Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
NATHAN
Ever since we rescued Dylan after she was kidnapped, I’ve taken a step back from the underground and am now working a little closer to what my degree actually calls for.
In fact, it’s allowed me to open up my own practice so that I’m able to make my own schedule.
That isn’t to say I still don’t help out every now and then when an assignment is kicked out, but I told the FBI that I was taking a step back.
So did Fletcher. But that has less to do with him and everything to do with Dylan.
At first, I thought they were going to protest, but it worked out in our favor that we helped take down The Wraith—the largest human trafficker on the east coast, who also happened to be Dylan’s sadistic uncle.
They were pretty much willing to do anything to keep us around, even if that meant us working minimal hours.
I hadn’t left the area, having decided to make the move to be closer to the two of them, because I really didn’t have much of a relationship with anybody else.
I now own a one-story home down the street from Dylan’s rental that is entirely too big for me on my own, but it’s home—or as close to as it can get.
Dylan and Fletcher? They’re the closest thing I’ve ever had to a family.
And that isn’t to say I don’t have my own blood, I do.
I have my parents and two siblings, but we don’t talk anymore.
They have their reasons, and I have mine.
So, I still don’t know what that kind of connection feels like, but there’s a sense of peace when I’m with them, despite everything it took for us to get here.
Maybe it’s the way Dylan lights up when she talks about her future, or how Fletcher’s unshakable loyalty makes me believe that I belong here.
Whatever it is, it makes this place feel like it’s where I’m supposed to be.
The house, the neighborhood, even the quiet nights alone are more than just a routine; they’re the life I never thought I’d get.
Before this it was always a question of when the next job is.
I glance at the clock. We’re all supposed to go to lunch together today before Dylan starts job hunting for the first time since her abduction and everything else she went through, and right as I’m about to step out of the door, my phone rings. It’s Fletcher.
“Hey, I was just about to leave. What’s up?
” I ask as I step out and close the door, locking it.
He sighs on the other end. “Yeah, about that, we aren’t gonna be able to make it.
Something is going on with Dylan’s friend, Thea, and she needs us to head back to Norfolk. Whatever it is, doesn’t sound good.”
I’d heard a lot about Thea over the last few months and knew she had been through the ringer, based on the details Dylan had chosen to share.
It dampens the mood to know that there is something else going on in her life.
The poor girl deserves a break. They both do.
“My schedule is clear, mind if I tag along?” It isn’t like I have anything better to do.
There’s some rustling on the other end of the line and I can make out the hint of a conversation before Fletcher responds.
“Yeah, we will swing by and get you.”
I hang up and head back inside to grab my jacket and an overnight bag.
I tend to always have one packed because I never know where I’m going to end up or if I’m gonna be out on a job.
The weight of the situation hangs heavy in the air—Dylan’s life had been tough enough, and now Thea, too, was in trouble.
My mind races as I wonder what could possibly be going on that’s rough enough that they’re willing to drop everything.
I’ve never met her in person, but I know she’s been a lifeline for Dylan, and vice versa.
I find my keys and head back out, leaning against the porch railing as I wait for them to arrive.
The spring air warms my skin, but it’s nothing compared to the ice running through my veins thinking about whatever crisis has popped up.
I don’t even know why it’s stressing me out the way it is.
I don’t know her. Maybe it’s the time spent doing what I do for a living, a lingering paranoia that never goes away.
Moments later, I see Dylan’s truck pull up, with Fletcher behind the wheel and Dylan in the passenger seat, her face pale and tense as she goes to hop out and get in the back as I approach.
Fletcher stops her with a hand on her arm.
“Little viper, don’t you dare hop out of that fucking seat for him.
He can ride in the back since he’s so eager to tag along.
” His tone is playful, but there’s an edge to it that makes me pause for a second.
Dylan gives him a side-eye but leans back in the seat with a resigned sigh.
Sorry, she mouths at me as I open the back door and throw my shit in beside theirs, hopping in.
Alaska, Dylan’s Golden Retriever, also in tow.
There’s a palpable tension as I enter the truck.
Whatever is going on with Thea is obviously having a physical effect on Dylan.
I settle into the back seat, my eyes flicking between Dylan and Fletcher.
What’s just as incredible as Dylan making it as far as she has since we rescued her, is how far she and Fletcher have come.
I knew how they came to know each other, with him being her dad’s best friend.
But there was one night we all had a little too much to drink and Dylan spilled how they really ended up together.
I was pissed at first when she told me that Fletcher had blatantly stalked her for weeks, breaking into her house, leaving her gifts, threatening her and…
Callum, her now dead ex. It felt out of place at first because I barely knew her then, but my anger came from a place of knowing what Fletcher and I do for work.
I actually didn’t end up speaking to him for days after that until Dylan reassured me that she was fine and not a victim of Stockholm syndrome, or of Fletcher.
She told me she truly understands what it feels like to be a victim and that Fletcher, while his actions were questionable and scared her at first, never once hurt her or put her into a position where she was forced to do anything.
She said she understood him, understood why he did what he did after learning more about his past, even going so far as to say his level of…
protection, if that’s what you want to call it, was built up over years and years of knowing each other and being the person there for her when she was younger.
She admitted that it was a twisted kind of connection, especially at first, born out of pain, but also out of the fact that Fletcher understood her and knew her in ways that no one else did.
And that only grew after we got her out of her uncle’s clutches—Fletcher’s sister had been trafficked and he never found out what happened to her, and she had been through the same kind of darkness.
I still didn’t fully understand it, but hearing her side of the story helped me appreciate how complex their relationship was.
They weren’t just two people who had been brought together by circumstance—they had both fought for each other in ways that were hard to fathom.
Sure, Fletcher had been reckless, but he had also been fiercely protective of her in a way that only made sense after hearing Dylan’s perspective.
