Chapter 21
LEVI
Ifound Amelia on the deck, staring out at the water.
She looked disturbed. Not scared, exactly. Just ... off. Like she'd had a conversation that left her standing on uneven ground.
"How'd your call with the editor go?" I asked.
She hesitated.
That alone told me everything I needed to know.
"That good, huh?" I said, moving to stand beside her.
I touched her back, and she exhaled—a small, shaky release. “Come on,” I said, brushing my thumb along her spine. “Let’s go inside.”
She let me guide her away from the railing. We walked across the deck together, her arm warm against mine, the humid air falling away as I opened the door to the stateroom and drew her in.
She exhaled slowly, then turned to face me. "I need to tell you something."
"Okay."
"I didn't tell him everything," she said. "About you. About your father. About what I've learned here. I kept it vague. Threads, I called it. He pressed me for more, and I ... didn't give it to him."
I studied her face. "Why not?"
"Because I'm not ready to burn you," she said simply. "Not for a story. Not for my career. Not for anything."
Something warm bloomed in my chest—gratitude, relief, love, all tangled together.
But underneath it, warning bells went off.
"Amelia," I said carefully. "You're willing to kill the story?"
"If it means protecting you?" She met my eyes. "Yes."
The warmth in my chest twisted into something heavier.
"That's ... that's a lot," I said. "Maybe too much."
Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, I don't want you giving up too much for me," I said. "Your career matters. The truth matters. I still want you to find it. I just don't want you jeopardizing everything you've built to do it."
She stared at me for a beat, then smiled—soft, genuine, the kind that made my knees weak.
"That's why I love you," she said.
She kissed me, slow and sure, and when she pulled back, I felt like I could breathe again.
"Okay," she said. "Then we'll figure it out together. The truth. The story. All of it."
I agreed.
She turned the conversation cautiously. "So ... your father."
I took a breath. "What about him?"
"Tell me," she said. "Everything. I know you talked to him this morning. What did he say?"
I could've deflected. Could've given her the sanitized version, left out the parts that made me look weak or angry or lost.
But I didn't want to hide anything anymore.
Not from her.
"He told me about The Vanguard," I said. "An organization so powerful they can turn heads in any direction they want. He had a pact with them, apparently. But it's been broken, and he doesn't know why. They've inserted themselves into the lives of my brothers. All of them except Micah."
Her eyes widened. "All of them?"
"Yeah," I said. "They've been here. They're coming back. Maybe today."
She processed that, wheels turning. "And he wants something from you."
"He wants me to talk to you," I said. "Get you to tell me everything about your sources. Your employer. Everything."
Her expression hardened. "Of course, he does."
"I told him I'd try," I said. "But that I'm not making any promises."
She tilted her head. "Are you asking me now?"
"No," I said. "I'm telling you what he asked. What you do with that is up to you."
She studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"I'll think about it," she said. "But I'm not handing over my sources without understanding what they'll be used for. And I'm not putting people at risk just because your father says it's important."
God, I loved her.
"That's fair," I said.
She asked a few more questions—clarifying details about The Vanguard, about what Byron had said, about the timeline of when my brothers had been here.
We talked it through, back and forth, until the pieces started to fit together in a way that made sense. Or at least, as much sense as any of this could make.
Then there was a knock at the stateroom door.
"You naked?" a familiar voice called.
Amelia's eyes went wide.
I laughed. "You're going to enjoy this."
"Levi—"
"Come in!" I yelled.
The door swung open, and five men—all big, all grinning—piled into the room.
My brothers.
Caleb came in first, his steady gaze sweeping the room before landing on me.
Jacob followed, lighter on his feet, already smirking.
Then Ethan—enormous, impossible to miss—ducked through the doorway.
Lucas and Gideon brought up the rear, both looking like they'd just rolled out of some adventure I wasn't privy to yet.
"About damn time," Caleb said, crossing the room in three strides and pulling me into a hug that nearly cracked my ribs.
"Good to see you, too," I managed.
Jacob clapped me on the back. "Heard you've been busy. Private jets. Fancy yachts. Living the high life."
"Something like that," I said.
Ethan just grinned and wrapped me in a bear hug that lifted my feet off the floor. "Missed you, little brother."
"Missed you, too, you overgrown sasquatch."
Lucas and Gideon took their turns, and for a moment, it was just us—six of us seven Montana Danes, back together, like no time had passed at all.
Then they all turned to Amelia.
Her eyes were teary, and I realized why. She was watching me with my family. Watching the part of me I'd told her about but she'd never seen.
"Amelia," I said, stepping back and gesturing toward her. "These are my brothers. Caleb, Jacob, Ethan, Lucas, Gideon."
They each stepped forward, shaking her hand.
"Levi talks a big game," Caleb said, "but don't let him fool you. He cried during Marley & Me."
"Once," I protested. "And that dog deserved better."
Jacob grinned. "He also can't hold his liquor. Two beers and he's telling everyone he loves them."
"That was one time," I said.
Ethan leaned down slightly to meet Amelia's eyes. "He snores. Loudly. Hope you've got earplugs."
"I do not snore," I said.
"You absolutely do," Lucas said. "Like a chainsaw in a lumber mill."
Gideon just smirked. "Good luck with him. You're braver than any of us."
Amelia was laughing now, tears still in her eyes, and I couldn't stop grinning.
"We're taking Levi for a spin," Lucas announced, turning to Amelia. "If that's okay with you."
Amelia smiled, wide and genuine. "Of course."
Jacob patted her on the back. "Don't worry. You're not being left out. The ladies want to take you to lunch."
Amelia blinked. "The ladies?"
Ethan nodded. "Yeah. Our fiancées."
Her eyes went wide. "You all have fiancées?"
They grinned like teenagers who'd just found a stash of Old Man River's moonshine.
"Of course," Amelia said, still processing. "But I don't have anything good to wear."
"That's fine," Caleb said. "Between the ladies, they'll find you something appropriate. And besides, it probably won't be too fancy. Unless the Mayor wants fancy."
Ethan jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow. "That's my fiancée you're talking about."
Amelia blurted out, "Your fiancée is the mayor?"
Ethan nodded proudly. "There's a lot to like about the ladies. My brothers, you'll have to excuse. The rest of the ladies you'll meet later."
"The rest?" Amelia asked.
More grinning nods.
Jacob said, "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."
There were more backslaps and hugs, and then they filed out, leaving me and Amelia alone again.
She turned to me, eyes still shining. "Your brothers are—"
"Assholes," I finished. "But they're my assholes."
She laughed and kissed me. "I love them already."
"They loved you, too," I said. "I could tell."
She pulled back slightly. "Are you okay with me going to lunch?"
"Are you kidding?" I said. "I wouldn't miss you meeting the ladies for anything. Maybe there's a juicy story there."
We both laughed, and she kissed me again. Deeper this time.
When we broke apart, she asked, "How much time do you think we have?"
I shrugged. "My brothers can wait."
In one swift move, I pulled off her pants and dropped to my knees, burying my face between her thighs.
She gasped, then laughed—breathless and wild. "You know, for a man who just reunited with his family, you have interesting priorities."
"My priorities," I said against her skin, "are exactly where they need to be."