Nick’s boots clicked on the floor as he stalked down the hall to his office. Passing by Margery’s desk, he stopped, accepting her greeting.

“How’s your uncle?”

“Think his old ticker’s gonna keep him going for a while.”

She patted his arm, peering into his eyes. “Good…I’m glad, Nick. I was praying for him. Well, for both of you.”

Lifting an eyebrow, he asked, “You think I needed those prayers too? Things that bad around here?”

Pursing her lips as Mike walked in, she said, “Things seem to be changing, Nick. It’s not the way it used to be. Cases are getting reassigned on the whims of some of the bigwigs. Mike and I just try to stay in our little cubicles, doing the technical investigating. But for those of you on the front lines? It’s getting crazy.”

“This got anything to do with Richard?”

“According to Harlan, Richard’s got a bee up his shorts when it comes to you. Personally,” she said, patting his arm, “I just think he’s jealous of your investigative successes.”

Nick observed hesitation in her eyes and he tilted his head in silent question. Margery shot Mike a look before she plunged ahead. “You need to know that Richard has reassigned Mike and I to a different case. He says there’s nothing here to connect the nightclub snatching with the Russians and since…uh…well, in his words, ‘you’ve fucked up the investigation’, he’s moving on.”

“Fuckin’ hell,” Nick cursed, his hands on his hips as he turned and faced the wall for a moment until gaining his composure. Sucking in a deep breath through his nose before letting it out slowly, he said, “I need you two to know that I may not be staying with the Bureau. I’m looking at options to make sure that I can continue to work this case.”

“You’ve got to do what’s best for you,” Mike agreed. “Just don’t get burned waiting too long. I’d hate to see you go, but watch your back.”

Holding on to his temper, Nick acknowledged Mike’s words with a head jerk as he continued to his office. Sitting at his desk, he stared into space for a long time, before picking up the phone.

“Blaise? It’s Nick. I know Bayley called you last night but I wanted to follow up. The trip was good until yesterday when she saw the man who accosted her in the lobby. He did not see her and we made it out unnoticed. Listen, I need to talk to you face to face. Can you meet for lunch?”

Making the arrangements, Nick disconnected. Pondering his next move, he dialed Jack. “Hey, man. We need to talk.” Coming up with a time to go to the Saints’ compound, he tossed his phone to his desk and looked around. The walls held a few photographs of Nick during his FBI career. Pictures he was proud of. Had been proud of. Rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, he turned to his computer and began to type.

Lunchtime found him ensconced in a booth at a small Italian restaurant around the corner from Bayley’s shop. Seeing Blaise walk in, he smiled, now recognizing Bayley’s features in her brother’s face.

Blaise slid into the opposite side of the booth, reaching across to shake his hand. Blaise’s blue eyes pierced his as he said, “So, you got something to tell me?”

“Damn, man, you don’t mince words.”

“Didn’t think you did either.”

Leaning back, Nick nodded. “You’re right. No way am I going behind your back with Bayley, so I gotta tell you that I’m interested. And not just as an agent, but as a man.”

Weighted silence sat over the men for a moment, before Blaise smiled. “Bayley hinted as much last night, but I really appreciate you coming to me.”

“You got a problem with me being with her?”

“Not at all.” Blaise leaned back in his seat, nodding as the waitress took his order. “I’ve wanted Bayley to be with a good man. Someone who appreciates her…uniqueness.”

“And you think I’m that man?”

“Nick, what I know about you, you’re as trustworthy as they come. And I’ve never known you to make a snap decision. So, yeah, if you tell me you want to be with my sister, then I know you’ll take care of her.” Grinning, he added, “And last night, she warned me that I’d better not stick my nose in her relationship. Then I got off the phone, told Grace, and she warned me about the same thing.”

Shaking his head, Nick said, “Your sister’s special, no doubt about that.”

The two men finished lunch, finding their conversation revolving around the women in their lives and barely touching on the case. As Blaise stood, he shook Nick’s hand, saying, “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You want to join Jack, I’ll be glad to have you as a partner.”

Hiding his irritation over his job situation, Nick just nodded before he headed down the street to check on Bayley.

“Nice to see you again. It looks like you’ve begun your book.”

The dark-haired, pretty woman stood quickly from the table, her hand reaching for Bayley’s. “Please, call me Agnes.”

Turning to Bruce, with her hand on his shoulder, she asked, “How’s the story going?”

Bruce began talking but, as much as Bayley wanted to hear about his manuscript, she could not seem to escape the feeling of Agnes’ eyes on her. Excusing herself, she made her way behind the counter, moving straight up to her friend. “Hey, Daphne, has the new girl been coming in a lot?”

“Yeah,” Daphne replied, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Come on, what else is going on. I can always tell,” Bayley shoulder bumped her, bringing out a smile.

“I think she likes him,” Daphne replied, nodding toward Bruce. “She comes in and always sits with him.”

“Oh, honey,” Bayley hurried to say, “I know you kinda liked him—”

“No worries,” Daphne laughed. “I did like Bruce, but my new guy is just as handsome.” Looking over Bayley’s shoulder, she said, “Shh, here comes Bruce.”

“Ladies,” Bruce greeted, leaning his forearms on the counter in front of Daphne.

“I told Bayley that you’ve been coming in a lot with Agnes,” Daphne said, her smile faltering slightly.

“Not with her, but when we’re here, she does tend to sit at the same table with me.” Shrugging, he admitted, “She’s okay, but I don’t know how serious she is about writing.”

