Page 24

Trigger and Rylie laughing beside the river.

Havoc with Aspen and Dylan.

Saint holding a baby.

Ace and Tessa beneath the tavern sign.

Life measured in pictures.

There wasn’t a photograph of me.

I hadn’t been there.

Wolf sat behind the desk.

I took the chair across from him.

Max lay near the door.

“You still doing security work?” I asked.

“We run the tavern and the company. The security work pays better. The tavern keeps us sane.”

“Trigger works here. I’m not sure sane is the word.”

“He’s calmer than he used to be.”

Trigger shouted from the dining room.

“I DID NOT BREAK THE COFFEE MACHINE!”

Something crashed.

Wolf closed his eyes.

“Marginally calmer.”

I looked at the contracts on his desk.

“What kind of work?”

“Personal protection. Threat assessments. Transport. Missing persons when local law enforcement asks for help. We stay close to Eagle River unless the job requires travel.”

“You don’t miss the bigger missions?”

“Sometimes.”

“What changed?”

“Nora.”

He answered without hesitation.

I looked at the wedding photograph.

“You happy?”

“Yes.”