The light filtering through the slits of the blind simmered a vague grey. Sebastian breathed in slowly, not at all sure that he had slept enough. Of course, he often rose so early to fish, he had no problem shaking off sleep when he wanted to.

Even though he knew where he was, his heart still thudded in his chest from the dreams that had tormented his sleep. It was the terror that had never left him. Of course, Luciano had helped Sebastian avoid most of the personal pain of the gangs of his childhood – even taking a beatdown or two for his younger cousin. It didn’t save Bash from the panic that had gripped him when he had seen a gang member.

Whenever he had to walk down a certain dark street, when he encountered anything that took him back to the streets of Langley, Sebastian shrunk down to his ten-year-old, petrified self. He had so thoroughly left it behind him that he hadn’t had a panic attack in years, but the run-in with the men in the street, the fear about what happened to Molly – too close to what happened to Mariana - the fear that Piper would throw herself into the hands of people like the crews. Sebastian was close to losing it. He was incredibly glad that Luciano was there for him again, to keep him sane.

When Sebastian realized what had awakened him, sleep leapt off of him and dragged him to his feet. Above him, he heard the buzz of angry voices, and he instantly remembered the situation that had brought him to be in a strange bed instead of in his classes. What was happening to Piper and Molly?

Before he could pull on his pants and slip his feet in his shoes, the noise had transferred to the common hallway and was moving steadily toward the stairs. By the time he opened the door, he could see the girls’ legs through the banister. He debated going after them immediately, but he just knew Piper would react badly to him whether she needed him or not. He had stepped over a line when he had held her down against her will – even if he had done it to protect her. As he was gradually learning, she did not want him to protect her. He turned back into the room and hissed at his cousin.

“Get your clothes on! Fast! There might be something wrong with the girls!”

Luke was on his feet and throwing his clothes on almost as soon as Bash had spoken, and a moment later, the pair followed the girls to the door. Once the men moved outside, they were confused at the sight.

In front of them stood the two women, the rental car door open, and Piper seemed to be doing her best to corral her friend inside. It didn’t look like Piper exactly shoved her friend, but she would shift her stance to block Molly’s exit, a constant, desperate barrage of words emitting from Piper toward her friend. The men caught the tail end of the argument before Molly put a stop to it.

“You’ve gone too far, Piper,” Molly leveled, sliding deftly from behind Piper and turning the tables, placing her arms against the car on either side of her friend. Piper looked shocked.

Bash started to move toward the women, but Luke stuck his arm out to restrain him.

“I know you’re scared,” Molly continued, “or I would be really mad at you about this.” She nodded at the car. “I know why you’re scared. But I am an adult, and even with everything we owe each other, I don’t owe you this. In fact,” she raised her hand to Piper’s cheek, peering closely into her friend’s eyes, “I may owe it to you to refuse to play along with you. You are panicking, and that’s not helping anyone. You’re so afraid to trust anyone that you’re putting us in worse danger.” Molly petted her friend’s hair as Piper lowered her face into her hands. “I know you love me, but don’t turn me into some helpless damsel-in-distress. Other people may do that to us, but we don’t do that to each other.”

Piper moved her hands to her neck, rubbing it as she closed her eyes to calm herself. She slowly sunk down into the open car, and Molly stepped back. “I’m going back inside to sleep some more. We don’t all like the crack of dawn like you. I’ll let Luke drive me once he wakes up.” She bent and kissed her friend on the head.

As Molly turned toward the house, Luke pulled Bash around a corner lest they be seen. Apparently, Molly had been more persuasive than either man, and Luke, at least, didn’t want to risk that victory. They turned back toward Piper, and she stood to her feet, closing the car door and turning toward the road. She stared at it for several minutes before starting down the driveway and crossing the street. They could see the beach a block away, and she seemed to wander toward it. Bash stepped to follow her.

“Let her go, Bash,” his cousin instructed. “She doesn’t want to see you right now.”

Bash started to protest about her safety.

“If it makes you feel better, sit here and keep an eye on her. You can see the beach, and it will get easier as the sun gets higher.”

“I just don’t understand why she is so stubborn,” Bash complained.

