Nineteen
September Twenty -Third
Whitney
“Fade?”
Whitney stepped out of his bathroom, drying her hands on a towel, only to find him stretched out on his bed, scrolling through his phone. “That was Margaret. She wants me to come up to her office right now.”
He sat up instantly, brow furrowed. “For what?”
She shook her head, her stomach twisting. “She wouldn’t say. But can you shower and meet me at my place if I’m not back in time? Brittanya’s counting on you or Wolfgang to grill for Juniper’s birthday.”
“Yeah, of course.”
He was already moving, tossing his phone aside and heading toward the bathroom. He paused in the doorway, eyes softening as they met hers. “I love you.”
She smiled despite her nerves, stepping closer for their goodbye kiss. “I love you too.”
But as she turned to leave, a cold wave of fear washed over her. She stopped in her tracks. “What if they’re sending me back?”
Fade’s face softened. He crossed the room and cupped her face in his hands, brushing his thumb over her cheek. “Then I’ll send Wolfgang after you.”
His lips twitched with a grin.
Despite herself, Whitney let out a shaky laugh. “You’re an idiot.”
“But yet, you still love me.”
Margaret had sent a car for her, which she appreciated but the anticipation was killing her. If she’d driven herself, she’d already be there by now. Instead, she sat in the back seat, her mind running through every possible scenario.
Had she done something wrong?
No, she hadn’t broken any major rules, unless Margaret had somehow found out about the handful of times she and Fade had gotten a little too handsy in public. But no one had ever said anything, and it wasn’t exactly spelled out in the handbook.
But what if that wasn’t it? What if they were sending her back because she hadn’t done enough? She’d kept her head down, did her job, and kept to a small circle of people — Fade, Brittanya, Wolfgang, and Juniper. That was it.
By the time the car pulled up to the building, her palms were slick with sweat. She was led to the exterior entrance near Margaret’s office, the familiar path doing nothing to calm her nerves.
As she stepped inside, Atlee was waiting. He flashed her a reassuring smile as she passed, but it didn’t ease the heavy thud of her heart.
The scent hit her first, a warm, familiar cologne she hadn’t smelled in years.
Her feet stopped dead in the doorway.
“It… it can’t be.”
The words escaped in a trembling whisper, her throat tight as her eyes welled up.
Margaret smiled warmly from behind her desk, and in front of her stood two thin men with dark hair with their backs to Whitney. They turned in perfect sync.
Whitney’s breath left her in a choked sob. “What the fuck?”
Her knees buckled. Her sunglasses slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a soft clatter. “Are you serious?”
She barely registered the driver’s hand on her elbow, trying to steady her. Andrew was already moving toward her. “Ronnie, come on.”
His voice was soft, but his grip on her arm was steady as he pulled her up.
Owen was right behind him, his dark eyes relaxed and unbothered. “Ronnie.”
They were both there and she was in their arms, clutching them like she’d never let go.
The sobs wouldn’t stop. She pulled back just enough to take them in, memorizing every changed feature. The extra inches of height, the sharper angles of their faces, the way time had turned them into men.
“Shit,”
she whispered through her tears, “you guys got tall. You’re men now.”
Andrew chuckled softly, his own eyes damp. “We missed you, Ronnie.”
She wiped at her face and pushed forward into Margaret’s office. “I can’t believe this. Thank you… thank you so much.”
She turned to the woman behind the desk, her gratitude raw and overwhelming.
Margaret smiled. “We waited for you before starting the process.”
“Thank you,”
Whitney whispered again, her heart too full for any other words. The security guard pulled an extra chair over, and Whitney sat between her brothers, unable to stop glancing at them, afraid they’d disappear if she looked away.
Margaret slid a folder across the desk. “Alright, as your sister knows, you’ll get new names and have your identification chips implanted today.”
“That’s too easy,”
Owen shifted in his seat.
“Okay then, let’s start the process. Do you have a name you would like?”
The twins exchanged glances. “Uh…”
Andrew groaned. “No clue.”
Margaret tapped her pen against the folder thoughtfully. “I’ve never recruited twins before. Should we stick with an A name and an O name?”
Whitney’s face lit up. “Yes! I like that.”
“Fine with me,”
Andrew said with a shrug.
“Ronnie can pick,”
Owen added, flicking a bit of lint off his jeans.
Whitney squeezed his arm. “My name’s Whitney now, by the way.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Interesting.”
She grinned. “I’ve always liked Aldous… and Orion.”
Her eyes sparkled like she was naming puppies.
Andrew — Aldous now, shrugged again. “Works for me.”
Owen — Orion, smirked. “Sure.”
Margaret nodded approvingly. “Great. And since Whitney already has a last name, Blu, we’ll use that.”
Orion snorted. “Like when you tried to make that your name when you were fourteen?”
“Owen, be serious.”
She pushed him, forgetting to use his new name.
Margaret persisted. “And a birthday?”
“July first.”
Aldous reported.
Margaret continued without looking up. “How old are we now?”
“Twenty-Seven.”
“Do you have any surviving instant family members?”
Whitney grinned. “No.”
Margaret moved on briskly. “What’s your work background or skill set?”
Orion spoke up. “Military for both of us. I went into law enforcement, and he’s a mechanic.”
He jerked his thumb toward his brother.
Margaret’s eyes lit up. “Perfect. We need both. You’ll be in the same apartment for now, and we’ll find placements for you shortly. Orion, likely in security or law enforcement. Aldous, the mechanics team will be thrilled.”
She set her pen down with a satisfied nod. “Welcome to the island.”
Aldous eyes caught her ring finger. “Are you married?”
