Tomi made a groggy half-waking sound when he laid her on the mattress, and Cole quickly covered her in blankets and soothed her back to sleep. He thumbed the dark smudges of exhaustion under her eyes and then stood and left the room, leaving the door open so he’d hear if she woke. He needed to clear his head. He couldn’t say for sure Tomi had no ties to Luis, no matter how much he wanted to, notyet.
Clint and Carter sat in the kitchen, palming a beereach.
“You get everything?” Cole went to the fridge and pulled out his beer, needing a bit of a buzz right aboutnow.
“Yep,” Carter answered, “including your toy bag. Set you up in the room next to themaster.”
“You think she’s really working for Luis?” Clintasked.
Cole shook his head, allowing himself to relax his careful façade in front of his family. “No.”
“Then why are we here?” Clint sounded as frustrated as Colefelt.
“Because if I didn’t agree to question her, Stahl would have insisted on doing it himself…and he wouldn’t care if he destroyed her in the process.” And because the bastard was going to dismantle everything they’d worked so hard to build. “And because I can’t prove shedoesn’t.”
Clint and Carter loved the business as much as Cole, but Case, their older brother, needed it to function. He’d served the longest of them all, and as a SEAL sniper, gone on the deadliest missions. He required the action to function in the civilianworld.
Too damn bad Case hadn’t been there last night – they’d needed him. But Case had disappeared, as he tended to do a couple of times a year. The brothers didn’t know where he went or why, only that he had to get away sometimes to deal with hisdemons.
“So? She dumped you, bro. Broke your heart. Why do you care if he messes with her?” Clint ripped a new beer from the fridge, uncapped it, and took a longdrag.
“Had to ask myself that same question. It comes down to this…would you have been able to step back if you were in my place, Clint? If Stahl had it out for someone you once caredfor?”
A long, bloated pause filled theroom.
“I didn’t thinkso.”
“We just don’t want to see you hurt again, bro.” Carter lifted his mug to his lips and took a sip, openly watching Cole. Hell, both of them were watching him with that annoying, knowinglook.
“What he’s saying is that you were a pain in the ass for a whole year after she dumped you. We finally got you trained the way we like you—don’t want her messing that up again.” Clint said in his typical sarcastictone.
Cole gave them a half-cocked grin. Without his brothers, Cole wasn’t sure how he would have made it through his funk after Tomi. Being in the SEALs had also helped him, of course. They’d kept him too busy for him to stew over his broken heart. He’d thrown himself into the work wholeheartedly, and his devotion to his team was part of the reason that half of the guys had retired with him and were now working for Fury Security. Rico, Troy, and McKay had all joinedthem.
“Don’t worry, we’re past that. I know this isn’t goinganywhere.”
“Knowing it and feeling it are two different things,” Carter saidquietly.
“Good thing I don’t have to worry about feelings anymore. Aren’t you the one that gave me the nickname Ice?” Colesaid.
Instead of smiling, like Cole had hoped, Carter frowned. Cole usually cherished his brother’s unique ability to still care about—and read—others’ feelings after going through so many hardening battles. There weren’t many men who came out of the Navy SEALs with their feelings and emotions healthy and intact, but Carter’s thoughtfulness was starting to grate on hisnerves.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Cartersaid.
“The rest of the team here yet?” Coleasked.
“Yeah, got here about an hour ago,” Clint said. “They’re out setting up a perimeter around the property. They’re going to stay out in the bunkhouse with us tonight and then head out to work on the case and keep an eye on Stahl.” He gave him a significant look that he didn’t need any help interpreting. They were giving him a private place to seduceher.
“Good, Stahl’s giving me three days before he movesin.”
“How’re you going to manage this in only three days without telling her the truth?” Carter got up and went to the small farm sink behind him, rinsed and dried his glass and replaced it in the cabinet. He held his hand out for Clint’s drink and repeated theprocess.
Cole blew out a long, weary breath. He’d been asking himself the same question all the way here, and he still hadn’t come up with an answer. “I’ll let you know when Iknow.”
“Tomi’s always been scared of her own feelings. Don’t push her too hard, or she’ll just run again.” Carter finished drying off his twin’s glass and then turned to face Cole. “Give her time to warm up toyou.”
Clint snorted and got to his feet, shoving his chair back under the table. Cole was once again struck by how similar and how different his younger twin brothers were. Cole had inherited his mother's jet-black hair and dark eyes. The twins shared their father’s curly blond locks and light hazel eyes, which turned gold with high excitement, but their personalities were like day and night. Emotional, empathetic Carter. Practical Clint. Opposite sides of acoin.
“Let us know if you need any help.” Clint clapped Cole on the shoulder and headed for the frontdoor.
