace. “God, I never knew how much I’d love having a sister, but after growing up with those two, I have to say it’s a nice change. If you ever need to commiserate about my lunkhead brothers, call me.”

“Amen to that. And thank you, I may just take you up on it.” I pull back with a grin. “So…puppies?”

“Hell yes! Let’s do this!” When Ben starts to talk, she holds up a hand, palm out as she walks past. “If it’s not about puppies, I don’t want to hear it.”

“Ugh, I want one,” I lament. “Which one are you taking?”

“Oh, pretty. What does it mean?”

“It’s a type of tattoo Samoan women get,” Sam says.

“Speaking of which, when do I get to anoint my new sister?” Toni asks, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “I gave Celeste her first tattoo. I’d love to do yours. No pressure, of course.”

I laugh. “I wouldn’t know what to get. I haven’t exactly had a lot of life experiences so far.”

“Well, I traded up, if you ask me.”

“True enough,” he agrees. “Dad always kept you at a distance. We all noticed it.”

“Probably because he knew I wasn’t his.”

“Was it that bad?” Toni asks, brows furrowed.

“Well, that counts as experience. It’s not nothing,” Toni says. “And the bio-dad revelation is something we both share.”

Toni’s eyes widen and the twins perk up. Baz takes a few steps out of the shadows where he and Ben have been standing guard, though for what, I couldn’t imagine.

“What the fuck, Elle? Is this true?” Baz asks.

I don’t elaborate that they’re black market antiquities, mostly, but I think Ben and Baz already know this, and I’m pretty sure Toni and Sam guess as much.

“Typhon is evidently Arturo’s preferred shipping company,” I continued. “Except there wasn’t actually an object in any of the Typhon warehouses that matches that name.”

“So, what was it?” Toni asks, hanging on my every word.

“You amaze me sometimes, Ellie,” Baz says. “But be careful. Drake probably wouldn’t be too keen on you digging around in his business.”

“It’s a hell of a lot better than living with Arturo,” Ben mutters. Sam snorts in agreement, which for some reason earns him a dark look from both twins. Despite being joined at the hip with their sister, Sam still hasn’t quite earned much good will from Ben and Baz, but they’ll come around.

“I can’t believe you’re okay with knowing this,” Ben says. “She and Papá Flores had an affair. While he was married!”

Both twins glance at me then, and my neck prickles with awareness of their attention. I know they’re probably thinking about the shitty family life I had, but maybe there’s more to the look than that.

Toni lifts an eyebrow, her gaze shifting between me and the twins. I grab a puppy and bury my nose in its fur to try to hide any incriminating evidence of my embarrassment.

The twins’ attention shifts to a small group of people arriving in the lobby, and they move back to the doors leading into our little courtyard.

“Is something going on I should know about?” Toni whispers when they’re out of earshot.

She snickers. “No, you definitely aren’t.”

“That’s the problem,” Sam says under his breath. He narrows his eyes at the twins, who are back on guard duty, watching us from the shadows.

“Why is it a problem?” Toni asks. “If you and I can be together, what’s wrong with the idea of Elle and one of the twins?”

“Yeah, Sam—what’s wrong with that idea?” I ask, more annoyed that he’d be an ass about it than for any other reason.

Toni’s sly grin makes me look at her again. “What?” I demand.

“So, how’s it going living together?” I say, changing the subject. “Maybe next week my jailors will let me come for a visit. All I’ve seen are photos of your house. So jealous.”

Toni chuckles and reaches out to squeeze Sam’s thigh. “Better than I could’ve imagined, to be honest. We’d love to have you over soon.”

“Little Malu’s going to love it,” I say. The puppies are being rambunctious again, and two of them topple Sam over and start licking him while Toni and I compare notes about our new living situations, as well as commiserate over the increased security measures.

Toni owns her own house near the university, a cute little mission-style bungalow with just enough open space in the back to keep a dog happy. I wonder if she knows the extent to which her brothers have gone with the surveillance and security system they installed to keep an eye on her. I consider confiding in her that I discovered the video feed proving they put cameras in every room, but I opt against it. If she knows, I’ll sound like an idiot. If she doesn’t, she might make her brothers turn off the cameras, and then I’d lose the one tenuous connection I have to the outside world from within that tower.

In exchange for agreeing to uproot my life and move from my dormitory to the penthouse, I insisted that he also mentor me in his business. There must be something big between him and Arturo though, and I have to know what it is.

So after I got over my initial outrage about the surveillance, I started to wonder whether they find me attractive too. So far it’s been no more than a few casual tests now that I know where the cameras are. There’s one aimed at my bed that I finally found hidden just beneath the thermostat on my wall. There’s another in the bathroom, attached to the overhead light fixture. But until the last couple days I haven’t done more than carry out completely benign activities in front of them. Nothing overt, at any rate, aside from pooping with the lights off.

Now, for example, even though I’m immersed in a pile of dark fur and snuggles, a heavy, hot tension deep within reminds me that the twins are nearby, watching.

I haven’t noticed any shift in their behavior since I made a more conscious effort to undress near my bed, or to take longer showers and avoid drying off behind the steam-coated doors.