JACE-1(Lane Brothers, Book 3)(6)

My gut is screaming at me that whoever this guy is is someone my Trace would never go for. I know this because I just so happen to be her exact brand, and I am one of a fucking kind.

Whatever she’s fixing to do, whatever choice she’s made or allowed her folks to make for her is the wrong one, and the nice sort of guy that I am, I think I’ll make it my business to rescue her from that folly.

“Jason. Whatever it is you’re preparing to do, get that shit right out of your head now, man,” Jared barks, making the smile that’s spreading across my face go dental in its intensity.

Oh yeah, I think I just drew a line in the sand for little Miss Mayfield, soon-to-be Mrs. Lane, and I like it. A lot.

“Jared, remember when you had that talk with Wyatt and he told you to stay away from the innocent little Paulie Hayes?” I ask, grinning when I hear his teeth start grinding.

Oh yeah, I remember the look on Jared’s face when his older brother told him to stay away from a woman he won’t claim but watches like a freaking hawk watches a field mouse.

My brother looked like he was getting ready to start ripping heads off, and that’s before he admitted to me that he was as afraid of Paulie wanting him as he was of her not wanting him.

“That’s different.”

“Yeah? How?” I ask, narrowing my eyes when the lights in Trace’s house go off and I see her silhouette in the bedroom window.

“Well, for starters, I never broke her heart. For another, I have absolutely no intention of claiming Paulette Hayes,” he snarls, making me chuckle silently beneath my breath.

“Dude, you’re fighting a losing battle here. Take it from me, a man who, not even an hour ago, was flying high on the knowledge that I was going to use Trace to get to Senator Mayfield and then walk away, clean and clear.” I laugh, feeling a million times lighter.

It’s funny what an epiphany will do for a guy, and even funnier to acknowledge that my own epiphany came on the heels of some other guy marking my territory.

Jared curses and lets out a long sigh that makes me laugh harder.

“Just don’t get arrested, you asshole, and for the love of God, do not take a leaf out of Wyatt’s handbook. Kidnapping is against the law and not all women are as cool as our Ellie. Oh, and FYI, no matter how invaluable you may be to Uncle Sam, fucking with a senator’s only kid is not a good idea.”

“Like I give a good damn. You ever met Mayfield? He’s an asshole, and the only reason I didn’t beat his ass years ago was because Trace loves him.”

“What about your big bad plan to squeeze him about the leak in the unit?” Jared growls, reminding me of what’s at stake here.

As much as I’m focused on Trace and my plans to ruin her engagement and keep her away from Ronny, I can’t forget my mission, which is not only to expose the heads of this homegrown extremist militia that’s been planting bombs in some of our biggest cities and planning a coup of our government—if rumor is to be believed—but also to weed out the rot in some of our major military echelons.

“I’ll get to Mayfield, and I will get what it is we need without alerting the rat inside our unit. I just need to ensure that my girl is safe before we start digging any deeper.”

Which is the biggest problem at the moment. Being an off-the-books operative, I can’t just walk into places and start demanding answers. This stuff has to be as under the radar as possible.

At the moment, with the leak and all the intel that’s been provided to the enemy, we probably have half the state watching us to see what move we make next.

That also means that as deep as Roman is right now, they know that he’s not to be trusted. So far it looks like they’re just stringing him along and humoring him, something we’re counting on because it keeps them distracted enough for me, Miah, and Jared to start working other angles.

We’re walking a dangerous path right now, trying to find the narc, infiltrate the extremist ranks, and ensure that the family who hates us isn’t about to launch another attack.

“I don’t like the way this shit is playing out, Jace, not with Ma, Ellie, and little Al being so close to it. Make Wyatt see reason here, bro.”

I agree with Jared that Wyatt and Pop need to take the family and go someplace safe, especially with the baby now in the mix, but my brother and father are as hardheaded as hell and refuse to leave our home while terrorists threaten our very way of life.

Not that I blame them. If it were me and someone threatened Trace, I’d dig down and go at them with all I got while my family stayed safe behind the walls of my home.

Thinking that way just solidifies the plans I need to make in regard to Trace and getting her home where she should have been all along, instead of under her father’s thumb all these years.