Blood Brothers

Trouble

"Please do not be angry with me. They looked so tired. I thought I could help."

I stalked down the street after getting off work, trailing Katherine, who was remarkably determined to return to my good side. I wasn't letting her off the hook so easy.

"I don't care what you thought you were doing! How could you think going up there, showing yourself off to strange men, dancing like- like- like that! Why would you do that?! It was inappropriate and scandalous! No upstanding woman in her right mind would ever do something like that."

"You truly think this of the women you work with?"

Gritting my teeth, I shook my head. "They are all fine women. And I don't think there's anything wrong with them for what they do. I misspoke. I do believe there is something wrong with a young woman of noble birth dancing for entertainment on a whim. For fun! Especially when I'm responsible for her and her father could easily end my life if he took exception!"

I paused to catch my breath and glanced back to make sure she was still listening. The anger faded when I realized something had caught her attention and put her on the alert. I searched the shadows she was eyeing, looking for anything amiss. I didn't see anything.

"What is it?"

Her gaze jerked back to me and the tension faded. "You are right, and I am truly sorry. I did not think it would make you so angry or I would not have even considered it."

I took in her contrite look as I fumed again. She was only sorry because I was mad. She didn't have a care in the world that a bar full of strange men had witnessed her body. That she had made herself an object for their amusement. I growled and turned to continue walking, eager to get her back to her fathers house so I could go home and calm down.

"Thomas?"

"What?!" She hesitated when I barked at her but eventually voiced her request.

"I am a little hungry. Where is a good place to eat?" She skidded to a stop behind me when I ground to a halt. I could feel her eyes on my back as I debated letting her starve in punishment for her behavior. She could wait until she got home and then make something herself.

"Fine." I started walking again and aimed us towards a little shop that Ciro and I often frequented. It was halfway between my workplace and our apartment, as well as being right down the street from the hospital where Ciro worked as an orderly. I darkened a little more when I realized Ciro was already there, getting himself something to eat. Katherine went rushing past me and up to him, looking for sympathy.

"Ciro! Ciro, Thomas is mad at me. Tell him to stop being mad at me. I was only trying to help and it is not like I showed that much skin. He is being unreasonable."

Ciro blinked in surprise, flashing a smile, then cocking his head in question as he tried to figure out what was going on. He finally turned his gaze on me. "What happened?"

I growled and Katherine scurried to hide behind Ciro like a child much smaller than she was. "I got called in to work and I couldn't just leave her so she came along. Which was bad enough. And then she tells me she's going to the ladies room and the next time I look up, she's up on stage, half naked and dancing for the entire club to see! She refuses to see the problem with this!"

I huffed as Ciro frowned sympathetically. "You didn't happen to get pictures?"

"Ciro!"

He laughed and put up his hands in apologetic surrender. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I understand your issue, I do. I just think it's a little funny. Now, Katherine, are you sure you- Princess?" A shiver rolled down my spine as he turned to find our charge and found no one standing behind him. We both looked around frantically, but she was nowhere to be found. We shared the barest of glances before Ciro rushed for the back and I dashed out the front, looking down the street in either direction in an attempt to catch a glimpse of her.