The bedroom door slid shut behind Brendan. Trevor did another circuit around the small living room for his second security check of the night. He made mental notes on what they’d need to fix if the attack tonight turned into more of a problem than it already was.
Trevor had fielded calls from the remainder of his teammates and was closing out a conversation with Katie when the door to the apartment slid open. Trevor raised a telekinetic shield across the doorway out of caution. The tall, blond-haired man in a police uniform who tried to walk through it bounced off the invisible barrier.
“What the hell?” the guy said as he stumbled backward.
“Gonna have to call you back, Katie,” Trevor said as he retracted his telekinesis.
“We’ll meet for brunch,” she told him before cutting the line.
Trevor approached the man who had to be Colton. He and Brendan had similar features and coloring, though Colton was maybe a little shorter and stockier than his younger brother.
“Sorry about that.” Trevor extended his hand toward the other man. “Old habits die hard.”
Colton took his hand slowly, staring at Trevor with an unblinking gaze. “You’re…”
Trevor bit back a sigh, knowing what Colton would’ve said before his voice trailed off. “Yes. I’m Trevor Sanchez. I made sure Brendan got home okay after the attack at the hospital.”
Colton stepped inside the apartment. “I heard over Dispatch that one of you Alpha Team guys were on-site.”
“Not Alpha Team anymore, but I don’t have it in me to sit on the sidelines, civilian life or not.” Trevor gestured at the bedroom door. “I saw to Brendan’s injuries at the hospital. He’s sleeping right now. I told him I would stay until you arrived. I’d stay longer, but I need to leave for a debrief.”
“Right. Of course. Thanks for being there and keeping him safe. We all kind of freaked out when we heard it was Brendan’s station bus that was in trouble.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
“Thanks again, sir.”
“Not an officer,” Trevor said lightly as he left the apartment. Halfway to the elevator, he messaged Jamie his ETA, feeling a little guilty at not getting to be there for Brendan when he woke up in the morning.
5
Washington, D.C.
USA
“Honey,are you sure you’re feeling well enough to go back to work?” Jennifer Kane asked with a frown on her face.
Brendan looked up from his plate of scrambled eggs and sausage, chewing furiously around an overlarge bite. He swallowed it down and took a swig of synthcaf before answering. “Ma, I’m fine. Really. Healed up great, and I can’t leave Erin to sit on the sidelines while another crew handles calls.”
It wasn’t quite a lie. He was cleared to work, even if he didn’t feel completely fine. The nightmares from the spring that he’d thought were finally starting to fade had come back in full force. Sleep had been a stingy bed partner the past couple of nights.
His family, as much as he loved them, had been running in and out of his apartment at all hours of the day. Not to mention his fellow station crewmates had dropped by whenever they were off to see how he was doing, bringing enough food to feed an army. Brendan’s refrigerator was about to burst at this point.
“I’m just worried about you.”
“You don’t need to worry, Ma. I’m fine.”
“We don’t know who else might have been part of the group who led the initial attack, and the MDF has jurisdiction. I can’t find out anything at the moment, and we don’t know if anyone is going to come after you for getting in the way.”
Her concern stemmed from being a mother and a cop. Brendan could see why his mother would be frustrated about being out of the loop when another agency had swooped in and taken over the jurisdiction. None of his family who were police officers liked when the feds stepped on their toes. They liked it even less when family was involved.
But this time the federal agency in question came with a handsome guy who had saved his life. Brendan was willing to overlook his family’s annoyance in the face of Trevor’s kindness.
“Look,” Brendan said. “They were after my patient, not me. If the MDF thought I was in danger, I’m sure they’d have let me know by now. It’s been three days since the attack.”
“I’m still worried.”
Brendan got up from the small kitchen table to kiss his mom on the cheek. “I know. It’ll be fine. Love you, Ma.”
