Jared sat in the passenger seat, fiddling with the leather cuff on his wrist. He turned sideways to face Reese and blurted, “How old are you?”

 

Reese gave him a sly glance, one arm draped casually over the steering wheel. “Worried I’m too old for you?”

 

Jared poked him in the side. “No. Just curious.”

 

“Thirty-two.”

 

Jared hummed. “You're the same age as Declan.”

 

“I’m thrilled. Maybe we could have a joint party.”

 

“You’re such an ass.” Jared spoke with a smile, but the moment the words were out of his mouth his heart gave a fearful jump. What if Reese shot back at him, got mad that a rescue would talk to him like that...Jared pressed himself back against the window, cursing himself for being so careless.

 

Reese just chuckled. “Get used to it, sweetheart.”

 

Jared relaxed and while Reese focused on the road, Jared focused on Reese.

 

Jared bit his lip as he imagined fisting his hands in Reese’s thick, dark hair, the way Reese had wound a hand through Jared’s last night. His eyes roamed over lips he itched to kiss again, over stubble that should burn like sandpaper against his skin but instead only ignited Jared’s desire to feel it rake across his cheeks. The strong, broad shoulders that Jared had gripped last night as he’d chased his release now relaxed casually against the soft leather of Gideon’s truck. Jared longed to reach over and lift the hem of Reese’s black cotton tee, so he could run his fingers over abs that he knew were hard as granite.

 

Or he could go the other way, and glide his hand down the soft denim covering Reese’s thighs, or over the buckle that held his belt closed over his jeans. Jared wanted to sneak his hand beneath those, too, and feel again what had felt so good in his hands this morning.

 

“Well?” Reese questioned.

 

Jared startled, snapping his eyes back up to Reese’s face. “Well, what?”

 

Reese smirked, as if he’d known Jared had been staring at him. But instead of calling him on it, Reese just asked, “How old are you?”

 

Jared wanted to shrug, but instead he replied, “Twenty-six.” Or so. Johnathan had deemed him to be not too much younger than Rae, and as they grew up together those first few years, it had seemed close enough to suit everyone.

 

“What about Rae?”

 

“Couple years older.” Jared looked at Reese with a fresh curiosity. “Do you have any siblings?” Reese had walked head first into Jared’s family and yet Jared knew nothing of his.

 

Reese tensed, and expression grew dark. Jared saw his throat and jaw working as he swallowed, and Jared’s brow furrowed when Reese finally replied, “I did.”

 

Unsure whether to press or not, Jared drew a leg up beneath him in his seat. He was about to inquire further when Reese said, “I had a sister. She’s…she died.”

 

Jared’s heart pinched, feeling the pain he could see in Reese’s posture. “I’m so sorry.”

 

Reese took a hard left turn, his eyes on the road in front of him. “Thanks.”

 

Jared reached over and placed a hand on the hand that was tightly gripping the bottom of the steering wheel. “What happened?”

 

Reese slanted him a look, and for a while Jared didn't think he was going to get an answer. Just as he was about to remove his hand, worried he had pushed too hard, Reese’s forearm flexed beneath his grip. “I used to walk her to school. Even when I started high school and she went to the school down the street, I would walk her to school. She had this weird phobia of the bus and our parents didn't have an extra car, so we walked. Then during her freshman year…” Reese’s jaw worked.

 

He glanced at his side mirror, changed lanes. “I was a senior. Lots of kids give their siblings a hard time, but Delaney was my baby sister, you know? I showed her around and everything. We had always been close. She was so damn sweet, just had this kind heart for miles.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “Kind of like you.”

 

A funny feeling filled Jared, at being compared to someone who had been so special to Reese. This was the most Reese had ever talked about himself, and Jared gave his hand a small squeeze to let him know he was listening.

