Sloane's expression is grim as he checks his radio. "I don’t know yet. But we’ll find out. My team’s pulling everything we can from the van and the house. We’ll set up a full debrief back at the safe house. For now, get everyone out of here. The lockdown at the concert is still in effect. We’ll coordinate from the office."
We drive back in silence at first, my rescued brothers in one vehicle with Billy, Sadie and I in another with Crewe. She sits close to me in the back seat, her head resting against my shoulder. I keep my arm around her, my fingers tracing small patterns on her arm. The fear I felt when I realized she was gone is still fading, replaced by a fierce protectiveness. She was taken because of me. Because she got pulled into this world of secrets and danger when all she wanted was to help her sister. But she’s here now, safe, and I’m not letting her out of my sight again.
The road stretches ahead under the dark sky, the ocean a dark line to our left. The SUVs move steadily, the low hum of the engines filling the quiet. Crewe drives with his usual focus, his eyes on the road ahead. I glance out the window at the passing dunes, the way the moonlight catches on the water in brief flashes. Sadie’s warmth against my side is the only thing keeping the tension in my chest from spiking again. We got her back. We got Nash and Sin back. Billy’s with us. The rescue was too easy, though. It keeps nagging at me. They took Sadie to draw us in, but why? What do they gain by having the whole family in one place?
I tighten my arm around her slightly, my thumb brushing over the fabric of her sleeve. She shifts closer, her breathing even now. The concert lights are long behind us, the music faded into memory. Up ahead, the other SUV carries my brothers and Billy.I can barely make out their silhouettes through the rear window. Nash and Sin are finally safe. Billy’s back after all these years. It should feel like a victory. Instead, the ease of the rescue sits wrong in my gut. Like the real play is still coming.
The first sign of trouble is the headlights. Bright and sudden in the side mirror, coming up fast from behind. Too fast. I turn my head as the vehicle slams into the side of our SUV. The impact jars through my body, metal crunching and tires screeching against the pavement. Sadie gasps beside me, her body pressing into mine from the force. Crewe swerves, fighting to keep control, but the other vehicle hits again, harder this time. Glass shatters somewhere. The world tilts for a second as we skid.
I reach for Sadie instinctively, pulling her closer as the SUV spins. Adrenaline floods my veins. This isn’t random. This is deliberate. The second SUV ahead takes a hit too, swerving wildly before correcting. Through the chaos I catch glimpses of figures moving in the other vehicle. They’re not stopping. They’re herding us, forcing us off the road toward the dunes.
Crewe curses under his breath, his hands white-knuckled on the wheel. We lurch to a stop in the sand, the engine still running but the world suddenly too quiet after the screech of tires and metal. I push the door open, adrenaline flooding my system. Sadie’s right behind me, her hand finding mine as we stumble out onto the uneven ground. The other SUV has stopped a short distance ahead, its lights cutting through the dark. Figures are already moving around it. My brothers. Billy.
Then I see it. Another vehicle, dark and unmarked, pulling up fast beside the lead SUV. Doors open. More figures spill out. They move with purpose, heading straight for Billy. He’s standing near the front of the vehicle, his expression hard even in the dim light. Crewe and the others are shouting, moving tointercept, but it’s too late. The figures grab him, dragging him toward their vehicle with brutal efficiency. Billy fights, his voice carrying over the night air, but there are too many of them.
I start forward, pulling Sadie with me, but Crewe grabs my arm. "Jace, wait. They’re armed. We can’t rush this."
The vehicle with Billy inside peels away into the night, tires kicking up sand as it disappears down the road. The whole thing takes less than a minute. One second Billy’s there, standing with his sons after years of being gone. The next he’s gone again. Taken. Just like that.
We stand in the sand, the SUVs damaged and the night suddenly too still. My brothers are shouting, checking on each other, but the shock is clear on every face. Sadie’s hand is still in mine, her grip tight. I can feel her trembling slightly, or maybe that’s me. Billy was here. We rescued Nash and Sin. We got Sadie back. And now he’s gone again, snatched in the middle of what should’ve been the end of this nightmare.
