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“Luke isn’t a rat, so if you’ve done something to him—”

“No!” He looked like a teenager, maybe early twenties, and was dressed like some prep school kid, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous.

Good looking, black coils of hair, dark skin.

But blue eyes, strikingly blue.

“Luke was kind of scary actually, but when I explained who I was, once I proved it, he told me this address and said I could figure out the rest for myself.”

“And who are you that he’d be so accommodating?” Isaac held his ground, but the young man relaxed, dropped his hands, and shrugged.

“Your son.”

Chapter 1

ANDREW

Lickmyballs,Ford.

Andrew shoved his phone away after reading the text message about his recent bid for a security job having once again gone to Ford Security instead—the third time that month! One would think people would prefer a former detective over a former thief.

He still couldn’t believe Ford had chosen security after his release from prison. He knew he should be relieved that Ford had turned himself in as planned, but the way everything else had gone down felt… personal.

Even if he couldn’t blame Ford for using him, since he’d used Ford too.

To forget—all the other ways he’d been used leading up to that night.

Andrew fingered the Bluetooth tracker in his pocket, one of the tiny little squares for laptop bags and suitcases. After the briefing, he’d planned to pitch it to Larson Manufacturing, the business he’d just lost, as an option for tracking sensitive equipment over more expensive GPS options.

Candace had texted him—his business manager and college best friend, Candace Stone.

It’s not a waste!We’ll use it on a future job. Things will pick up. I’m sure of it.

Settling into his seat in the back row of the long, narrow briefing room, Andrew slumped, wishing the meeting would start so he could focus on something else. His brother had called him to the police station about a new thief who’d already broken into several businesses without tripping alarms. Security was Andrew’s specialty, though he could probably thank familial nepotism more than years as a detective for the special treatment today.

The other officers certainly saw it that way, barely offering him more than a passing nod if they even made eye contact, not a one of them taking the seat beside him. Andrew hadn’t been popular before he left, not like Steven, who everyone adored. Andrew was just Steven’s kid brother, who'd obviously only made detective so young because his father and brother were detectives first.

The lights in the room started to dim, jolting Andrew out of his brooding. Steven would say he only had himself to blame for losing business if he really was trying his hardest—and if he was sure that trading in the family business for the private sector was the right choice.

Even now, watching Steven take the podium, Andrew felt the weight of his brother’s eyes judging him for only being there as a spectator. It was never favoritism with him.

Only pity.

“Thank you all for coming,” Steven began the briefing.

They looked like brothers, Steven’s hair about the same length as Andrew’s, though somehow always more perfectly coifed, but Steven sported an even coating of scruff, whereas Andrew had never been able to grow more than peach fuzz.

A latecomer slid into the seat beside Andrew, boxing him against the wall. There were only two seats per table, and there were other empty seats, even a whole empty table to their right. He glanced aside to see who it was but only caught the hint of a strong jawline with the way the officer had his hat tipped low. It was rare for any of them to wear their hats inside.

Ignoring the officer, Andrew tried to focus on his brother.

“The five reported break-ins so far have identical MOs. Same timeframe, late at night, different security technology for the buildings, but same result. The security systems either shut off, completely localized, or picked up nothing, with no alerts sent to authorities.”

“Inside job?” someone questioned.

“That was our first thought when it was only one company’s problem, but like I said, each system affected were from different manufacturers, had different people install them, and the companies themselves and items stolen have nothing in common. We’re still investigating if anyone related to the businesses might have ties to each other, but for now, whoever this is, they aren’t leaving any evidence.”

Andrew knew this was serious. If someone was out there disabling and bypassing security without leaving a trace or setting off any alarms, that could pose a problem for the whole city—and for Andrew’s business. It could also be a huge win ifhe figured out how to protect against it first, but so far, Steven wasn’t saying anything he didn’t already know.