Page 115 of Fractured Future

When work drives me insane, I like to pack a bag and run for the hills on my Harley. Nothing but me and the open road. The roaring engine. Wind freezing my skin. Heart soaring and mind at ease.

Pure bliss.

Second only to fists on flesh.

Tapping two fingers against my visor, I salute the guards lingering near the entrance to Sabre’s underground parking garage. I have an assigned spot next to Warner and Hyland’s spaces.

“Hey!” I shout at a smartly dressed figure slamming his car door shut. “You have something on your head, dude.”

A brown leather satchel in hand, Kade Knight meets me halfway to the entrance door. The co-director of Sabre Security is formidable in his own right but widely known as the lesser of two evils.

His brother, Hudson, is the real asshole. The two brothers took control of Sabre when the previous owners emigrated to Australia after a particularly harrowing case involving a serial killer.

“Oh, shit.” Kade drags the plastic tiara from his pearly-blonde hair. “Thanks, Ax.”

“Fun Tuesday night?”

“Don’t even ask. Raising kids is a damn sight harder than running this place. Logan’s going through a dressing up phase.”

The thought of their cute little boy making Kade and the rest of his crazy-ass family dress up like princesses is enough to break me. I almost double over from laughing so hard.

“Yeah, laugh it up,” Kade groans.

“A fucking tiara?”

“I tried to get him to play with a football or something else, but the boy loves this Disney princess shit. Brooklyn thinks it’s hilarious.”

“She has a point. It’s kinda funny.”

“You’re as bad as Phoenix. He’s the instigator.”

Now that isn’t surprising. The blue-haired member of their complicated polycule may work a serious job at a London-based rehab clinic, but he’s known for his uncontrolled chaos.

Kade and Hudson’s family has always been interesting to me. Sure, the word polyamory is common now. It’s becoming more mainstream and less taboo to have multiple partners. Seeing how their family unit functions up close is fascinating.

“You finish up that stakeout?” Kade follows me inside.

“Just heading up to debrief now. Ember’s having her eval.”

“I should come introduce myself soon.” He stiffly nods at several passing agents. “Assure her that we’re not all lunatics and assassins.”

“Hope you’re a good liar.”

“Shit. Me too.”

Smiling to himself, Kade summons the elevator by scanning his black security pass. He’s older than me—closer to Warner’s age, in his late thirties—but we get on well enough. Kade is a good director and a solid agent.

When his phone rings, Kade curses and fishes it from his jacket. “Yeah?”

The sound of yelling emanates through the speaker.

“Jesus, Eli. Take a breath. If he doesn’t want to take the pink dress off, then don’t make him. The little tyke will fall asleep soon enough.”

Smothering my chuckling takes great effort. The shouting continues, sounding a lot like terror.

“You’ve got this, man. Leave Brooke and Jude alone. You know it’s their date night tonight.”

After several more seconds of loud yelling, Kade wraps up the call. He stuffs his phone away then exaggeratedly rolls his eyes at me.