Reese Slater wasn't used to coming upon anyone when he came to Gideon’s place. The entire appeal of Hatch’s house as an arrival and departure point lay in the fact that he was a solitary man, much like Reese himself. No one was ever around to see him come and go. Reese would immediately park his bike in Hatch’s garage, get debriefed, and jump behind the wheel of whatever vehicle Hatch had set up for him for the current mission.

 

Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

Instead he found himself lingering, leaning against Gideon’s kitchen counter, beer bottle in hand. Which in itself wasn't too unusual, he supposed. He and Hatch often shot the shit in between jobs, and Reese had crashed here more than his fair share when various holdups would keep him from heading out the same day he arrived. More often than he wished, Reese had holed up here when recovering from a job that went south, or when he needed a safe place to stay without fear of being found. The woods, not to mention the lake, behind Gideon’s house were damn relaxing,  and it was a peaceful, refreshing place to take a break from the sickness and hate that he often saw on the job in the streets. Gideon Hatch, like the rugged land he lived on, was one of the few constants in Reese’s life. Hatch was hospitable, and he was comfortingly familiar.

 

The three people standing around Gideon’s kitchen table, however, eyeing him like he was some novelty in a circus freak show? That was new.

 

Reese resigned himself to dealing with this new development and made himself more comfortable, crossing one booted ankle over the other as he studied Gideon’s newest hatchlings.

 

The oldest, Declan, looked about as skeptical and welcoming as Reese felt. His steel grey eyes were shuttered, his thick arms crossed over his chest. The fabric of his sweatshirt pulled across his shoulders, and, shitty attitude aside, Reese actually found him quite handsome, albeit in a raw, arrogant sort of way. Reese didn't miss the way he edged his body in front of the other two, as if Reese was someone from whom they would need protection.

 

Read you loud and clear, buddy, Reese thought. News flash, he didn't trust them much either. Reese wasn't here to make new friends. His work was company enough, and the occasional beer with Gideon and some of the other Renegades, not to mention the casual, one-night encounters with whatever pretty stranger would warm his bed for the night between jobs was more than enough interaction to keep Reese happy. Speaking of pretty strangers...

 

Reese once more found himself staring at the younger man, Jared, just like he had outside. Soft, chestnut hair that was two weeks past needing a cut fell just above thick eyelashes, and even from this short distance Reese couldn't quite tell if his eyes were brown or gold. His cheeks were flushed, as if he had just finished a sprint, or, Reese thought, a good hard session being tossed around in bed. Reese felt a tug of arousal deep within his belly.

 

He would gladly volunteer to be the one to make Jared look like that.

 

Nervous tension kept Jared’s muscular shoulders taut and even beneath a navy blue long sleeved shirt that was a size too large, Reese could make out a lean body tapering into even leaner hips. Long legs and strong thighs were wrapped in soft denim and Reese caught the subtle movement of Jared’s booted feet inching towards the man in front of him. For being brothers, they really didn’t look much alike. Jared’s fists were pulling the cuffs of his sleeves into little bunches, and he was tucked behind Declan just like he had been outside, but those beautiful, golden chocolate eyes were clear when they finally met Reese’s gaze. Reese found an intrigue there, a curious innocence that sent every last one of his alarm bells sounding off in his head.

 

Damned if Reese didn't want to ignore each and every one.

 

“Someone want to explain what’s going on here?” The girl at the table asked cheerfully, breaking the heavy silence that had descended onto the kitchen. She turned to Gideon. “Or are you going to wait for us all to stare each other to death?” Reese chuckled, liking her in an instant for her candor. 

 

He levered himself up from the counter and held out his hand to her, which she took easily, her delicate fingers belying the strength they held. “Reese Slater,” he said, enjoying the flash of her dimples as she shook his hand. “We were a bit rushed outside. It’s a pleasure.”

