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“You mean more to me than any of that stuff. Those are things. Things are replaceable. You’re not.”

I turn my head, kissing his palm. I have to fight the tears that want to break free. No one has ever thought of me that way. My mom could care less what I was up to. She was happy she didn’t have to deal with me anymore and could go on living her life.

“I’ll be fine.” I lift on my tiptoes to brush my mouth against his. “We have to do this for your parents too. Plus, Gran deserves to have the appropriate care. She should be able to stay where she wants. Your parents worked hard to make sure she’d have that privilege. Your uncle’s not getting away with this.” Nick closes his eyes. I know he’s still fighting this. I also know he’s going to say he can go himself. “We’re a team. Teams work together. There’s no I in team, Nick,” I remind him. “Plus, I know what I’m looking for. It will be quicker if I’m with you. We’ll be in and out as quickly as possible,” I say, letting him know that I’m all in for our mission.

He lets out a long breath. “Gran will have my hide if one hair on your head gets hurt.” I smile up at him. “Also, that’s not a ninja outfit.”

“Is so.” I do a turn. I’m in all black. Except my hair. There is nothing I can do about that but pull it up so the curls stay out of my way. He gives my ass a smack, making me jump. I glare at him but he only smiles. Good. I’ll take this expression any day over the sadness that can take over his eyes. It breaks my heart when I see it start to creep in. Nick is sweet and funny. He cares so much for the people he loves and I hate that someone gave him that sadness. It stinks that it’s his own family that did it to him. His uncle, his flesh and blood, committed the ultimate act of betrayal. I hope we can find what we need to put him away forever and give Nick some closure.

“All right, little bird. Let’s get this show on the road.”

I grab my phone off the charger, leaving everything else behind. “So how do we get into this place?” I ask as we ride the elevator down.

“I have a key.” He pats the pocket of his jeans.

“Do we do like a stakeout? Watch the place and make sure no one is there?”

“We’ll drive by first. My uncle has a thing for the ladies so he spends most nights at the local strip clubs.” He shakes his head as we exit the elevator.

“I’ve never been to one,” I admit as we make our way to the car. “You?” I peek over at him.

“Nope. Think I might enjoy one though.” I stop walking, my mouth falling open. A simple no would have worked. I’m about to go ninja on his ass after that answer.

“What?” He looks at me like I’m the crazy one. “You think I wouldn’t enjoy watching you strip?” He grabs me, flinging me over his shoulder where he smacks my ass. I laugh as he carries me the rest of the way to his car over his shoulder. He opens the passenger door and places me inside. He gives me a quick kiss before he buckles my seatbelt and closes my door before walking to the driver’s side, getting in and starting the engine. He puts the car in reverse but before he pulls out, he turns to me. “If you want to back out of this at any time, just say the word.” I roll my eyes at him. I’m not getting out of the car. We’ve come this far already.

“The only thing backing out will be this damn car when you get a move on it.” He shakes his head at my corny joke and proceeds to back out and head in the direction of his home.

The sun has set but it’s easy to see that the neighborhood we pull into is for the rich and famous. Each house is bigger than the last. They are all spread out but are still part of a neighborhood. I’m sure during the day kids ride their bikes up and down the street. I could see having a family here. My heart gives a funny jerk at those thoughts. It’s the first time I’ve considered having one of my own. My hand goes to my stomach thinking about how likely that could be after Nick and I made love. Neither of us thought about protection. It was the furthest thing from my mind. All I wanted was to be close to him.