Page 22 of Peaceful Chaos

"Where is he?" Sin asks. The muscle clenching in his jaw tells me he already has an idea.

"He flew to Chicago earlier today. Damien called him in for a meeting, and he has to keep up appearances. Damien has to believe Grant is still working for him in order for us to keep you safe."

Lucien turns his attention to Brett. "Why do I feel like you're telling us what you wished you believed?"

Brett exhales and paces. "Grant has always been a bit of a boy scout. From the moment Natalie was kidnapped, every moment of his life has been laser focused on getting her back. He joined search and rescue in high school, and even won some awards for his tracking skills when he stumbled on the trail of a couple of missing hikers. Had they remained out in the elements even twelve more hours they likely would have passed from hypothermia.

"He wanted to join the military out of high school, but his parents balked and pushed him toward college. His ultimate goal was the FBI, because they handle the most kidnapping cases, so he changed tactics and went to law school."

"You sound like you were there," Ford observes.

Brett shrugs. "We've been best friends since middle school. He went to college, and I went into the Army and got my degree in between deployments. I grew up with Natalie too, and Grant's crusade became mine. It was the longest we'd ever been apart since sixth grade. We took different paths, but they led to the same place. Those different paths, though, taught us different methods."

His hands start to shake, and he shoves them into the pockets of his jacket. "My path took me into Special Forces. We deployed a lot. Some of the things I've seen have stayed with me.

"Grant found structure in the law. It became his religion, the center of his universe. His faith is so fanatical, so complete, he won't deviate from it. Me on the other hand, I've lived my life since high school in the gray zone. When you're on a mission things go to shit in an instant. So much so it becomes less about what the government says we're doing there to keeping the guy next to you alive. The things I've done to make sure of that would not meet Grant's standards of law and order."

"So where does that leave us?" I ask.

"It means that for the second time in my life, my path is going a different route from my best friend. I just hope that we come back together again by the end of the road," he replies.

Shane moves to the counter and begins looking at the boxes of lights. "Are there cameras inside the house?"

"There aren't supposed to be," Brett says.

"Which means there definitely are," Lucien mutters.

He gets out his laptop, careful not to open the screen enough for any potential cameras to see what he's doing. Sin might be more skilled at hacking than my brother, but he's certainly no slouch. Lucien's fingers fly over the keyboard, then he suddenly stops.

"Motherfucker!" he shouts.

"I've found a secure site with an IP address coming from this house. There are cameras in every room. Every fucking room," he seethes and shoves away from the counter.

I take a peek at the screen as soon as he leaves. Bile rises up my throat when I see the angle that looks right in the shower in my bedroom. I slap my hand over my mouth and run to the bathroom.

Sin follows behind me and holds my hair back until my stomach is done revolting. When I'm sure my guts are going to remain in place, I lean back against his legs.

He continues to brush my hair away from my sweaty face. "I'm sorry I failed you again. I promised to protect you from him, and yet here we are again."

I look up at him standing over me. "You are not responsible for my father's actions."

"But keeping my wife safe is something I'm responsible for."

"He was watching you too. And all of our friends," I point out.

"Do you think you're ready to go back out there and figure this out?" he asks me.

I swallow hard, making sure my stomach is really settled. “I guess,” I reply. He helps me to my feet and I move to the sink and rinse my mouth out.

In the living room the guys are trying to move around the house and find hidden cameras. Lucien tips his head to one of the outlets and alerts us to one of probably dozens of hidden cameras all over the house.

"How did he get in here to set these up?" I ask.

Brett looks over my shoulder, anger rolling off him in waves. "I don't know, but you can bet your ass I'm going to find out."

"Do you think there's audio?" Ford asks.

"It's possible, but I doubt it. I have no idea why he wouldn't want them here, but if there was I doubt he wouldn't have made a move against us already considering all the planning we've been stupidly doing under this roof to get rid of him."

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