“Hello, Marc.” Ari smiled at Marc when he came toward her. She hadn’t expected to see him so soon after the gala last week. He looked good; barely any signs of what had happened. Not so her; she was probably going to end up with a permanent road rash on her left cheek. She was sore, of course, but it could have been far worse. At least, that was what she’d told herself at two a.m. when the nightmares had come. Every night in the week since. He had a bruise on his cheek, but it was almost hidden by the beard. “How are you?”

“I’m ok, sweetheart. You?” He’ cut her off from Jillian and Lacy, easily. Ari’s breath caught as she wondered if he’d done it deliberately.

His guards almost blocked Rafe from her view. Rafe was probably talking to Jillian and Lacy. But Marc had come to her.

She’d worried about him over the last week—no one knew who the bomb had been intended for. It very well could have been him. Not everyone agreed with what he was doing with the experimental drug bill. It had a few other riders attached to it that intensified its overall effect. There were crazy people out there. It could have been him. She hadn’t been able to shake that thought. After what had happened with Katie, him being the target made the most sense.

“I’m fine. The scratches are almost gone.”

“Good. Uh...someone showed up here looking for you.” He shifted slightly to the side. Ari saw the black-and-blue hair first. Then the rest of the teenager standing between him and Rafe.

“Pen!”

Her younger sister smiled, almost shyly. “Uh...hi, Ari. I was looking for you.”

“Did you come up with Zoey?” Ari didn’t know what to say, but it was obvious she was going to have to drive this conversation. It was a good two-hour drive to Garrity. “How did you get here?”

“I bummed a ride. I saw what happened with that bomb. I figured I’d come see if you were ok.” A momentary flash of guilt hit her face. “Zoey’s at work right now, still. I figured I’d find you with W4HAV or with those friends who were in the Garlic with you.”

“I see.” She didn’t. But she appreciated her sister’s concern. “Does Zoey know you’re here?”

A rueful smile, this time. “No. But hey, I’m a college sophomore. I can go where I want.”

Ari didn’t know what rules Zoey had set for her sister, but she didn’t see this as being too ok. “You’ve just turned sixteen, right?”

“Yep.”

“Do you need to call her? Let her know where you’re at and that I’ll bring you home when you’re ready?” It would be a two-hour drive in the company car, but she would use that time to get to know this kid who obviously wanted to know her.

“Yeah, that probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. I don’t want her to worry.” Pen smiled at her again. She half-suspected this sister of hers was a damn-the-torpedoes type, through and through. “So this guy is our brother, too? Wow. How many of us are there?”

“That’s the question we still don’t have an answer for,” Ari said. “We’re working on getting it figured out.”

“Ari, care to introduce us?” Jillian asked, stepping closer. “I’m assuming this is one of my new sisters-in-law?”

“Huh?” Pen asked, turning toward the shorter redhead.

“Jillian is marrying Rafe in a few weeks. Penelope Daviess, this is our brother Rafael Holden-Deane. He runs this hospital. He’s also the brother of the governor.”

“I think I saw him in the Garlic. With that really hot guy Houghton Barratt. One of those Devastating Deanes, isn’t he? The other one is the really cute cowboy.”

Jillian snorted. Lacy snickered. Ari smiled. Her sister had no filter at all, apparently. Bright, bubbly, snarky, confident. She was absolutely perfect. “He’s one of them. This is Dr. Lacy Deane, she’s a friend, and married to Rafe’s other brother, Travis—the cute cowboy. And Marc, the governor, of course.”

“Yep. He’s even hotter in person. I thought he would be.”

Marc threw his head back and laughed outright.

Pen had effectively broken the tension surrounding them all.

Even Rafe was smiling, apparently more open to Pen than he ever had been with Ari. Thank God.

Now she just had to decide what she was supposed to do with this kid now.