Page 37 of Beautiful Scars: Unshakeable (The Beautiful Scars Duet #2)

Chapter Thirty-Three

Zane

I watch Sunny rub her temples for the third time in ten minutes. The slight furrow between her brows and the way she keeps squinting at her phone tells me everything I need to know. When she finally sets the device down with a soft sigh, I catch her eye.

"Headache?" My voice comes out quieter than usual, already adjusting to her discomfort.

She nods, then immediately regrets the movement. "Think I'm going to head up early."

Levi looks up from his laptop, concern etched across his features. "Want company, Angel?"

"No, you guys need to relieve Wolf. I'll be fine." She stands, swaying slightly. Before either of us can move, she steadies herself against the couch. "I just need some sleep."

I resist the urge to follow as she makes her way to the stairs. She's still not getting nearly enough sleep. There are nights I wake up long after we've gone to bed only to find her sitting and looking out the window. I know she's exhausted. Maybe some time by herself will help.

"That's happening more often lately," Levi mutters, closing his laptop.

"She's just tired." I gather my tablet and papers. "Come on, Wolf's been in there since three this afternoon."

The security room hums with electronics when we enter. Multiple screens show different angles of the property—the tree line, the barn where Colt's finishing up, the kitchen where Jade's already setting up for their nightly routine.

Wolf looks up from the main console, rolling his shoulders. "It's been quiet. Nothing to report."

I take his seat, immediately checking the thermal imaging feeds. "Get your team sorted. We've got it from here."

"Colt's heading in," Levi says, watching him lock up the barn. "Right on schedule."

The routine feels almost normal now—Jade and Colt's nightly whiskey, the rotation of security shifts, the constant vigilance that's become our way of life.

Through the cameras, I watch Chase take up his position on the north corner of the roof while Ty takes his team and heads out to patrol the perimeter.

Sometimes I wonder how long we can keep this up.

My fingers move automatically across the keyboard, cycling through different views, different angles. The property looks peaceful in the dark, but I know better than to trust appearances.

"Thermal's clear on all quadrants," I report, more for the log than Levi's benefit. He can see the screens just as well as I can.

The door opens behind us, and Wolf steps back in briefly. "Team's in position. Rex is taking point on the east side tonight."

I nod without looking away from the monitors. Another night of watching, waiting. My coffee's already cold, but I drink it anyway. The bitter taste keeps me alert.

Through the cameras, I watch Colt greet Jade on the porch—right on time. Everything's running like clockwork, exactly as it should. Just another quiet night.

I lean back in my chair, watching Colt and Jade through the security feed. It's good to see Colt so genuinely happy. It's been a long time coming for him. I watch as he leans in to whisper something in Jade's ear. She tosses her head back laughing before pressing her lips to his.

That's when movement on one of the monitors catches my eye.

A delivery truck barrels down the access road at full throttle. It doesn't slow as it takes the turn into our drive, tires lifting as it takes the corner. The reinforced metal gate—three inches of tested hardened steel—crumples like aluminum foil as the truck punches through.

Alarms shriek to life as I lunge forward, fingers flying across the keyboard to cycle through camera angles. On screen, our security team scrambles for cover as the truck plows forward, spitting gravel and twisted metal in its wake.

"Contact, front gate!" Chase's voice crackles through the comms as the truck grinds to a halt. "Two on foot, heading east!"

My fingers pound the keys, tracking the suspects through different camera angles. "Copy that. Rex, Ty—intercept from the east. Do not let them circle around."

The truck sits abandoned in our driveway, smoke beginning to curl from under its hood. Something about this feels wrong. Too easy. Too obvious.

"Everyone clear the area around that vehicle," I bark into the comm. "Chase, fall back. Now."

Levi's already coordinating with Wolf, his voice tight with controlled urgency. "Get eyes on those runners. They're pushing us somewhere."

The explosion lights up every monitor in violent orange and yellow. The blast wave sets off another round of alarms, and I know we've only got minutes at most before local law enforcement responds.

"Colt," Levi snaps into his comm. "We need you out front. That explosion's going to bring every cop in three counties."

