Page 1 of Stolen Moments

Chapter one

Mason

October

I collapse onto theempty barstool, the tension in my head incrementally growing with every thought running through my head. Pressing my fingers into the sides of my temples, I attempt to ease the building pain by closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. It does little to dull the throbbing.

“What can I get you?”

My eyes snap open at the near voice.

The bartender, a big dude with graying temples, throws a towel over his shoulder, and places his palms on the bar, waiting for me to give him my order.

“Gin and Tonic with lime. Hendricks if you got it. Please,” I add, not forgetting my manners. I might be a grumpy asshole, but I would never treat someone disrespectfully. Especially someone making my drinks or food. My dad taught me better, and he would kick my ass if I was disrespectful.

“Coming right up.” The bartender acknowledges my order with a slap at the deep oak countertop before getting to work on my cocktail, leaving me to my thoughts.

My cell phone buzzes in my pocket. Retrieving it, I slide it open and start going through the overwhelming number of messages from my team.

While everything looks to be on track for the TechSec Summit my team and I are attending in Silicon Valley this weekend, there’sstill a lot to be done. It will be our first speaking presentation since we introduced the new code we’d created in the securities sector. Our latest breakthrough in multi-layered verification helps decrease and prevent identity theft and fraud at a banking level.

Tech security was never something I thought I would go into, but I became interested after my college buddy, Kenzo, became a victim. It took us weeks to track down the hacker who stole his identity and emptied his bank account. After that, the two of us dug deep into the coding world trying to perfect a banking software to prevent this kind of thing from happening to other people.

“Let me know if you need anything else.” The bartender places my drink in front of me and walks away, leaving me grateful for his silence.

I’m not in the mood to be chatty.

I place my phone on the distressed wood bar top and take a swig of my drink. Damn, it’s perfect. I take a moment to let the alcohol do its job. I’m in desperate need of help to take the edge off.

Work has been hectic since we went freelance and the demand for our software has taken off. It’s been great for the team, but lately, work has left me … unfulfilled. Like something’s missing from my life.

I close my eyes, trying to pinpoint when this sense of emptiness began popping up. My mind jumps to Rhys, my nephew.

I shake my head and take another swig of my drink.

Since Rhys entered the picture, my ordinarily work-filled life seems lackluster and incomplete. My oldest brother, Jace, moved up here to Oregon to be with the love of his life, Rylann, and her son Rhys. They reconnected—again—while on vacation, and since, Jace has been the happiest I’ve ever seen him. Without a glance back, he left his fast-paced city days behind him to become a small-town go-with-the-flow do-gooder.

Okay, he was always a do-gooder, but I’m his little brother. It’s my job to give him hell. In all seriousness, though, I’m happy forhim. Rylann is beautiful, funny, kind, and an incredible mother. She adores Rhys and worships the ground Jace walks on. This time around, my brother couldn’t have found a better person to spend his life with.

I love to come up here and visit them, especially Rhys. He’s by far the coolest kid on the planet, and spending time with him is always a great time. He’s such a good kid, always up for anything, and goes with the flow—a true testament to Rylann’s impeccable parenting. We share a love of soccer and usually end up kicking the ball around, playing his soccer video game, and going on hikes. He’s my little dude.

I like to think I’m by far his favorite uncle—something I love to say to mess with Eli and Cameron, my other two brothers. Those two have more demanding jobs that keep them tied up more often than not. Eli works in the entertainment industry and Cameron is a pitcher for the Evaders, one of Los Angeles’s Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. Unlike them, I have more flexibility and can work from anywhere, as long as I have my laptop.

I spent the last day and a half driving up from Los Angeles with Jace. He rented a truck to haul the last of his things up here, and I hitched a ride with him for fun. It’s going to be strange living in L.A. without him, now that Pine Hills—a small town outside of Portland—is his official residence. I’m going to miss having him close by, but he’s been eager to be with his family and start his life with them, and I don’t blame him one bit.

An uncomfortable pang hits me in the gut. Is that jealousy?

I hate to admit it, but maybe I am a little envious that my brother has found his person. Jace is planning on proposing tonight. He and Rhys forced me to help decorate their patio with flowers and lights as a surprise for Rylann, while she was out with her best friend, Scarlett.

I look at the clock. I’d bet anything he’s on one knee as I sit here alone with my drink, watching the condensation bead and rolldown the side of my glass. I wish I could have stayed to celebrate but work calls.

Selfish workaholic.

The caustic words still sting, even after all this time.

I take another drink, savoring the combination of citrus and floral flavors, pushing the burning feeling in my chest down—something I’ve become exceedingly good at. No one, aside from Cameron, knows about the dent in my ego.

My cell buzzes in my hand with an incoming video call from Jace. I hit accept, and Rhys’s face fills the screen.

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