At the bottom of the stairs Tobias asks the bouncer, “Is there a back door?”

“Nice,” the guy smiles, nodding his head with relief as he sees our fingers entwined. “Follow me.”

Our large group pours into an empty alley through an emergency exit, nodding thank you to him as we pass. My brother is the caboose of our train and he pounds fists with the bouncer as we all relax a little. A warm, salt-water scented breeze wraps around our bodies as we fan out. Andy is leading the way like he’s guarding his client.

Sofia’s smooth voice echoes off graffiti, “Where does this Carla live?”

Tobias chuckles like he knows where her mind is headed. “We’re not threatening her.”

My eyebrow cocks up at Sofia’s impatience. “What do you want to do, Soph?”

“Threaten her.”

My family starts laughing under their breaths.

Tobias and Andy share a look and my fingers get squeezed as Tobias says, “Hold up. Let’s stay where it’s quiet a sec.”

Forming a fairly symmetrical circle where everyone can see and be seen, people assuming different stances of repose – some crossed arms, some hands in pockets, and most everyone is standing with their legs like superheroes. It’s moments like these when I feel very lucky to have this family.

The boys flew out the day after I told those reporters there’s nothing wrong with touching a man wherever I want, when we think we’re alone. They took rooms on the same floor as ours at the Wyndham and have been playing bodyguards ever since.

We haven’t had any fun yet.

I haven’t been in the mood and they all knew that Tobias was different. Nobody made fun of me, and by nobody I mean Gabriel. Elijah even called from Yale and told me he was proud of me, and “I would’ve punched that reporter out.” He meant it.

But now I’m holding hands with a man I thought I couldn’t forgive. Surrounded by people who want to help us solve this. Grateful, table for one Hannah Cocker.

Sofia’s locked on my man, her chin set. “I could make her go back to Greece.”

He shakes his head, amused and not doubting her for a second. “She’s a mother now. Her family is here.”

Gabriel, standing on the other side of me, says, “Then we inspire her to come clean.”

Andy waves a no in the air. “It’ll come out that Tobias married her for her citizenship.”

Gabriel, who is standing on the other side of me, lowers his gaze. “No to jail time.”

“There’s always a way if you look for one,” Ethan offers with a deep and steady voice. “When I’m coding I think of the outcome I want. Then my mind starts searching for how to make that happen. The human brain needs solutions. It’s designed to figure things out; you just have to set it on a course. So what do we want?”

“Her gone,” Sofia mutters.

“Other than that.” He looks around our faces for an answer.

I speak up. “We want to be free. The Press off our asses.”

Blinking at the concrete, Emma asks, “How do we do that?”

Gabriel adds, “Without jail time or sending her back to Greece.”

He and Tobias lock eyes. “Thank you.”

My brother nods, with respect in his eyes. That was nice of him, to honor Tobias’s wishes. I reach over and touch Gabriel to thank him. He nods to me then focuses on Ben as he cracks his knuckles and starts to speak.

“The Press thinks you’re married. The government thinks you’re married. Now whoever knows the story from the news, they’re on board with it, too. That’s a lot of convincing you’d have to do to tell them you’re not. And if you did that, it’ll expose you and she could get deported, etc. So what we have to do is find a way to end the marriage while still making you look like a good guy.” Now Ben motions to me. “We can’t have Hannah out in the open dating someone who cheated. She’s too good for that.”

“Agreed,” Tobias growls, bringing my hand to his lips to kiss my fingertips. “I want her protected.”

“We all do,” Emma nods.

Ben takes focus again. “What we haven’t asked is, what does Carla want? More than staying in America.”

Tobias’s eyes go darker blue as shadows sweep over them. He meets Ben’s look. “She only wants Vance.”

Everyone starts throwing ideas into the circle until finally we come up with a plan. With my heart skipping at the possibility I ask Tobias, “You think this could work?”

He shrugs, “Don’t know.” Our eyes are locked, everyone watching us. He kisses my nose. “Thank you for wanting to go through all this bullshit with me.”

A smile spreads as I tell him, “I was just going to say that to you.”

He chuckles and faces the group. “You go get something to eat, or enjoy the rest of your night doing whatever the fuck you all want to do. I need to be alone with Hannah now.”

Muttering to herself, Emma rummages through her purse. “No way are you two going back to your hotel together.” She pulls out sunglasses and hands them to me. “Take a separate taxi. Wear these. Ethan, give her your jacket.”

“She’s going to look ridiculous,” he laughs, pulling it off and handing it to me. I slip it on and he loses the smile. “Oh, I forget how tall you are.”

“And how big that rack is,” Sofia laughs, because that’s what he was thinking but couldn’t say it aloud since we’re related.

“Jeezus,” Gabriel mutters, shaking his head on a smile. “Don’t make me look, Soph. That’s fucked up.”

“Have you seen these?” she asks, pointing at her own chest.

“Stop it!” he mock-shouts, covering his eyes and peeking through his fingers to Tobias. “Sofia is demented, in case you didn’t catch that.”

Andy calls out, extra loudly, “Oh I caught it.”

Sofia smacks his arm, hard. He side-eyeballs her and gives her a wink. “I like it rough.”

“No you don’t,” she mutters. “I tried and you whined like a baby.”

“I did not!” His jaw drops, aghast.

She gives me a devilish smile and concedes, “He didn’t. He took it like a champ.”

“Thank you! Don’t tell them I whine. I don’t fuckin whine.”

