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“All of you.”

Twenty-Five

DALLAS

“Well hello there sleepi

ng beauty,” said Maddox, shoving a mug of coffee into my hands. “Grab a seat, you’re just in time.”

I blinked against the all-too bright kitchen, stumbling in the direction of my chair. Kane pulled it out for me. I nodded gratefully.

Maddox had one arm in a sling. With the other, he was operating the waffle-iron. The others had empty plates covered in waffle pieces and smeared in syrup. I could tell by the level of the coffee maker they were already on their second pot.

“What am I just in time for?” I asked groggily.

“Family meeting.”

“So we’re a family now?” I squinted, raising one eyebrow.

“Well we’re certainly something, wouldn’t you agree?”

Instead of answering I took a sip of coffee. Surprisingly, it was fixed it exactly the way I liked it. Apparently my boys were taking good care of me… every which way.

“Okay, so we were talking about yesterday…”

A waffle landed in front of me, piping hot. Austin pushed me the syrup.

“We’ve been monitoring the news feeds and calling hospitals, but so far nothing’s shown up as far as an accident report,” Maddox went on. “Which we all know is impossible, considering what happened. And that can only mean one thing.”

“A cover-up.”

He nodded and slid into the seat beside me. “You catch on fast.”

“Doesn’t take Columbo to figure that one out,” I said.

Austin leaned back in his chair. “Please tell me she just made a Columbo reference…”

Maddox nodded. “She did.”

“God, I love this girl.”

I returned Austin’s smile with a smirk of my own. Columbo had been one of the many television shows we watched together, Connor and I. We’d seen every season, every episode. It was old but timeless.

“Anyway,” Maddox continued, “we’re heading out today to track down more info. We’ve already got someone running the plate number you gave us. Kane and Austin are going to hit some of the hospitals and clinics near Summerlin, and I’m heading on base to run some queries.”

“You’re going to Nellis?” I asked.

“Yup.”

“So I’ll go with Kane and Austin, then.”

“Sorry no,” Maddox frowned. “You’re staying here this time.”

“The hell I—”

“Dallas.”

Kane’s voice was stern, but not condescending. His stared at me from beneath two dark brows. “This is going to go a lot easier if we’re on our own, at least for today. And the quicker we head out, the quicker we get back.”