Page 67 of Sins of Innocence

I will always stand between my family and danger.

Maureen cracks an egg into the pan. It sizzles, scenting the air with cooking butter as she cracks two more eggs, adding them too.

She breaks the yolks for a flat fried egg just like my gran used to do. "How long did you serve?"

"Eight years." Including the two I was seconded to the CIA, but I don't mention that to my future mother-in-law.

"Did you see combat?" She flips the eggs with deft movements my old mess sergeant would have envied.

"I was in the Rangers." That's answer enough.

The government doesn't train a man to be an elite soldier without plans to use him in hostile environments. Not always recognized as combat, but that's because most of our missions were covert or unacknowledged support.

"As I'm sure you know, my son was a Ranger."

Was? Shit. I nod, pretending knowledge I didn't have before this moment. "I'm sorry for your loss." I look at Áine and her eyes are shadowed with old loss.

"He died in combat." Maureen slides two eggs onto a plate and one onto the other. She hands me the plate with two eggs. "That's the story anyway."

I put my hand out for Maureen's plate to carry to the table too. She lets me.

Once she's in her seat, I take mine. "You don't believe it was combat?"

Maureen looks at Áine questioningly.

Her daughter shrugs. "You know I don't like talking about the details."

Which is a neat sidestepping of the truth we've never talked about her Ranger brother killed in action.

"Well, first it was missing in action. Then it was killed in action with no body to bury. All I know for sure is that my boy is dead and grief took his dad a year later. They called it a heart attack, but it was a broken heart and that's the truth." She smiles at Áine. "If I hadn't had my girl, I would have followed him."

The agony those words cause quickly banks in Áine's beautiful eyes, but I see it.

Maureen tuts. "That's enough of that. I've been blessed with a loving daughter and granddaughters to make my old age a joy and not a burden."

"Aww, gran, you've got at least a year or two before you're in your old age," Sadie says, tongue in cheek, laughing at her grandmother's look of outrage.

There's a buzz from the counter and Áine leans sideways to grab her phone. After flicking a glance at it, she sucks in a breath, her eyes widening.

Three more buzzes follow in quick succession.

"Okay?" I ask her.

She looks up, her eyes filled with confusion. "Uh. Yeah. Ellie's here."

"Good." She can keep an eye on my family while I’m meeting with Mick and his lieutenants later this morning.

I've already assigned Torch to stealth surveillance, but a second set of eyes with hand-to-hand combat training is always a plus. McLaren didn't have much when she mobbed up, but regardless of their role, Brice expects all the soldiers and runners under his supervision to learn how to handle a physical confrontation.

I supervised McLaren's training and I'm confident in her abilities.

"Aunt Ellie's here?" Joy fist pumps the air. "Yes!"

Neeve looks earnestly toward her mother. "But we have to go to school."

"About that…" I look at Áine. "I've got a surprise for you all and McL—Ellie helped me coordinate it."

SISTER BY ANOTHER MISTER