“You think people will believe you have that sort of intel?” Rick shook his head. “It’s only leverage if you can prove the information exists and Natalie has it.”

“Last I checked, the CIA wasn’t supposed to be sneaking around, checking on U.S. citizens. Natalie has some files that suggest that’s happening on a regular basis. And the citizens in question, some of them, are connected and will get really pissed once this news is out.” Wade held up both hands as if in mock surrender. “Just saying it sounds like pretty good leverage to me.”

Eli nodded. “If whoever hired you continues to track Natalie, the subjects of the surveillance—the entire public—will see internal documents, and those suits at the CIA who are so worried about Natalie’s location right now will be more worried about finding their own places to hide.”

Wade cleared his throat. “The public hates this shit.”

The double-team impressed Andy. “You two sure you’re not lawyers?”

“We prefer to work outside of the law.” Eli kept his focus on Rick. “You might want to keep that in mind.”

Something in Rick’s affect had changed. He no longer looked ready to rip the walls down. “They’re safe. Gabe spotted my man and tried to scare the piss out of him.”

Wade glanced at Eli. “I like Gabe’s style.”

Eli nodded. “It’s a shame Rick here still hasn’t said what we need to hear.”

Rick ignored the byplay. “Fine. I’ll talk to my people about Natalie’s supposed leverage and how, if it truly exists, it might be time to rethink tracking her down in any way.”

“Your people?” Eli shook his head. “It doesn’t make you throw up a little in your mouth to say that?”

Rick stood up. “I need a secure room.”

“You know where it is.” Andy almost hated to add this part: “Take Eli with you for confirmation.”

But Rick didn’t balk. Phone in hand, he walked out with Eli trailing right behind him. That left Andy alone with Wade, a combination Andy did not like one bit. And he could sense Wade knew that.

Better to jump to the offense, or at least Andy hoped that was true. “You know I’m not going to make a move, right?”

“On Eli?” Wade scoffed. “Fucking right you’re not.”

“So, you can drop the jealous act.” Though Andy couldn’t blame him. Despite the sometimes surly mood, there was something compelling about Eli. Something that reeled you in and made you want to know more. Those quiet moments, the ones that provided a promise of more. Andy had bought in. Eli told him not to, but turned out Andy didn’t have a fucking choice.

Wade leaned forward and tapped an abandoned pen against the table. “I’ve been where you are.”

Since he lived with Eli, and Andy never got the opportunity, Andy doubted it. “Oh, really?”

“It’s easy for me to say, and God knows I couldn’t do it, but you need to move on.” Wade looked up and pinned Andy with a serious gaze. “Take my advice. Find someone else.”

“I’m not still hung up on him.”

Wade shook his head. “Yeah, you are.”

“You don’t—”

“You need closure. I’m giving it to you.” Wade stood up. “It’s over.”

“Confident.”

“I’m not letting him go, Andy.”

He knew that before Wade ever said it. Andy had checked up on them, asked around. Eli looked as domesticated and assured as ever. People, mostly Bast, said that came from Wade. Still, Andy could hope. “You could fuck up.”

“Probably will, but that won’t create an opening for you because I’m the one he wants.” When Andy started to talk, Wade talked right over him. “Not trying to be a shit here. Just being honest. You can get all twisted up and act like Rick or move on. I’d move on.”

The words left a hollow pit in Andy’s stomach. “Thanks for the advice.”

“Take it.”

•   •   •

They ended up on the floor.

Gabe lay there on his back with Natalie cuddled half on his side and half on top of him. He loved this position. Loved being wrapped up with her, with her leg lying over his. The softness of her skin.

They both wore their shirts and sweaters but their pants sat tangled in a jumbled mess by their feet. Soon the stove would need stoking and a chill would fall over the room. He saw it all coming but couldn’t move. Not after the sex against the wall and another round with her riding him on the floor.

Not after her admission about her father. The idea of her living through that hell made him sick. What happened explained so much about who she was and how she handled crisis. She grew up to be the one who carried the gun. The person who gave orders. Her need for control, the way she protected herself and fought off too much hovering over her, all fell into place in his head.

It bordered on a miracle that she trusted him enough to even spill what she did. She didn’t have to. He was being a complete dick. He’d been spun up about Rick and lashed out at her. She should have kicked him, thrown him outside . . . something. Instead, she fought with him, pushed and then opened up.

“I was an asshole.” It was a flat-out truth he couldn’t deny, so he said it.

“Absolutely.” She didn’t open her eyes as she mumbled the word against his skin.

“Like, a totally fucking asshole.”

“I’m not disagreeing.”

“Rick is a touchy topic for me. I . . .” Every time he thought about the fracture in their relationship he got hit with that same raw, inside-out sensation.

She leaned up on her elbow and looked down at him. “Because?”

“I don’t want him in my life.”

But that was only half true. They’d all been close—had to be, with their dad. Gabe had depended on Rick to steer him away from anything that would earn their father’s disapproval. They bonded, stuck up for each other. As they got older, Gabe spent a lot of time watching out for Andy both because he was younger and because he was gay, which made him a target until he got too big and too good at self-defense for that bullshit. Gabe missed the guaranteed family safety net. He still had it with Andy, but he missed the rest.

Natalie’s fingers brushed over his chest. “Your file doesn’t mention a rift.”

He slipped his fingers through hers and loved when she grabbed on. “That’s a nice word for it.”

“Okay.”

That’s all she said. No questions or nagging. She acted like she’d let it end there if he needed it to. After all his blustering and the shitty things he’d said to her, after she opened a window into her world, she still didn’t make demands. Not that he could walk all over her, because he couldn’t. It was one of the things he found so damn sexy about her. That inner toughness.

The way she reacted made it all seem so easy. The secret he’d kept locked inside. The one only he and Andy and Rick knew. The allegations that tore him up every time he looked at Brandon. Gabe let it all spill out. “He had sex with my girlfriend.”

“Rick? Oh, God.” She made a face as if she’d tasted something spoiled. “I don’t have a sibling, but that has to break some sort of brother code.”

“Shredded it to pieces.” And that wasn’t even the worst of it. The ripple effect swallowed up so much more. “Brandon’s mom.”

Natalie’s mouth dropped open. “What?”

“He slept with my son’s mother.” His own brother. Gabe couldn’t find a way out of that haze. The whole time he’d been making plans and thinking he was in love, Rick had been screwing him. “I didn’t know at the time. Didn’t know for years. The admission is pretty new.”

“So, Rick isn’t why the two of you aren’t together?”

Gabe understood the confusion. He still hadn’t cleared up her misconception about Brandon’s age. Now might be the time, but on top of every other thing she was hearing, it might not even sink in.

“We haven’t been together for a long time. Probably shouldn’t have been in the first place. Not that I regret it, since the relationship gave me Brandon.”

“Of course.”

“Linda didn’t want a kid. Didn’t want a guy who traveled a lot either.” Which would have been a good thing for her to tell him before he joined the Army. “But I was able to convince her to carry Brandon to term. She took some money and signed an agreement where she gave up parental rights. I took full responsibility, so she wouldn’t get stuck with child support.”