Chapter 34

Just A Nap.

Sage

He was eating and not just out of necessity, Conner was sitting at the counter, still sleep ruffled, devouring the pancakes like they were the first real meal he’d had in weeks. I stood there pretending to focus on the next batch, but I watched him through the corner of my eye like a damn sap. There was something indescribably satisfying about watching a man like that, fierce, brutal, revered, eating something I’d made with my own hands. Not a calculated move. Not part of a mission. Just… breakfast. My breakfast. A warmth coiled in my chest as he caught me looking. He didn’t speak, just smiled at me around a mouthful of syrupy pancake like I’d already won. And for once, I let myself feel it, pride. Peace. Maybe even the tiniest flash of domestic delusion before reality inevitably came crashing back in.

“I’m heading in there,” I said, tilting my head toward the door just off the kitchen that led to the surveillance room.

Nico perked up instantly. “You serious? Now?”

He practically tripped over himself to open the door for me like I was royalty, or a bomb he couldn’t wait to see detonate. The room was impressive for someone without my background. Rows of monitors, server towers humming quietly, a network I could feel humming just under my fingertips. He’d done a good job. Not great, but good.

“You mind if I…?” I asked, already sliding into the chair.