Zed roared Lucas's name again, and I smacked a quick kiss on Lucas's lips. "Go. I'll come join you soon."
Lucas grinned. "Can't wait." He leaned in to kiss me back properly, then took off running toward the gym and his enraged trainer.
I took my time finishing my coffee, staring at my blank phone screen the entire time, silently praying for it to light up. But by the time I got to the bottom of my mug, I had to admit I was being pathetic. With a heavy sigh, I slid off my stool, carried my mug over to the dishwasher, and finished the task Zed had started before his temper tantrum.
Just as I was setting the wash cycle, my phone chimed, and I practically threw myself across the kitchen, my heart racing.
It wasn't Seph, though. Nor was it Cass or Demi. Hell, I'd even settle for a call from Archer and his boys, if Cass hadn't put them all in hospital for letting Seph get taken.
Pressing a hand to my chest in a useless attempt to slow my frantic pulse, I opened the message.
Dallas: Found something about NP.
I frowned a moment before I understood who NP was. Then my eyes widened, and I quickly tapped a reply.
Hades: Come over to Zed's.
Because even though Dallas had worked some impressive security on all our phones, I didn't trust Leon not to have somehow hacked our server. If he had felt inclined to keep tabs on us to make sure we had dropped our guild research, it didn't seem out of the realm of possibility.
Dallas: Yes, sir. Be there in 20.
Tucking my phone into the pocket of my sweatpants, I hurried upstairs to get dressed for business. Maybe my day wouldn't just be sitting around waiting for good news after all. It wasn't the news I'd wanted, but it was better than nothing. I hoped.
Dallas arrived exactly twenty minutes later, and I led him through to the gym where Zed was barking encouragement at Lucas while my Gumdrop ran through a familiar set of speed-punch drills.
The music was up so loud I wasn't going to try yelling to be heard, so I just picked up a yoga ball and pitched it at Zed's head. It hit him perfectly, bouncing off and making him scowl in my direction while Lucas laughed.
"Take a break," I mouthed at him, tipping my head to Dallas in the doorway behind me.
Zed gave a nod of understanding and muttered to Lucas that he could rest for a bit. Sweat dripped from Lucas’s brow, and the smile he sent in my direction was pure relief. Zed really had worked him hard.
"Let's head out to the courtyard," I told Dallas as Lucas tugged his gloves off and accepted a cold, wet towel from Zed. As we passed through the kitchen, I deliberately placed my phone on the counter and silently indicated Dallas should do the same. I was being paranoid, no question. But considering Leon had mentioned we were on the Circle's radar, I didn't want to run the risk.
"Can I get you a drink?" I offered Dallas, feeling far too fucking comfortable in Zed's home.
Dallas noticed it too, sharp bastard, and gave me a curious look before shaking his head. "Nah, I've gotta get back to look after Maddox before Bree leaves for work."
"We won't keep you too long then," I replied, indicating to one of the seats by the cold fire pit. Lucas and Zed joined us a few seconds later, both still in their gym gear and Lucas breathing heavily, but neither had brought their phones with them.
Zed sat down first, taking the seat directly beside me. It was his usual position, just a whole lot closer than normal. "Dallas, I'm guessing you dug something up on the genetic match?"
Dallas shot me an uncertain look, rubbing a hand over the back of his tattooed neck. "Uh, nah. Hades told me to give that a rest. But I still had some bots running searches that I forgot to switch off."
Zed snorted a laugh. "Forgot. Sure."
"You found Nicholas Porter?" I prompted.
Lucas sat up straighter at the mention of his bio-father, who he'd never even met. But his mom had given me Nicholas as a hint for something, so I hadn't been super firm when I told Dallas to stop searching.
Dallas nodded. "Yep, sure did." He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out some folded papers, which he handed over to me. "Sergeant Nicholas Porter, born and raised in Estes Park, Colorado, enlisted with the US Army at age eighteen."
"That's where my mom grew up," Lucas commented thoughtfully as I unfolded the papers and scanned them. "Maybe they knew each other as kids or something."
Dallas shrugged. "Probably. It’s a small town, and they're the same age. Only one problem."
I clicked my tongue, spotting the detail he was talking about. "Nicholas Porter died during a training exercise gone wrong," I murmured, frustration simmering in my veins.
"Yeah, that's what Mom told me," Lucas confirmed.
I wrinkled my nose, looking up at him. "He died two years before you were born, Lucas. He can't be your bio-dad."
"Unless Gumdrop's date of birth was fabricated and he's actually twenty-one, not nineteen," Zed offered with a casual shrug.
Both Lucas and I swung our heads around to stare at him over that suggestion, but Zed just blinked back at us, unapologetic.
"What?" he muttered, "Cass gets to suggest Lucas is some kind of sci-fi sleeper agent, but I can't make a rational hypothesis that he's older than we think?"
Dallas cleared his throat. "Uh, well, I mean sure, that's maybe possible? But I did also locate all of Lucas's birth records and shit, so... I mean, I don't think that's the right theory." He spread his hands in an awkward gesture. "I'll look into it. I guess?"
Elbowing Zed, I refocused. "Zed's being a dick. I think the plausible explanation, and certainly why Sandra seemed to point in the direction of Nicholas Porter, was that she'd used him as a smokescreen."
Lucas sat forward in his seat, his elbows on his knees. "So... now what?"
Dallas shrugged. "Beats me. I just find the info you ask for. What dots you connect to make a picture, that's up to you guys. Way above my pay grade."
I sighed. "Fair call. Cover your ass, Dallas. I cannot impress this on you enough. Cover your ass. Trust me when I say you don't want the Guild paying a visit. Keep looking, but don't take risks. Clear?"
He nodded in understanding and got to his feet. "Yes, sir. I should have a name off that genetic match by the end of the week."
"I'll see you out," Zed announced, standing as well and leading the way back out of the courtyard, leaving Lucas and I alone for a minute.
He said nothing, his eyes locked on the pavers at his feet until I reached out and nudged his knee with my foot.
"Hey," I said softly when he looked up. "You okay?"
His answering nod was tight and his smile brittle. "Yeah, of course. I never knew Nicholas, so this means nothing to me. Just more lies from my mom, nothing fucking new there."
My heart ached at the sadness in his eyes, and I desperately wished I had the right words to soothe his emotional wounds.
"Lucas—" I started, but he swiped a hand through his hair and stood up.
"I'm gonna head back to the gym," he announced. "Zed was going to teach me some new grappling moves."
He stalked back into the house without waiting for me to reply or follow, his shoulders tight with tension like he carried the weight of the world on them. It might not have been the whole world, but simply carrying his mother’s secrets seemed to be heavy enough.