“More. Please.”
I fist Grayson’s shirt and tug him back to me when he notches back long before I’ve had my fill. His muffled laugh warms my heart as much as his lips do, and it frees me to leave knowing everything will be okay. I have a man who loves me, a son who will never feel as alone as both his parents once did, and a team who knows sometimes it is okay to scuff the line between good and evil if it achieves a positive response.
Even if I don’t bring Kendall home today, I will one day.
Faith assures me of this.
And so does Grayson.
His love is the light that guides me through the darkness, and it is bright enough to bring Kendall out of the dark, too.
GRAYSON
I pace the length of the kitchen, phone pressed to my ear and eyes flicking between my laptop’s live feed and the clock. Every second Macy is out there, my nerves coil tighter. Covert operations don’t hand out second chances. This is ouronlyshot. If we pull this off, we will get Macy’s sister back. If we don’t… I don’t allow myself to finish my thought. It is too devastating to consider. It could fracture Macy beyond repair.
The voice of one of Crew’s team members crackles through the speaker. “Macy and her target are exiting the tattoo parlor. The block is clear. No sign of any threats.”
“Copy. Keep eyes on her. She’ll improvise if needed.”
My finger has only just slipped off the mic button when a knock sounds at my door. I freeze. I’m not expecting any visitors.
After a quick update on Macy’s location, I head to my front door. I crack it open an inch, inwardly groaning when I spot my father on the porch, hands in his pockets and eyes as sharp as ever.
“Grayson,” he greets, like he’s dropped in for coffee.
“Dad?” My response reads like a question rather than a greeting. I move closer, obscuring the view of the makeshift command center in the kitchen. “What are you doing here?”
“Thought I’d check on my grandson.” Something in his tone sets my nerves on edge, though I lose the chance to clarify what it is when Mason squeals before he races our way.
My dad scoops him up, bouncing him gently on his hip. “Hey, buddy. How have you been?” I can’t understand a word Mason replies, but my dad acts as if he is fluent in baby talk. “You want to talk to Mommy? Sure. Let’s see if she’s available.”
“Dad…” I growl out in warning.
He ignores me. With Mason balanced on his hip and his phone in his hand, he hits the call button as if he preloaded Macy’s number.
Macy answers his call four rings later. “Hello.”
“Hello, dear. Mason is missing you, so I thought we’d ring to see how you are. How is your grandmother? Sick, I hear.”
Macy maintains her cover. “Grandma is good. She’s doing a lot better than the doctors let on. I don’t think I’ll need to stay as long as first perceived. I should be back in a couple of days.”
“That’s good.” My father’s eyes meet mine. They announce that he isn’t here for a visit. He’s here for Macy and the operation, and perhaps to call me out as a big fat liar. “You should be back in time to help the bureau mop up the mess of a recent mafia takeover bid.”
“When?” Macy’s one word, though clipped, is full of impact.
Ravenshoe is our home because it is secure from threats such as mafia wars and takeovers. We never expected anything like this to happen here.
I curse under my breath when my father answers, “Last night.”
“How many casualties?” Macy queries as I approach my makeshift command center, where I lower the surveillance feed tracking her movements and bring up the reports I ignored since her safety was my utmost priority.
Things get even more complicated when I speed-read the reports. Besides multiple casualties, the man Macy needs to bring her sister home knows the leading players well.
“There are multiple casualties,” I answer on my father’s behalf. “Nikolai and Justine Popov are missing, and Dimitri Petretti is under guard at a local hospital. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds.” Returning to the foyer, I take my father’s phone from him. “Do you want to bring someone in to help brief Maddox on the situation?”
“No, no, I’ll tell him.”
“Are you sure, freckles?” My voice is pleading. I trust her. She is as smart as she is beautiful, but the last time someone taunted Maddox, he ended their conversation by inflicting fourteen stab wounds to a man’s stomach. Since that man was Arrow Moses, I don’t believe Maddox is dangerous, but there’s no harm in being cautious.
