Page 13 of Vision of Truth

“The pancakes,” Sabrina grabbed Rowan’s hand where he was leaning against the granite breakfast bar.

“Ah, yes,” he grinned. “I was going to eat those but Sabrina insisted they were for Ms. Julie.”

“For Ms. Julie,” Sabrina echoed.

“Exactly.” Rowan straightened and lifted his hand, giving her a little fist bump. When her tiny knuckles hit his much larger ones, he widened his eyes and shook his hand out, feigning shock. “Nearly knocked me over there, kid.”

Sabrina screeched with laughter, and Rowan’s face transformed, lighting up before her eyes. “Let’s get these pancakes heated up for you, Julie. After about a dozen, I can attest that they’re very good.” He winked at Sabrina and opened the refrigerator, drawing out a large plate covered in plastic wrap, maple syrup, and butter. Sabrina hopped up in one of the chairs at the counter, and tapped at the other.

“You go ahead and sit,” Rowan said to Julie, picking up on Sabrina’s silent gesture that she wanted company.

The coffee pot sputtered and hissed and Isaac reached into the cabinet to draw down mugs. His black t-shirt was stretched tight over his broad shoulders and back. And his dark jeans hugged his— Remembering she was in a crowded kitchen, she averted her eyes. At Rowan’s soft chuff, her cheeks flamed and she glanced in his direction. Isaac’s teammate was turned toward the microwave, a little smirk on his lips. Ugh. She’d been caught ogling Isaac’s butt.Kill me now.She hoped the man knew she wasn’t actually Isaac’s blood relative. Now that would be awkward. And would probably start a few torrid rumors around the base.

The microwave beeped and Rowan placed the stack of pancakes in front of her along with the butter and maple syrup. “Here you go, sweetheart.”

“Thank you. This feels more like a hotel than a safe house.”

Rowan winked at her. “Anytime you need it, you can say the word.”

Isaac stalked over and kissed her temple possessively. “Get your own woman,” he growled, but there was no heat in his voice. Only affection for his teammate. He slid the mug next to her plate and the bitter scent of roasted coffee beans rode along the steam rising from the cup. “After you’re done eating, we’ll call Gus on the secured line here, okay?”

“Okay.” She’d been so wrapped up with Isaac this morning, so distracted by the homey setting they were in, she’d almost forgotten they were in grave danger, and because of that, their family at home was in potential danger, too. Everything would be okay. She had to believe that. Had to protect the little girl that had been entrusted into her care. And Isaac. They had so many things to look forward to together. Yes, everything was going to be fine.

Chapter Ten

Isaac gritted his teeth as their morning, which was peaceful given the situation, turned to shit. Rowan was keeping Sabrina entertained while they called Gus from the office. There was an alternative office that doubled as a safe room with computer feeds from each camera around the property, a hidden exit, and a cache of weapons, but this office was truly just that—a space to work on the computer or talk on the phone. Christ, if there was ever a time he hoped a secure line didn’t get hacked, it was right now. He tightened his hold on Julie’s hand. Her expression was stricken as the phone rang once, then twice.

“Who’s this?” Gus’s voice boomed to life inside the small space.

“Gus. Thank God you’re okay.” Julie’s voice shook with relief and her posture visibly relaxed at the sound of his voice.

“Fuck, Jules. You’ve taken ten years off my life in the last twelve hours. You’re alive. Are you or Sabrina hurt? Where are you? Is Isaac there?”

“No one’s hurt,” Jules said leaving out the concussion she’d most likely received in the crash, and the scrapes, bumps, and bruises. “And Isaac is here.”

Gus released a long, shuddery breath, and then another voice was audible over the line. “What is it? Did they find them?” Sasha’s voice edged on hysterical, and the line went muffled as Gus murmured something to soothe her.

“Putting you on speaker. Sasha is here. Easton and Kinley are out aiding the search. Should’ve followed you last night, Isaac. Thank you for getting them out. Thank you for getting to them before The Unified Brotherhood did. Shit, when no one was in the crashed vehicle we all feared the worst. Is Tyler with you, too?”

His jaw clenched. “Agent Dawson? No. I wasn’t leaving Jules and Sabrina unprotected. He’s missing?” He glanced at Julie, her eyes were wide with horror.

“When Lena and her team arrived at the scene, the car was empty,” Sasha said softly.

There was a brief twinge in his chest for leaving the man behind, but he locked it away. He had no room in his heart for guilt. Not when pulling the agent from the wreckage could’ve cost Julie and Sabrina their lives. “We got out of town, hooked up with a friend of mine. We’re bugging out until the threat blows over.”

“Where are you?” Gus’s question sounded more like a demand. If their roles were reversed Gus would be tight lipped about their location, just like there was no way in hell he’d be giving their hideout away—not only out of respect for Rowan, but for his brother’s safety and theirs.

“Somewhere secure, but we were followed. I stopped for supplies. Thought we were in the clear, but they found us. Both were eliminated.”

“The Walmart in Maine.” Sasha whispered. “There was something about a suspected homicide on the news. Oh, thank God you’re all okay.”

“Anything on Vesey?” He didn’t want to confirm or deny where they were apprehended, although Sasha had nailed it right away. Even if the FBI did find out they’d been in Monson, the safehouse was tucked into the mountains over four hours away from where they’d been. Once the police reviewed the security footage, they’d be placed at the scene anyway, but that was a problem they’d deal with later.

“Easton’s tech team is working the case. They reviewed the footage from Vesey’s personal security camera and got the license plate number of the car. Easton said Vesey appeared unresponsive when he was put into the trunk. Things aren’t looking good for him on several fronts. Transactions were made between Vesey and The United Brotherhood, and not all of the funds used were from the bureau. Easton’s working another angle, said to trust no one. The route your convoy took last night was leaked. That leak came directly from the local field office.”

He clenched and unclenched his free hand as a prickle of anxiety burrowed in his chest and began to spread. “Shit. That’s not good. If it was only Vesey double-dipping between the bureau and the Brotherhood this would be messy, but another leak means we might be hiding out for a while.”

“Easton’s been trying to get a lock on it since the crash. As soon as he can dig up enough evidence to support his theory, hopefully things will start to move quickly. Both men that were at Vesey’s house the day he went missing, the one Kinley shot and the one who drove the vehicle away, are both low-level drones in the organization. Every law enforcement entity is working to find the man behind the wheel. Once we know how he gets his orders, we’ll have more to work with.”

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