“Well, you didn’t do yourself any favors yesterday when you restrained her.”

“But she –”

“Not saying I don’t understand why you did it,” Luke shrugged. “But nobody likes to be restrained by someone else, even someone with authority.” He gestured to himself. “I see the attitude all the time. And you didn’t really have any right to do it.”

Bash scoffed. “I did it because I care about her. I didn’t want her to hurt herself.”

Guilt stabbed at Luke’s gut. He had never seen his cousin so attached to a person. Generally, Sebastian stayed cool to stay safe and to make himself ready to move into action. Apparently, Piper Hayes had managed to step beyond Sebastian’s intentional detachment. And Luke intended to trample it. Well, Soon, all hell might break loose. Luke would give his cousin the morning, would let him play the guardian angel from a distance. “You say you care about her, and I believe you. But she said something really wise to me last night, and it’s not something I had thought of, honestly, but it is very true. She said it was her right as Molly’s friend to protect her. She said that she had paid the dues of commitment. I’d say you haven’t done that for her.”

“But I have! I helped her at that party, I saved her at the Prado’s house, and I stopped those men on the street.”

“All valid points,” Luke agreed, “but that’s three times. I think last night might have damaged your chances.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Bash countered.

“You don’t have to convince me, cuz. I know you. I can see that you mean well. But you broke her trust last night.”

“Apparently that’s easier than I expected.” Bash sighed. She had seemed so open and accepting, but there was a tough shell under all that kindness and friendliness.

“Well, I will do what I can to convince her to accept our help.”

Something in Luke’s tone disturbed Bash, but he just nodded slowly, glancing sideways at his cousin. Hadn’t Bash handed Luke permission to persuade Piper by whatever means he could? The realization of what that might mean suddenly smacked Bash in the face, and he fought against the tightness in his chest.

Rising, Luke reentered the house. The sun had just peeked above the horizon, and in an hour, he would make his move. In an hour, he might create a rift between himself and the brother of his childhood. When Luke thought of Isaac trying to entice Piper, though, Luke knew he would do what he had to. At least Piper was a person Luke could actually care enough to protect. In the meantime, Luke would access some of his other contacts – the ones who could find out about a green light operation. If he could keep Piper and Bash from intercepting a bullet meant for someone else, he would do it.

As Bash rounded the corner, the voice arrested him. It was Luciano, but he spoke in Spanish, a sound that immediately tore Bash from the present and sent him back to the past. His vision easily called up the one-bedroom apartment where he had grown up with his two cousins, his aunt, and his mother – and whatever man she had brought home to pay the bills.

The thought made Bash sick, though he had grown to understand his mom, to recognize the burned-out misery in her eyes as she handed her cash to Aunt Alma to pay bills and buy groceries – his mom saving a little for herself for the cheap drugs that kept her conscious and semi-functional. Bash couldn’t fully excuse his mom for the final choices she made; in a way, he would have preferred begging on the street to seeing his mother look like the walking dead. Still, she had killed herself providing for her son and her baby sister, niece, and nephew. Aunt Alma should have gotten a job and shared the burden. Maybe then his mom could have chosen some other way to survive. Or, with no adult to keep them on track, maybe Bash and Luke would have ended up two more statistics on the street.

Shaking his head, Bash scooted back around the corner, peering carefully out at Luciano. Piper had seated herself on a large piece of driftwood, and once his mind accepted her safety, Bash remembered his misgivings about his cousin. To hear the tone and content of Luke’s Spanish-language conversation rose Bash’s hackles.

“I’ve missed you, too. I haven’t seen anything as good looking since I saw you.” Luciano laughed. “No, I’m not in town right now, though I might come visit my mother next month. Maybe you and I can hook up.” Luciano paused while the other party apparently spoke. “Of course. As always, I’m grateful for any help. Yes, I’m looking for a crime in Peru, near the Amazon,” Luciano announced in his first language. “Just a contact in Rhode Island, someone I can mine for information…outstanding.” Bash watched Luke pull out another phone from his pocket, staring at a number on the screen. A burner phone? Bash realized as Luke read the numbers off the screen.