 

“Anyway, she made friends with some disabled kid that no one else would talk to, right off the bat. Rollie, I think his name was. About a month into the school year, he had been out for a few days and Delaney was worried about him. Some other girls were teasing her, asking where her boyfriend was a stuff like that. It really got to her, on top of the worry for her friend. She was completely stressed out. So the next day I snuck in and pulled her out of class, convinced her to take a walk in the woods with me, to clear her head. We used to go all the time as kids, so we didn’t think anything of it.

 

“We were about a quarter mile in, and she remembered that she had left Rollie’s scarf in her locker. He’d lent it to her the day before he’d gotten sick, and Delaney couldn't stand the idea that she had forgotten it. She turned around to head back for it. I followed her, but she took off way ahead of me, and…” Reese’s voice caught, and Jared gave him a moment to compose himself.

 

“And?” he encouraged, when Reese didn't continue.

 

“And she ran back to the school. I chased after her, but my baby sister could have been the star of the track team. She could probably outrun you. It was then that I saw the Agent vehicles surrounding the school. I didn't know of any rescues that were there, but I guess the Agents thought so because they tore the place up, raided the school. Found a couple rescues they felt shouldn't be there. When they got them out to the parking lot, a rogue Agent started shooting, and Delaney…Delaney got caught in the crossfire.”

 

“Oh, no,” Jared whispered, his heart breaking. “You saw it happen.”

 

Reese gave a short nod. “Watched her fall to the ground like a rag doll, just like the two rescues they found. I caught up to her but…” Reese didn't have to finish his sentence for Jared to know that he had been too late.

 

“Oh, Reese.” Jared laid a hand on his knee. “I am so, so sorry.” He’d seen his share of death, but Jared wasn't sure he would survive it if he saw Rae or Declan go down like that.

 

The car in front of them slammed on their brakes, and Reese followed suit, throwing an arm out sideways to catch Jared from launching too far forward. The sudden movement destroyed the melancholy moment, and Reese cleared his throat. “We should be getting close. Keep your eye out for Pine Street.”

 

Jared studied Reese’s face, searching for evidence of the intense emotion he had just seen written there, but Reese’s expression had been cleared, like the pain had never existed.

 

Jared settled back against his seat, canting his head slightly to the right to watch out for their turnoff. They were coming into the city, and lots of people were out and about, taking advantage of the clear summer weather. “Hey,” Jared said when he caught a glimpse of the Bronco. “Rae and Declan just passed us.” He straightened when he saw a lone figure dressed in black leaning against the side of a building.

 

“What’s wrong?” Reese took a right turn when the light turned green, and the dark figure was lost from Jared’s view.

 

“Nothing,” he lied. The hairs on his arms tingled with unease and when Reese stopped at a red light Jared lowered his window and stuck his head out to look at another person, similarly dressed, who looked strategically out of place on this lively, bustling street.

 

Two more people clad in the same all black outfit were stationed on the next street corner. Jared’s fingers dug into his seat cushion, his eyes darting back and forth from one side of the street to the other. When he saw the unmarked sedan, one much too identical to those that had driven up his driveway a few weeks earlier, Jared let out a gasp.

 

“Jared?”

 

“Agents,” Jared blurted. He turned around to look over his seat. “More and more of them, the closer we get to downtown.”

 

“Shit.” Reese ducked his head to get a better view. “You’re right.”

 

“What are they doing here? A daytime raid in the middle of a busy city? That doesn’t make sense.” Jared frowned.

 

“They shot up a fucking school, so I wouldn’t put anything past them.” Reese glanced in the rear view mirror. “You have your gun?” 

 

Jared fingered the cuff at his wrist. His pistol was tucked into the back of his jeans. While the familiar weight of it was comforting- not to mention Declan would kill him if Jared ever left home without it- Jared knew only dire circumstances would prompt him to use it.

