Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
I sauté the onions and garlic in a pan, the sizzle and fragrant smell comforting in the quiet cabin. Banks is typing softly at the table, his brow furrowed in concentration. Every so often I catch him glancing up at me, and those gray-blue eyes make my stomach do a little flip. I stir the sauce, adding the tomatoes and herbs, letting it simmer while the pasta water comes to a boil. The simple tasks help ground me. I’m still so worried about what comes next, about the danger circling closer, about whether we’ll ever untangle all of this. But underneath the worry, there’s relief. Real relief. My sister is safe, and that makes everything else feel a little more manageable.
I carry two steaming bowls of pasta to the table along with some crackers and a couple of glasses of water. Banks looks up from the laptop and his expression softens when he sees the food. We sit down together, the wooden chairs creaking under us. The first bite is warm and savory, the sauce tangy with just the right amount of garlic. For a few minutes we eat in comfortable silence, the only sounds the clink of forks and the occasional creak of the cabin settling around us.
After a while I set my fork down and look at him. “Can I ask you about your brothers? Specifically Jace, since he’s with Sadie right now. I want to know what kind of person is looking out for her.”
Banks nods, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He takes another bite before answering. “Jace is… a lot. He’s built like a tank, all brute strength and muscle from years of close-quarters work. But he’s also the most fun-loving out of all of us. Never really takes anything seriously. He jokes his way through life, flirts with anything that moves, and acts like the world is one big game. You’ll hear him laughing from a mile away. Except when he’s protecting someone. Then he turns deadly serious. No jokes, no charm, just pure focus. He works for a company called Sunbreak Security out of Sunbreak Harbor. That’s where he lives when he’s not out hunting for Dad with the rest of us. Nice little place by the water. He says the ocean keeps him sane.”
I smile a little, imagining it. “Sadie’s going to give him such a hard time. She’s the complete opposite. Very by the rules. Organized to a fault. She doesn’t even know how to have fun anymore. She probably already has a color-coded schedule for him and is lecturing him about proper safety protocols and not taking unnecessary risks. I bet she’s driving him a little crazy right now.”
Banks chuckles softly, the sound low and warm. “Jace could use someone like that. Might be good for him. He needs someone who’ll call him on his bullshit.”
We finish eating and I clear the bowls, rinsing them in the sink while Banks goes back to the laptop for a few minutes. When I sit back down across from him, he looks at me with those intense gray-blue eyes, something gentle in his expression.
“What about your parents?” he asks quietly. “You haven’t said much about them.”
I take a slow breath, tracing a finger along the edge of the table. The question still stings a little, even after all these years. “They both died when Sadie and I were young. Car accident on a rainy night. I was eight. Sadie was ten. It happened so fast. One minute we had a normal family, the next it was just the two of us trying to figure out how to keep going. Our aunt raised us after that, but we don’t really keep in touch with her anymore. She did her best, but it was never the same as having our parents. Sadie basically became my mom after that. She still tries to look out for me, even when I make it difficult with all my whistleblowing and running from bad guys.”
Banks reaches across the table and takes my hand. His thumb strokes over my knuckles, warm and comforting. “I’m sorry. That’s a lot to carry on your own.”
I shrug, even though the ache is still there. “It made us close. Sadie and me. That’s why I’ve been so worried about her. But knowing she’s safe with Jace helps more than I can say.”
He squeezes my hand and then leans back, his expression turning thoughtful. “You asked about Jace. I’m just worried I’ll never see Nash and Sin again. Nash is the steady one. Great at high-risk extractions, calm under pressure. He just got back together with an old flame, Delaney. They seem really happy. Like the real thing. I’ve never seen him smile the way he does when he talks about her. And Sin… he’s more surveillance, quieter, but sharp as hell. He just met this reporter, Rowan. The way he talked about her before they got taken, I’ve never seen him like that. He was actually excited. Smiling more. Laughing at her stories. Now they’re both gone and I keep thinking about how much they have to lose if we don’t find them soon. Nash and Delaney had just started building something real. Sin was finally opening up to someone. I can’t lose them, Anniston. I.. uh, just can’t.”