Chapter 23

Jesus fuck.

That right there—Nebraska in my arms, open, free, belting out laughter—was what made it worth it. All of it. The promise of all that she was. I'd take the fear, the walls, the barbs, and the attitude if it meant getting this. The real Nebraska Michaels. The soft and sweet she protected with a tough, hard, razor-sharp exterior. I'd work my ass off to get more of this. I'd fight to get her to the place I needed her to be to give us a shot. A real shot, at a real future. To a place where she'd learn she didn't need to protect herself alone, not from anyone. I'd see to that. I'd be her shield, leaving her free to be her. The Dove. Nebraska. Whoever she wanted to be, she'd be safe to be just that. And that included her being the daughter of a man who didn't do right by her, yet she still loved him. That included me cushioning the blow when Badger found her mother so she could be free to feel however she wanted to feel.

"I feel like a proud daddy," Zane belted out, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Daddy Zane," Jonas put in.

"Big Daddy," Zane corrected.

Christ.

This was going to deteriorate, and quickly.

"For the love of all things holy, please stop talking," Layla started. "No one wants the deets on your kink."

"Speak for yourself," Cash put in. "I might want to give Big Daddy Cash a go."

"And with that, we're done," I announced.

"Is this normal?" Nebraska asked.

I Ignored the pang of anger she'd never had a family that gave you shit, ribbed, joked, and annoyed you in the spirit of love and camaraderie. The bond that made the shit they dished out about care, not malice.

It was difficult, but I locked it down and answered, "No, nothing about them is normal. But you'll learn to roll with it. You'll learn that if they didn't like you or give a shit when we walked in, it would've been all business. It might be whacked, but this is their way of showing you you're one of us."

"By betting and talking about my uterus?" she asked with wide eyes.

"And his sperm," Smith added.

"You'll get used to it." Theo shocked the shit out of me by stating. "It might take a month or two or maybe a year but after a while you learn to sit back and let them act like idiots and eventually we get to work."

Nebraska blinked at ‘a month or two or maybe a year'. She was getting it. No one thought her presence was short term.

"Speaking of work, I'm not paying you all to sit around with your thumbs up your bungholes," Zane proclaimed. "Mini Me, update."

"Says the one who started it," Smith rightly argued.

"This is a do as I say, not as I do situation," Zane asserted.

"It always is," Linc muttered.

"Yo! You two over there, do I need to call in an extraction team to surgically separate you or are you ready to get to work? I'm not paying you to make googly eyes at each other. Bad enough I'm footing the bill for the love shack the two of you are making good use of."

Nebraska's head snapped to the side. The force of it swung her ponytail and jerked my body.

"I quit-fired, remember?" she declared, full of fire.

"What's quit-fired?" Layla asked.

She turned slightly to look at Layla when she explained, "I quit. Zane didn't let me because he said he fired me. I took the termination only because I want the exit package he's paying me for years of service and pain and suffering. But to keep my pride intact I'm claiming the resignation."

"Gotcha," Layla mumbled through a smile.

"Pain and suffering?" Zane tossed out. "Woman, the only pain and suffering that's been dished out is the pain you inflicted on your enemies. Though I have had to suffer through hours of Dutch bitching at me to be nice to you. I'm not a fan of being told what to do. Ten out of ten do not recommend. And I'm not paying severance on years of service I didn't know were being served. Take that shit up with your boss. Thankfully, that's not me."

"Oh, so now you're admitting you're not the boss of me," she quipped.

I didn't miss the triumph in her voice.

"Sit, Dove, and I'll explain the chain of command to you." Zane swept his hand to the many open chairs but didn't wait for either of us to take one before he continued. "Silver Team. Layla, team leader. Kira, her intel specialist. Theo, her point. Black Team. Dutch, the boss. Bishop is team leader. Badger is… how do I say this?…clean up. You, his fixer." Zane paused, pointed to himself, and announced. "Me the big boss."

