I stand again and walk to the kitchen, and pour myself a glass of water I don’t really want. The cool liquid does nothing to settle the restless feeling in my chest. I check my phone. No new messages from the team. The waiting grates on me. My brothers are out there somewhere. Every day without word feels like another knot tightening.
I need to talk to someone who understands. Mack always has the level head when it comes to this kind of thing. I pull up his number and hit call before I can second-guess it. The phone rings twice before his familiar voice answers.
“Jace. Everything alright out there?” Mack sounds alert even though it’s late. Logistics never really sleep.
“Yeah, we’re secure for now,” I say, pacing back to the couch. “Safe house is locked down. Sadie’s in bed. I needed to check in.”
“Copy that. You sound wired. What’s going on?”
I melt into the cushions and close my eyes for a beat. “I told her some things tonight. About what I want. About the kind of woman I’m looking for. It came out more real than I planned.”
Mack’s quiet for a beat. Then he chuckles. “Let me guess. You’re starting to feel something for the client.”
I rub the back of my neck. “It’s more than that. Every protective instinct I have surges to the surface. Not because she’s Anniston’s sister or because it ties into finding Dad. It’s her. The way she looks at me when she thinks I’m not paying attention. The way she blushes when I say something honest. I keep telling myself it’s the job, but the job doesn’t make my chest feel like this.”
“Sounds like you’re in it now,” Mack says. His voice stays steady, no judgment. “How did she take the heart-to-heart on the boardwalk?”
“She blushed. Hard. Then she pulled back into that professional shell. Asked if she could call Anniston tomorrow. She’s always looking out for her little sister. It’s one of the things that gets to me.”
Mack exhales. “Family first. I get it. Listen, you called for advice, so here it is straight. You need to keep your head clear. We still don’t know where Nash and Sin are. Dad’s trail is cold but getting warmer in places we don’t like. Victor Liotta’s name keeps coming up in connection with the people who grabbed them. Distraction could get someone hurt.”
I sit up straighter. “Have you heard anything new? Any updates on Nash, Sin, or Dad?”
“Everything’s the same as the last check-in,” Mack replies. The disappointment in his voice mirrors my own. “No new sightings. No ransom demands. No chatter on the usual channels. Banks is still digging through digital footprints. Crewe is running recon on a couple of properties. Colt’s training a new batch of guys and waiting for the word to move. It’s a waiting game right now, and I hate it as much as you do.”
“Bummer,” I mutter. “I keep thinking if I push harder on Liotta out here I’ll shake something loose. The Lobster Shack visit tonight didn’t give us much, but the guy at the bar looked too interested. I’m going back tomorrow to poke around more carefully.”
“Good. Stay on it. But don’t let whatever’s happening with Sadie cloud your judgment. You asked how to keep personal feelings out of a job. I’ll tell you what worked for me when I was guarding Indigo.”
I lean back, interested. Mack guarded the supermodel Indigo Lyric during that Cupid City operation. He came back different afterward. “Yeah? How did you manage it?”
“I tried my hardest not to let the attraction fog my focus,” Mack says. His tone turns serious. “Every time I felt myself slipping, I reminded myself why I was there. Her safety came first. Always. I ran scenarios in my head. What if the threat escalated right then? What if I was too busy thinking about how she smelled or how her laugh hit me to react fast enough? It kept me sharp. You need to do the same. Think about Sadie’s safety first and foremost. Not with your dick. Not with your heart. With your training. With the mission.”
I laugh despite the tension. “Easy for you to say now. You ended up with the girl anyway.”
“Different circumstances,” Mack replies, and I can hear the smile in his voice. “But the principle stands. You’re on protection detail in a town where Liotta has reach. One wrong move and it’s not just your heart on the line. It’s her life. And it’s our brothers’ lives if this ties back to Dad.”
I nod even though he can’t see it. “You’re right. I know you’re right. Maybe I should call Colt instead. He’s the only one who has never fallen for a client. The man’s a machine when it comes to keeping things professional. I don’t think he’ll ever fall in love.”
Mack laughs outright this time. “Colt would tell you to do a hundred push-ups and then run ten miles until the feeling goes away. Or he’d grunt and say ‘focus.’ Not much help on the emotional side.”
“True,” I say. “Thanks for the talk, Mack. I needed it. Keep me in the loop if anything breaks on Nash or Sin.”
“Will do. Stay sharp out there, little brother. And watch your six with the pretty teacher.”
We hang up. The quiet of the house rushes back in. I set the phone on the coffee table and stand again, the nervous energy still thrumming through my veins. Mack’s words loop in my head. Safety first. Don’t think with your dick. I know he’s right. I’ve known it since the moment I picked Sadie up in Halo City. But knowing it and living it are two different things when she looks at me the way she did tonight on the boardwalk.
I walk to the hallway and pause outside her closed door. No light shows underneath. She must already be asleep. I pictureher curled on her side in that big bed, hair spread across the pillow, that stubborn expression finally relaxed. The insane need to protect her flares again, stronger than before. I’d burn the whole coastline down before I let anyone touch her. The thought should scare me. Instead it settles something deep in my chest.
I return to the living room and pick up the phone again. This time I dial Sloane Archer. He runs SBS, the firm that keeps most of us employed when we’re not chasing family ghosts. Sloane answers on the third ring, voice crisp even at this hour.
“Jace. I assume this isn’t a social call.”
“Never is with me,” I reply, settling back on the couch. “I’m out at the Sunbreak Harbor safe house with Sadie Wells. We made contact at the Lobster Shack tonight. Blended in as a couple. No direct hits on Liotta yet, but there was a guy at the bar who watched us a little too closely. I’m going back tomorrow to dig.”
Sloane’s quiet for a moment. I hear papers shuffling in the background. “Liotta’s name’s been circling in connection with some of the same players who took your brothers. Nothing concrete yet. Banks is running deeper traces on financials tied to the properties we flagged. Crewe has eyes on a warehouse outside the city that might be one of Liotta’s distribution points. We’re moving slow and quiet. We don’t want to spook anyone until we’ve got Nash and Sin’s location locked.”
“Anything I should know on my end?” I ask. “Any new intel on Victor himself? Patterns? Weak spots?”
