I didn’t need to take a walk down memory lane. We had work to handle. Life and the real world.

  “It’s in the past. Well and buried. What is happening with the Miltos?”

  “Sure it is. You’ve got that sexy little cunt walking around your house, and you’re not at all affected. Tell me, Wilder, when did you get neutered?”

  If Thatcher wasn’t unstable and emotionally void, I’d shove him off my fucking porch. But seeing as he was likely to put his gun in my mouth and make me choke on it, I didn’t.

  “Don’t call her a cunt,” I said, trying to control my anger. “She’s Sarah’s aunt. Sarah adores her. She misses her. I don’t want her here, but if I want my daughter to be happy, I have to let Oakley come here when I go out of town.”

  “And you want me to believe your dick doesn’t get hard when she enters a room? Because mine is from the brief five seconds I got to see her.”

  Fucking hell. Did he have to keep talking about her? I knew what she looked like. We all did. She’d been in our lives since Wells had brought her into it eleven years ago. He needed to focus. This wasn’t a regular work trip. There was real shit we had to deal with. The dangerous kind that I normally didn’t get a front row seat to. Not the way Thatcher, King, and Storm did.

  “My dick stopped responding to her years ago,” I lied.

  “Of course it did,” he drawled. “Whatever shit you tell yourself, no one else believes it. At least not when it comes to her.”

  “Can we please stop talking about Oakley?” I bit out.

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “Miltos have moved into our turf with their laced shit. Crack that’s causing hallucinations and cannibalistic behavior. We need it shut down and moved out. The Feds are only in our pockets if we keep the rest out. Especially bad press, like this is causing. Boss wants them out. He said he’d send backup if we needed it. To start, Levi mentioned you going in and breaking into all their servers, phones, et cetera, and freezing them out. We infiltrate that way first, and then we use brutality.”

  Fuck. This was bad. If Blaise Hughes, the boss, was now offering his main hit men and Levi Shephard had stepped in, then things weren’t good. It had been a while since we’d had issues in Georgia. At least of this magnitude. Typically, it was the Southern Florida area that had the most bloodshed.

  “Where am I wanted then? Do I go to the mountain and break into their security? Because I thought I was supposed to head back to Vegas today.” The mountain was a hidden location the family kept with the main computer equipment used to do the more intense cyber work.

  Thatcher motioned toward the black Cadillac Escalade he was driving. “You’re going with me. Our dads are waiting on us at the Atlanta house. The plan is being put in place now.”

  I glanced back at the house. “How long are we going to be gone?”

  “A week, maybe more. Depends on if things get interesting or not.”

  Only Thatcher would think this could be interesting. Deadly, yes. Not the kind of interesting I enjoyed. Unlike him.

  “Thanksgiving is in eight days.” Even as I said the words, I knew it didn’t matter. Not in our world.

  The family came before all else. Holidays didn’t rank.

  Thatcher just stared at me as if I hadn’t spoken.

  “I’ll go tell Oakley it could be longer,” I finally said.

  He nodded. “Yeah, you do that. I’ll wait in the vehicle.”

  I pointed at Oakley’s car. “If you could unload all the shit in her car first, then it would make things faster.”

  He didn’t reply, but headed in that direction. Sighing, I turned and walked back into the house. Explaining that I might miss Thanksgiving was going to be hard. Sarah needed me this year. Especially this year.

  The laughter in the kitchen was mingled with the Christmas music playing. Sarah was stirring a bowl of something while Oakley stood behind her, singing along loudly in her ear. Belladonna was on the floor, chewing on some toy I hadn’t seen before.

  All three looked up at me and stopped what they were doing. Oakley’s smile fell.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked, picking up on my mood without me saying a word.

  I dropped my gaze to Sarah. “Can I talk to Oakley for a minute?” I asked her.

  She shrugged, then glanced up at me. “Sure. That’ll stop the torture she was doing to my ears.”

  Oakley tickled her, making her giggle. “My singing isn’t torture,” she teased, then wiped her hands on the Rudolph apron she was wearing before heading toward me.

  I nodded my head to the doorway, then left the room, hoping she was following me. When I heard her footsteps on the hardwood, I continued to the living room. I didn’t want to chance Sarah overhearing anything that she didn’t need to.

  Finally stopping, I turned around to see Oakley looking concerned. She even looked stunning when she was worried. Not that I cared. I was just a man, and it was hard not to notice all the small details with her. Which was not the reason I needed to speak to her.

  Focus, dammit.

  “Work is going to take longer than I thought,” I told her. “I can get Ms. Maynard here.”

  “Absolutely not,” she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at me.

  “Okay, that’s fine. Sarah will be happy with you here. I was just checking because Thatcher said this could go into next week, Thanksgiving even.”

  Oakley narrowed her eyes. “Thatcher? What does he have to do with your company? Since when is he into anything to do with media marketing?”

  I stared at her. What did I say to this? I was leaving her here in my house to take care of my kid. She knew things. She’d heard enough. She might not have all the facts, but she wasn’t an idiot.

