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“Security?” Her eyes flashed with panic. “You don’t think he’d…”
“We don’t know,” I said. “So far, Seth hasn’t been anything more than just a pain in our asses. But if he decides to take things to another level, we want to be ready. Especially if he gets wind that we’re out of town.”
Aubrey’s beautiful features took on a worried expression before she nodded. “There’s not much of anything at Downing. Doors have locks, but that’s it.”
“How would you feel about staying here most of the time?” Tyler asked. “There’s plenty of space, and the security system here is top-notch. A few button presses and the place locks up like a bank vault.”
“Probably makes the most sense,” she said. “Kids are more comfortable here, anyway. But I can’t leave Aggie totally on her own – I’ll need to drop by the farm to do a little work, at least.”
“Understandable,” I said. “But if you could do it during the day, that’d be perfect.”
“And Aggie’s more than welcome to come over,” Mac said. “You all can stay here the entire time, if that’s what you want.”
“I’ll talk to her about it.” Aubrey sighed, shaking her head. “Sorry, just processing all of this.”
“You’re doing fine,” I said. “A lot to think about. Taking care of twins is one thing, and this is a whole other matter on top of it.”
“I’ll manage,” she said. “In the meantime, you guys have your trip to finish packing for. Leaving bright and early, right?”
“Five A.M. sharp,” Marcus replied. “Speaking of which, we should get back to it. Longer I sit here, the more I want to drink.” He threw back the rest of his whiskey and got up, the rest of the guys joining him.
“You OK?” I asked Aubrey.
She offered a weak smile in response. “I guess as good as I can be knowing that I might have a psycho former brother-in-law to worry about.”
I opened my mouth to speak but then, an idea occurred to me.
“Want to get some fresh air? The back patio’s heated. A little outdoors always clears my head.”
She smiled. “That sounds nice.”
We stood, grabbing our drinks and heading out of the room. The rest of the guys were busy on the top floor, the bottom floor quiet. Moments later, we stepped out onto the back patio, and I flicked on the heat. The view was gorgeous—the snow still fresh and untouched, the sky glittering with stars cast over the faded band of the Milky Way.
“I never get tired of this,” she said as we sat down, waving her hand toward the sky. “After a few years in New York, you forget what the stars look like.”
“That bad, huh?”
“That bad. I swear, there’s so much light pollution that you see maybe five on a given night.”
“Couldn’t do the city,” I said. “Too damn much going on.”
She laughed.
“Now, what’s funny about that?” I asked.
“Nothing. I mean, just funny how guys like you who go on secret missions for a living think that New York has too much going on.”
“Hey, there’s a difference between an overseas special op and a bustling metropolis.”
She grinned. “Listen to that disdain in your voice. You practically spit the words out.”
“Not shy about what I don’t like.”
“Have you ever been to New York?” she asked. “It’s not so bad.”
“Been through it and seen enough to know how dirty and hectic it is.” I nodded toward the snowscape before us. “No, this is more my speed. A big house, family, peace and quiet – that’s the life.”
“Peace and quiet, except for when you’re onspecial ops. Any chance you guys are going to tell me about this mission of yours?”