Bishop was a name I'd never heard mentioned before but I didn't get the chance to ask who the hell he was when Nebraska shoved shit right back at Zane.

"I'm confused," she said in a way that said she wasn't confused but instead she'd slid straight into her attitude and wasn't going to let Zane off the hook. "Are you Big Boss, Dimples, Big Daddy, or Viper King?"

At that Zane smiled outright, both dimples compressed, and I could swear Nebraska jolted.

"Here we go. The dimples come out and it's woman down until she remembers he's a sarcastic prick," Linc grumbled. "Been this way our whole lives."

Nebraska recovered quickly and turned her eyes to Lincoln.

"Right, like you had any issues with the ladies."

Jesus.

It was a good thing Jasmin wasn't in the room to hear Nebraska say that.

Linc shot her a smile and wink.

I shot him a filthy look that in no way he could misinterpret.

"Easy, brother…" he let that hang.

"Are we going to have a dick-measuring contest or are we getting to work?" Layla asked in an attempt to get the meeting back on track.

Though it was a faulty play with Cash in the room.

"I'm all for—"

"No you're not," I cut him off and dropped my arm around Nebraska to pull out a chair for her. "Sit, baby, or this will go on all afternoon."

"I thought you said they'd burn themselves out," she murmured while taking her seat.

"I was wrong. I forgot, with Cash here this can go on all day."

"I'd take offence to that if I didn't know that was your way of saying I'm witty as fuck."

He wasn't wrong, he was witty as fuck and normally I'd participate and give him more ammunition to keep going, but he could get raunchy—or raunchier. It was best to keep Cash leashed in mixed company.

Thankfully Kira followed Layla's suggestion and got down to business.

"To answer your first question," she started, looking up from her laptop. Her gaze went to Nebraska. "Dutch spoke to Charlie before he sent Badger out after Pigeon. He urged Charlie to make use of a safehouse. Charlie refused but did agree to report in to me. The last message I received from him was this morning expressing his intense dislike of having a cyber babysitter, as he calls it, and demanded a status update on you."

I glanced over at Nebraska struggling to find her emotional cloak to shield herself from exposing the relief she felt that her father was doing okay.

"Thanks," she pushed out.

"Not to be a dick," Cash started and I braced.

"Cash—"

He ignored my warning and spoke over me. "People love who they love. I know there's a saying—love's only a light switch away, but that only pertains to men who take ugly chicks to their bed. Other than that you can't just flip it on and off."

Jesus.

Fuck me.

"Dude," Smith grumbled and shook his head.

"What? I'm not lying. She's sitting there like we're going to judge her for worrying about her father. What the fuck is that about?"

One thing that could be said about Cash Phillips—he said shit straight. The good, the bad, the inappropriate. He'd give the shirt off his back to a stranger and take a bullet for any one of us. His loyalty and love went to the extreme. He made an artform out of shit talk. He used humor to mask his pain. He had more demons than anyone I knew and that might include Zane. But when it came down to it, Cash was always the one to give it outright and he was rarely wrong with what he was saying whether you wanted to hear it or not.

So, he wasn't wrong about turning love on and off, something I'd already conveyed to Nebraska, something she needed to hear again and again until that shit settled deep and sunk in.

"You're right," Nebraska croaked.

As soon as she uttered the phrase I shifted closer to catch her in case this was one of those times when ‘you're right' meant Cash was going to get a kick to his balls. Not that I was worried she'd damage his ability to reproduce, seeing as he'd cured himself of that.

She paused to clear her throat and began again. "You're right. I am sitting here thinking you'll judge me even though Easton told me you wouldn't. But it's not because I don't believe Easton. It's because my whole life I was programmed to think a certain way."

"What way is that?" Smith asked.

By all accounts Smith looked like he was lazing back in his chair, forearms resting on the padded armrest, hands dangling off the end. But knowing him the way I did, he was anything but relaxed. At a moment's notice he'd be ready for battle. And by the way he was staring at Nebraska, I knew the battle he'd be willing to fight was the war within Nebraska. The one she was struggling to win.