 

“RaeLynn Cooper,” she returned, her eyes alighting in a soft grey blue of a partly cloudy day, rather than the hard steel gaze of her brother. “And indeed it is,” she returned, giving him a wink.

Reese let go of her hand and laughed out loud. It was always nice to be noticed, he mused, his eyes darting back to Jared.  Reese shifted out of the way as Rae reached around him to the fridge to grab her own beer.

 

“Who is this guy, and if you work with him then why are we just now meeting him?” Declan asked Gideon, though his eyes were fixed on Reese.

 

“He’s been here once since you got here. Your drunk ass slept through it.” Gideon responded. Reese took pleasure in Declan’s scowl. He saw Jared perk up at this news, an adorable frown creasing his brow. Gideon seemed to read the kid’s mind, and he said, “You were out joggin’.”

 

Rae twisted the cap off her beer. “Okay, so what makes you join our little island of misfit toys?”

 

Reese set his empty beer bottle down on the counter. “I'm a runner for the Renegades. Gideon here is kind of my home base,” he said simply. He really didn't have time for this. He needed to crash for a few hours, then fuel up before his next job. If these kids didn't know what Gideon was into, well, Reese wasn't going to be the one to hang around painting the picture.

 

When no one said anything, Gideon spoke up. “Declan here is a tracker. One of the best. Took after his father.” He gestured towards the other two. “Jared and Rae, they worked at a rescue shelter, back home in Illinois.”

 

“Yeah, because dad wouldn't let me track for the Renegades,” Rae pouted. “Even though I’d be damn good at it.”

 

Gideon slid open the back door off the kitchen. “No restrictions here, Rae. Declan, come help me with this grill.”

 

Ignoring him, Declan pushed away from the table, crowding into Reese’s space. “What exactly do you do?”

 

“I transport rescues to shelters, get them the hell away from the Agents trying to run them down.” Reese crossed his arms. “What kind of tracker doesn’t know what happens after the rescues get picked up?”

 

“Maybe it works differently where I’m from.”

 

Reese smirked. “Or maybe you aren’t as good as you think you are.”

 

“And maybe the two of you should just drop trou and measure right here, so we all can see whose is bigger.” Rae rolled her eyes and put a hand on Declan’s chest. “Seriously, bro. Chill out.” She turned to Reese. “Sorry. We’re all just still a bit on edge, you know? Stay, have dinner with us. We can all get to know each other a bit better and figure all this out.” She looked pointedly at her older brother.

 

Jared moved his sister aside so he could get to the fridge. “You say that like you’re actually going to cook something for dinner.” He bent over slightly and pulled out some steaks and several assorted vegetables and Reese allowed himself a second to enjoy the view.

 

“Just because you guys never let me in the kitchen to cook-“

 

“Yeah, because it almost went up in flames last time you tried.” Declan nudged her with his arm and Reese felt a strange pang of envy at watching the obvious closeness of these siblings that he barely knew.

 

Gideon cleared his throat. “Rae, dear, no offense, but your cookin’ ain't exactly the kind that most find…that is to say, it can be a bit…”

 

“Rank,” Declan supplied.

 

“Deadly,” Jared filled in, his arms full of ingredients as he closed the refrigerator door with his hip.

 

Rae picked up the onion she had been about to cut and threw it at Declan, who caught it deftly. “Fine.” She grabbed another beer and took a seat at the table, looking up at Reese with a sweet smile. “I’ll just start grilling the new guy.”

 

 

“Why did you tell Reese you didn't know what a runner was?” Jared asked later that night as he spread out some blankets on Declan’s floor. “I thought you and dad worked with them all the time. Don’t you have to be either a tracker or a runner to be a Renegade, anyway?”

 

“Or work at a rescue shelter, like you and Rae.” Declan nudged his duffel over with his boot, making more room for Jared’s makeshift bed, since Gideon had given Reese Jared’s room for the night. Reese had waved him off, saying he would sleep on the couch, but something had made Jared protest that idea. Maybe it had been the faint lines around Reese’s eyes, or the soft but tired way he had caught Jared’s eye across the table when Gideon had been filling Reese in on the briefest details of his upcoming job, but something in Jared didn't want him to have to sleep on anything but a comfy bed.