  Her hands dropped to her sides, and she studied me as I mentally scrambled for a good excuse. Lying was typically easy when it came to my work. Why was I having a hard time doing it now?

  “Wilder,” she said in a whisper. “Are you telling me that you … work with the Shephards? Do you also work with the Kingstons?”

  I tensed. Fuck. I didn’t have time for this. “Yes. Our families have always worked together,” I replied tightly. “Can you stay with Sarah that long? I need to go. Thatcher is waiting. My car will be here while I’m gone. The keys are by the garage door. Use it. It’s safer than that thing you drive.”

  I saw her flinch, as if I’d slapped her. I hadn’t meant it as an insult. Just a fact. I wasn’t crazy about Sarah riding around in a car that could break down at any minute.

  “My car is fine,” she said between her teeth.

  “My car is better,” I replied. “Please don’t make this a fight. Just take care of Sarah. Drive my car.” I grabbed my wallet out of my pocket and pulled out my Amex. “Take this. Stop using your money on things for Sarah’s entertainment and this house. I’ll pay for it even if it’s shit we don’t need.”

  Oakley looked at the card, then back at me, her eyes like blue flames. Damn, she was sexy when she was angry. Who was I kidding? She was always sexy.

  “I can afford to entertain my niece. Keep the card. We will be fine.”

  Frustrated, I dropped the card on the table beside me. She drove a piece-of-shit car that should have been hauled to the junkyard years ago and sold shit on Etsy. She did not have the money to be spending on all this holiday stuff.

  “It’s there if you need it. I can’t force you to use it.” I walked past her, needing to get away from her and out of the house before Thatcher came inside, bitching.

  I would tell Sarah bye, explain I might be longer but that she would have Oakley, and leave.

  “Wilder,” Oakley said quietly.

  I paused, but didn’t turn to look back at her.

  “Be careful,” she said. “Sarah needs you.”

  Inhaling sharply, I nodded, then left the room before she said anything else.

  Fifteen

  Oakley

  Three days, and not one call or text. I stared at my phone while chewing on my thumbnail, messing up my latest manicure.

  Sarah had fallen asleep on the sofa, watching Christmas Vacation. I had thrown a blanket over her and left her there while I went to get a bath. Pretending like I wasn’t worried around her all day had progressively gotten harder. Every minute we continued not to hear from Wilder, the more concerned I got.

  The first two days he had been gone, he’d called Sarah each afternoon at five. The last she had heard from him was a text three days ago, saying he was trying to get his work done so he could make it back for Thanksgiving. Then, nothing.

  I wasn’t going to get any sleep if I didn’t know if Sarah’s father was alive.

  The rumors people had told about the Kingston, Shephard, Salazar, and Jones families were exaggerated in our youth. Sebastian had assured me of that when we were dating. However, he had admitted that they had some business that could get dangerous. Possibly not always legal.

  I stood, and Belladonna lifted her head and stared up at me.

  “Stay,” I told her quietly, and then I snatched up my phone from the coffee table and dialed Wilder’s number for the first time in … well, nine years as I left the living room and headed for the kitchen. On the third ring, my heart started to race. One more ring, and the voice mail was going to answer.

  “Is Sarah okay?” Wilder’s voice asked.

  My first reaction was relief. Then, the anger took over. Was Sarah okay? Shouldn’t he have called HER to find out already?

  “Yes,” I said through my clenched teeth. “Are YOU?”

  Silence for a moment, and I almost asked if he was still there.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. We’ve just had a busy couple of days. This is the first chance I’ve had to make a call out. Where we were … the reception wasn’t great.”

  Where the hell had he been? Underground?! How could he not have found a location that had service? Even just to call for a couple of minutes?

  “I’m glad you trust me enough not to call and check on Sarah, but she needs to hear from you.” And I need to know you’re alive.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  An apology. Damn him. That took the fight out of my sails. I had expected him to argue. At least snap at me and tell me I had no business telling him what to do.

  He sounded tired, I realized. As if he hadn’t slept in three days.

  “Are you okay?” I blurted before thinking that one through.

  A deep sigh on the other end only added to the fatigue in his voice. “I’m good. Just tired. I need to get some sleep. I’ll call tomorrow evening. Tell her I called, would you? And that I love her and should be home by the time she wakes up on Thanksgiving morning. Don’t wait up for me. It’ll be late the night before when I get home.”

  So, he wasn’t going to make me leave in the middle of the night. That was nice of him. I rolled my eyes. I didn’t have the energy to give him a snide response. The anxiety that had built when we didn’t hear from him zapped me of all snarkiness.

  “The decorations look great. Thanks for that. It makes Sarah real happy.”

  I frowned, staring at the garland and lights over the mantel. How did he know what they looked like? Was he talking about the decorations in the bags he’d brought inside? He thought they had looked great then?

  “Just wait until you see them put up. They’re even better,” I replied, thinking that must be what he was saying.

  “The red berries on the mantel are very festive,” he replied, and I swore I heard a trace of humor in his tone.

  I hurried back to the living room and scanned the area. Was he here, punking me?

  “You’re not gonna leave Sarah on the sofa all night, are you?” he asked.