 

He gave Reese a quiet affirmative and reached for the door handle. Reese pulled onto a narrow side street and they hopped out. Coming around to Jared’s side of the car, Reese subtly palmed his own pistol. “We don’t know how many Agents there are, so we need to be smart. We can take a look and if needed call for-“ A woman’s scream, abruptly cut off into a muffled whimper, stopped him short.

 

Jared whipped around, following the sound into a back alley. One of the Agents he’d spotted earlier had a woman, no, a girl, in a chokehold, one gloved hand covering her mouth as he tried to wrestle her into an unmarked van.

 

“Hey!” Jared yelled and took off, ignoring Reese’s shouts behind him.

 

“Let go of her!” Jared rushed the Agent, wrapping his arms around his waist to tackle him to the ground. He heard the girl fall as well, but a few scrapes and bruises were better than whatever they were going to do to her in that van.  “Run!” he screamed at her, looking into her eyes instead of at the stain on her wrist that had made her a target.

 

Jared let out a grunt when a hard fist connected with his midsection. He rolled the Agent over, trying to get the upper hand. Jared managed to brace himself up enough to land a violent punch to the Agent’s temple, the man’s head making a sickening crack when it fell limply to the asphalt.

 

Jared had just gotten his feet back beneath him when another Agent burst out of the driver’s side of the van, crashing Jared to the ground. Jared rolled and hooked his right leg over the Agent’s hip and firmly planted his left foot, wrenching his hip up and over to throw the guy off him.

 

His siblings and Reese rushed towards him, Declan’s gun already out and aimed at the conscious  Agent Jared had just tossed.

 

“Don’t move, assface.” Declan warned. “My trigger finger has been feeling seriously itchy lately.”

 

“The girl,” Jared panted. “Where’s the girl?”

 

“I’ve got her.” Rae took off like a shot in the direction the rescue had run.

 

“Are you alright?” Reese demanded.

 

“Fine.” Jared looked around frantically.  “There must be more. They wouldn't do this for just one rescue.”

 

“Rescue?” The Agent spat. “Only the lucky get called rescues, boy. Damned dirty ditchbreeds, what these are.”

 

“Hey! What did I say about not moving? That includes your mouth, you filthy bastard.” Declan shoved his boot onto the guy’s hip, rolling him onto his chest. He placed his foot between the Agent’s shoulder blades.

 

Reese bent down and plucked the pistol from the Agent’s belt while Declan pressed down on his back. “How many more of you are there?”

 

“Shoot me. More will take my place.”

 

“Wow. Poetic.” Declan dug his boot in harder. “Answer the damn question.” The guy only grunted.

 

Leaving Reese and his brother behind to deal with the Agents, Jared took off running after Rae.

 

As he rounded the corner back onto the street, Jared jogged down the sidewalk, dodging tourists and lampposts as he wove his way through pedestrian traffic. He got to the next crosswalk and swung his head in either direction, unsure where Rae and the teenage girl may have gone. Following his instincts, he headed down the busier street and kept running.

 

“Jared!” Rae’s voice called out to him from just inside the entrance to a parking garage. He ducked inside it, and her arm shot out to catch his.

 

“Well?” he panted. “Where is she?”

 

Rae tucked her gun back into her jeans and shook her head. “I lost her.” It was quick, but Jared saw her eyes drop down to his bracelet. “Let’s get back.”

 

Jared stood firm. “Rae. Where is she?”

 

Rae looked away from him, and Jared caught the sheen of tears glossing over her steel blue eyes. “I wasn't fast enough. There must be more Agents, because as soon as I started checking the garage I heard two gunshots, and…I didn't make it in time.” Rae’s eyes darted towards the stairwell.

 

Jared rushed over to the open stairway, catching himself on the railing as he looked over the side.

 

Half a story down lay the teenaged girl, her body crumpled on the cement stairs, blood running down her body and two bullet holes in her chest. Her hair was matted, her clothes dirty, worn, and now soaked with blood.

 

The ink stain on her wrist was the only clean part of her that stood out against smooth, fair skin.

