Page 60 of At Their Mercy: Part I

“You’re the happiest when you’re driven, brother. That’s all.”

I nodded with a dip of my chin.

He wasn’t completely wrong, I supposed.

He gripped my chin loosely and made me lock eyes with him.

He didn’t say anything. He just observed me, and it was uncomfortable as fuck. It shouldn’t be, because it was him. We’d kept secrets from each other a million times in the past, but it never lasted long. It wouldn’t now either. But he had his shit going on at the moment, and I had mine, evidently.

I spent the next couple of hours browsing MadCo’s website from the comfort of our bed, far away from Reese’s barbecue hustle. I’d never given the website more than a glance when Colt had announced he’d gone into business with two former Air Force colleagues.

In short, they developed and customized security systems for businesses. And civilians, according to some testimonials, but it was clear where their focus lay. From bullet-resistant windows and armored doors to around-the-clock security guards and surveillance. Their names were listed on the site, and what they did, but no photos.

Good.

My mouth twitched.

Kit Damien was listed as administrative assistant.

Someone would change that to Carter soon.

Ty Madison, chief engineer and lead developer.

To no one’s surprise, Colt was in charge of sales, staffing, as well as the red team.

Their company was growing.

“And I don’t wanna see you in sweats and a tee at dinner!” Reese hollered up the stairs.

Like he was just continuing a conversation? We hadn’t said a word to each other in almost two hours.

“Do you hear me, River?”

“You’re not my dad!” I yelled back.

“Thank fuck for that,” I heard him mutter.

A beat later, music came on in the living room, a telltale sign of Reese gearing up for a social gathering. He liked to warm up with country and rock while he got ready.

I checked the time on my phone. It was only two PM, so I had at least two-and-a-half hours before Danny and Em showed up.

A text appeared at the top of the screen—from Shay.

I forgot to ask. Did you buy anything for Reese? X

Well, fuck.

“Reese!” I called.

“Yeah?”

“You didn’t get me anythin’ for today, did you?”

“Uh. Were we supposed to?”

Thank fuck. “I love you,” I said, relieved. “No, we weren’t. Shay asked.”

“Oh.” His response let me know he was coming up the stairs. “Should we? In the future?”