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The guys looked at each other, a silent conversation passing between them that I apparently wasn’t privy to.
“She needs to know,” Charlie said.
“No, she doesn’t,” Liam replied flatly.
“If it concerns her safety, then yes she does,” Kris stated.
“Guys,” I interrupted. “Just tell me.”
Adam put his hands in his pockets and sighed, shaking his head a little. “Liam? Come on, man. She was bound to hear about him eventually.”
Liam’s expression was stony. “Terrance Barber. He served with us when we were SEALs. We were on a mission in Kandahar when he went MIA. I’ve been looking for him ever since.”
My eyes widened. “Barber… He was your brother?”
“Yes.”
“And you think he’s the one behind the attack?”
Liam frowned sharply. “He’d better not be.”
“Terrance was…” Charlie grumbled. “Let’s just say he didn’t share our views of patriotism. He was always more…”
“Opportunistic,” Adam supplied. “In it for himself. A wildcard.”
“Before he went missing,” Kris began, “Terrance alluded to the idea of going solo. Working for himself on the international market. Whether it was for legal or illicit activity, we never did figure it out. Then he went missing and none of us have seen him since.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Wait, like… like a mercenary?”
“It’s a far more lucrative business,” Charlie said sadly. “And it’s not as uncommon as you’d think for ex-SEALs to contract themselves out after they’ve served. Too many of us have a hard time adjusting back into civilian life. It’s easier, sticking to that kind of work.”
“What makes you think he’s the one after the duchess?”
“It could be an outside party who’s using him to get to her,” Adam explained. “It isn’t necessarily Terrance who has the motive.”
“Stop it,” Liam snapped.
“We’re just trying to fill her in,” Charlie insisted.
“We don’t know if it’s him,” he growled.
Kris set his jaw. “But my sources say—”
“Screw your sources!” Liam hissed. “All you have are whispers and rumors. Until we actually lay eyes on him, we can’t know for certain. We operate like we always do, the identity of our attackers be damned.”
I’d never seen Liam so upset before. It was clear that the subject of his brother was a sore spot for him. Every muscle in his body seemed tight and wound, either ready to explode outwards or collapse in on himself. I hated seeing him this way, so I did the only thing I could think of and reached out ever so carefully and took his hand.
“You’re right,” I said calmly, softly. “We don’t know for certain. Jumping to conclusions isn’t going to help us any.”
Liam relaxed a bit, soothed by the touch.
I returned my attention to the other three. “We should go back to the duchess. Even if the police that are guarding her are vetted, I’m sure she’d feel more comfortable being with the security team she’s used to.”
Kris nodded. “Let’s get going.”
* * *
The secondI walked into the penthouse with the guys only a few steps behind me, Arianna rushed at me with the speed and power of a linebacker.
