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Haven shook his head, looking around. Not sure. Nothing obvious. The alarm was still set.

Haven had the sharpest senses of any of the new Dogs of War, and if he said he felt something, Aiden believed him. Should we relocate?

Haven looked back at the house. No. But I’m going to recon. Take them inside.

Angela seemed to sense something was up, because her gaze focused on his face. Aiden shook his head. “Not sure,” he whispered. “Let’s get inside.”

Angela hoisted the car seat out of the vehicle and headed for the front door. Aiden scanned the surroundings, wishing whoever it was stalking them would just show their damned faces.

Once inside the house he did his own check. Yes, there was something on the air… He went top to bottom, trying to pinpoint what is was they were feeling, but nothing popped out at him. It was like someone had walked through the house and left their essence.

Even Fallon seemed to sense it. She began to whimper, and he knew it would lead up to crying. Angela unbuckled her from the car seat and carried her into the living room, settling to the couch. She reached into her shirt pocket and removed a pacifier, teasing the little girl’s mouth with it. Fallon latched on, but she still frowned. “You’re okay, little one.”

Aiden left them there and continued through the house. Anything?

No.

Haven must have been a good clip away. His voice was faint in his mind.

“Same thing?”

He looked back at Angela, and nodded. “There’s just a whisper of something, like someone walked in the front door and walked right back out. The alarm was set, though, and the cameras were on. He’s like a damn ghost.”

Angela lifted a brow at him. “Sounds like one of you guys.”

Yeah, it did, which worried him. He was one of the original groups that were tested on in the Spartan program Dr. Shu created, but there had been other teams. They knew that for a fact. Hell, they’d rescued a bunch of them and brought them back to the Elton center in Virginia for rehabilitation. The drug that Shu had used affected every man differently, and they very often needed help adapting to their new abilities.

They weren’t naive enough to think that they had found every man, though. Other countries had participated in the program, and it was hard to tell exactly how many. Aiden also believed that their own government was studying and testing them, though they were supposed to be working with them.

Aiden had a sinking feeling, though, that Fallon was the focus of their newest study.

* * *

Shannon gasped as she rolled out of bed to go to the bathroom. This kid was seriously testing her. Just as she got to sleep, she had to pee. And as soon as she realized it, she couldn’t lay there and think about it. She had to go immediately.

Unfortunately, her bladder was the size of a walnut now, so she had to go more often. It was the worst part about being pregnant. Finishing, she stood to wash her hands. Just then a ripple of contraction tightened across her belly and she had to brace herself against the vanity. No, the Braxton Hicks were the worst part of this pregnancy. They hadn’t been as bad with the boys, she didn’t think. It was hard to remember. This time, though, they’d started earlier in her pregnancy and came often. She held her belly with one hand and breathed through the pain.

This baby was not coming today, damn it. There was too much other stuff to do. She headed back to bed and rolled onto the mattress. John caught her and pulled her against his chest. “You okay, babe,” he grumbled.

“I’m fine. Just had to tinkle.” She rested her head on his shoulder, and her belly rested against his side. It was one of the more comfortable options available to her. She closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep before she had to pee again.

6

Zeke woke before everyone else, and crept out of the house. Before he left, he wrote Ember a note so that she wouldn’t worry.

Getting some last minute shopping in… Love you! Z

His gift shopping had been done for weeks, but he had to tell her something. Several of the businesses he had to go to today would be closing early, so he needed to get them ticked off his list.

Besides, whether she knew it or not, it was their wedding day, and he’d always heard that it was bad luck to see your bride on the day of the wedding. Right? In this he would be traditional.

By three o’clock, he was at the Black Orchid venue, loaded down with bags. Entering through the side door, he hung his big tux next to Drew’s much smaller one on the coat rack next to the door, and set Ember’s wrapped wedding gifts on one of the tables. Hank had texted that Ember had shown up to help him shut down the bar for the long weekend and didn’t seem any the wiser to what was going on. He would drive her to the venue in about an hour. The LNF crew should be arriving within that time. And his parents should be here any minute.

Chad and Flynn were already in the hallway waiting for him. They grinned and walked close enough to clap Zeke on the shoulder. “You look a little pale, buddy. You doing okay?”

Zeke ran his hand over his fresh haircut, then down over his bare chin. “Yeah, feeling a little n-naked.”

“It looks good on you,” Chad said bracingly. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen Flynn’s chin.”