Controlled Burn (Blackbridge Security 8)

“Thank you for feeding them.”

He gives me a quick nod before leaving the room.

I set about packing lunches for them, making a mental note to get something a little more substantial than a banana and bread since Knox may be expanding his palette. Due to kids with peanut allergies in school, I could never send his favorite sandwich.

The kids chatter among themselves while they eat, and I may be losing my mind when they each stand and carry their plate to the sink. It’s not like I don’t have them do this daily, but this morning, I don’t even have to remind them.

“Teeth,” I tell them as they walk out of the room.

Despite sleeping late this morning, we’re still able to leave the condo on time.

As eager as I am to get back to the condo after dropping the kids off, I’m equally hesitant to be alone with Finn. We need to talk. We both know it, and I’m wanting to avoid that conversation.

I sit in the parking garage of the building and search for houses on my phone. The longer we stay with him, the harder it’s going to be to leave, and I already find myself wanting to cling to the man. He’s stable and kind and unlike anyone I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with in the past. He’s rugged and gruff, but not an actual bad guy which has always been my kryptonite. Those traits are what kept me taking Ty back. I’ve always had a thing for the bad boy.

Finn is all of that but not at the same time. The man is a damn anomaly, and that can’t bode well for anyone. With Ty, I knew what to expect. Finn is a mystery.

And that’s a problem as well because I’ve always been addicted to puzzles.

Chapter 24

Finnegan

The minute she leaves with the kids, I’m on the phone.

“It’s too fucking early,” Wren grouses when he answers the phone. “Plus, Whitney’s back. I’m not even working today. Shoot me an email, and I’ll—”

“You were fucking wrong,” I snap, uncaring what his plans are for the day.

He chuckles, the sound grating on my nerves even more today than it did yesterday.

“I’m never wrong.”

“I need all the info on Ty Penman,” I snap.

“And I told you—”

“You told me she was safe, and yet I come home yesterday just as Adrian Larrick and Brant Jesper are leaving my condo, Wren. She isn’t fucking safe.”

“What?” he snaps, and I hear his covers rustling.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Whitney asks, her voice equally concerned.

“Can you bring me my laptop?” he asks, the phone held away from his mouth. “What time?”

“They were here midmorning. I left work and came straight home.”

“Thanks, baby. Put on some clothes. I have work to do.”

The sound of a hand slapping flesh echoes through the line, and I clench my teeth. If he’s fucking around when I need him, I’ll spit fucking nails.

But before I can tell him as much, I hear his fingers working over his keyboard.

“She said that Ty took something from Keres, and he’s racking up a debt daily that they expect her to pay.”

“The jump drive,” Wren says. “At least that’s what dark web chatters says it is. A client list maybe?”

“I don’t have a clue. Maybe you can track Ty down and we can offer him up.”

“Can’t,” Wren says. “The feds have him.”

“What?”

“Want to come up? I’m not talking about this shit over the phone.”

“You programmed these phones. I thought they were—”

“I’m not talking about it over the phone,” he repeats. “Plus, I don’t have more for you, really. Nothing that would help with your problem. I told you Keres is fucking untouchable.”

“I need you to dig deeper. This isn’t about some contract with the feds, Wren. We’re talking about my girl.”

There’s silence on the line as he considers what I’m saying.

“Give me a couple hours,” he says, and the line goes dead.

I shower and dress for the day, but I have no damn plans to go to work. Maybe I can convince Kendall to come with me. My skin is already itchy for letting her take the kids to school without some form of detail or insisting that I take them.

She’s not in her room when I walk out of mine, and my heart starts to pound. I’m heading back down the hall to get my phone to have Wren track her when the front door opens.

I release a sigh of relief when I see her. Her brow draws together when she sees me standing in the middle of the hallway.

“Are you being nosy?” She asks it with a smile, but I hear the hint of annoyance in her tone.

I look to my right, realizing I’m standing right in front of her bedroom.

“I was on my way to grab my phone to call you when you opened the door. Did you have more than dropping the kids off on your schedule this morning?”