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Still, he let out a relieved sigh when he saw her enter the room. She immediately sought him out, their eyes connecting. He felt that punch to his gut he was getting used to feeling when she gazed at him. That was a sign that told him he should surely head for the hills as quickly as possible. He was doing just that in two weeks. She might not forgive him for taking her virginity and then leaving her high and dry.
“You look better,” Ace told her.
“Never something you should say to a woman,” Chloe advised Ace.
“What?” He was confused.
“We always look great,” Chloe said with a wink.
“Of course you do, darling,” Nick piped in.
“Suck-up,” Ace said to Nick.
“You’ll understand sooner than I probably would have imagined,” Nick responded.
Ace didn’t want to go there, so he turned away from Nick and looked at Cooper instead. “I guess you’re ready to find out what in the hell is going on.”
“Yeah, definitely more than ready,” Cooper told him.
They all sat down, and Ace was immensely pleased when Dakota curled up into a happy ball at his side. She kept a few inches of space between them, which was too much in his opinion, but he felt calmer just having her close.
“I think I overreacted. Now that my adrenaline isn’t pumping, it looks like that’s exactly what I did. As a result of being undercover in the CIA for the past several years, when I see danger, the first thought that comes to mind is someone is coming after those I care about in order to get to me,” Ace told them.
“Explain,” Mav said.
He told them about having a bad feeling when he returned to Dakota’s place, about finding the armed men up to no good, the gunfight, and the police taking the intruders away. When he was done, he felt his blood pressure rising again at just the thought of what could have happened to Dakota.
“Damn,” Cooper said with a long sigh. “I’m so sorry, Dakota,” he added.
“I’m okay, thanks to your brother,” she assured him.
“Do you really think it could have anything to do with you?” Mav asked.
Ace was quiet for a moment. “No,” he said. “I just was scared for Dakota. And home is the first thought that came to mind. I spoke to my boss, Bill, and he assures me there’s nothing on the wires about anyone being after me.”
“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Nick told him. “Coming here was the smart thing to do.”
“Thank you,” Ace said. It truly didn’t matter to any of them how long he’d been gone. They were still family and he was still welcome, especially in a time of crisis.
“You can always trust us to be here for you,” Cooper said.
“I know that. I should have done things differently over the years. I’m sorry,” he said to his family. His apology was long overdue.
“All is forgiven. We’re just glad you’re home now, where we can be here for each other,” Nick said. He patted Ace’s unhurt shoulder. Ace looked over at Maverick, who shifted on his feet.
“I’m sorry, Mav,” he said, knowing at least one of his brothers hadn’t fully forgiven him.
“It’s all good,” Mav said.
“No, it’s not, but I hope it will be someday,” Ace told him. Mav looked down. But he didn’t try to argue anymore. Maybe the two of them needed to talk it out alone.
“I really don’t think anyone is chasing me, but maybe I should take Dakota on a vacation or something just in case,” Ace said.
“That’s not a good idea at all,” Maverick said, his eyes snapping back up to give Ace an intense look. Ace could almost hear his brother’s thoughts—that he believed all Ace knew how to do was run away. Ace wanted to change that image they had of him, but it wouldn’t be long before he’d have to tell them he’d be leaving for his next mission. He also needed to assure them he wouldn’t be gone so long this time.
“But what if . . .” Ace trailed off.
“You’re back home now, and we stick together through the good and the bad,” Cooper insisted.
