Fractured Sky (Tattered & Torn #5)(62)

Emotions warred on her face. “No. But I don’t want to be a burden on you either.”

I brushed the hair away from Shiloh’s face, aching to kiss her. “You could never be a burden.”

She stretched up onto her tiptoes and pressed her mouth to mine. It was a featherlight contact, but heat still swept through me, my entire body going taut. Her fingers twisted in my flannel shirt as she lowered herself back to her heels. “Thank you. I know this isn’t easy. But I don’t want to leave, and this will put my family’s minds at rest.”

“It’ll make me feel better, too.”

Shiloh rolled her eyes. “I don’t need some fancy security system. I have Kai.”

My dog’s ears twitched at the sound of his name, and he pushed into her side. He seemed to sense our worry because he’d been sticking close both yesterday and today. There was no roaming around and chasing rabbits. He was locked to Shiloh’s side like glue.

“That helps, too.”

My phone signaled in my pocket. I opened my security app, and the video screen flared to life. I couldn’t fight the tightening in my gut at the three SUVs waiting for entry, mostly full of people I’d never met. My finger hovered over the button to open the gate. For Shiloh, I tapped it.

She pressed against my side. “Beckett said they should only be here for a few hours.”

“They can stay as long as they need to.” Because I’d meant what I’d said: I’d do anything for Shiloh.

The line of SUVs pulled up to the barn, and six men and two women poured out. I recognized Hayes, but I instantly assessed the rest. Some were built in a way that let me know they’d seen action. It was evident in how they carried themselves and how they assessed everything around them. A couple immediately went for gear bags, and I had to guess they were from the security system company.

Hayes strode towards us. “Thanks again for doing this.”

I lifted my chin. “I’m glad you guys know some people who could help.”

My gaze caught on a man who strode towards us, a darkness in his eyes that told me that his life hadn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. He stretched out a hand. “Holt.”

I shook with him. “Ramsey. Thanks for coming.”

“Hey, Shy,” Holt greeted with a tender smile. “Good to see you.”

She pressed harder into my side. “You, too.”

Holt gestured to a man with dark hair. “This is my friend, Cain. He owns Halo and is going to have his people beef up your security system.”

Cain nodded with a smile. “Wish I was meeting you both under different circumstances.” He turned to Hayes. “I’ve heard great things about you and Calder from the COO of my company, Mason.”

Hayes returned his smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Tell Mase I said hi and that he needs to get his ass up here.”

“We’ll all come back for a vacation next time. But you know you’re always welcome in Sutter Lake.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

I cleared my throat. I didn’t need polite chitchat. I needed action. “The system I currently have in place is Halo.”

Cain nodded. “That will make this go faster. And the plans you emailed helped, too.” He inclined his head to a woman and man pulling more gear out of an SUV. “We already have an upgrade laid out. If it’s okay with you, we’ll get started.”

“Have at it.” I wanted this place locked down as soon as humanly possible.

“Great. We’ll let you know if we run into any problems.”

My phone buzzed again. The video view of the gate showed Beckett. I gritted my teeth but hit the command for open.

A few moments later, he pulled to a stop next to the SUVs and climbed out of his truck. He strode towards Holt and pulled him into a back-slapping hug. “It’s good to see your ugly mug.”

Holt chuckled, and it eased some of the shadows in his eyes. “I’m only here for Shiloh and because you promised me some of your mom’s lemon meringue pie.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Beckett said, slapping his shoulder. “You going to head home for a visit after this?”

Holt’s jaw tightened. “Yeah. I’m actually going to stay for a while, too.”

Beckett’s eyes flared. “No shit?”

Holt shrugged. “Life has a way of forcing you where you don’t want to go, I guess.”

Beckett studied his friend for a moment. “But, sometimes, it’s exactly where you need to be.”

“For you, maybe.”

“Boss, you want the dossiers?” a woman called from the SUV.

Holt shook his head. “I’ve got them on my phone.” Whatever pain had been in his voice before disappeared as he pulled a cell out of his jeans. “I’ve got reports on Ian Kemper, August Ernst, and Kenny Chambers. I’ve been doing a deep dive into Howard Kemper and who he spent time with in prison. I want to check a few people out.” He glanced at Hayes. “I sent everything to your email.”

Hayes scanned the email on his phone. “This is great. Way more than I’ve gotten so far.”

Holt sent him a mischievous grin. “It helps when you can bend the rules a bit.”

“I didn’t hear that,” Hayes said as he continued reading.