“Cece and my parents went out to dinner and when they got home they went inside and found the house destroyed.”

“Are the girls with their dad?” I question, rubbing her back trying to keep calm for her knowing that if I lose my shit it’s only going to make things harder for her.

“Yeah,” she whispers.

“Good,” I murmur, kissing the top of her head before looking at my mom and sisters, who all look worried. “Do you mind getting her in the Jeep while I get the dogs?”

“I’m okay.” She turns in my arms, and I feel her tense when she sees everyone has gathered around to find out what’s going on. “It—” She clears her throat. “It was really nice meeting you all.”

I hear a giggle come from someone and fight back a smile of my own, because only Mia would want to make sure my family doesn’t think she’s rude, even after getting the phone call she just got. “Come on, honey,” my mom says, taking her hand.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” I assure her when she locks on to me like she doesn’t want to let go.

“Okay,” she nods and lets go of my hand.

I don’t wait to watch my mom and the girls walk her across the yard to the side gate that leads to the driveway where my Jeep is parked. Instead, I head toward the house.

“Do you think the break-in at her place and our property are connected?” I ask, looking around at the men who followed me inside as I stop in the dining room, where the dogs are asleep under the table.

“I don’t think you’ll know the answer to that until we find out who’s responsible for the break-in on your property and if they have a suspect for what happened at her place,” Jax says after talking with Cobi and doing some investigating of his own.

“I’m gonna just say two break-ins only weeks apart is too much of a coincidence for me,” Bax chimes in, running his fingers through his hair before pointing at me. “I told you.”

“Here we fucking go,” Sage mutters, crossing his arms over his chest. “Keep your conspiracy theories to yourself, man. They aren’t helping anyone right now.”

“Jesus, it’s like you all forget the minute the drama is over what went down with the women you’ve fallen in love with.” Bax shakes his head. “All I’m saying is it’s connected, so either someone has it out for Mia or you.” He points at me. “So you both need to do some soul searching and figure out who the fuck you pissed off.”

Not having time to get into it with him right now, I bend down and call both dogs until they lift their heads, and then I stand and pat my thigh. It takes a minute for them to wiggle out from under the table, and when they do, I look at my dad, who rests his hand on my bicep. “Call. Let us know what’s going on or if you need us.”

“I will.” I give him a hug then lift my chin to everyone else before I leave the room.

When I get into the Jeep, my mom, who is standing in the open passenger door, gives me a concerned look. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Mom. I’ll call you.”

She nods then reaches out to touch Mia’s cheek. “Call me if you need anything, honey.”

“Thank you,” Mia says quietly, then adds once again, “it was nice meeting you all.” And my mom, sisters, cousins, and aunts all tell her goodnight.

Mom slams the door, and I back out of the driveway then rest my hand on Mia’s thigh.

“I’m sorry we had to leave,” she cuts through the silence when we’re halfway to her sister’s place, and I give her leg a squeeze. “Cece just sounded so freaked out I...”

“Her house was broken into. I think anyone would sound freaked out about that kinda thing. I’m just glad the girls are with Mike tonight.”

“Me too,” she agrees as she rests her hand over mine before turning to look out the window.

Ten minutes later, when we get to the house, two police cruisers are parked out front, and all the lights in the house are on with an officer standing in the open front door. “Wait until I come around to let you out,” I tell her as I park on the street, and her hand tightens around mine almost painfully.

“It will be okay,” I assure her, rolling down both front windows a few inches before shutting down the engine, getting out, and jogging around the front of the Jeep to open her door. I let her out, leaving the dogs in the car, and then take her hand, leading her to the front door, where the officer is still standing on the porch. “She’s the owner’s sister,” I tell him, and he lifts his chin, stepping out of the way for us to enter. The minute we walk inside, it feels like déjà vu. Someone has taken what had to be a sledgehammer to the walls, mirror, pictures, and furniture in the entryway, demolishing everything in sight.

“Cece!” Mia yells for her sister, who comes barreling around the corner before running into her arms. I step behind Mia as they collide to hold them up then look toward the end of the hall, where I know the kitchen is, finding a man and woman holding on to each other. “Are you okay?” Mia asks.

“Yes. No,” Cece whimpers through her tears. “I don’t know why someone would do this.”

“Come on, you two.” The woman I’m guessing is their mom wraps her arms around both girls, leading them toward the living room off the kitchen. As I watch them walk away, my hands ball into fists, because I know Bax was right. What happened at our build and what happened here are connected. There is no way they can’t be, which means someone is trying to get back at me. There is no other explanation, considering Mia just moved to town a few months ago.

“You must be Talon.”

I focus on the man suddenly standing in front of me and attempt to pull myself together, when all I really want to do is shove my hand through the fucking wall.

“Chaz, right?” I ask, anger making my voice gruff. He holds out his hand, and I clasp his tightly. “Hate meeting you like this.”

“Me too, but I’m glad my girl was with you and not here when whoever did this came through.” He lets go of my hand to wave his around.

“I was thinking the same thing,” I tell him then look over my shoulder when I hear someone enter the house and lock eyes with my cousin Cobi. “Your mom mentioned this afternoon that you were working tonight.” I give him a one-armed hug as we clasp hands, and then I step back and motion between him and Chaz. “This is my girl’s dad. Chaz, this is my cousin, Cobi Mayson.”

“We already met,” Chaz says, then asks, “Did any of the neighbors hear or see anything?”

“The ones who answered their doors didn’t, but someone will be back around tomorrow evening around dinner to talk to her neighbors and canvas the area for any kind of cameras that might have caught anything.”

“Someone had to have heard something,” Chaz tells him, turning to walk toward the kitchen with us following him. When I see the cabinets smashed, dishes broken, and appliances destroyed, the anger I felt when I walked into our build is amplified tenfold. “They weren’t quiet, and they weren’t looking for things to steal. This is pure anger.”

“I agree, and I wish I could give you peace of mind by telling you we know who did this, but we don’t,” Cobi says quietly while looking between Chaz and me. “All I can say right now is I wouldn’t suggest anyone staying here tonight or until there’s a security system put in place.”