Luciano would probably share whatever he heard, but the fact that his older cousin kept in contact with the old gang shook Bash. Not that every person in the gang was pure evil – Luke had protected some of them as well – but Bash had cut off all ties. For whatever reason, he had assumed Luciano would do the same. Bash had not even considered mistrusting his cousin, but he found himself doing so now.

Luke chuckled at something on the phone. “I don’t know anyone in Panic Rex, though. Will this guy help me if I give him your name?” Another moment of silence. “Good. I’ll call him this afternoon. Thanks.”

Hanging up the phone, Luke scanned his surroundings, and Bash backed behind the corner of the house. Luke rushed to the front door, stepping inside as if to avoid detection. Concerned, Bash had to wonder why his cousin had hidden the call, why he felt the need to conceal his communication with a gang member. It was a difficult step for Bash to mistrust his cousin, but Bash had now taken it.

When Luke glided rapidly across the street toward where Piper sat on the beach, then, Bash found himself poised to rush to her defense. From Luke? How could anyone need protection from Luke? Luke protected everyone. Bash found himself completely at war with himself, the seasoned man battling with the innocent child who owed Luke everything. Despite his misgivings, Bash decided to watch and wait. The tenuous circumstances might have thrown off his instincts, and he wouldn’t confront his cousin there were clear transgressions.

The sun had risen from behind the little bed-and-breakfast, and Bash could clearly make out the form of Luke as it stepped onto the beach, of Piper as she raised her face to greet him. Behind Bash, he noted the clattering of the front door, but he didn’t turn to see Molly just yet. Instead, all the defensive currents that ran in his blood sprang to life as Luke lowered himself to sit next to Piper and wrapped his arms around her. Only Molly’s hand where she suddenly lay it on his arm held him back from rushing to interfere with his cousin.

“Are you okay, Bash?” Molly wondered, not recognizing the direction of his gaze.

He just managed to soften his expression as he turned to reply. Molly stood on the porch and Bash on the ground, which placed their eyes at level with each other. “I’m fine,” he offered a stiff smile. “Just enjoying the sunrise.”

“I couldn’t find Piper, but I made some coffee.”

Bash followed her inside, his mind back on the beach. “She and Luke walked down to the beach. It’s nice out there this morning.”

Apparently, Molly recognized the strain in Bash’s tone, because after she placed a cup of coffee on the table in front of him, she laid her hand down on his. “She’ll forgive you, Bash. She’s just scared right now. She has to protect everyone, and she has no idea how. It will get better once I’m gone.”

“If it’s not too late,” Bash murmured, and Molly shook her head. Whatever he imagined, he apparently didn’t know Piper well. Everything about Piper responded to Bash, and Molly had never seen her best friend in such a state – not through almost four years and three different boyfriends.

“Don’t judge her right now. Just keep her safe, and help her protect Lily. She’ll come around soon enough.”

The conversation was way too personal for the level of acquaintance between Molly and himself, but Bash couldn’t escape the comfort. “Thanks,” he smiled, relaxing a little. Until Piper came back inside, though, Bash would not fully let down his guard.

“You’re safe, Piper,” Luke had claimed as he seated himself beside her and slid his arm around her. For several minutes, Piper had cried at her powerlessness, and her red-rimmed eyes betrayed the fact even though her tears had dried up.

Though Luke would have offered the comfort even had he not needed to attached Piper to himself, knowing his ulterior motive twisted his insides. She was vulnerable at the moment, sad and tired and disappointed. No doubt she would rather have leaned against Sebastian’s chest for comfort, but that could not happen at the moment. Not until Isaac had the Prados or some other means for information. Luke was working on something – a calculated risk that had him digging into his gang contacts from five years before. He had to hope that working for the CIA would offer him some protection from cartel meddling.

“I’m not worried about myself,” she asserted, her voice subdued by emotion. “I’m terrified for Molly. Those men came back to kill her. They had her for hours. What if she’s not telling me everything? What if they hurt her?” Piper couldn’t believe she was revealing so much of her inner anxieties to this man, but who else did she have? Normally, it would have been Molly or Jenny, but Molly was off limits from the topic, and Piper had already burdened Jenny with more than could be justified. And Bash? Everything about Bash terrified her – everything about her reaction even more. Tears threatened again, and she shuddered.