Family

The good kind.

The kind that was selfless.

The kind you could count on.

Always.

"That everyone is against me. That the only way to survive is to outmaneuver—tactics will win over skill. That harmless means helpless and helpless gets you dead. I was taught in order to accomplish a task I had to be willing to inflict harm. That emotions are a weakness and love will break you. That I need to be a problem solver and when a solution wasn't available to create one. That powerful men can sense the slightest hesitation. That women are much more dangerous than men. That—"

"Jesus, fuck me," Zane growled. "You know the fucked part is none of that is wrong. As jacked as it is sitting here listening you spew that shit, knowing neither of the men in your life had in him to complete those lessons they weren't wrong in what they taught you. Harmless is helpless. Emotions are a weakness. You never go into battle when the anger's fresh. That shit gets you killed. Love can break you but that goes hand in hand with betrayal and loyalty and learning who's worthy of those emotions—not avoiding them all together. Something that neither of them could teach you, but more importantly, taught you to avoid. Because once you felt it, really felt it down to your soul, they'd lose control of you. You'd figure out what true loyalty looked like, you'd feel safety and protection in a way you'd never felt. And once you had that, they'd lose their puppet. And I say they but I really mean Maddon. Charlie was too deep in his guilt to stop what was happening to you. Which is a weakness. Though, I'll repeat, I don't blame him for backing Anna's play."

I lifted my hand, slid it under the heavy fall of hair she'd secured in a band, and curled my fingers around the back of her neck. She tipped her head to the side and gave me her attention.

The woman looked totally lost.

Cast adrift.

That shit ate at my gut like nothing ever had.

"He's not wrong," I told her.

"But—"

"Not everything they taught you was wrong." I gave the back of her neck squeeze. "You're strong, smart, brave, and skilled—all of those things they trained you to be. It's just time for you to learn something new, something different. And that starts here in this room. No one is against you. No one is out to get you. Every person in here respects you. No one is judging you or looking down on you. The takeaway from that is everyone has your back and if you let them they'll help get you through."

I saw her eyes flare so I knew it was coming.

"It's not that easy," she groused, full of attitude.

"Didn't say it would be. And nothing that's worth it is easy."

She knew I was right but with Nebraska I learned she could argue about anything.

Shockingly she nodded and turned back to face the table.

"I'm worried Charlie turned down going to a safehouse. My father's stubborn but he's not stupid. He knows the safest thing for him to do is disappear. If not for his safety, for mine. He's a liability, the only thing that can be used against me. If Maddon gets to Charlie he knows I'll do whatever he wants to ensure my father's safe return. I have to call my dad."

Her assessment was spot on, like always. But something struck me. I'd never heard Nebraska call Charlie ‘dad.' He was father or Charlie. Nothing else.

"You wanna do that now or wait for privacy?" Kira asked.

Nebraska glanced back at me with a small, secret smile that made my dick twitch and my gut clutch.

Christ.

She'd once again been run through the gauntlet yet still had it in her to give—something that on the outside looked small but really it meant everything.

Every-fucking-thing.

One step closer to where I needed her to be.

I watched determination leak in as she called up that steel backbone I knew she had.

"I'll call him now," she said, not taking her eyes off me.

Right or wrong, I didn't think, I just leaned over, pressed a hard kiss on her mouth, and straightened before she could mouth off, or worse, punch me in the balls. Unlike Cash, I had plans to make future babies.

"Call him, KK," I ordered.

Without giving Nebraska time to overthink, Kira connected the call immediately, demonstrating why we called her Kid Genius. Not only was she a whiz with her computer she also had a deep understanding of what happens when you analyze and dissect situations until you're paralyzed with indecision.

"I'm still in my study, Mrs. Cain." Charlie's deep voice filled the room.

Kira had said the man wasn't happy about having a cyber babysitter and she hadn't exaggerated. The guy sounded pissed.

Next to me Nebraska sat statue-still. Not a breath. Not a blink. Nothing.