Sofia waves for this to stop. “Alright, okay. Enough. This is how it’s going down. You want sneaky? I’ll give you sneaky. Tobias, you and Andy grab some booze bottles and head back to your hotel room together. Then Ben, you’ll take Hannah there about twenty minutes later. You don’t need that stupid jacket.”

“Hey!” Ethan mutters.

“It looks dumb on her,” Sofia flatly says, “With you it’s passable, but I’d go shopping because what the fuck, green? Really?” Pointing between Ben and I she continues her master plan. “You guys walk in with Hannah wearing those shades, her hair pulled in a high, tight bun, hanging on your arm, both of you engrossed in happy, casual conversation. You’ll come off as a couple tourists and nobody will give a fuck. Then you and Andy leave separately. Nobody cares. Tobias and Hannah are alone again doing all kinds of things Gabriel doesn’t want to picture. You picturing them now?”

My brother shakes his head, staring at her. “You’re a sick woman, Sofia Sol. Seriously. Go back to Louisiana.”

She smirks, “You love me.”

Emma’s shoulders release like, so that’s settled. “Hannah, you want to eat something with us since you have some time.”

Tobias turns to me, and I face him, too, everyone disappearing as he tells me in a private voice, “It’s a good plan, but I’m gonna hate waiting for you.”

“Me too,” I gently smile. “Make one of those bottles vodka.”

“You got it.” He kisses my nose, out of respect to our company.

I call out, “Close your eyes everyone!” and hear them grumbling and turning away from us. Tobias’s lips press into mine and I melt in his strong embrace. He tastes so good I want to stay in these arms forever. Our tongues briefly touch and we smile, happy.

“Okay,” he chuckles to the group who’s oddly silent. “We’re done.”

Ethan locks eyes with me, and there’s a strange look on his face as Tobias squeezes my hand and goes off with Andy, the two men talking in lower voices about the plan we’ve all devised to get us out of this mess.

Sofia points the other way into the dank alley. “We’ll all go this way.”

She and Emma walk side by side with Gabriel and Ben flanking them as Ben asks, “Guess you guys have to be pretty sneaky in the Ciphers?”

She just nods, unable to give away any details of her club and the secret missions that rule their lives. But the three of them start asking her questions anyway. And she keeps shooting them down.

Ethan and I are leading the way, and he’s awfully quiet.

Looping my arm through his as we walk, we’re both in our worlds. But I’m curious about that look he gave me. “What are you thinking about, Ethan?”

Licking his lips, footsteps steady and in time with mine, he stares ahead. “Nothing.”

“You were staring at Tobias. Do you not believe him or something?”

“Nah, I believe him. It wasn’t that.”

Since he doesn’t offer more, I have to pry. Now he’s got me very interested. Ethan is an introvert as many computer geniuses are. He’s more comfortable coding software than he is with relationships. We bring him out of his shell, all of us have that effect on him, but he’s gone back inside now. And I want to know why.

“You don’t like him?”

“No, I do.”

“Why did you look so unhappy?”

“Pensive,” he corrects me, his eyes following a stray cat as it jumps onto an abandoned chair. “I’m happy for you, not unhappy.”

“What made you pensive?”

Exhaling through his nose because he knows I won’t give up without the answer, he says, “You remember when you said my house was too big?”

“Yeah.”

“Never bothered me that I’m alone there, until I saw how Tobias looks at you.” Meeting my eyes for a brief moment he confesses, “I want to look at someone like that. I wanna need to be around someone so badly that I’ll fight to have her. That’s gotta be a good feeling.”

“You sound like me after Joe.”

“What were you doing with that jerk?”

Chuckling ruefully I shrug. “God, who knows? I think maybe when you haven’t found your person you try to make anything work, even when it doesn’t feel good enough. And remember, he acted like a good guy to get in the door.”

“Right,” Ethan mutters. “Must have been a good actor.”

“He was very good.”

“What are you two talking about up there?” Gabriel calls to us, probably feeling jealous. But it’s his fault we’re not closer.

“None of your business!” I call back, smirking at his frown. “We’re having a moment.”

He grumbles something under his breath and Emma pats his arm. Turning back around, I ignore his pouty face. Just because Elijah’s gone doesn’t mean he can suddenly act all jealous. For years it was always them with me the outsider.

And now he wants my attention?

The six of us pour onto the busy, well-kept city street, eyes scanning for restaurants. Gabriel points out a Mexican food place, and we all agree that tacos would hit the spot. But as everyone heads over he pulls me aside. “You’re going to tell Dad the truth about this?”

My instinct immediately answers yes. But then a pause comes over my heart. Frowning I think about it a moment and say, “I’m going to talk about it with Tobias, see what he thinks.”

“Oh yeah?”

“It’s our decision, our lives.”

Gabriel reacts with surprise, although his expressions are always subdued. “Wow. Never thought I’d see you cut the cord.” He throws me a look with deep meaning in it, inspired from his entire lifetime of seeing how close Dad and I are.

“What, Gabriel?” I can hear the defensiveness in my voice.

“He’s too protective of you.”

“He protects you and Elijah, too.”

“Nope.” Gabriel’s eyes are challenging me.

“Fathers are more protective of girls,” I argue.

“You guys coming?” Emma calls out, with her hand on the handle to the restaurant door. The others are already inside. “You only have twenty minutes, Hann, time’s ticking. Come on!”

Amused, Gabriel walks away and mutters, “C’mon, Hannah, you know it’s more than that.”