“Come here, Piper,” Luke tugged on her shoulder, and Piper momentarily found herself sitting on his lap like a child in need of a hug. The posture felt far too intimate, but her emotion had rendered her too needy to protest. He pulled her into his chest and rubbed her back. “Just breathe for a few minutes. You’re going to be fine. Molly is fine.”

The warmth of his arms and the comfort of his strength finally broke through Piper’s barriers, and she found herself melting against him, breathing in the comfort he offered. Molly was fine. Lily was safe. She had a CIA agent determined to help her find the Prados, committed to her protection. Without intending to, Piper found herself warming to Luke, lowering her guard against him.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Luke closed his eyes. How did Isaac possibly expect him to use Piper? She was such an amazing person, and he did not want to hurt her. Even more disturbing, Luke found himself responding to her proximity, his mind acknowledging the sweet vanilla scent that accompanied her wherever she went, the softness of her hair and skin. If he did not extricate himself from the position soon, he would forget himself and try to kiss her.

“Of course,” Luke agreed, his tone strained, and Piper turned to peer up at him. Did she have to be so ridiculously insightful? “We should go inside. Molly and Bash are probably awake.”

When Piper peered around her, she recognized the position of the sun. Probably almost eight in the morning. She leaned to a more upright position, and Luke helped her rise to her feet. When she imagined Sebastian, if he had stepped out onto the porch and had seen her in Luke’s arms, what would he think? She had appreciated the strength from Luke, but that did not change her preference. She hated herself for caring, especially after what Sebastian had done to her last night. Still, she did care.

Luke took in the direction of her gaze, so when he stood to his feet, he wrapped his arms around her again. “Let’s get on the road,” he advised, raising his hand to her face. “Why don’t I drive you to your sister’s?”

The intimacy of the gesture confused Piper, and thought failed her as she tried to consider the right course. For some reason, she wanted Luke to take Molly, though the rationale escaped her at the moment. No, at the moment, Piper wanted to lean against Luke and let him hold her. That realization more than any other decided her.

“I think I would feel better if you took Molly,” she asserted, stepping back a foot from Luke. “I’m having trouble thinking clearly at the moment, but I need Molly to be safe before I can fix that. You have a badge, an official title. Between you and Sebastian, you’re the only one who has an outside source holding you to a standard. I know I should trust you both, but I have to rely on the badge, the title, where I can’t rely on my instincts.”

You don’t know much about the CIA if you think that. “Bash is perfectly safe, Piper. He can take Molly no problem.”

“But those goons know what she looks like; they have orders to retrieve her. Molly needs protection that is just not necessary for me, and you offer trained protection. You said last night that you know a thousand moves. Either you take her, or I take her.”

If Piper and Molly left together, there would be no guarantee that Luke would find the opportunity to join her again. At least if Sebastian stayed with her, Luke would have an excuse to come back. Still, he needed to drive some sort of wedge between Piper and his cousin.

“I’ll do that, Piper, but I want you to be safe, too. I don’t think you need to worry about a repeat of last night.” Luke spoke the words, but he let uncertainty leak into his tone. “I think Bash was just worried, but…I haven’t seen him in almost five years. I’m not sure what all has changed since we were kids. Maybe you should just ride with Molly and me, or we should all stay together.” He joined their hands, and Piper peered up at him skeptically. Apparently, the past few minutes hadn’t been enough to erase her suspicions.

“I have to get back to Jenny.” As if to punctuate the words, Piper stepped several steps back from Luke, stiffening her arms lest he try to grab her hands again. “I’ll be fine with Bash. At least, I’ve interacted with him a lot in the past couple of weeks, and I think it’s safe to say last night was an anomaly. I’”

“Okay, Piper,” Luke agreed. Pushing her wouldn’t change her mind, and might hurt his cause. “We can leave as soon as Molly is ready.”

When Piper turned back toward the little house, Luke followed her. She did not walk alongside him, but headed across the street with purpose. Either something was wrong with his technique, or Piper was unusually impervious to persuasion. Part of him stung with the rejection of her resistance, but he would rein it in so he could maintain his strategic reasoning.