Fucking shit. This was not a good idea.

I shook my head at Kira, hoping she'd catch my hint and make up some bullshit excuse why she was calling. Kira returned my gesture and did the exact opposite of what I wanted her to do.

"You're on speaker with the team."

"Whose team, yours or my daughter's?"

Nebraska jolted at the question.

"I'm at the office with Silver," Nebraska answered, then looked at Kira. "This line is secure, correct?"

"Of course." KK scoffed.

Nebraska launched straight to the point.

"I need you to go to the safehouse Dutch offered."

"Nebraska—"

"Maddon's feeling the pressure. He's off script. I didn't anticipate him moving so quickly which means he's desperate. He won't be able to get to Amani so he'll target you. Two birds—he takes you and he has me. He knows you're the only way to me."

"Am I?" Charlie asked, sounding like he genuinely wanted the answer.

No. The man needed the answer and he needed it to be in the affirmative.

Nebraska didn't take the bait.

Cold as ice she went on. "This shouldn't take more than a few weeks. Now that I'm back in the States he can't use his GB team and that hit he put out on me won't stand. It's one thing to take me out OCONUS but he won't risk it now. Silver has me covered and if I need I can call Bishop and he'll send backup. You're the only loose end and I need you covered."

I figured it wasn't the right time to tell her the use of acronyms was a turn on and her Ice Queen was sexy as hell as long as it wasn't aimed in my direction.

"You mean Easton Spears has you covered." There was a thread of concern in his tone but not aggression, which meant Nebraska's next response was over the top.

"Yes, father, Easton has me covered," she seethed. "And in case you care, Smith's had his back while he's seen to me."

"I knew he'd—"

"Take care of me," she spat back as she leaned into the table.

I glanced around the room, taking in varying expressions of concern on my teammates' faces. Except Zane. He was smiling. Linc was staring at the table in front of him with a frown and deep lines between his eyebrows.

"Why don't we discuss this in private?" Charlie suggested.

That was the wrong thing to ask. Nebraska's reaction was to reach over, take my hand, lace our fingers, and test the limits of her strength. I was fucking thrilled she'd reached out to me for comfort. I was not happy she looked like she was ready to go ballistic.

It was not the freeze-out that worried me. She has a loose hold of her emotions and I couldn't blame her, but when she was done with her father and came back to herself I didn't want her embarrassed or ashamed for doing it in front of the team. The feeling would be irrational, but she'd repeatedly said emotions were weak. I hadn't had enough time to convince her the opposite was true; showing your emotions was a sign of strength and courage. Any asshole could mask how they felt. It took a fuckton of bravery to be true to yourself and honest with your reactions.

"There is nothing I need to say to you that requires privacy."

"Well there are things I need to tell you," he returned sharply. "And I'd prefer to say them without an audience."

"And I would've preferred to have a father who hadn't lied to me for twenty years but here we are, neither of us getting what we wanted."

The room went still. That was, still with the exception of Nebraska's chest heaving with fast, choppy breaths.

Fuck this.

I twisted my hand free, pushed her chair away from the table, scooted mine back, plucked her out of hers, and planted her on my lap. Once she was settled I grabbed her hand and relaced our fingers. If she was going to have to endure another hit that was going to leave her hurt and upset she was taking it while in my lap so I could see to her.

"Slow. Breathe," I mouthed.

She nodded and slowed her breathing.

"Again," I whispered.

Another shallow breath.

Unfortunately Charlie chimed back, and did it nasty.

"Do not think for one second you understand the truth. I don't know what they've been filling your head with, but—"

"What I understand is my mother is alive and you knew. What I understand, because it is seared into my brain, is that I went to a funeral and mourned a woman who is not dead. I know I spent twenty years with you and you never told me. I know that Maddon knew and never told me. But now I know why Maddon withheld that information. He was biding his time waiting until just the right moment to impart that news to cause maximum damage. And what I know is when he told me, that damage he caused wasn't maximum—it was earth shattering. Want to know who was there to hold me together? Not you, my father. Easton. Want to know what they've been filling my head with? They've been trying to convince me you had good reason to lie to me. They've been trying to explain to me that sometimes a lie is meant to protect and not harm."

