“A man takes a vacation, gets engaged, but calls his partner? Aww…you missing me already? Trouble in paradise, princess?” Kreed couldn’t resist teasing his long-time friend.

“Fuck you. Fuck the making me wait thing you always do when I call, and fuck the FBI. You should have fucking told me,” Mitch responded.

“You know I have to strut around, be the sexiest thing in the room, every time I hear your ringtone, Knox. And what exactly should I have told you?” Kreed asked. There was a laundry list of things Mitch didn’t know.

“Fuck you, Sinacola. You should have told me Aaron found something critical. And you need to tell me everything you know. These little surprise attacks aren’t cool.” Mitch sounded annoyed and angry, and Kreed knew when to back off. Now wasn’t the time to joke around. This case they were working had been Mitch’s baby. Mitch had painstakingly pieced together case after case of brutal attacks all on his own dime when their superiors had refused to allocate any money to the investigation. Kreed whole-heartedly agreed that Mitch shouldn’t be left out now.

“You’re too high profile, Knox. You’re considered a liability,” Kreed repeated what the higher-ups had said to him.

“Fuck that. I can be there on the inside. I know this case like the back of my hand,” Mitch barked out the exact same argument Kreed had used in his partner’s defense.

“You know I agree. I fought for you, man. I’ll still fight for you. But they’re firm. I’m gonna need the whole team to fight against their decision. And what are you gonna do with Cody while you’re here in DC? You need to consider that before I throw a massive fucking fit to get you here.”

Silence ensued. Yeah, Kreed figured Mitch hadn’t gotten that far in his thought process. He was just pissed off he’d been excluded.

“He’s still off work. He can come with me. Move the rehab to DC,” Mitch argued, clearly thinking and talking at the same time.

“How’d you find out?” Kreed asked, contemplating Mitch’s plan.

“The case file opened back up. I got an alert. I called your parents and they told me you were back in DC.”

“You called my parents?” Everything stopped right then. If Mitch were in this room, he’d have thrown a blade at his partner. Mitch shouldn’t have used his parents to gain information. That was one hell of a low blow.

“Fuck yeah, I did. You didn’t fucking tell me what’s going on,” Mitch accused.

“That’s low, even for you, Knox.”

“No lower than you. I’m heading down there. Cody’s coming with me. He’s smarter than the both of us combined anyway—”

“Man, don’t do it this way.” Kreed cut Mitch’s rant off. “The whole team’s really worried about you and Cody. It’s personal to them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t have eyes on you two at all times. They’re serious. Hang tight. I’ll keep you updated, I swear. I was going to anyway. Everybody’s just stuck in the shitty weather.”

“Who’s everybody?” Mitch asked.

“Brown’s here. They’re bringing Connors back in from vacation, and your gaming buddy Stuart’s being brought to work inside.”

“No shit? What’d he say about that?” All the anger had dissipated from his voice, and Mitch sounded astonished.

“It wasn’t pleasant.” Kreed condensed Aaron’s bitch session about the decision into those three little words.

“Yeah, I bet.” Mitch barked out a laugh. Just like normal, he rarely stayed angry, and Kreed appreciated that about him.

“Seriously, man, stay put. Enjoy your family and your man. Let me get a feel for what they’re thinking. It won’t be but a day or two longer and we can decide what to do from there,” Kreed advised, praying that pacified Mitch.

“Keep me in the loop or I’m bullying my way in.” Yes, Kreed had no doubt Mitch meant those words.

“Does Cody agree with this plan?”

“He will when I tell him.” Mitch sounded defensive.

“Already keeping secrets. Tsk, tsk, princess,” Kreed chided, tossing out his favorite nickname for Mitch.

“Fuck you. I’m not playing. Keep me posted or I’m showing up on my own. I’m not being left out of this. I want this finished. Cody’s not safe until they’re stopped.”

“You’re not either,” Kreed countered.

“Neither are you. I’ve had your fucking back for almost ten years. Watch yourself until I can. Nobody kicks your ass but me,” Mitch added a little more quietly, but still firm.

“Fuck you, Knox, and I will. I swear, as soon as we move, you’ll know.”

“All right. And record Aaron’s first experience in that building. That shit’s gonna be funny,” Mitch said, laughing.

“I will. Stay put, Knox. We’re gonna be smarter where we’re all concerned. No one’s getting hurt this time, and based on Stuart’s intel, the threat still looks very real.”

“You already said that. You did your job today and kept me out of it—I’m not balls to the wall anymore. I’m hanging up now.”

Mitch disconnected the call, and Kreed chuckled, slower to drop the phone back on the bed. That had been the right thing to do—keeping Mitch safe in New York—but Mitch had a point about having his back. Sure, they would take their aggression out on each other at times, but that was all it was, just blowing off steam. No matter how many scuffles they got into with each other—and there had been plenty over the years—no one had his back like Mitch Knox. For whatever it was worth, when the tables were turned, he would always be there for Mitch. The stakes were higher in this particular case. Kreed needed to be at his best to keep any one of them from being hurt again.

Kreed picked up the blade and continued tossing it in the air. They were back to playing tactical games once again. His mind drifted to thoughts of his brother and his resolve firmed. He was done losing the people he loved.

Chapter 2

Twenty hours after landing in Atlanta, Aaron stepped off the overly-packed plane at Dulles International Airport, thankful he’d finally landed. Honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered where they landed as long as he was able to get off that hell ride he’d been trapped in.

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