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Eyebrows twitching. Mouth contorting as she held back a snarky grin. Quinn peeked around him at Eryn, and back at him.

“Don’t even,” he mumbled as he stepped back and waved them in.

Ryan smacked him on the shoulder as he walked in. “Hope we’re not interrupting.” Nearly as tall as Vann, with eyes black as midnight and sparks of lightning laced in his irises, Ryan’s personality didn’t match the intimidating demeanor. Quinn always called him Captain America, hometown-boy sexy, but Vann could see the darkness of his past and the power of his parentage like a shadow no amount of sun could counter. Ryan whistled as he stepped into the main room and looked around. “Nice upgrade.”

Vann sauntered in behind them. “Gotta keep up with the Joneses.”

Eryn stood back and watched curiously.

Quinn turned to her and beamed with a warm, welcoming smile. “Hi. I’m Quinn.”

“Eryn,” she said, smiling openly. She landed a look at Vann, then at Ryan, and laughed out loud. “Is there a height requirement or something?”

Vann moved back, his mood already lifting. That damn vision of his grandmother’s wasn’t going to be squashed by their presence, but if he had any chance at saving Eryn, his dad was right, and he’d need his extraordinary team. “Quinn’s about your height. You met Lana; she’s a shrimp. Bennett’s about Lexi’s height.”

Eryn’s cheeks flamed red, and she released a self-deprecating sigh. “I’m a physician. Accustomed to sexism. Yet I just assumed…”

“That I was inviting in more manly men to man-fix everything for you?”

She winced and nodded.

Vann nodded back at Quinn. “Offended?”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

Eryn’s lips curled up, and her brow drew together as she studied Quinn. “All of you. You’re all… different.”

“Does she know?” Quinn whispered, as if Eryn wouldn’t hear, a mix of hopeful and confused as Vann stood arm’s reach away from Eryn.

“Of course, she knows our security work is intense and secretive.” Vann folded his arms over his chest and fired an evil eye at Quinn. “And I was about to explain fucking everything, when your punctual ass rang my doorbell.”

Quinn feigned sheepishness and winked.

“If you’re hungry, there are leftovers from the dinner Lexi made,” Vann began, and glanced back at the pristine, minimally used kitchen. “Plus some frozen pizza, if that’s not enough.”

Eryn stepped back and looked up at Vann with a weary look. “I’ll get dinner heating, so you guys can catch up.”

“You had a really long day. I’ll do it.”

“I’m hungry.”

Ryan pulled a six-pack from the fridge and started pouring. “How about I tell you embarrassing stories about Vann while we get dinner heating? Sound okay?”

Quinn grabbed a pair of drinks and motioned for Vann to follow her outside.

If he’d known a deck made for a perfect escape to collect one’s thoughts, he’d have bought a place with outdoor access years ago. He slid the offered glass from Quinn’s hand and opened the slider.

At home in his home, Quinn clicked on the firepit, and sat leaned forward with her drink cradled in her hands. “Eryn seems nice.”

He nodded and sat across from her. Suds filled his mouth, his throat, and he swigged again to stall.

Quinn seemed to know already. Her frown oozed with sympathy. “Will it put her in more danger to send her away, or to keep her close?”

His eyes burned as he worked through every possibility again. “Doesn’t matter. Whatever happens now, she’s already marked for death.”

“Hey,” Quinn growled, shifting her drink to her other hand. “You know damn well that a vision is simply that. A glimpse and a feeling. A prediction, not a fact. The outcome isn’t set.”

His shoulders moved with a slight shrug. This vision wasn’t a challenge to save the world or risk losing everything. It was a warning.