Some of the pain slid from her features, morphing into glittering shards of blue ice. Her right eye barely twitched. If I hadn't been staring right at her I would've missed it. I wasn't sure if this meant she was slightly pissed or if this was a level of pissed I hadn't seen yet.

I'd learn it was the latter.

"Dmitri Zenin." The name vibrated from her chest. "You kept that from me, too. A flighty bitch who didn't want to keep her daughter and a mob—"

"Watch your mouth, young lady, you're talking about the woman I love," Charlie exploded. "You have no idea how hard it was for her to leave you. You can't fathom what she went through to keep you safe. You think she wanted to leave you? She had no option once she heard Zenith was looking for her. If he found her, he found you and she would die before she let him get his hands on you. And yes, you're right, I didn't tell you. I was in an impossible situation between the only two women I've ever loved. I promised to keep her secret. I vowed to protect you."

Nebraska's eyes had widened. She obviously didn't know the depth of Charlie's feelings for Anna.

"Love breaks you," she whispered.

"Goddamn right it does. I loved her enough to let her go. And I did that knowing there would never be anyone else. That's how much I loved her. I had you, her secret, and the knowledge that to protect you both I had to betray you. Anna told you your father died in a car accident. I didn't correct that story because I couldn't, though truth be told, even if I could've, I would've taken that to my grave. That man doesn't deserve to look at you much less claim you. You're my daughter. I love you. Not Zenith. Not Anna. Me."

Nebraska's eyes were shining with unshed tears. Her chest was rising and falling at a rapid pace. Her face was pale and the freeze-out had ended. There was nothing but pain coating her entire being.

No more.

She was done.

I entered the conversation. "Give Nebraska what she needs and get to a safehouse."

"I'm perfectly—"

"That wasn't a suggestion," I cut him off. "Get your ass to a safehouse or a team will be there in a few hours to escort you."

"Mr. Spears—"

"Jesus Christ," I exploded. "Give her what she needs."

"I'll call Dutch," he relented.

The line disconnected. Either Kira cut the call before he could say something more to piss me off or slice Nebraska, or Charlie hung up.

"Baby," I called.

"Hm?"

"Need you to focus on me for a second."

She blinked and I watched a tear escape down her cheek.

I quickly swiped it away then left my hand cupping her face.

"I need you to tell me what you need from me right now."

"I don't know," she whispered.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

"He loves you," Zane announced. "Not Easton, your father. Or maybe Easton does, too. I don't know, these assholes drop like flies."

My eyes shifted to my boss. "Read the room."

"I did, the vibe sucked ass. Bottom line takeaway is that Charlie Michaels gave up the woman he loved to keep Nebraska safe. He did it knowing he'd never get that woman back and one day he'd lose Nebraska, too. And that is the very fucking definition of being a father. Sacrifice. The rest, the details, those don't mean shit. I'm a man who loves his children and his wife. Of those three I couldn't tell you who I love more and that's the God's honest truth. That man was fucked from the beginning in a no-win situation. Now, Maddon, that fucker will be handled accordingly."

"Zane's right, honey. That's the bottom line I have to hold onto right now. I need to see this through with Maddon, then we'll deal with the emotional fallout. I just don't have it in me right now."

I was going to give her that play but only because my heart was thumping in my chest so hard I was courting a broken rib.

We.

We'll deal.

Us.

Fuck yeah, I'd give this to her knowing when the time came she'd let me help her through the rest.

"Whatever you need."

"Whatever I need," she whispered.

"Speaking of Maddon," Theo interjected. "Garrett made some calls."

Nebraska shifted to get off my lap. My first instinct was to keep her where she was, where I wanted her, where I could keep her close and make sure she was good. But this wasn't about me, it was about her and what she needed. While a drama was in progress and she was under fire she'd let me comfort her. While business was being discussed, no way.

