Her private army was scattered, but once Nicky had lowered himself back into position next to his rifle, they didn't stand a chance. He didn't take any of them out, not yet. He didn't want to risk losing any chance of talking to their long lost sister. Instead, he quietly and expertly guided his husband (and oh how that kiss still burned on his lips) through the building to avoid them.

As soon as he saw the dark shape of Joe moving through the shadows in the same room as Booker and Quynh, he felt his stomach tighten and he took a couple deep breaths to keep himself perfectly steady.

It felt strange to hold her in his cross hairs, not because he was aiming at her but because they'd lost her before the rifle had been invented. Holding his family in his cross hairs was nothing new, but she... everything in her body screamed violence and his finger tapped lightly on the trigger guard.

"Be careful, Joe. She has a blade on her left hip. Short. Dagger of some kind."