Page 109 of Claimed By the Band

I'm tired of running. Tired of hiding. Tired of letting them have power over me, even from a distance.

It's time to fight back.

39

SILAS

Iwipe sweat from my brow as I finish another set of push-ups, enjoying the burn in my muscles. The apartment we rented as a temporary base while Jordan goes through Trakiss’s files is spacious enough for a decent workout, even if it's not quite as well-equipped as our usual gym. But with Jordan needing somewhere stable to work, we all agreed it made sense to pause the tour for a couple more weeks.

Movement catches my eye and I look up to see Asher tiptoeing past with his arms full of junk food. He freezes when he spots me, looking guilty.

"And where do you think you're going with all that?" I ask, rising smoothly to my feet.

He clutches the snacks protectively to his chest. "Big brains need sustenance to work. She's been working non-stop all day."

I eye the collection of neon-colored bags and cookies dubiously. "Knox brought her real food earlier. Pretty sure her brain needsactual nutrients, not just sugar and artificial cheese dust," I say, unable to hide my amusement.

"Excuse you," Asher says with mock offense. "I'll have you know that Cheetos are an essential food group when you're doing intense mental work. And Oreos are basically brain food."

"Is that what they taught you in high school?" I tease, grabbing a towel to wipe off the worst of the sweat.

"Obviously," he sniffs. "You clearly never studied advanced neuroscience or you'd know about the vital role of processed snacks in cognitive function."

"You're both really loud, you know that?"

We turn to find Jordan leaning against her office doorway, an amused smile playing at her lips. She looks tired but pleased about something, her dark hair just long enough to pull back in a way that exposes the marks we've left on her throat. A purr builds in my chest at the sight.

"Sorry," Asher says sheepishly, holding up his contraband offerings. "I was bringing you brain fuel."

She laughs, the sound making my chest warm. It's still new, seeing her this relaxed around us. "Actually, your timing is perfect. I was about to come find everyone—I think I've made a breakthrough."

"Really?" Asher perks up immediately. "Should I text the others?"

"Probably a good idea," she nods.

"Dante and Damon are already out picking up food," I tell her. "They should be back soon. I'll grab Knox from his practice room."

"Perfect," she says, stretching in a way that makes her borrowed t-shirt—mine, I notice with satisfaction—ride up slightly. "Meet in the living room in fifteen? That'll give me time to organize my thoughts."

"And eat?" Asher asks hopefully, rattling his bags of junk food.

Jordan rolls her eyes but accepts a bag of Cheetos with a fond smile. "You're ridiculous."

"You love it," he says confidently, following her back into the office.

I shake my head, unable to suppress my own smile as I head to find Knox.

By the time Dante and Damon return laden with enough takeout to feed a small army, we're all gathered in the living room. Jordan has her laptop set up, looking more serious than she has since her heat ended a few days ago.

"Okay," she says once everyone's settled with their food. "So I've been going through Trakiss’s files, and he's smart. There's nothing obviously connecting him to the Sons of Epsilon on his work computer."

"But?" Asher prompts after swallowing a mouthful of lo mein.

"But," Jordan continues, "I did find something interesting in his schedule. He only works Sunday through Thursday according to his official hours. But there's an entry for lab access using his biometric data on a Saturday—specifically, at two in the morning.”

"That's suspicious," Knox rumbles from his spot on the floor. "What was he working on?"

Jordan's expression turns grimly satisfied. "That's the thing—the data from that night is completely missing. And I'm sure that's not an accident."

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