Once she was back in her chair the change happened.

She didn't slip back into the woman she was the first time she was in this room. She wasn't in full freeze-out mode, but neither was she who she was with just me, or me and Smith.

She wasn't Dove.

She wasn't my Nebraska.

She was somewhere in the middle.

That was good enough for now. In time she'd get used to the rest of the team and relax.

"Did he get anything?" she asked.

Theo's gaze glided down the table and his attention went to her. It was no secret he didn't like Charlie Michaels. At one time that dislike extended to Nebraska. It hadn't mattered to him that neither of them had posed an actual threat to his woman. Charlie had made Bridget feel unsafe and that was enough for Theo. Seeing as I was now where he was I couldn't blame him. Viable or perceived—a threat was a threat and that wouldn't stand. Not a threat to Nebraska physically or mentally. So, shit yeah, I understood Theo. I just hoped he could get past it with Nebraska.

"He's got nothing other than what we knew. Maddon spun up a GB team, spent thirty-six hours in Egypt before the team went back to Yemen, and he flew back to the US."

Nebraska nodded. I had her in profile but still I saw it—her mind was in hyperdrive, her body still, but her eyes darted around the table.

"Need to let us in on what you're thinking, darlin'," Jonas noted.

Something all of us had to relearn after working alone for ten years. Teamwork. It had taken a minute for us to fall back into the swing of it, remembering to rely on your team to help you work through your thoughts and strategize. Something I wasn't sure Nebraska had any experience with.

"Maddon doesn't waste time or an opportunity. The phone call I had with him prior to coming to Maryland, I had a feeling he knew something was amiss. I'd caught on, or was close. Charlie assured me Maddon was just being impatient. Obviously I was right. My approach was his suggestion. At the time, I thought his play was to jerk Zane's chain and corner him into having to reveal Black—"

"How does Maddon know about Black?" Theo stopped her to ask.

A question I hadn't thought about.

Nebraska blew out a breath and shifted in her chair before her gaze went to Zane.

"I should've told Dutch Maddon had figured it out. I didn't and part of why I didn't was at Maddon and Charlie's counsel the other reason, I admit, I wanted that information in my back pocket in case Dutch screwed me over. But, as the years slid by I got to know Dutch I should've told him sooner." She took another breath and went on, ignoring Zane's glare. "Maddon had always suspected Zane was behind Black Team. He knew the connection to Dutch. He knew Badger had done some work with Zane in the early days with Red Team. He didn't have proof until…" She paused again and frowned, looking more uncomfortable by the second.

"Until what?" Theo pushed.

"Ghost Town," Zane ground out.

"Ghost Town," Nebraska confirmed but didn't explain.

My boss's demeanor changed. Not his normal warning shit was about to red-line. It was a look of disgust with a healthy dose of ominous.

"The only job I personally saw to."

"What was the job?" I asked.

Zane didn't hesitate.

"Gangs are rampant in Cape Town. There were neighborhoods emergency vehicles couldn't enter without a police escort. There were other neighborhoods the police wouldn't enter."

Zane was giving us a history lesson we were all very aware of. I'd spent time in South Africa. I'd witnessed the beauty of Cape Town with my own eyes, contrary to that I'd seen the devastation. The slums, the no-go areas that reeked of devastation and despair. Evil that overshadowed the good people who couldn't escape.

"The job was personal. Badger had a friend, the only one from his childhood he'd kept in contact with. This friend's daughter went with a church group to George on a mission. The area's safe, high quality of life, friendly to foreigners. Bad luck, the girl got nabbed. This friend calls Badger, he goes all out tracking his friend's daughter. He finds her but he can't go in alone. Dutch calls, he's spinning up, taking Bishop with him, but he needs me. Red had just gotten back from an op, they're on R I'm thinking he stopped and had a visit."

"You think he stayed in Egypt to get laid?" Cash tossed out.

