Page 79 of Three Steps Behind

Deck dipped his chin. “Now?”

She nodded. “Outside my bedroom.”

Deck strode for the foyer.

“It flew off when I got to the window,” she called behind him, but it did no good.

Ten minutes later, Deck retook his seat, his hands chilled, but the area surrounding the house was clear, at least as far as he could tell. Those stupid birds could be anywhere—and they meant someone was close. But it also meant that someone was limited in how far away they could keep track of them. He’d rather face his opponent head-on than have him sneak up from behind.

Gadgets and the vibe Nick gave off worked well together. A guy-and-his-toys kind of man. It was a shame his focus seemed to rest on the latest shiny object, because Taylor sounded like a great lady. Anyone close with Harper had to be.

Close with Harper. His focus shifted to her and how he loved having her close. Hoped she’d stay that way, but once the danger was passed, she’d go back to her condo, and the notion left him empty.

He prayed her trauma healed at least some before she went out on her own. He wanted to be there for her. Even the remotest guess of what she might have been through busted him up. Made him hurt in a way he’d never done so before, his childhood included. He’d never thought he could say that, but Harper was so much more. Far more important to him than he’d even realized.

He swallowed and smiled at a joke Ri made.

But . . .

When this was all over, Harper would go back home, and, while not out of his life by any measure, it wouldn’t be the same as always having her near. Maybe he needed to rethink his stance on relationships. Or maybe he already had without realizing it.

“She was in prison, but—” Christian’s words cut through.

“Wait. Who was in prison?” he asked, trying to snap his focus back to the conversation he’d apparently missed.

“Bristol,” Christian said, giving him a Where have you been? glance.

“When?”

Christian’s confusion turned to a smirk. He’d knock it off his little brother’s face if he didn’t lose it fast.

Clearly, Christian sensed his mood, because he smothered it and continued. “Bristol was in the pen for a stint but got out early.”

Deck’s brows shot up. “For good behavior?”

Christian shrugged. “She is good at playing roles, but no. Feds hoisted her out.”

“She’s a snitch?” He never thought he’d see that day. The one thing that was never okay when they were growing up was being a snitch. Conning? Sure. Stealing someone’s life savings? Sure. But snitching was for the lowest of lows, and, “We are hardly common criminals, darling,” his mom used to say. “Not common criminals.” Like that all somehow made being a criminal better.

“You okay?” Harper whispered by his ear, tickling the side of his neck with her breath.

“Mm-hmm.” He’d inquire why she asked, but he knew better. Don’t ask questions with answers you aren’t ready to hear.

“So they have her snitching on who, exactly?” Grey asked.

“I don’t know. I couldn’t get it out of my contact.” Christian sat back. “I could find out, but that would mean—”

“Nope,” he and Riley said in unison.

They were not going there. Getting near Bristol or their parents would bring nothing but pain. It was their golden rule not to enter their lives, and it had worked well until their dad had risen from the grave. Now they were fighting two break-ins and apparently two drones.

He leaned toward attributing the drones to the murdering husband. His dad’s enemies, Big Max, in particular, were more fists-in-your-face than flying insects buzzing around for a view. Which begged the question . . .

“What was Nick trying to see?”

“Huh?” Christian frowned. “We were just . . .” He shook his head. “Never mind. Why is Nick, what?”

“What was he trying to see? He must have followed us from the remembrance ceremony, but I didn’t notice him at the lab or the sheriff’s office. It’s like one minute he wasn’t around and the next he was.”