Then he started pacing.

I got up, went to the bathroom and belatedly took out contacts that had been in way too long. Then I left the bathroom and grabbed one of his flannels, pulling it on to cover my nightie thinking I might need either to break my vow not to go to the mall or hit a computer to buy a robe to leave at Brock’s since the only one I owned at home was warm, fluffy, I’d had it since before Damian and therefore it was ratty-assed.

I needed a Brock’s Place Robe.

Then I dashed downstairs, dug my glasses out of my purse, slid them on my nose, ran back upstairs and sat down on the bed closer to Joel than he sat by me and I let out a silent sigh when he didn’t move away.

Then we waited for a decade (slight exaggeration) while Brock paced or, more aptly, prowled the room, his pissed off energy filling the air.

Joel and I both jumped when Brock’s cell rang.

Instantly, he flipped it open and put it to his ear.

“Detective Lucas,” he answered then, “Yeah.” Then a pause before another, “Yeah.” Then more listening then scarily a, “No shit, this is my life.” Another pause then, “Yeah, cryin’

wolf, won’t happen again.” Then, finally, “Yeah, thanks,” and he flipped his phone shut.

Then he turned to Joel. “No sign of intruders, buddy. Your mother is perfectly fine and the officer reports Dade answered the door. Dade reported his alarm system is comprehensive, inside and out and it was set. Anyone gets within two feet of the perimeter of an entry into the house, including a window, a signal sounds inside the house, goes to the security company and if one of the windows or doors are breached, a message is sent direct to police dispatch.

Did you know that?”

Head tipped back to look at his Dad, Joel shook it slowly while his lip trembled.

God, God, God, I f**king hated Olivia McManus-soon-to-be-whatever-the-fuck.

“The alarm did not signal,” Brock told him.

Joel nodded, lip still trembling.

Brock held his son’s eyes. Then he sucked in a heavy breath.

Then he held out an arm and said gently, “Come on, buddy, I’ll walk you to your room.”

Joel nodded again, got up, muttered a, “’Night, Tess, sorry,” without looking at me and scurried out of the room.

Brock followed him without looking at me either.

I scooted into the bed, arranged the pillows behind my back, rested against them, legs crossed and I pulled the covers up to my waist. Then I noticed that my happy, cosmopolitans with the girls buzz was long gone and my other, happier, having fun with Brock buzz was way gone.

Yep, totally f**king hated Olivia McManus-soon-to-be-whatever-the-fuck.

Brock returned some time later, I straightened my back from the headboard where I was resting while contemplating vacation spots which graduated to me contemplating getaway options where we’d head when I took Brock, Joel and Rex on the run and I watched him close the door. Then I watched him walk in the room, stop, flip the phone he still held open and hit some buttons.

Then he put it to his ear and waited while I bit my lip and braced.

This was a good idea.

Olivia obviously picked up for Brock growled low, “Even for you, that was low. FYI for future, the bullshit with the phones is done. They can have ‘em during the day but the minute they enter this house, they’re turned off and confiscated. You do not enter this house. Ever.

Any f**kin’ way you can do it. And warning, Olivia, you can kiss your sons good-bye which means you can kiss any support you think you can drain outta me good-bye. You don’t get them and you don’t get a dime. You just declared war and mark this, woman, I’ll stop at nothin’ to win. You… are… fucked.”

Then he closed his phone but stood there staring at it and I knew he did this because he was struggling with the urge to throw it.

“Baby,” I called softly and his head came up.

“Just got finished explainin’ to my twelve year old boy that it is highly unlikely that his mother has lived in that house with Dade for over two years and doesn’t realize they have top notch security. Then I told him, should she be worried about intruders anyway, she should call 911 as everyone knows to call 911, they even got dogs trained to dial nine f**kin’ one f**kin one.”

Oh man.

Brock kept talking. “Then I told him, if she’s freaked, she should go to her husband. If they’re not gettin’ along and she’s freaked and forgets what to do, she should call me direct.

What she should not do, under any circumstances, is call a twelve year old kid in the middle of the f**kin’ night and scare the shit outta him. And then I had to explain why she called him which was, essentially, so she could scare the shit outta him and yank my chain. Then my kid started cryin’.”

Yep, totally hated her.

“Honey, come here,” I whispered.

He held my eyes, I watched with despair as his eyes grew conflicted then he dropped his head and looked at his feet as he lifted a hand and curled his fingers around the back of his neck.

Okay, I was wrong.

Before, I just disliked her intensely.

Now, I totally f**king hated her.

“Brock, baby, come here, ” I urged, his hand dropped and his head came up.

“I did not want this for them,” he whispered and I felt my throat clog.

“Come here,” I repeated huskily.

“Did everything I could to protect them from this shit,” he went on. “I should never have taken that cover that took me outta their lives for a whole f**kin’ year.”

I gave up, threw the covers back and went to him. I got close, wrapped my arms around him and pressed deep.

I tipped my head back when his arms curved around me and my eyes locked with his.

“She is who she is,” I said quietly. “And because she is, even if you didn’t take that cover, they would eventually learn who she is because she is who she is. You have no responsibility for her actions. You were doing your job, your job was important but it required sacrifices.

There are a lot of important jobs men and women take that require them to make that kind of sacrifice. Soldiers for one. And undercover DEA agents for another.”

“Yeah, Tess, but –”

I interrupted him. “You have to be who you are. If you’re doing something important and you believe in it, you have to do it even if that means sacrifices. You have to do it because that’s how you teach them to do the same.”