Page 25 of Sworn to Lead
Mr. Bloom introduced Jacob to the students. The noise and commotion were pulling Jacob back to the present. He blinked his eyes a few times, cocked his head back, and responded with a vocalization of his own. Neo visibly relaxed beside her.
“What’s Jacob’s day going to look like when he’s in school?” she asked. Collin was still at Jacob’s side, explaining everything in the room through color.
“We are going to do an evaluation to determine the best way to support Jacob. This will be his homeroom, but we’d like him to attend some inclusion classes around the school. He’ll have a dedicated nurse and teaching assistant at all times.”
Brynn continue to ask questions, and they talked about providing Jacob with something called a biosensor as another tool to communicate. By the time they left her mind was whirring with excitement over all the possibilities for Jacob. She slid into the passenger seat of the vehicle, the scent of leather and new car permeating the air of the interior.
Neo got behind the wheel and checked his phone. His expression turned serious. “We got an email from the Realtor.”
She sucked in a breath and held it as Neo scanned the message he’d received. A smile flourished over his face, making his cheekbones more pronounced. In one fluid movement he was out of the SUV, opening the door to the back, and wrapping Jacob in a bear hug. “We got the house.”
She clasped her hands to her chest and grinned. The home had everything Jacob would need to thrive, even in adulthood. Neo slid back into the front and tagged her around the back of the neck, pulling her forehead to his. There was a fluttering in her chest as he held her there. The small gesture made her feel special. Her fingers ached to curl into the material of his shirt to get even closer, but she was acutely aware of Jacob’s presence.
Moving to Virginia with a man she’d just met had been one of the boldest decisions she’d ever made, but since the airplane touched down, something had settled inside her. She wasn’t sure if it was peace or a sense of rightness, but she wanted to wrap up the feeling and hold it close. She knew better than most that things could change in an instant, and she wanted to hold on to the happy with all her might.
Chapter Fifteen
Neo’s elation crashed to the ground the moment they stepped inside the apartment. Silver Branch, and Joker stood around the kitchen island, a trio of grim expressions on their faces. There was a charge in the air like the crackle and snap of adrenaline before they stepped into battle. He was pushing Jacob, and stopped abruptly. Brynn crashed into his back with a squeak. Oscar left the men he’d been sitting with and trotted over to them, his whole body shaking with excitement. The dog started with Jacob, lapping his tongue over his brother’s hands, and then moved to him. The weight of the animal’s paws hit his stomach as he attempted to stand on his hind legs to plant a slobbering wet kiss on his face.
“Let’s save the kisses for Brynn and Jacob.” He ran his hand down the dog’s back, which seemed less bony already. Oscar saved his most exuberant dance for Brynn, desperately trying to lick her face and nudge her.
“Seems like the new addition is working out.” Silver was leaning over the counter, his elbows resting on the stone. The dog shuffled to his teammate’s side, and he scratched Oscar behind the ear.
“He’s a love.” Brynn crouched down, and the dog took her movement as an open invitation to snuggle. He loved how her gorgeous eyes brightened and glowed with warmth when she encountered someone or something she cared about. She’d had an instant soft spot for the mutt, which had earned the dog a place in their home indefinitely.
“I heard congratulations are in order.” Joker shifted and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Yeah, I’m pumped. Finally, we’ve got a friend with a pool.” Branch moved around the counter and knelt beside Jacob’s chair. “Heard you got yourself one hell of a house. Congrats, man. You’re going to invite us over, right?”
Instead of responding, Jacob just chuckled.
“He’s going to charge you to use the pool, Branch.”
Despite their easy banter, there was a strain weighing down on his teammates. They needed to talk to him alone. His suspicions were confirmed when all eyes fell to him, silently communicating that they needed to talk. Shit. He had wanted Brynn and Jacob settled into the new house before they left on a mission. Or maybe they’d discovered new information on Fergus. He hadn’t told Brynn that he’d asked the guys to check on Fergus’s location and his activity in the past ten years. He didn’t want to upset her, but regardless, keeping her safe was more important.
As though she sensed his team’s urgency, she cleared her throat. “Jacob and I are going to play a game.”
When they were out of earshot, he turned to his brothers. “Give it to me,” he demanded.
“You’re not going to like this. One of the tech guys called me this morning. Fergus is no longer in Ireland.” Silver scrubbed his hands over his face.
“Where the fuck is he, then?” His stomach rolled.
“That’s the bad part.” Branch’s expression was grim. Tension wrapped around his body, stiffening his muscles and making his jaw ache. He didn’t need his team to tell him what he already knew in his gut. A man like Fergus, with a tendency to kill things he perceived to be weaker than himself, was not going to forget his little sister.
“He’s here in the United States. The same place he’s been for the past six years.”
Neo slammed his fist down on the counter. “Fuck. Where is he?”
“Well, if there’s any good in this, it’s that he’s been incarcerated for five of those years in Walpole. It’s a maximum state prison in Massachusetts.”
He flexed his fingers and curled his hands into fists. “All this time, he’s been in the same state as Brynn.”
“Yeah. Don’t tell me that’s a coincidence.” Joker pushed away from the counter and began to pace.
“What did he do?” Neo stalked to the refrigerator and tugged it open, reaching down for a bottle of water. Condensation trickled across his palm, coating his fingers.
“Attacked a woman, threw her in his car, then tossed her from the moving vehicle. She survived her injuries, but he did a number on her. The court tried to go for murder one, but the jury deliberated, and ultimately he was only charged with aggravated assault.” Silver’s frown deepened.