“How old were you?”
“Eleven.”
“When did you decide you wanted to go into law enforcement?”
“I didn’t,” she replied. “They came looking for me.”
Greystone and Caroline returned to the kitchen. “Slash would love to see you guys,” Caroline said.
“We’re gonna take off,” Greystone said. “You don’t need bodyguards.”
“No, we don’t,” Sydney said. “I appreciate you both being there for me.”
Caroline stepped close to Sydney, clasped her hands. “Please,pleasekeep me posted.”
“Of course,” Sydney replied, “but we have Location Share turned on. I’m one-hundred-percent confident you’ll be checking on me every ten minutes.”
“No good,” Greystone said. “If somethin’ happens and you get taken, they have the location of the Black Site.”
“Babe,wehave Location Share turned on,” Caroline reminded him.
“Fuck,” Greystone bit out.
“I’m gonna put money on this one,” Teddy said. “I’d besurprised if anyone on the teamdidn’thave that feature turned on with their spouse.”
“Well, let’s just invite the son of a bitches over for a fuckin’ tour,” Greystone growled.
Sydney chuffed out a laugh.
Caroline rubbed his back. “We got this.”
Teddy and Sydney made their way to the recovery room. Carrera was sitting in the bedside chair holding Slash’s hand while they spoke in hushed tones.
“Knock knock,” Sydney said from the doorway.
Slash’s gaze jumped to them, and a smile filled her face. “Hey, come on in.”
They entered the room. Teddy pulled up a chair on the other side of the bed, gestured for Sydney.
“You take it.” Sydney stood at the foot, crossed her arms, and peered over at Slash. “How are you doing?”
“Good,” Slash said. “I wanted you to knowI’mthe team badass…”
The group laughed.
“But I’m passing that title to you,” Slash said. “You don’t follow the rules—and everyone follows them to the letter at Henninger Security, especially in Tucker Town. Not you.” She paused. “You saved my life. I was a dead woman.”
“Babe,” Carrera said.
“It’s true,” Slash said. “All of us were dead.” She flicked her gaze to Sydney. “Thank you.”
Sydney’s eyes softened, she unfolded her arms, and her shoulders relaxed. “Happy to be of service. Seriously, being there for all of you means everything to me.”
“Sydney needs to work with us,” Slash said. “For real.”
“I’ve got a mission to complete,” Sydney said. “Been chasing a predator for a while now, and I’m not stopping ’til I find him.”
“Well, I think everyone’s in agreement,” Carrera said. “King A doesn’t stand a chance against you.”
“When I send lead, I donotmiss.”
