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Luke
“Lookatyou,allhappyandshit,”Jacksonsaysashewalksintotheofficeatthegym.Ican’thidemygrin.HecaughtmethinkingaboutLivforthefivehundredthtimetoday,andit’snotevennoon.LivisworkingoutwithJordyandSkye,butshe’salwaysonmymind.
“It’s fucking obnoxious,” he grumbles as he settles into the chair in front of my desk. He makes an old man grunt and I laugh.
“Brando put you through leg day?”
He sighs. “I don’t know why I let him torture me so much.”
“Because you’re a masochist and you love it,” Brando says as he walks in. He pats Jackson on the shoulder as he passes him and sits at his desk.
Jackson chuckles. Mark walks in a second later and pulls the chair over from the corner. He grunts too as he sits and we all laugh.
"She must be in love with you. I can't believe she's stuck around so long," Jackson says with a mischievous grin.
My smile must get bigger because he and Brando groan. "Shit. You're in love with her too, aren't you?" Jackson says, sagging into his chair like I just told him I'm terminal.
"Like you didn't see that coming?" Mark asks. He reaches into his pocket when his phone dings a notification.
Jackson drops the acting and grins. "Fuck yea I did. I'm really happy for you bro. You got yourself a keeper. I'm just going to miss our drunken nights of debauchery."
Brando snorts. "Like he ever participated."
Mark stands abruptly and we turn to him, all humor gone in an instant while we wait for him to speak.
“Jim Maddox just texted me. He’s got something for us. We need to get to your office at Reilly Tech.”
I narrow my gaze. My office has advanced security features. This must be important. I nod, and we all stand. I face Jackson and Brando. “Can you guys stay with Liv and Skye?”
They nod and follow us out. “What is it?” Jordy asks, dropping from the pull-up bar. “Maddox. We gotta go.”
He nods and picks up a towel, wiping sweat off his torso before tugging on a shirt. I turn to Liv and Skye. “Stay with Brando and Jackson.”
They nod, their eyes wide with concern. I bend to kiss Liv. “We’ll be back soon.”
“Ok. Be safe,” she says, squeezing my hand.
I hug Skye, then Brando and Jackson meet my eyes with a firm nod. I follow Mark and Jordy to the parking lot.
When we get to my office at the Reilly Tech building downtown, Jordy shuts the door and Mark picks up the tablet on my desk, engaging the security protocols. He video calls Jim and re-routes it to the screen on the wall. All three of us take a seat on the couch facing it.
“Luke. Good to see you,” Jim says when his face appears on the screen. I’ve known Jim since kindergarten. He’s a former Navy SEAL and although his hair is graying, there’s nothing old or weak about him. He was my dad’s Mark, so to speak, for years, and he helped Jim get his security company up and running in New York. Dad hired him for anything security related. I trust him more than most.
A man in a black suit sits next to him. “This is Officer Fox. He found something of interest to you,” he says.
I nod at Fox, and he returns the gesture. “I found a file this morning addressed to you.”
Mark and I share a look as he continues. “An unknown entity that referred to itself as Nova, delivered it.”
I blink in confusion. “That’s my dad’s home security system.”
Jim nods. “Your dad was in discussions with us about it before he died.”
I wasn’t aware of that. “What’s in the file?”
“We don’t know. It’s encrypted with an advanced delivery system. I knew you were a top tier client, so I brought it straight to Jim,” Fox says.
I nod. “Send it to me.”
