Page 6 of Stolen Hearts

“What do our other brothers do?”

Carson rocked a bit in his chair. “Oaks manages the electronic monitoring for our clients. Surveillance cameras, data analysis to track movements for threats. Colt prefers to stay in the shadows.”

“Always has,” Denver said quietly, understanding his brother a lot better now that they were older.

Carson nodded. “He does a little of this and that. Performs scouting missions, manages schedules. That sort of thing.”

“And Gray?”

“He can fly in a pinch if our pilot isn’t available for some reason. He hasn’t been back long enough to really find a role. And Willow…she keeps me sane. But you know she’s mostly phones and travel details. I handle the rest. It’s…” Carson paused, searching for the right word. “A work in progress.”

Denver’s gaze dropped back to the mess. He could see the bones of an operation here, but it was scattered. No structure. No real chain of command. He picked up a notepad and pen, then listed all of the names of the men on the Black Heart Security team, which was only comprised of the Malone family.

There were enough of them to fill any gaps in the list of operations, but a few more team members would be helpful in the future.

Carson watched him, saying nothing as Denver worked on the list, writing in the roles his brother had just recited for him. But he knew his big brother was assessing him. Looking too deep. Seeing things.

“Who’s your client? What kind of services do they seek from the agency?” Denver asked.

Carson let his boot drop from the desk and hooked it over his opposite knee. “Well, we’ve got corporate clients. Protecting bigwigs, personal security for high-profile figures.”

Denver took notes while Carson continued.

“We’ve provided personal security for a couple celebrities and some political figures. There was also a time we acted as crowd control during a protest at the state capital.”

“Got it. Anything else?”

“A little of this and that.”

Denver flicked his stare to his brother. “Do you hear yourself? You were in the military longer than the rest of us. You of all people should have a handle on how a team should be organized. The Black Heart Security Agency isn’t any different.”

Carson scrubbed a hand over his face. “Most of the time, I’m scrambling to organize the chaos and make sure nobody kills each other.”

Denver raised a brow.

“You have better ideas, I’d love to hear them.”

“I might.” His mind was already forming a new system, piecing things together and then reassembling them based off each of his brothers’ strengths and skill sets.

“The agency is your baby. So that would make you team leader. Point man.”

Carson leaned forward, his elbows hitting the desk with a thud. “Sounds right.”

“Recon specialist?” Denver continued.

“I’d say Colt,” Carson replied easily. “He’s sharp. Knows how to get in and out without raising hell.”

Denver nodded. He could see the makings of a team here, but it was loose. Too loose. “Surveillance?”

“Right now, that’s Oaks. But he spends a lot of time on the veterans program. It’s his passion project, and it’s understandable why.”

Denver met his brother’s gaze. “Why?”

“You don’t know…” Carson shook his head. “Why would you? You’ve been gone a while.”

A tightness formed around Denver’s lungs at the thought of what he’d put his family through when he signed those Blackout papers—and essentially his own death certificate. His siblings all believed him dead, killed in action.

Until Colt found him.

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