Garrett shifted Kelsey carefully in his arms like she was a bomb about to go off. He tensed and stared down at her, strain evident on his brow. Swanny saw the evidence of many recent sleepless nights in the big man’s face, saw him visibly sigh in relief when his daughter squirmed once and then settled back to sleep, nestled in her father’s arms. But there was also so much love and adoration in the big man’s eyes that Swanny would have to be blind or completely oblivious not to notice it.

That little girl had brought Garrett to his knees, and she’d continue to do so for the rest of her life. One thing was for certain, though, and it held true for all the Kelly children. There wasn’t a child on earth who’d be more protected and watched over than those babies. Swanny pitied the poor fool who ever tried to date the Kelly daughters. Being met on the front porch by a surly, overprotective father? Swanny would pay money to see that.

“So what are we looking at here?” Garrett asked in a low voice. “You didn’t give us much to go on.”

Joe glanced at Nathan. “Ryker Sinclair called. Said his sister was in trouble. He wouldn’t go into detail. Said someone took a shot at her, but I have no clue what that means exactly.”

Nathan frowned. “Isn’t his sister a supermodel, or something? He used to show us pictures of her. She was chosen as the world’s most beautiful woman by that magazine a few years ago. He showed it to us when we were on our last tour.”

“Yeah, that’s her,” Swanny supplied.

Just the mention of that magazine cover—glossy, silky blond hair flowing as though she were out in a gentle breeze, eyes glowing and a megawatt smile—brought back the first time he’d seen her photo. He felt like an idiot for having nearly an identical reaction just from the memory.

“So you know this Ryker Sinclair?” Donovan asked.

Joe nodded, as did Nathan and Swanny.

“We served with him,” Nathan explained.

“He saved my ass,” Joe interjected. “Shoved me down and took the bullet intended for me. I owe him.”

“We all owe him, then,” Sam said simply.

And that was Sam. In his eyes, what debt one of his brothers owed was a debt the entire family assumed. That extended to the rest of KGI as well.

“He didn’t go into a lot of detail,” Joe continued. “But he sounded worried, and if he’s worried then we should be too. His father served and his older brother is a cop. They likely employ a security company to protect Eden because I can’t imagine Big Eddie leaving his daughter’s safety to chance. So the fact that they’ve called us up tells me this is something big. Sin told me Eden’s holed up in a hotel and they’re flying out immediately to get to her. He said he’d be in touch as soon as he knew where we needed to meet them, but he asked that we get going in that direction.”

Sam pinned Joe with his stare. “You’ll let me know the minute you have more intel, and if it’s something your team can’t handle on their own, don’t be stubborn. Call me for backup, and I can have Steele’s or Rio’s team in the air within a few hours.”

“You guys in?” Joe asked, turning to look at Edge and Skylar.

“Hell, yeah,” Skylar said in a tone that suggested Joe’s question irritated her. “We’re part of this team. If you’re going, we’re going.”

Edge grinned, the action erasing the hard lines of his face and lighting the brooding shadows in his eyes. “Couldn’t have said it better than Sky.”

“All right then, y’all get in the air and holler when you land and get a better handle on the situation,” Donovan said.

“I’ll alert Steele and have him on standby,” Garrett said in hushed tones, though he was still staring at his daughter as if afraid any noise would awaken her. He winced, obviously seeing something he didn’t like.

Then sure enough, a wail sounded and a panicked look entered Garrett’s eyes. He blew out a weary sigh. Swanny could almost summon sympathy, but how did you feel sorry for a guy who had the world at his feet? A beautiful, loving wife. A new daughter. The promise of future children. A future he didn’t face alone. No, Swanny didn’t feel sorry for him. He realized the internal flinch was . . . envy. Was this how Donovan had felt before Eve had come into his life when his brothers were falling one by one? Forging their own, separate path. Still firmly ensconced in the fold of the Kelly family but striking out on their own as well. Branching off, though all forks led back to the same place. Home. Kentucky Lake.

“Shit. I should probably head back home. She’s probably going to want to nurse. I was hoping to give Sarah a longer nap,” Garrett said with a grimace.

Without waiting for a response, Garrett all but ran for the exit, laughter in his wake. He only paused to raise his right hand and extend his middle finger before disappearing from the war room.

“I meant what I said,” Sam said in a serious tone, turning everyone’s attention back to him. “If this is something you think you need backup on, you call me immediately. Garrett and I are out of commission for the short term, but Van and Ethan as well as the other two teams can bug out on short notice. I’ll put them on alert just in case we need them.”

“We got it, big brother,” Nathan said dryly. “We’re big boys now. It’s time to wean us off the tit and let us out into the world.”

“Dick,” Sam muttered. “It’s my job to worry about y’all. I’m the oldest, so that falls within my job description.”

“As long as you don’t claim to be the brains of this operation,” Donovan drawled. “That’s my title. Super geek, remember?”

The others rolled their eyes, but then Joe picked up his pack and motioned for the others.

“Let’s hit the road. We’re wasting time. Sam, is the jet fueled and ready?” Joe asked.

Sam nodded.

Joe slapped Nathan on the shoulder. “Okay, little brother. You’re flying the jet.”

“With permission this time,” Sam said dryly.

“Y’all are never going to let me live down the time I stole the company jet, are you?” Nathan asked in exasperation.

“It was a righteous cause,” Swanny said sagely.

Nathan had commandeered a KGI jet and left home like a bat out of hell, but he’d returned with Shea. With a new lease on life. Swanny could see the difference in Nathan. He’d come a long way from the man who’d been rescued from the same hell Swanny had endured. Swanny had no doubt Nathan still dealt with his past, but there was a peace about him that was evident. He was . . . happy. Content. Wasn’t that what everyone wanted in the end?

Donovan smirked. “Truth, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to give him shit about it whenever we get the chance.”

“Fuckers,” Nathan grumbled.

Skylar and Edge hauled their packs up and headed for the door. Swanny stooped to retrieve his bag while Nathan and Joe raided the KGI arsenal in a room just off the main staging area.

They walked briskly in the direction of the hangar. It was a pretty good distance from the war room, but by the time they shoved all their gear into multiple SUVs and drove to the airfield, they’d already be there just lugging it themselves.

Though petite, Skylar kept stride with the much taller men and didn’t even look winded. She kept herself in impeccable shape. One thing Swanny had noticed from day one of her joining the new team was that she hadn’t come in with a chip on her shoulder, nor had she seemed to think she had anything to prove just because she was a woman in a predominantly male organization. She was sharp as a tack, smart and confident. And the few times Swanny had actually not looked at her as a teammate—as just a part of a whole—she was beautiful in an effervescent way. But confident. Yeah. That was an attractive quality in a woman. Maybe some men didn’t agree, or perhaps they felt threatened by a woman fully capable of taking care of not only herself but others around her, but Swanny didn’t think there was a more beautiful woman than one who knew her mind and dared the world to take her on.