Crewe’s already on his phone, calling Sloane, his voice clipped and urgent. Colt’s checking the vehicles, his usual charm replaced by raw anger. Banks and Mack stand near the lead SUV, their expressions stunned. Nash and Sin are leaning against the side, still weak from captivity but alert now, their eyes wide with the same disbelief I feel.
I pull Sadie closer, my arm around her shoulders. The protectiveness from earlier surges stronger. She was taken tonight. Billy was taken tonight. This was never about the rescue being easy. It was about drawing us out, getting us all in one place, and then striking when we thought it was over. Vanguard Helix played us. They let us find the house. They let us think we won. And now they’ve got my father.
The ocean rolls in the distance, waves breaking against the shore with their steady rhythm. The road is empty now except for us and the damaged SUVs. My mind races with questions. Why take my father now? What do they want with him after all these years? The answers feel out of reach, but one thing is clear. This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.
I look at my brothers, at my father’s empty spot near the lead vehicle, at Sadie standing strong beside me despite everything. The shock is written on every face. Billy’s alive. We had him. And now he’s gone again, taken in a calculated move that leaves us all reeling. The night air feels colder suddenly. The victory of the rescue tastes bitter. We came for Nash and Sin and Sadie. We got them. But the real target was Billy all along, and we walked right into it.
Crewe ends his call and turns to us, his expression grim. "Sloane’s sending backup. We need to get off this road and back to the safe house. They won’t stop with Billy. We need a new plan. Now."
I nod, my hand still holding Sadie’s. The fear for her hasn’t left, but it’s sharpened into something harder. Determination. Anger. We’ll rescue Billy. We’ll find out why they did this. And we’ll end this threat once and for all. But right now, standing in the sand with the damaged vehicles and the empty space where my father stood minutes ago, all I can feel is the shock rippling through all of us. Billy was kidnapped. And this time, we were right there when it happened. Vanguard Helix played us perfectly. And the game is far from over.
Epilogue
SADIE
The safe house feels different when we all return. The air carries the same salty breeze off the ocean, but everything else has shifted. Jace’s brothers fill the living room with low voices and tense shoulders.
Jace keeps his hand on the small of my back as he steers me into the kitchen. The others give us space without being asked. He turns to face me, and for once the easy, arrogant charm is tempered by something heavier.
“Sadie,” he says, voice low. “We’ve got to move fast on my father. The leads are hot, but they’re dangerous. To keep you safe while we hunt him down and clean this up, we’re flying you and my mother out to West Texas. Delaney’s got you covered at the Coleman Ranch. Anniston’s there. You’ll be protected. Out of the crossfire.”
My stomach drops. I don’t want to leave him. Not now. Not after every wall between us has come down and every night has shown me exactly how real this has become. The thought of being hundreds of miles away while he walks into whatever storm iswaiting makes my chest ache. But the pull to see my sister, to wrap my arms around her and know she’s truly okay, is just as strong.
I meet his eyes and keep my voice steady. “I don’t want to leave you. But I do want to see my sister.”
Jace steps in close, one hand sliding up to cup my cheek. The touch is gentle, but the look in his eyes is pure possession and promise. “I know, Wells. It’s temporary. I’ll finish this and come get you. I’m not letting you slip away now that I have you.”
I lean into his palm, the words I have been circling for days finally finding their way out. “Jace, I love you. This whole hot bodyguard summer started with me trying to keep my distance and you charming your way past every single rule I set. But somewhere between the fake dating and the real danger, I fell. Hard. I can’t imagine going back to my quiet classroom life without you in it.”
His grin breaks through, slow and devastating, the fun loving spark returning even in the middle of all this weight. “I love you too, Sadie. I can’t really imagine my life without you in it. You turned my temporary assignment into the one thing I never saw coming. And I’m not fighting it. Not anymore.”
My throat tightens. I won’t cry. Not when he needs to stay sharp. “Then be safe. Please. Come back to me.”
“I promise,” he says, rough and certain.
He pulls me in and kisses me like the world might end and start again in the same breath. It’s fierce and tender and everything we have become. When we break apart, footsteps sound in the hall.
