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Killion rolled his eyes. “Great.”
“We’ll get out of your hair,” Wit said, landing a kiss on his sister’s cheek on his way to the door.
The rest of the men followed suit, sure to include Rainy in their affectionate goodbyes. It was what they did. Rough around the edges, hardworking operatives, sure, but family was everything, and they loved just as hard. Family was everything, and it didn’t matter if they just saw one another an hour before or would see each other an hour later. They always showed their affection in their own ways.
“We’ll hold the elevator for you,” Brody said over his shoulder as he passed Killion.
Killion wrapped Rainy in his arms as the door closed behind them. He kissed her long and hard, running his arms up and down the length of her back as he did.
“Hurry up and quit kisssin’ my sister,” Wit yelled from the other end of the door. “We’re waitin’ on you.”
The couple broke their kiss and laughed at the shenanigans coming from the elevator down the hall.
Killion cupped her face and traced her jaw with the pads of his thumbs. “I love you guys. So much.”
“We love you too,” she whispered through the smile he provoked.
Killion paused and took her in for a moment, then said, “See you in a few.”
Rainy leaned against the wall and watched him leave, giggling as she heard the guys catcalling from the elevator as Killion emerged from the apartment. He said five minutes, but knowing the guys, they’d either tag along despite his disapproval or chat a while in the lobby before letting Killion go. Though their night started lovely, it ended slightly rough with a near incident, squashing the romantic evening. But it didn’t have to be over, and she was determined to salvage what she could.
A night in the spa-like bathtub in his bathroom by candlelight was a good start, then she’d let things lead wherever they were meant to from there. She’d made her way to Killion’s bathroom and started the water, adding the bubble bath he’d purchased for her. When she went to the linen closet for the candles and plush towels, she found a package of diapers.
“Why are these in here?” she asked herself. “Maybe I can catch him and save him the trip.”
She sat at the edge of the tub and dragged her hand through the warm water and bubbles, waiting for him to answer his phone. When he didn’t, she sent a quick text assuming maybe the guys were still chatting, and he didn’t want to be rude and answer. A text would be a quick glance and likely save him from the conversation he was likely trapped in and inevitably antsy from.
Rainy watched her phone screen intently, waiting for those little dancing dots to appear, indicating that he was messaging her back, but her smile dimmed to a concerned scowl when he didn’t reply. Suddenly, she felt unsettled. Missing the call, sure, but the text too? Killion was far too attentive when it came to her and the babies to miss both. He’d never ignore her out of fear something could be wrong… especially given their current circumstance.
Their current circumstance… what if there was something wrong, but with him? Sure, operatives all over the surrounding areas were watching his every move, but they were also living in one of the world's most secure buildings, and it didn’t deter mischief and mayhem. She stood and leaned on the counter for support as panic settled in and watched the clock on her phone, counting down the minutes he’d been gone.
Seven. Seven minutes had passed. Five since her call to him. Four and a half since her text. He’d said five minutes, there and back. He was officially late, and Killion was never late for anything. Rainy pondered whether or not it was paranoid to call one of her brothers and share her concern this soon. After all, she didn’t know exactly when he left the building, if he got caught up in a conversation first and was a few minutes behind. Hell, he could still be in the building and missed her call and text because he had his notifications off. Unlikely, but possible.
Determined not to stand around and wait, she shut off the water filling the bathtub and headed down the hallway on her way to his office, where she could watch the security cameras and see when he left, if he was alone, or even still in the building. If that yielded no answers, she’d make a call. Just as she’d emerged from the bedroom and began down the hall, the building rumbled and shook, causing her to brace herself as she heard the sound of an explosion in the distance.
A chill raced down her spine as the pit of her stomach dropped, leaving her to feel hollow and unsteady. Immediately grabbing her phone, she dialed Wit, who didn’t answer. Then Hen. Then Cane. Then Brody. Nobody answered, and she gave up, deciding to get to the twin’s room where she could get a view outside. Nothing. All she could see from the north-facing window was a glowing sky and what appeared to be smoke drifting in the distance.
Fighting the panic, she rushed to the office where the babies were down for the night and carefully put each of them in the stroller and opted to grab their diaper bag just in case. Something inside her said to take it. Maybe it was nerves, or perhaps it was intuition. There was no telling. Rainy sang her special lullaby to the babies as she slipped on her shoes, tied them, and tossed on a cardigan sweater like it was any other day and not the middle of the night. Calm and collected on the outside for her babies, boiling over with fear and anxiety on the inside.
When she made it down the hall to the elevator, she stared at the rows of buttons she had to choose from and didn’t know which one to push. Did she seek out one of her brothers and risk waking their homes? Though tempting, she didn’t think it was a good idea to head to the lobby, much less outside, especially with the twins in tow due to the constant danger surrounding them. Danger. The word crossed her mind, and she nearly lost control, but the baby noises from the stroller kept her together. She couldn’t afford to lose it — not now and not in front of them.
The Lair. Surely there’d be someone there. She couldn’t have been the only person who heard the blast or felt it, for that matter. They were manning the cameras round the clock as it was, and this surely brought people in. She hit the button, regretting it the minute she did. The closer she got, the more dread she felt coursing through her. Rainy was on a hunt for answers –– answers she suspected she didn’t want to hear.
As she stepped off the elevator, she could see light beaming from the open doors of the Lair into the dim hallway and hear the commotion inside. Just as she’d expected. This was either good because they got ahead of whatever had just occurred, and it was a controlled situation, and she’d find Killion inside at the helm, or it wasn’t, and he wasn’t inside.
She slowly walked the hall, listening, pulling keywords from the conversations spilling out into the hall. Explosion. Unknown. Unaccounted for. Casualties. She heard all of them and not one was said by Killion. He wasn’t there. She felt it deep within her soul. He was the one who was unaccounted for.
Stepping into the doorway, she watched the team work together as they always did, perfectly in sync, like a well-practiced team. Scanning the room, she confirmed what she’d already suspected. No Killion. The screens on the wall were filled with various views from the security cameras outside, but none of them were clear. It was dark, and the smoke made it near impossible to make anything out on an already skewed view.
“Rainy,” Wit said like a deer caught in headlights. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Finn and Brody rushed in past her, both stopping to look back at her wearing the same look as Wit. Shocked. Stunned. Unsure what to say. Their stares were sullen and bounced back and forth between her and the babies in the stroller. She knew what they were thinking. They didn’t need to tell her a word.
“Know anything yet?” Hen said, entering the Lair from a side door.
His question went unanswered, and he scowled, following the stares of everyone in the room until he landed on her. His expression said it all –– it was like a light bulb went off.
“Sis,” he said. “Ash and Aye are headed to your place. I’ll walk you up.”