She smiled, touching the ring lightly. “Engaged. You guys are going to love him.”
Margaret cleared her throat. “Alright. Ready for the next step?”
Whitney glanced between her brothers, her heart full. “Ready.”
Fade
He stood there, listening to the quiet sound of everyone’s breathing, straining to catch any sign of Whitney and then he heard three car doors shut. His heart pounded, hoping it was her and not someone from The Council coming to announce they’d sent her back. The front door beeped and creaked open, and when she stepped inside, his relief was immediate, until he saw her face. Her upper lip was red from crying, her eyes swollen and soft with the aftermath of tears. Behind her stood two men, and every hair on Fade’s body stood on end.
“They found my brothers.”
Whitney’s voice broke as she pulled off her sunglasses and gestured behind her. “Aldous and Orion.”
Despite the emotion on her face, she smiled and it hit him like a punch to the gut.
He knew them. Or at least, one of them. His eyes locked on them both, his pulse thudding like a war drum in his ears.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
Fade’s body went rigid, his jaw clenching like a vise as he tried to process the impossible. One of them, the one who’d slept with his ex, the guy Fade had nearly beaten to death, was Whitney’s brother. And there were two of them. His gaze flicked between them, waiting to see which one would recognize him first, disbelief tightening every muscle in his body.
Unbelievable.
Whitney stepped closer, her warmth brushing against his cold, mounting fury. “This is Fade,”
she said softly, but then she froze. She felt the tension rolling off him and looked up, her face tightening with concern as she saw the storm darkening his expression. “Babe?”
“I need you outside,”
he ground out, his voice low and dangerous. He didn’t wait for her response. He grabbed her arm, his grip gentle but unyielding, and pulled her through the kitchen and out the back door. The wooden frame rattled as he slammed it shut behind them.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
she snapped, yanking her arm free and rounding on him, her chest rising and falling with anger.
“That’s him.”
Fade’s voice was ice, his finger stabbing toward the house.
She blinked. “That’s who?”
He snatched a chair from the patio table and hurled it across the lawn. It landed with a thud on its side. “The guy I went to prison over.”
he roared, his breath hot and ragged as he shoved his hair back from his face, his hands trembling.
Whitney stumbled back a step, her eyes wide. “Wait—”
Her voice cracked. “You beat up my brother?”
“Perfect,”
he said bitterly, throwing his arms wide. “Yeah. And sorry, babe, but I want to do it again, seeing that face.”
Rage twisted in his gut, old and ugly and boiling over.
“Fade!”
she shouted, storming toward him, her eyes blazing. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
He didn’t move as she pushed up into his space, close enough that their bodies nearly touched. His voice was low and taut with restraint. “I’m not going to forgive him just because he’s your brother. But I’m also not going to touch him because he’s your brother. That’s the best I can promise you.”
His eyes burned into hers. “Whitney, this is one thing I won’t budge on. You can’t sweet talk your way out of this one.”
She shook her head in disbelief, her hands trembling. “Are you kidding me? You watched me sob on my hands and fucking knees over them, Fade. I ripped myself apart over leaving them behind. And now, after all this time, I finally brought them home and you can’t let me have this day? Not even one hour to celebrate?”
Her voice broke. “All because one of them fucked your ex?”
His fury faltered. “Whitney—”
“No!”
she cut him off, her face twisted with pain. “Do you even hear yourself? How do you think it makes me feel, as your fiancée, that you can’t get over what happened with her?”
The heat drained from his body as the weight of her words sank in. “If I was given one wish,”
he said slowly, his voice rough, “it would have been to bring your brothers here. I swear to you, Whitney. But I can’t help that this history exists. I don’t have feelings for my ex, but seeing him, knowing what happened, brings it all back.”
His fists curled at his sides as his voice tightened again. “I went to prison, Whitney. It ruined my life for years. My family stopped talking to me. Friends cut ties. I spent months fighting court battles, alone. While him and my ex pranced off, not even fucking together.”
She stared at him, her face twisted with shock and disbelief.
He smirked. “If I’d known he had a sister back then, revenge would’ve been a whole lot sweeter.”
Her hand flew out and shoved his chest. “You think this is a game?”
she hissed, her eyes wet and furious. “I can’t go back in there, Fade.”
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I’m humiliated,”
she whispered, her voice cracking. “I brought my brothers home,”
The word caught in her throat, and she swallowed hard. “Home. Something I thought I would never get to do. And you…”
She shook her head. “You acted like a monster. And it’s Juniper’s birthday party, for god’s sake. You couldn’t have held it together for one afternoon?”
His heart twisted. “Whitney.”
He sighed, running a hand over his face. “We’ll figure it out, okay? I’ll make it right.”
But even as he said it, he hated the idea of that prick becoming his brother-in-law. Hell, he couldn’t even tell the twins apart. Still, when she stepped closer, he opened his arms and pulled her into his chest, wrapping her up and holding her tight. “I’m sorry,”
he murmured, his voice low and rough. The word didn’t feel like enough, not after everything he’d just said.
Whitney lifted her head slowly, pushing against his chest until he let her go. “I’m not choosing between you,”
she warned, her voice quiet but firm. “You both will have to figure this out. And I won’t put up with any shit from either side. Do you understand me?”
He exhaled slowly. “Yes, ma’am.”
She nodded sharply and turned toward the back door, but then she hesitated. With her hand on the handle, she glanced back over her shoulder. “It was Owen, wasn’t it?”
His jaw flexed. “Yeah.”
She didn’t say anything else, just opened the door and slipped inside. Fade stayed where he was, staring at the spot where she’d stood, trying to cool the fire still simmering in his blood.