Page 3 of Twister

“Yes, okay.” There was an odd sound, as if the boy was having trouble breathing, but the hope in his voice was unmistakable. “We’re really scared,” Ezra said in a watery voice.

When they got there, Dagger used his key. The place looked like it’d been ransacked. Mail was piled up on the side table, burying her keys. The dining table was covered in blueprints, her laptop, and the beginnings of a model. In the living room, toys were scattered everywhere, laundry haphazardly thrown onto one end of the couch, with dishes stacked on the coffee table.

Quinn had gone back to work full-time as an architect. She had been a rising star when she’d met and married Brian, and before their children had been born, she’d solidified herself firmly as a stylish and innovative professional. She’d been peripherally involved in the business, choosing motherhood over career for the formative years of her children’s lives, and that had been cut short with Brian’s death.

“Uncle Kade,” Ezra said from the kitchen. It was also a wreck. The sink was full, and remnants of former meals were still strewn on all available surfaces, including the stove. He set Quinn’s cell phone down and ran to him, wrapping his arms around his legs. Kade cupped the back of his small head and rubbed it. Elijah peeked behind the doorframe, eyeing his teammates.

“It’s okay, Elijah. These are my best friends.” His voice gruff, he smiled. His nephew ran to him.

He grabbed the boy in a strong hug and said, “You’re safe, buddy.”

“I got him,” Brawler said. “Come on, kid. You want some of the fluffiest blueberry pancakes on the planet?”

“On the planet?” Shark murmured with raised brows.

“Hey, don’t rain on my parade, man,” Brawler growled.

Elijah, who was the carbon copy of his brother Ezra, nodded. His fine dark eyes were wide, but when Brawler smiled, Elijah returned it with a tentative one.

“Mommy?” he said in a fierce whisper as Dagger transferred him into Brawler’s arms. He pointed up the stairs.

“I’m going up there now to check it out. Twister”—he touched Twister’s shoulder—“is going to go with me. He’s a kind of doctor.”

“Are you going to give her a shot?”

Twister crouched down to Ezra and ruffled his hair. “No, we’re going to see how your mom’s doing. She’s in good hands.”

With a bend of his knees, Brawler offered Ezra his crooked arm, his biceps bunched. “Jump on. I’ll give you a ride.” Ezra didn’t hesitate. Brawler started for the kitchen, setting Ezra onto a bar stool and deftly handling Elijah with one arm as he gathered the stuff he needed for flapjacks.

“After you feed them, could you get them ready for school?” Dagger asked Shark as he passed. Shark nodded.

Easy headed into the living room and started gathering dishes, and Flash was already starting in the kitchen.The guys will have this place ship shape in no time, Dagger thought as he led the way upstairs.

His throat got tight as he walked down the hallway toward their…her…the master suite. The door was ajar, and he pushed it open, his breath trapped in his chest. Slipping inside, Twister right behind him, he found another room in shambles. Work clothes everywhere, spilling out of the hamper, thrown on the end of the bed. The closet was open, revealing slashes of muted colors in the darkened room.

“Quinn?” Dagger called, but she didn’t even stir. Yet something stirred in him—a strong protective impulse that went above and beyond the call of duty. This unfamiliar feeling was far more possessive, and it set off warning signals he pushed aside in order to deal with the current issue at hand.

He approached the bed, and she looked so small. He sure didn’t want to scare her, but he and Twister needed to know if she was all right. They had no choice. He reached out and shook her. She stirred sluggishly.

“Quinn,” he said more forcibly. She turned away from him. He sighed, came around the bed, and crouched down. “Quinn!” he shouted, and her eyes snapped open. She stared at him for a few seconds, panic in her eyes.

“Dagger?” she squealed and bolted upright. “Oh, my God. My boys! Where are they? What time is it? Why are you here?”

“Boys are eating breakfast downstairs. It’s seven-thirty and I’m here because Ez and Elijah tried to wake you up.”

She closed her eyes, the muscles in her jaw working, then she let out a sigh of relief and looked at him. “I’ve got this huge job, and I’ve been working a lot,” she said, her voice devoid of any emotion. He listened to her as he took in her appearance. She looked like hell. Her beautiful curly hair had lost its luster, there was a hollowness to her finely sculpted features, and her beige skin looked dull. There was an unhealthy energy in her. But regardless of the fatigue drawing on her features, that pinched look around her mouth and those dark circles under her beautiful hazel eyes, she still had that air of class about her. She was a beautiful woman.

That realization mingled with just how personal and inappropriate that thought was. She was his brother’s wife—had been his brother’s wife. He swallowed hard. Don’t go there, Kade.

He followed her into their bright, spacious kitchen. This room was Quinn through and through, especially now that it was spick and span. There were splashes of bright colors and lush, healthy plants everywhere, and the granite countertops were comfortably cluttered. The stainless-steel fridge sported an array of Post-it notes, notices, and what looked like the twins’ artwork, and the ceramic pot next to it was stuffed with a variety of pencils and pens. Her eyes widened when she saw his teammates around her kitchen table and bar eating pancakes. Then she scanned the decluttered and clear area around her with a dumbfounded look on her face. “What the hell?”

“You remember the guys,” he said. Easy’s wife Astraea had taken over folding the clothes, and her close friend and business partner, Rosa, was helping her. They were placing them in a wicker basket, and Shark’s wife, Maddy, was wiping the dishes Shark had rinsed. When had they gotten there?

Quinn turned to look at him, her eyes saying,how could I forget them?

“And—”

“I remember their names, Dagger,” she said, her tone just a little snippy. “Astraea and Maddy.” She looked at Rosa. “I’m sorry I don’t know you.”

---