Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 31866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 159(@200wpm)___ 127(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 159(@200wpm)___ 127(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Nash glances at me. “Not for long. His contract’s almost up. He can leave clean.”
My gaze flicks to Riley.
A month ago, that sentence would’ve made my chest tighten with dread. Now all I can think is: leaving means leaving her.
Riley doesn’t flinch from the weight of it. She leans closer, her thigh pressed to mine, and her voice is quiet but unwavering.
“Go,” she says.
My chest aches. “Riley—”
She shakes her head, eyes bright. “You can’t ignore that. Not when you finally have a chance.”
My throat tightens. “What about you?”
Her smile is small and fierce. “I’ll be here. And I’m not helpless, Hawthorne. I rebuilt my life after they tried to wreck it. I can handle you chasing the truth.”
Mack watches us with something softer in his expression. “She’s got you bad, huh?”
“Yeah,” I say simply.
Riley squeezes my hand under the table like she likes hearing me admit it.
Mack leans back and exhales. “Okay. So… I’m in. But I’ve got a quick assignment first.”
Nash’s eyes narrow. “Mack—”
“It’s already on my board,” Mack says, holding up both hands. “Heartline Security doesn’t love when you vanish mid-contract. I’ve got a client in Cupid City for the Valentine season.”
He glances toward the window, where Cupid City glows bright and ridiculous in the night. “Famous supermodel. Indigo Lyric.”
Riley’s eyes widen. “Indigo Lyric is in Cupid City?”
Mack smirks. “Doing a Valentine Lingerie Showcase.”
I lift a brow. “Of course she is.”
Mack’s expression turns serious, just for a beat. “She’s got a stalker. Threats escalating. Heartline wants me on her full detail until the showcase is done and she’s secure.”
Nash nods slowly. “How long?”
“Short. A few days.” Mack’s grin returns, wicked. “Then I’m yours full-time.”
Riley’s mouth twitches. “Good luck babysitting a supermodel. I’ve heard she’s high-maintenance.”
Mack points at her. “Don’t worry, Riley. I’ve never been one to deal with that kind of behavior. If I have to, I'll just lock her in her hotel room and stand guard outside.” He laughs.
My phone buzzes—a message from the brothers’ thread. Banks, probably. Or Sinclair. Or Jace. Or Colt. They’ve been circling this situation like sharks.
Nash looks at Mack, then at me. “I’m recruiting the rest.”
Mack’s eyebrows lift. “All of them?”
Nash nods once. “Sinclair. Banks. Jace. Colt. One by one.”
“Why individually?” Mack asks.
“Because this isn’t a group text,” Nash says flatly. “This is our father. I’m not dropping that news on a screen where someone can react alone. Or even worse, someone can see it.” He taps the phone again, letting Dad’s face burn into our eyes one more time. “They’ll need to see it. They’ll need to decide. And I’ll meet each of them where they are.”
Riley’s fingers slide into mine again, grounding. My heart is still pounding. Still trying to accept what my eyes saw.
Dad.
Alive.
Out there.
Nash stands, shoulders squaring like a man stepping into a war he’s been preparing for his whole life. “Dean Maddox is assembling the team. We move soon.”
Mack rises too, clapping his hands once. “Okay then. First I keep a supermodel alive. Then I go find our dad.” He grins at me, pure Hawthorne chaos. “Try not to get too domesticated with your genius girlfriend while I’m gone.”
Riley laughs softly, and the sound steadies something in me.
Nash looks at me. “You coming?”
I glance at Riley.
She lifts her chin. “Yes. He is.”
The certainty in her voice hits me harder than any order ever has.
I nod once. “Yeah,” I say, and my voice is solid now. “I’m coming.”
Because some loves don’t hold you back.
They hold you up.
And as Riley threads her fingers through mine and Mack starts talking—already too casually—about lingerie showcases and stalkers and Heartline protocols, one truth settles in my chest like a vow:
I’m going to find my father.
And then, I’m going to come back to her.