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“Nico, we’ve talked about this. You can use my servers for your projects. There’s no need for you to build your own.”

He shakes his head stubbornly. “Your servers aren’t secure enough. Obviously, if I could mess with the tracking system so easily, they need an upgrade.”

I grit my teeth, hating that he’s right. I’ve been meaning to overhaul the servers for months now, but something alwaysseems to come up. Freelancing as a cybersecurity consultant doesn’t leave a lot of free time for tinkering.

Mary throws me a look that clearly says ‘this is your fault’. I hold up my hands in surrender.

“Alright, alright. We can discuss the server farm later. But right now, we need to know where your sister is.”

Nico purses his lips, considering. “She’s at a party. With her friends. ‘Blowing off steam’ were her words.”

“A party? On a school night? Oh, she is so grounded,” Mary says.

I frown. “Blowing off steam?”

“She broke up with her boyfriend. Jason. He was cheating on her.” Nico’s face shows no emotion.

Mary gasps, her hand flying to her mouth. “Oh, my poor baby. Why didn’t she tell us?”

I never liked that little punk. Always thought he was too smooth, too charming. Reminded me too much of a younger, stupider version of myself.

“Normally, people are embarrassed or hurt. She apparently really liked him,” Nico says.

I glance at Mary, seeing the indecision warring on her face.

“I’m sorry for my part in it. I just wanted to help her. Be a good brother,” he says.

Ava probably promised to leave him in peace for a month or cover for him.

Mary’s expression softens. “I understand, honey. But next time, come to us first, okay? We’re a team. We need to work together, not against each other.”

Nico resumes his typing. “Okay, Mom. I will. Can I go back to my project now?”

I clear my throat, getting us back on track. “Yes, after you stop messing with my system and tell us where your sister is. We need to go get her.”

Nico taps away. “There. That’s the address.”

A moment later, both our phones buzz with an incoming message.

Mary already heads for the door. “We’ll handle it. Thank you, Nico. For telling us the truth.”

He shrugs, turning back to his computer. “Yeah, well. You guys are alright, I guess. For parents.”

I ruffle his hair before following my wife. “Watch it, kid. You’re still in trouble for that little stunt with the tracking system. We’ll talk later about that server farm business.”

He grins up at me. “Worth it.”

Mary pauses in the doorway, turning back to level a stern look at our son. “And you’re grounded, young man. I think that’s what your father wanted to tell you.”

“Fine,” he says.

Mary grabs my hand and tugs me out of the room. As soon as the door closes behind us, she slumps against the wall, her head falling back with a thunk. “That boy…”

I wrap my arms around her. “He’s just keeping us on our toes. Gotta stay sharp in our old age.”

She swats at my chest, but I can see the smile tugging at her lips. “Watch who you’re calling old, mister. I can still run circles around you.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it.” I dip my head, capturing her mouth in a slow, deep kiss.

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