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That had to be tough on a waitress’s salary. College was frigging expensive. No wonder she’d been so adamant about going to work this morning.

Needing caffeine, the only addiction he continued to indulge, Nate made his way to the break room, where he found his brother Ty leaning against the counter, his long legs crossed at the ankles, an energy drink in one hand and a bagel in the other. His skin was tanned, his features relaxed, his reddish-brown hair a few weeks past the time for a cut.

Nate glanced at the energy drink, then up to Ty. “That better not be the last one.”

Not looking worried in the least, Ty took a long pull from the can. “What if it is?”

“I’ll wrestle you for what’s left.”

“You’ll lose.”

Nate scoffed. “Yeah, right. Like that’s gonna happen.”

In truth, Nate’s odds of taking his brother were fifty-fifty at best. He had the advantage in height and weight, but Ty actively competed in martial arts tournaments, and he’d won his fair share of trophies. Real trophies, not the kind you get for participating. And although Nate knew how to take care of himself, his brother’s skills had risen to the level where Nate wasn’t quite sure he could win, even if he fought dirty.

Not that he’d ever admit that to his baby brother. His ego wouldn’t allow it.

Nate smiled. “It’s good to see you, man. I thought you weren’t coming until Friday.”

“Change of plans. We drove up last night. Lola took a couple of days off so she could come with me this time.”

Surprise widened Nate’s eyes. Lola owned a sports bar in the heart of south Florida, and because of her workaholic nature, it was rare for her to take a full day off, let alone two or three in a row. “How did you manage to talk her into that?”

“Actually, it was Lola’s idea. She promoted Iris to manager a few weeks ago; this’ll be her first real test at running the place on her own. With it being early in the week, it shouldn’t be so busy that Iris can’t handle it. But if things get crazy, Shelby’s willing to come in and work a little overtime.”

Nate couldn’t help but smile. He’d worked with Iris when she was homeless in Orlando, earning her trust and helping her get back onto her feet. And when Lola had struggled to find good employees for her bar, he’d sweet-talked her into giving Iris a chance. It pleased him to know she was doing so well, and in the process making Lola’s life easier.

Someone—most likely Austin—had brought bagels in, and Nate riffled through the box until he found the lone blueberry, his favorite. He sliced it in half and dropped it in the toaster.

“So where’s your better half?” he asked Ty as he opened the cupboard and took out a plate.

“She went to breakfast with Vicky.” His brother smiled. “Lola’s a huge fan of that show Vicky used to be on. You should have seen her when we got to their house last night. She could barely speak in complete sentences.”

Nate chuckled. “Why didn’t you go with them?”

“I got shit to do here.”

Made sense. An electrician by trade, Ty custom designed almost all of their security systems, and had a hand in the installations. He only came to town a few times a month, and when he did, he usually had a full slate of jobs lined up beforehand.

The bagel popped out of the toaster, and Nate slathered cream cheese on each slice. He opened the fridge, relieved to find a four-pack of energy drinks on the top shelf where he’d left it. He grabbed a can and turned back to Ty. “You got time to help me with something?”

Ty swallowed the last bite of his bagel and tossed his napkin in the trash. “That depends on what the something is.”

“It’s about Dorcas. You remember her, right?”

“Nina’s friend?”

“Yeah. Her apartment and her sister’s house got tossed yesterday.”

Ty’s eyes widened. “Aw, hell. Are they all right?”

“Dorcas is fine, but it spooked her a little. The sister’s out of town; she doesn’t know about it yet.” Just thinking about the fear on Dorcas’s face made Nate’s blood pressure skyrocket. “I want to install some security on Dorcas’s apartment. Her locks are so bad I could jimmy them with a butter knife.”

In time, he’d work on the sister’s house as well, but his immediate priority was Dorcas. He wanted her safe, and, more importantly, he wanted her to feel safe. Then maybe she’d be able to sleep through the night without tossing and turning.

Ty nodded. “What kind of budget are we talking?”

“No budget. I’m covering the costs.”