Page 10 of Graves & Griggs
“Easy on the baby, Brooks,” Ronan says gently.
The two-year-old isn’t too happy about not being the littlest anymore, and his back pushing into me is proof of that.
I shake my head and smile at Ronan. “He’s okay.”
Ronan nods as he closes the distance between us, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “And how is Mommy doing this morning?”
I look up at him and smile. “Good. How is Daddy?”
He flashes me a look that promises nothing but the naughtiest things as he moves his mouth to my ear. “Daddy would be better if Mommy was sitting on his face.”
My cheeks heat up as I look to make sure Brooks can’t hear us. When I see he’s completely zoned out, I move my mouth to Ronan’s ear.
“Maybe we can sneak away after breakfast and see about that.”
Ronan shoots me a wink, pulling me closer into him as Asher and Wes reappear. I hear soft whispers coming from the kitchen before Seraphina and Jackson join me on the couch. Ronan then stands and joins Asher and Wes, who exchange hushed conversation and worried glances.
A nervousness hangs in the air, and it feels justified. None of us know what to expect. All we can do is… hope, I guess.
Chapter Four
Dominic
This is a bad idea. I don’t know why Zayden would even consider this. I spent the entire plane ride here researching these people within an inch of their life, and I still don’t feel good about this. We’re in no position to judge their relationship, but these guys are the heads of one of the country’s most powerful secret societies. Scrap the country—the world. They’re nearly untouchable, and we really think they’re going to be okay with us waltzing into their vacation cabin with their kids a week before Christmas? Yeah, Zayden may say I worry too much, but once again, he isn’t worrying enough.
Zayden chose to drive when we landed in New Hampshire. It’s currently dumping snow, and I have to be thankful that we landed when we did because otherwise, I’m not confident we would make it to their cabin before the snow buries the road altogether.
Now I’m sitting in the front seat with Blake and the boys in the back. Silently, I’m pre-loading several guns, enough for all of us, even the boys. They’ve been going to the shooting range we’ve set up at our house for a year now. It’s not an ideal situation to handtwo six-year-olds guns, but I’m not sure what we’re walking into, and if it gives them a small chance to live, then so be it.
I feel a pair of eyes on me, and I cut my gaze to the rearview mirror to see Blake staring at me with concern, those entrancing blue and brown eyes shining with emotion. I do my best to give her a comforting smile, but I know I don’t succeed.
We’re all more than a little rattled. We’ve never had our home invaded like that, not since the boys were born. I feel like I’ve failed them all. I should have anticipated it, acted quicker. Ryder and Aries haven’t spoken a word since we got on the plane, and I worry that our choices will affect them forever.
“Are we sure this is the best option?” Blake asks from the back.
Zayden and I look back to her as she looks down at the boys.
“I just… Are we sure this is what we should be doing?”
I look to Zayden, who hesitates for a moment before nodding.
“Yes. We need to get somewhere safe, with high security. Somewhere we can’t be linked to.”
I scoff and shake my head as I continue loading clips. High security my ass. It took almost no effort at all to hack into their surveillance feed over six years ago, and clearly they never suspected a thing. Zayden asked me to tap into all their properties and leave the link open should the need ever arise to use it. To my knowledge, he’s only popped in a time or two over the years. I gotta say, I’m grateful for it now.
I look down at my phone and scroll through the different rooms. Right now, it looks like almost all of them are in the living room watching a show. Until I see the girl, Skyla, stand and take the kids with her down the hall. I try to follow them, but in the next moment she’s gone. Furrowing my brows, I begin flicking through all the possible cameras before locking my phone.
“What?” Zayden asks.
“The girl and kids disappeared.”
“What do you mean?”
I shrug. “Probably a safe room hidden by a corner or something.”
“Does that mean we should be concerned?” Blake asks.
I turn to gaze over my shoulder and see the boys’ eyes looking to me in concern. But I have no concern; there’s no room for it. No one will hurt my family—not again, not ever.