"This woman has money and connections. She's a widow. A Brit who married a wealthy Egyptian and stayed in Egypt after his death. I've never been able to get a lock on what she does for him, just that he visits her. Not frequently but regularly. If he's on that side of the world he makes time for her."

"What's her name?" Kira asked with her laptop already open.

"Patricia Sawiris, formerly Summorville. She was married to Yasseen Sawiris. His family owns the largest distribution company of construction equipment in Egypt. Her family is also wealthy but the Sawiris money trumps the Summorvilles."

"I'm on it."

And when Kira was on something it could only be described as rabid. She'd have everything there was to find on Patricia Sawiris within twenty-four hours and she wouldn't sleep a wink while she hunted for intel. This would drive her husband Cooper around the bend, but he'd stay up all night with her making sure she augmented her caffeine consumption with food and water.

"Do we have anything else on this fuckwit? I'm not feeling warm and fuzzy he's out there planning a terrorist attack."

Nebraska held Zane's stare.

My gut tightened and I braced.

That look said I wasn't going to like what was coming next.

"Maddon sold a blank sale of goods. A theory. A theory that would easily cripple the US but the last I knew he hadn't handed over the innards. Without those plans and connections the Chinese just have an outline."

"The Chinese don't need more than an outline. Haven't you heard they're the king of the reverse engineer?" Zane's tone was full of heavy sarcasm.

"You don't say," Nebraska returned in kind and my lips twitched. "That's why I need to head out and hit up a few contacts."

There it was.

It wasn't that I didn't like what she had to say—I fucking hated it. Before I could get a lock on it—not that I tried very hard because that shit would've been a wasted effort—I let it rip.

"That's not happening."

Lightning quick, Nebraska's head swung to the side. Her blue eyes danced with fire when those pretty lips opened and spewed venom.

"What's not happening now or ever is you telling me what I will and won't be doing. No one, not anyone, tells me how to do my job. Period."

"Guess, I was hasty in collecting on my win," Cash muttered.

"You're taking Easton with you," Zane decreed.

That was something but not enough.

"That's not—"

Zane didn't let her finish.

"Jesus fu…" he abruptly stopped, his eyes swinging to the door. "Fudgeycakes." He hilariously if not disturbingly finished.

All eyes went to the door.

Ivy was standing there with a baby bundled up in her arms, Eric, Robbie, and Asher at her side. A smirk playing at her lips, eyes dancing with humor, Zane's wife was a knockout. She also kept Zane on a short leash. A leash he'd chained around his own neck and happily handed her the lead. I figured his wife was the only person who could make Zane come to heel and curtail his use of profanity in front of their children and his nephews.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said, humor lacing her tone. "Linc, Jasmin had to run out to meet an informant on a case so she left the boys with me. I'm headed home and taking them with me. Also, Badger called. He's been trying your cell but you're not answering. I told him you were in the middle of something. He asked me to interrupt and tell you he has a lock on the target."

I heard Nebraska draw in a sharp breath. The rest of the occupants in the room stayed seated but became alert. Save Linc and Zane; they stood and shuffled toward the door.

"Get Cujo and Chewy to the car and get back up here," Zane ordered.

"I'm gonna punch you in the junk if you don't stop calling my boys those stupid names," Linc groused.

"I can go back to semen demons," Zane magnanimously offered.

I didn't catch Lincoln's response but I did hear Cash ask, "Are we not going to discuss fudgeycakes?"

I wasn't, not right then. I filed that away to give my boss shit about when he annoyed me, and turned to Nebraska.

"Hey."

She continued to stare at the table.

"Baby, look at me."

"I can't."

"Nebraska—"

"I can't," she hissed. "If I do, I'll fall apart. Please, just give me this."

This being allowing her to lock her emotions away.

I hated it but I had no choice.

"Anything you need."

There was a beat of silence before she whispered, "Anything I need."

Maybe. Hopefully. Possibly she was finally fucking getting it.