 

Apparently, Declan felt the same about Jared. “Jare. Take the bed.” Like Jared hadn't been sleeping on Declan’s floor for however many nights the last several weeks.

 

Jared shook his head, tossing his pillow on the floor. “I’m good.” He had spent plenty of nights sleeping on hard surfaces, and a warm bedroom floor with his brother watching his back sure beat sleeping alone on a cold rainy street. Jared sat near his pillow and looked up at Declan. “Shelter workers don’t have next of kin tags like field Renegades do. And you didn't answer my question.”

 

“Doesn’t make you guys any less official, at least not to me.” Declan pinched the bridge of his nose. “And I asked Slater because I wanted to make sure he was legit, that he could explain without help what he does. What we do.”

 

“You don’t trust him.” Jared observed.

 

Declan flopped onto his bed with a sigh. “I don’t trust anyone.” His words hung in the air, and Jared internally finished his brother’s thought. Not since Dad was killed.

 

“You wanted me to trust Gideon,” Jared pointed out. “Just because you said so.”

 

“That was different.”

 

“How?”

 

Declan levered himself up on his elbows and glared at Jared. “Seriously?”

 

Jared shrugged. “Okay, fine. But Reese seemed to know what he was talking about. He knows how the rescue system works and he knew of even more sanctuary cities than we did.” Jared curled his fingers into his blankets, remembering the way Reese had talked about some of the recent drop offs he had made. There were too few people willing to help rescues, and way too many that were content with looking the other way while they came into harm. To do nothing meant being okay with the status quo, which said that ditchbreeds were nothing, less than nothing. Inhuman. Damaged. It was nice to know that Reese didn't think like that.

 

Declan’s voice broke into his thoughts. “So would anyone working with William, with whoever was out to get Dad.”

 

“Why are you so jaded?”

 

“Why aren’t you?” Declan fired back. He sat up, piercing Jared’s eyes with his own. “William killed Dad because the Agents knew how good he was at stopping them, while helping rescues to boot. And they knew how good I was getting, under his training. And more than likely, they know that he has two other kids who also make it their life’s mission to help rescues, and that guess what? One of those kids is a rescue himself. You think that because William is dead, the Agents will just stop trying to find what they are looking for? That they will stop hunting us down the same way they hunt down rescues, that they figure it all ended with Johnathan Cooper and William fucking Kingsley?” Declan lowered his voice to a harsh whisper and pointed in the direction of Jared’s room. “For all we know, Reese is one of them, sent to track us down and get what he needs before tying up the loose ends. That would be us, Jare, in case you weren’t-“

 

“Okay, Declan, jeez, I got it.”

 

“Do you?”

 

Jared narrowed his eyes. “What the hell, Declan.”

 

“Don't think I didn't notice the way you were looking at him. Or the way he was looking at you.” Declan snapped off the light and bunched his pillow up beneath his head. “I could have lit a match between the two of you and set the whole place on fire.”

 

Jared tucked himself beneath the blankets, facing away from Declan and shoving the arm marked with his scar underneath his pillow. He hunched his shoulders against the fear that was slowly forming in his chest. Declan was right; not about Reese being one of the men who was after them, Jared was sure, but about the fact that there still was someone, or someones, out looking for them.

 

It hit Jared then just how long they had been out of work, and how many people’s lives that might be costing. He wasn't helping any rescues that were being hunted, hadn't been for weeks. And now he was likely being hunted himself.

 

Declan’s heavy sigh rolled around the room. “Look, Jare, I-“

 

“Forget I asked.” Jared pulled the blankets even further up his body, covering his ears. He could hide from everything that was threatening life as he knew it, if only for just one more night.