It wasn’t just about love for him; it was about redemption.
So in the end, I let it go. Fletcher was my friend, the closest I had now, and even if his past was a bit murky, I saw how much he had transformed for her in the recent months.
Watching them now, the way he looks at her with this quiet, unwavering devotion—it was clear that, for better or worse, they had both made it through their darkest moments together.
They had been broken separately, but somehow, they had found a way to piece themselves back together. They aren’t perfect, but they are real, and that makes me wonder if I’ll find something like what they have one day.
“Nathan?” Dylan asks, and I realize they must have been talking to me as I got lost in my head. She’s turned around in her seat with curious eyes.
“Sorry, what did you say?” I clear my throat.
She rolls her eyes. “Thea doesn’t exactly know we’re bringing a third wheel, and I don’t know how she will react since she hasn’t been exactly in the right frame of mind, so when we get there, it might be better if you just wait in the truck for a little bit until I have a chance to talk to her.
You and Fletcher can keep each other company. ”
“Does that mean she doesn’t know Fletcher is coming, either?” I raise a suspicious eyebrow at her.
“No, she does. But it isn’t either of your business until she decides to tell you on her own.
Unfortunately, neither of you carry the best friend badge.
” Fletcher releases a frustrated grumble from his spot in the driver’s seat, his eyes glued to the windshield.
He still doesn’t like letting Dylan out of his sight, not that I can blame him.
But she has to learn to fly on her own again eventually.
I nod in agreement. “Understood.” She gives me a sharp look but then softens as she turns back around, clearly trying to control a smile.
A much better sight than the hollowed-out look on her face she wore for weeks.
“Good. Just don’t make this any harder on her than it has to be, okay?
Either of you.” She makes a pointed look at Fletcher.
I meet her eyes in the rearview mirror, confused. “I don’t know Thea, Dylan. Not really sure how I would make it harder. I barely know what’s going on.”
She hesitates, then shrugs slightly, trying to convey something without saying it directly.
“I know you don’t, and I don’t expect you to.
It’s just…I need you to be patient. I don’t want her feeling cornered.
You two have a tendency to run head first into situations when you think someone needs saving. ”
Fletcher glares at her from the corner of his eyes, but she isn’t wrong.
We are both fixers because we haven’t been able to fix things in the past, especially when it comes to people we care about.
Dylan glares right back at him, not giving him an inch, but there’s amusement playing on her lips because she knows the only person he will yield to, is her. “Got it?”
“Yes, we got it. We will hang back,” he says as he focuses back on the road.
“Good. I just want to make sure she has a chance to breathe before she gets overwhelmed again. I haven’t exactly been as accommodating of a friend recently as she has to me, and…”
Fletcher cuts her off. “Don’t go down that road, Dylan. You went through shit, too, and she knows that.”
She takes in a big deep breath before releasing it. “I know. My point is, when you meet her, just be mindful.”
I nod slowly and she finally relaxes, knowing she got her point across. I close my eyes as Alaska settles across my lap and before I know it, I drift off into a light sleep.
The sound of a door slamming wakes me up, and Fletcher looks back at me, a hand over the headrest of the passenger seat. “We’re here. Dylan’s already headed inside.”
I nod, pushing Alaska off of my lap as I try to stretch in the back seat, but it’s awkward due to the lack of space and my size. “I’m gonna hop out, I need to stretch my legs.”
“That makes two of us,” he responds, but Alaska whines. “Actually, make that three.”
Chuckling, I open the door and step out, stretching my arms high above my head as the cool morning air hits my skin.
Fletcher follows suit, running a hand through his hair as he shuts the door behind him.
Alaska hops out with us, her tail wagging furiously as she races around in circles, eager to get her energy out.
I put my hand over my brow, noting that we’re on a base.
I look at Fletcher, a question in my eyes.
“Her husband serves. This is where she met Dylan. It’s where…
it’s where I’m from, too.” His response is clipped and I know he’s thinking about Riley, his sister who went missing from this very base.
I redirect my line of sight until it lands on the house.
The blinds to the living room are open and I can see Dylan standing there talking to who must be Thea.
I only see the backside of her as it looks like they’re caught up in a heated discussion before Dylan pulls Thea into a hug and looks at Fletcher and I through the window.
Alaska barks, snapping both of us out of the moment, and Fletcher whistles low to call her back.
“C’mon, girl, let’s not make a scene,” he mutters, rubbing the back of his neck.
I follow his gaze back to the window and Dylan is still looking at us as she holds Thea.
She says something before heading toward the door and I take that as our cue.
“Looks like it might be time to make our entrance,” I say, giving Fletcher a nudge.
He nods but doesn’t move until Dylan pushes the door open and steps out, coming toward us. “We’re gonna need to make more room, she’s coming back with us. See if you guys can go rent a trailer to haul behind for her stuff while I help her start packing.”
Fletcher nods, turning around to get back in the truck, no questions asked. I linger for a moment, eyes dancing back and forth between Dylan and the house where Thea has disappeared from sight. Is a moving place even open this time of evening? “Thanks for coming. This wasn’t…the plan, obviously.”
I tilt my head, trying to read between the lines. “Is everything okay?”
Her lips press into a thin line as she shakes her head. “It will be. But not here.”
I glance back at Fletcher, who’s already started the truck back up. “We’ll get the trailer and come back. How much are we hauling?”
Dylan’s eyes flick toward the house, her expression softening. “Enough to make sure she doesn’t ever have to come back.”
I nod, not pushing for details. I’m sure we will get them soon, since she’s coming back with us.
But where is she going to stay? It isn’t like Dylan’s place has enough space, seeing as the extra bedroom is an office space and library.
But I have a few extra bedrooms I could probably offer if it comes down to it.