Sadie
I feel Jace stiffen beside me the second Brooke points toward the window. His whole body goes rigid under my arm, muscles locking like he’s been hit. One second he’s the easy charming man who’s been keeping his hand on my waist all afternoon, and the next he’s something else entirely. Hard. Still. Focused on the older man in the blue shirt.
My first instinct is to protect him the way he’s been protecting me. I turn slightly, press my palm flat against his chest right over his heart. The fabric of his shirt is warm from the sun and the solid beat underneath is fast, too fast. I tilt my head up and keep my voice quiet so the women don’t hear.
"Jace? Is everything okay?"
He doesn’t answer at first. His eyes stay locked on the man by the window. Then he leans down, close enough that his breath brushes the shell of my ear when he whispers. The words are so quiet only I can hear them.
"Victor’s my father."
Whoa. I blink, trying to make sense of it. The man we’ve been asking about all day, the one with rumors and money and a new restaurant, is Jace's missing father. The one he and his brothers have been searching for.
Before I can respond, the older man turns and walks toward the back exit. He doesn’t look our way. He moves with purpose, phone already at his ear, and disappears through a side door that leads to the private dock area.
Jace's hand tightens on my waist once, hard, then he’s moving. "We have to go. Now."
I grab my bag without thinking. "Brooke, Melissa, we have to run. Family emergency. Thank you for today."
They look confused but nod. Melissa is still half focused on the bartender anyway. We’re out the door and onto the boardwalk before they can ask questions. The sun’s bright on the water, yachts rocking gently in their slips, the sound of rigging clinking in the breeze. Jace keeps me close as we hurry toward the parking lot, his stride long and urgent. I have to jog a little to keep up, but I don’t complain. His face is pale beneath the tan, his eyes scanning every car and boat with a desperation he can’t hide.
We reach the Jeep. He opens my door, practically lifts me in, then rounds to the driver side so fast the tires crunch on gravel when he starts the engine. We pull out of the lot and onto the road that curves away from the marina. Victor's car, a sleek black sedan, is already turning onto the main road ahead of us. By the time we reach the intersection it’s gone, swallowed by traffic. Jace slams a hand on the steering wheel once, the sound sharp in the small space.
"Damn it. He’s gone."
I reach over and rest my hand on his forearm. His skin’s hot, the muscle corded tight. "We’ll find him again. You saw him. That’s something."
He nods once, jaw clenched, but he doesn’t look at me. His eyes stay on the road as he drives us back toward the safe house. The wind whips through the open top, but the usual easy energy between us is gone, replaced by something heavier. I keep my hand on his arm the whole way, grounding him the only way I know how right now.
When we pullinto the driveway he kills the engine but doesn’t move.
He pulls out his phone instead, hits a number, and puts it on speaker. The call connects after two rings.
"Crewe," a deep voice answers. "Talk."
Jace's voice comes out rough. "I saw him. Dad. He’s here. In Sunbreak Harbor. Goes by Victor now. He’s got a restaurant at the marina."
There’s a long beat of silence on the other end. Then Crewe exhales hard. "You’re sure?"
"I’m sure. Same profile, same mannerisms, same everything. He left before I could get to him."
"Son of a..." Crewe's voice cracks with shock. "Hold on. I’m patching in the others."
The line clicks and beeps. Three more voices join, overlapping at first.
"Colt here. What the hell’s going on?"
"Somebody better start talking."
"Mack. Crewe, you dragged me out of a meeting for this?"
Crewe cuts through. "Jace saw Dad. Alive. In Sunbreak Harbor. Goes by Victor. Has a restaurant at the marina."
The line explodes with questions. Colt swears. Banks demands details. Mack goes quiet then asks the practical one. "Did he see you?"
"No," Jace says. His free hand grips the steering wheel, knuckles tight, as he fights to keep himself together. "He left before he noticed us. We tried to follow but he was already gone."
I listen, heart aching for all of them. These men have been living with this hole in their family for years. And now the answer is here, in the same town where I’m supposed to be hiding from my sister's problems. The universe has a twisted sense of humor.