“Maybe she just needs more encouragement. I’ll talk to her,” Bayley said. Before she could move, the bell over the door rang and the trio looked up as Nick stalked over to them. Nodding at Daphne, he ignored Bruce as he walked behind the counter, placing his hands on Bayley’s waist. “Hey, darlin’.”

As she twisted her neck to look up at his handsome face, so close to hers, she grinned. “Hey yourself.”

“I just had lunch with Blaise.”

Lifting an eyebrow, she said, “And…”

“He gives his blessing.” Seeing her beam, he queried, “Was there any doubt?”

Playfully slapping his shoulder, she shook her head. “No doubt from me. He likes you…respects you. Hell, he probably hopes some of your neatness will rub off on me!”

“Listen, I just stopped by to see how you were doing. The security is in place here, and you’re on the Saints’ grid, so they can see what’s going on at any time.”

Whispering against his ear, her blue eyes sparkling, she asked, “Are you going back to the office now or can I talk you in to heading up to my office for a few minutes?”

Kissing her neck, he groaned. “I wish, but I’m heading out to meet with Jack.”

Dropping her smile, she twisted so she was facing him. “Oh…I take it things didn’t go well this morning at work.”

Nick held her gaze, relishing the intuition and understanding pouring from her. Lifting her chin with his knuckle, his pressed a chaste kiss on her lips. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it covered. I’m heading out now, but I’ll be back to pick you up this evening.”

Bayley’s dreamy expression stayed on her face as she watched him walk out the door. She never noticed the stare from Agnes, before the dark-haired woman moved to an empty corner, placing a call.

Am I really doing this? Nick stood on Jack’s massive front porch, looking to the mountains in the background. Sucking in a deep breath, he let it out slowly. Just then the door opened, a serious-faced Jack greeting him.

“Welcome back, Nick. Come on in.”

The two men shook hands as they proceeded to the living room. The last time Nick had been in Jack’s house, the room had been full of Saints and some of their wives or fiancés. The now empty room was just as warm, but much more open as Jack motioned for him to sit on one of the oversized sofas.

“How’s your uncle?” Jack began.

Nick noted Jack’s full attention was focused on him, giving the impression that he really cared about his relative. Smiling, he replied, “Good. He should be fine and I’ll go back in a couple of weeks to make sure his rehab is going as planned.”

Silence slid over them before Jack said, “You wanted to meet so, Nick, I’ll let you take charge right now.”

Clearing his throat, he heaved a sigh. “Hell, Jack, I find myself at a crossroads…one I didn’t expect. But, after careful consideration, I’m at the end of my rope. I’m turning in my resignation this afternoon.”

Jack nodded slowly, his intelligent gaze steady.

“I like order…I like piecing the investigations together, but I have grown increasingly frustrated with the politics of the job.” With a rueful huff, he added, “It used to be about doing the right thing and we all knew what that was. Now, that gets lost behind the politics of some of the people in power.”

“What’s happened recently?”

“My supervisor has decided he wants me off the kidnapping case. He’s into political gain and not into hard-core investigating. In trying to protect Bayley, he thinks I’ve jeopardized the case. But, to be honest, I think we’re bringing them out of hiding.”

“So, you’re resigning?”

“Yes. Not just because of what has happened with this case, though that has pretty much pushed me over the edge. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while now, and the time is right,” Nick stated firmly. “And I’d like to discuss coming to work for you. I’d like to stay on this case and bring what I know to your table.”

Jack smiled widely, leaning back in his seat. “That makes me happy, Nick. I’ve thought for a while that your investigative skills would be a real asset to the Saints. You know who we are and what we do, but how about we go downstairs and let you take a look around. I can answer more specific questions then.”

Jack led the way down the hall leading from the kitchen. He stopped at a closet door and pulled it open. With a few taps of his fingers on a hidden security pad, he entered the code and the back wall swung open, exposing another set of stairs leading down. Descending the steps, they moved through the door at the bottom, walking into a spacious, open room filled with computer stations and monitor screens on the walls.

Nick stared at the hub of the Saints’ company space. He knew Jack had built his business from the ground up, filling the space with the latest equipment and the best men he could find, but this was something else. Jack pointed to the bank of computers at which Luke and Charlie sat, greeting him enthusiastically before going back to work.

“Behind those doors are equipment rooms, firearms, and a variety of other items that we find come in handy,” Jack said, with a rare grin. He nodded toward the far wall where a steel door stood and said, “That leads to the back entrance, which leads up to my garage. There are ATVs and a few company SUVs as well.”

Nick nodded in appreciation of what he was viewing. “Impressive, Jack. Very impressive.”

“My business took almost four years to create, but I was able to lure each of my employees to me. We’re able to fly under the radar, using whatever means necessary to accomplish our contracts.” He eyed Nick, as he added, “That’s the only reservation I have with you, Nick. We are not bound by the same rules that you have been used to. Each of us has had to learn to work in this environment, so I want to make sure you are okay with that.”

Nick looked down at the large conference table in the center of the room and took the seat Jack indicated. “I’ve thought about this, Jack. I’m not making a rash decision here. I’ve worked with you all for a while now. I’ve seen how you investigate and, while it was a bit shocking at first, I now am really interested in being able to get the job done without the politics. I like order and process, true, but I want to do things right from now on, not push them under the rug when it suits the big wigs. I want to be proud of what I do again.”

“You also should know that most times, we do a lot of the leg work in the investigations but we don’t get the glory. That goes to the police or FBI or hell, even the CIA.”

Nick nodded, understanding what Jack was telling him. “I get it. All guts and very little glory. As long as we get who we’re after, I’m fine with that.”

Jack leaned across the table, his hand extended toward Nick. Clasping hands, he said, “Nick…welcome to the Saints.”