Lacey didn’t need to worry. Kara pasted on a bright smile. “Maybe it is. Maybe it’s about time I met your son.”
She glanced back at Jarrett and Jace, still talking quietly. “Come on. You look like you need a break. Or a cup of strong coffee.”
“Try two,” Kara muttered.
Relieved that Lacey steered Kara away to the nursery, Jace felt a little tension leave. At least here she would be safe. Jarrett’s house was a fortress.
“Care to tell me what the hell is going on?” Jarrett folded his arms across his thick chest.
“No.”
His friend nodded. “Fair enough. No questions. You texted you need Kara to stay here because she’s in trouble.”
“Big trouble. The less you know, the better. It has to do with a criminal gang who stole from her.”
Jarrett flexed his fists. “She’ll be safe here. I’ll take good care of her. Lacey will enjoy the company, too. I’m guessing you’re not staying.”
“No. Need a favor.” He took Kara’s keys from her purse and removed the car key, pocketing it. “Now she can’t follow me when I leave here. For now, can I borrow a laptop?”
Without hesitation, Jarrett headed down the hallway and entered a stately library. Books lined the walls and a large mahogany desk sat before a set of French doors that overlooked the pool beyond. Jarret switched on the computer, typed something.
“All yours. Take your time.”
When Jarrett left, he texted Rafe that he needed any and all information on Dylan, telling him Dylan was a witness who could ID Marcus. Rafe’s response was a string of stunned Spanish words. Jace had to grin.
I’m hitting the road to search for Dylan.
Be careful, his boss texted back.
Jace set down his cell phone. He deleted the messages, then checked his email. In a few minutes, Darkling sent him everything she could find on Dylan Moore.
He worked steadily, without interruptions, making notes on everything in Dylan’s past. Jace shook his head. Dylan had been messed up at an early age, in and out of school. Therapy from a trauma, no mention of the trauma, but the strain caused his father to divorce his mom, leaving Wanda a single parent.
Jace’s mouth tightened as he scrolled through the records. Dylan never had much of a chance. He’d gone from living in a wealthy subdivision with a father who seemed to care, to a single-parent household where his mom struggled to pay the bills, and then had to adjust to a stepfather who was less than stellar. No wonder Kara worried about him.
After clearing the history and shutting down the laptop, he made a few calls. Satisfied, he tucked away his phone.
Now, all he needed to do was leave before Kara got wind he was gone. Jace ducked out of the study. Laughter and the sound of a baby gurgling came down the hallway. For a moment, he smiled. Lacey and Jarrett having a baby after their miscarriage and infertility was a reminder of the good things in this world.
A reason why he had to keep fighting the bad guys.
Palming his keys, he hesitated. Should say goodbye to Kara, but it was best if he simply left.
He started for the door when he heard her call her name. Jace turned to see Jarrett, a worried-looking Lacey and an angry Kara.
“Jace, are you sneaking off without me?”
Feeling a tinge of guilt, he shrugged. “Caught me.”
“You bastard,” she breathed. “You’re dumping me on Lacey and Jarrett.”
“You’re no imposition,” Lacey began.
Kara ignored her friend. “Jason, how dare you!”
“It’s safe here. Where I’m going, it isn’t.”
Not waiting for an answer, he walked out the door.
Kara followed him as he slid a leg over the bike seat.
“Where are you going?” she demanded.
“To find your cousin and the jewelry he took before the Devil’s Patrol does and turns him into roadkill.”
Harsh words, but necessary. She paled and stood her ground.
“So am I. I’m leaving the jewels here, with Lacey. They’ll be safe here. But I’m not staying.” Her blue gaze turned stormy. “Dylan is my responsibility, Jace. He’s family. I’m going to find him myself.”
“The hell you are.” Jace turned on the engine and revved it, drowning out her angry protests.
He backed out of the driveway as Jarrett opened the gates for him. Jace blew kisses to a worried-looking Lacey and a grim-looking Jarrett. For Kara, he couldn’t bring himself to give her even that simple gesture.
He was too damn worried. Jarrett might lock down the compound, and his friend was adept at protecting his own, but Jace knew he’d put a heavy burden on the former SEAL. The Devil’s Patrol could track Kara here and endanger Lacey and the children. All it took was a well-aimed bullet.
He wished there was an alternative, but he couldn’t take Kara, and there was no safe space for her. Not without blowing his cover.
Less than an hour later, he arrived at his apartment complex.