  I spun around in a circle, completely confused. Where was he?

  “Wilder, this isn’t funny. If you are here, then come out,” I hissed into the phone.

  A low chuckle came over the line then, making my body warm in a way it hadn’t been in a very long time.

  “I’m not there, I swear.”

  I wasn’t convinced. “Then, how—”

  “As much as I trust you, did you honestly think I’d not call my daughter to check on her for three days without being able to see for myself that she was okay and happy? Give me some credit.”

  I threw up my free hand, exasperated, then placed it on my hip, getting annoyed by the second. “Is there a camera in this house, Wilder?” I asked him, my horror growing as that idea sank in.

  Had I walked in front of it in my panties and bra?

  “Oakley, I specialize in cyber data security technology. My house has the best security system that money can buy. Yes, there are cameras in the house that I can pull up on my phone at any time. But not in your bedroom or bathroom, if that is what you’re thinking.”

  Gripping the phone tighter, I swung my gaze around the room, wishing I knew where the camera was so I could glare at it. “Security? Like websites and stuff. Not as in your house is wired. What if I decided to walk through the house in my underwear when Sarah wasn’t here?” I asked tightly, stalking out of the room and away from his creepy camera.

  “Have you?” he asked.

  I thought about it and then shook my head. “No.”

  “Then, you have nothing to be concerned about. I just check them in the afternoons or evenings when I have a moment to make sure Sarah is okay. I have no interest in being a voyeur.”

  I was relieved and yet a little letdown. He wasn’t tempted to see what I was doing? Ever? Of course he wasn’t. The man tolerated me for Sarah’s sake. Shaking off the darkness that had suddenly come over me, I straightened my shoulders again. I was better than this. He would not make me sad.

  “I need to go wake Sarah enough to walk her up to her bed. Do you want to try and talk to her?” I asked.

  “No, I’ll wait until tomorrow, when she’s fully awake.”

  “Okay, well, I’ll let her know you called.”

  He was silent for a moment. Had he already hung up? I knew the man didn’t like me, but that was just a level of rude I wouldn’t expect. Not even from him.

  “Thanks, Oakley. For this week. All the things you’ve done with her. She’s always smiling when I see her on the cameras. I appreciate it.”

  My chest felt weird and achy. I hated that. I hated that he could make me feel anything.

  “I love her. No need to thank me.” My voice was tight.

  I hoped there was no stupid camera in the foyer. I wasn’t sure if my emotions were all over my face or not. This camera business was going to mess with my head.

  “I know you do. I just wanted you to know that I’m grateful.”

  I nodded, then realized he might not be able to see me. “Thanks,” I muttered, unsure of what to say to that.

  “Good night, Oakley.”

  “Good night.” My reply was a touch too soft, and I ended the call quickly.

  I stuck the phone back in my pocket, then stood there and stared at the wall, letting that entire conversation run through my head.

  When had we talked like that last? That much? Without fighting or saying something to hurt the other one? Sarah would always be the reason we could never truly get each other out of our lives. It had been that way since the day she had been born.

  But if there weren’t a Sarah, would I have truly ever moved on from Wilder? Deep down, I felt like that was impossible. He’d made a mark so powerful in me all those years ago. What we had been together burned so brightly at times that it felt as if it would consume me. He was a flame that I couldn’t stay away from. I had been drawn to him. I’d ached for him.

  A heaviness settled over my heart. That was all in the past. The only thing left of that fire was the ashes.

  Sixteen

  Wilder

  The call ended, but that didn’t stop me from looking at my phone. My gaze was locked on Oakley, standing in the elaborately decorated foyer at my home, staring at the wall, as if lost in thought. She didn’t move, except for the small rise and fall of her shoulders when she sighed.

  What was she thinking about? Me? The past?

  “Damn, she can make a pair of yoga pants look hot,” King said, and I turned to see him looking over my right shoulder.

  I shoved the phone in my pocket, annoyed that he’d been watching her—or that he’d caught me doing it.

  “Why’d you do that?” he complained. “I wanted to see if she had a bra on under that little cutoff T-shirt she was wearing. She just needed to turn to the left a few more inches.”

  “You’re a dick,” I grunted and walked over to the bed I would be using tonight in the room we were sharing.

  “I’m a dick? You’re the perv who has hidden cameras in his house, watching his hot ex-sister-in-law prance around anytime he wants.”

  “That’s not what I was doing. I was checking on Sarah.”

  King laughed. “Yeah, well, I didn’t see Sarah in that video. Must have been looking at the wrong one.”

  Jerking back the covers, I climbed in bed, relieved that we would be sleeping on a mattress tonight instead of taking turns on a concrete floor underground room. There would be no screams and wails of torture coming from the room across from us and no shift we had to get up for and take over to cause those sounds. Mentally and physically, I was exhausted. That was the only reason I’d been weak. Why I had kept Oakley on the phone so long, just to watch her in the camera as she talked to me. My conscience had gotten the better of me though, and I’d told her about the security system.

  King was right though. I’d been watching more often than I should—and at times when Sarah wasn’t around. The sight of Oakley had become hard to resist.