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Tess grimaced. “Staffing is such a pain. Oh my god, I hate that part so much. No one wants to work these days.”

Sophia continued making sandwiches while the women discussed Tess’s yoga studios. It’d been a while since she checked on Dare and Tess, but like all the other couples in this family, they were memorable. Kind of hard to forget people who toed the law like the Holmes brothers and their spouses.

Lexi stacked the sandwiches on a plate, Tess filled a serving tray with pickles and beets, and Sophia grabbed plates, cutlery, and napkins. They made their way to the office off the living room, and Nash opened the door when Lexi called out.

“Sorry, hands are full,” she said, as he stepped back and let them in.

Sophia found a clear spot on the desk and emptied her hands. The room was white and steel gray with dark wooden accents. A floor plant sat near the window on the left side of the room, and a small couch was pushed up against the wall adjacent to it. Two white linen chairs sat in front of the desk, and a large brown leather chair was on the opposite side, in front of the computer.

Cole leaned against the front of the desk, his expression blank. “Thanks,” he said, and reached forward to snag one of the sandwiches.

Sophia lifted a shoulder. “Lexi’s idea.”

“Yeah, thank you.” Nash brought his hand to Lexi’s back as he went in for a sandwich too. “You must have sensed Cole was getting hangry.”

Cole snorted over a mouthful and swallowed. “You’re the one who was just whining that you’re hungry.”

“Maybe,” Nash said, lifting a shoulder. “But at least I can identify that I need to eat rather than chew people’s heads off.”

Cole licked his thumb, and Sophia’s insides danced at the sight of his tongue flicking over his knuckle. She ducked her chin and fought the swell of desire. Dear lord. She wasn’t going to get turned on by him. No freaking way. She was out of her mind with fear and sleep deprived—and sexually deprived, but that had nothing to do with it.

She wasn’t in the right frame of mind. That was all.

“I’d rather chew your head off,” Cole said flatly.

“Has anyone heard from Dare?” Sophia asked, breaking up the brotherly banter. Nash shook his head and dove into another sandwich.

“Not yet. He’ll be in touch though.” Cole picked up another half of a sandwich packed full of meat and lettuce and handed it to her.

She shook her head. “I’m good.”

He pushed the food a little closer. “Eat. It’ll be a long day.”

He was right. She accepted the bread and sat on one of the linen chairs. “Thanks.” She let her gaze skim the top of the desk. Various photos were scattered over the wood. One in particular caught her eye.

Inching forward, she took a bite of the sandwich and nodded at the upside-down photo. “Who’s that?”

Cole reached over and turned the picture to face her. His long leg brushed against her knee. “A hunch. Mostly. His name is Robert Thompson.”

She took another bite, and the tangy taste of mustard hit her tongue. Lexi made damn good sandwiches. Surveying Robert’s close-cropped brownish-red hair and freckled face, she guessed he was in his late forties. Something about his tawny eyes struck a note of familiarity.

“Have you heard of him?”

“He looks familiar. You think he’s connected?”

“Possibly. He’s Allan Thompson’s brother.”

She widened her eyes and set the sandwich down on an empty plate. “Ohmigod. Yeah, I remember now. We were looking for him—we wanted to ask him questions about his brother and the other Grand Chancellors. Couldn’t locate him.”

“We’ve got him now.”

Remnants of chicken stuck to the backs of her teeth as she swallowed. Triumph wanted to take over, but dismay clung to the recesses of her mind. Cole and his brothers were good.

Almost too good.

If a bunch of criminals were better at locating people than the police, there were many other things they’d be good at.

Cole was downright untouchable. And that thought brought a river of fear to life in her heart.

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