Royce, Kara thought, processing the name with relief. Blake’s brother.

Royce snorted. “When are you ever alone?”

Irritation and embarrassment prickled at Kara, and she scanned desperately for her missing clothes. “Kara,” Blake said. “He’s an ass. Ignore him. Way to be a gentleman, Royce. Thanks a fucking lot.”

“I suppose ‘thanks a fucking lot’ makes you a gentleman?”

“This wasn’t the way to announce our arrival, Royce,” another man grumbled, appearing in the doorway and clearly of the same genetics but with his hair cut to his nape. The Navy SEAL, she assumed.

Blake glowered at the newcomer, tugging his pants, sans underwear, over his hips. “How about some warning, Luke?”

The instant Blake glanced at Luke, like a predator waiting for an opening, Royce stalked forward, heading straight for Blake—and good gosh, the man really was huge. He stopped in Blake’s face, but Blake was seemingly unfazed, clearly used to Royce’s attempts at intimidation, standing toe to toe with him. “Back off, Royce,” he warned in a low, tight voice.

“Killing Alvarez isn’t going to do anything but put you behind bars or in a grave.”

Kara watched the muscles in Blake’s body bunch, his fingers curling into his palms as he leaned forward, right in his brother’s face. “And if Lauren had been killed? Would you sit back and let her murderer live the high life?”

Luke stepped beside them and shoved them apart. “Enough. This isn’t solving anything.”

If Lauren had been killed. Lauren must be Royce’s woman. Kara’s stomach knotted with realization. Blake’s woman had been killed by Alvarez.

“Enough, I said,” Luke barked again. “Not now. Not here.”

Tension curled in the air, the two men glaring at each other, and Kara knew, despite Royce’s gruff approach—perhaps because of it—that he was terrified of losing Blake. Her chest burned and her soul ached. Royce was afraid of losing his brother, like she was her sister.

Finally, in unison, as if they’d come to a silent agreement, Blake and Royce took several steps backwards, both crossing their arms in front of their chests. Royce glanced at Kara and then back at Blake. “You do know that to get these women proper protection and identities that will carry them a lifetime, we have to call the feds.” It wasn’t a question.

Kara’s heart lurched. No. No this was not happening. They were not going to call the feds. The implications to her sister were devastating, and the hard steel and determination of Royce’s expression, told her he was set on doing this. This was his way of saving his brother. He wasn’t going to back down.