Through the porch camera, I watch Colt gesture sharply at the door, clearly ordering Jade inside. She hesitates for only a moment before complying. I see her reach for the keypad, fingers moving to enter the code. Satisfied she's safe, I switch my attention to other feeds.

"Status report, all positions," I demand, cycling through thermal imaging. The runners have disappeared into the tree line.

"East sector clear," Rex reports.

"North roof secure," from Chase.

I pull up the underground sensor grid, checking for vibration patterns. Nothing. But those runners moved with purpose, like they wanted us to follow.

"Wolf, coordinate with Rex and Ty. Grid pattern sweep of the east woods, but maintain distance. This feels wrong."

The radio crackles with acknowledgments as I split my attention between multiple camera feeds. Local police will be here any minute. The explosion site is still burning, casting long shadows across our normally secure compound.

Some of the tension leaves my shoulders, but I keep scanning feeds, coordinating our men. The attack was too precise, too calculated. This had to be about more than breaching our perimeter.

Through the monitors, I watch Colt position himself at the front gate, already preparing his story for the approaching sirens. Our security team maintains their sweep pattern in the woods, but I know they won't find anything.

I grab Levi's arm as he moves toward the door. "We need to handle this first."

"Like hell. I'm checking on Sunny." His muscles tense under my grip.

"She's safe upstairs. Three cameras in the hall, motion sensors on every window." I pull up the feed showing her room's exterior. "The threat isn't there right now."

"Z—" His voice carries a warning.

"Listen to me." I force him to look at the monitors. "This was coordinated. They knew exactly how to breach our perimeter. We handle this wrong, we'll miss whatever game Garrett's playing."

The approaching sirens grow louder.

"Thirty seconds until contact with local PD," Wolf reports through comms.

Levi's jaw clenches. "The second we clear this—"

"We'll both go up," I promise. "But right now, we need to get through this with the cops."

The next couple of hours blur into a carefully orchestrated dance.

Colt handles the initial contact perfectly—spinning a story about a private security training exercise gone wrong, a controlled explosives malfunction.

The officers buy it completely—the proper permits and a little cash go a long way.

I cycle through cameras, documenting everything while keeping our teams coordinated.

I watch the last police cruiser pull away, relaxing slightly when they finally fade into darkness. We're missing something. Something important.

Levi doesn't wait for my confirmation before bolting toward the stairs. His footsteps thunder upward, and I switch camera views to track his progress. At least Sunny followed the lockdown protocol and stayed in her room.

The feed from the hallway shows her already opening the door as Levi approaches, her face tight with worry.

"I'm fine," she insists, backing away from Levi's reaching hands. "But I need to check on Jade."

"You're not going anywhere until—"

"She's my best friend, Levi!" Sunny's voice carries clearly through the audio feed. "We need to make sure she's okay!"

I toggle between cameras, watching their argument play out across multiple angles. Sunny's hands are clenched at her sides, her whole body radiating tension. Levi towers over her, his protective instincts clearly at war with her determination.

"At least let me check the room first," he growls.

"Fine." Sunny crosses her arms. "But hurry up."

I switch views as they move down the hallway to Jade and Colt's room. Levi knocks once before pushing the door open. The camera catches their expressions changing as they scan the empty space.

"Jade?" Sunny calls out, pushing past Levi into the room. "Are you in here?"

The silence that follows makes my stomach clench. I quickly cycle through other camera feeds—bathroom, kitchen, living room. No sign of her.

"JADE!" Sunny's voice echoes through the house, panic starting to edge in. "Where are you?"

Levi's already on his comm. "We might have a problem."

I pull up the footage from the last couple of hours, wanting to track Jade's movements once she made it inside. Except, there is none. It doesn't look like she ever made it inside.

"Z," Levi's voice crackles through my earpiece. "Tell me you have eyes on her."

I start rewinding through multiple camera feeds.

The timestamp shows 23:20 when Jade reaches the back door, whiskey bottle still clutched in her hand.

She types in her code, and yanks at the handle repeatedly.

Her shoulders grow more tense with each failed attempt.

She sets the bottle and glasses down, and tries one more time.

The door should've been functioning perfectly. There was no alarm, no indication of malfunction.