 

Jared clenched his teeth, his bloodied knuckles turning white where they gripped the metal railing. “No. No!” He screamed.

 

“Jared.” Rae tugged on his arm. “We have to get out of here. The Agents could come back. Come on.”

 

Jared closed his eyes and with great effort ripped himself away from the rail. Unshed tears blurred his vision as he and Rae jogged quickly back to the alley.

 

Reese stood with his back to them, his shoulders tense where they were braced on the hood of Gideon’s truck. Declan stood near the Bronco, pacing restlessly up and down along its length.

 

The Agents Jared had taken down were nowhere to be found. Jared cocked his head. “What did you do with-“

 

“We locked them in their own van.”

 

Jared glanced over at the back of the Agent van, a locked metal chain now wrapped around the outside handles.

 

Declan jerked his chin towards Gideon’s truck. “Get in the car.”

 

“We have to go get her-“

 

“Jared, get in the damn car!” Declan roared. “You think there aren’t more of these guys? We aren’t equipped to handle a damned raid, no matter how small.” Lowering his voice, he said, “It’s the middle of the freakin’ day. Leather bracelets might fool the general public, but it won’t fool them, Jare. We can’t afford to be taken by surprise.”

 

“Fine.” The truth hit him harder than the punch to his gut, that no one would be going back for that girl. Jared stalked over to the truck, tugging on the handle of the passenger side. “Unlock it.” 

 

Reese kept his head bent, hanging between his shoulders. “I think you’d better go with Declan.”

 

Jared’s stomach dropped. “What?”

 

“And Rae.” Reese continued as if Jared hadn't spoken. Avoiding Jared’s gaze, he walked around to the driver’s seat of Gideon’s truck, ignoring Jared’s request to unlock the door. “You should ride back in the Bronco. I’ll go get the blueprints.” He got into the truck and started the engine.

 

Jared stood dumbfounded behind the truck, watching as Reese pulled away.

 

“Jare.” Rae gently tugged his arm. “Come on.” Jared let her lead him over to their Bronco, where Declan stood with both passenger doors open. Rae hopped in the front and Jared climbed into the backseat, Declan shutting both doors after them. 

 

They pulled into traffic and split off from Reese, heading out of downtown. “Stay down, Jare." Declan instructed. “Until we’re back on the highway.”

 

Jared slunk down in his seat, his eyes burning. He pressed his cuff into his scar and swallowed his rising nausea at the picture of the teenage girl, lying crumpled and forgotten on dingy concrete stairs.

 

 

After picking up the blueprints, Reese hopped back into Gideon’s truck and made his way out of town. Punching in a number on his phone, he held it to his ear and waited for the click of someone picking up. "Do you know how bad this looks, me always being the one that knows our plans?" he said, speaking angrily into the phone when it connected on the first ring.

 

"You alone? I’ve got the coordinates for you."

 

The brush off only pissed Reese off further. "How the hell am I supposed to know exactly where the compound is without raising some epic fucking suspicion?"

 

"You kept them from Pine Bluff just fine."

 

"Barely," Reese said through clenched teeth. "I'm not sure they are going to want to listen this time."

 

"Yeah, well, we don't have a choice. Otherwise we are looking at a lot of wasted time."

 

"There's gotta be someone else in there who has worked with Hatch, who could leak this for us."

 

"Come on Reese, you're a smart guy. Figure something out. You better show up on time with the Coopers and the rest in tow, or else I'm screwed."

 

Reese rubbed a hand along the back of his neck, his skin prickling at the reality of where he would be leading Jared. “You’d better not fuck me over, Farrington, because this is the last time. I'm done with this secretive shit when this raid is over, you got me?"

 

"If all goes according to our plan, I will be too. Just keep focused, yeah? I'll see you soon."

 

Reese hung up and tossed his phone onto the passenger seat.

 

He cursed, and tried not to think about soft lips and golden chocolate eyes.