gym where Zed was barking encouragement at Lucas while my Gumdrop ran through a familiar set of speed-punch drills.
The music was up so loud I wasn't going to try yelling to be heard, so I just picked up a yoga ball and pitched it at Zed's head. It hit him perfectly, bouncing off and making him scowl in my direction while Lucas laughed.
"Take a break," I mouthed at him, tipping my head to Dallas in the doorway behind me.
Zed gave a nod of understanding and muttered to Lucas that he could rest for a bit. Sweat dripped from Lucas’s brow, and the smile he sent in my direction was pure relief. Zed really had worked him hard.
"Let's head out to the courtyard," I told Dallas as Lucas tugged his gloves off and accepted a cold, wet towel from Zed. As we passed through the kitchen, I deliberately placed my phone on the counter and silently indicated Dallas should do the same. I was being paranoid, no question. But considering Leon had mentioned we were on the Circle's radar, I didn't want to run the risk.
"Can I get you a drink?" I offered Dallas, feeling far too fucking comfortable in Zed's home.
Dallas noticed it too, sharp bastard, and gave me a curious look before shaking his head. "Nah, I've gotta get back to look after Maddox before Bree leaves for work."
"We won't keep you too long then," I replied, indicating to one of the seats by the cold fire pit. Lucas and Zed joined us a few seconds later, both still in their gym gear and Lucas breathing heavily, but neither had brought their phones with them.
Zed sat down first, taking the seat directly beside me. It was his usual position, just a whole lot closer than normal. "Dallas, I'm guessing you dug something up on the genetic match?"
Dallas shot me an uncertain look, rubbing a hand over the back of his tattooed neck. "Uh, nah. Hades told me to give that a rest. But I still had some bots running searches that I forgot to switch off."
Zed snorted a laugh. "Forgot. Sure."
"You found Nicholas Porter?" I prompted.
Lucas sat up straighter at the mention of his bio-father, who he'd never even met. But his mom had given me Nicholas as a hint for something, so I hadn't been super firm when I told Dallas to stop searching.
Dallas nodded. "Yep, sure did." He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out some folded papers, which he handed over to me. "Sergeant Nicholas Porter, born and raised in Estes Park, Colorado, enlisted with the US Army at age eighteen."
"That's where my mom grew up," Lucas commented thoughtfully as I unfolded the papers and scanned them. "Maybe they knew each other as kids or something."
Dallas shrugged. "Probably. It’s a small town, and they're the same age. Only one problem."
I clicked my tongue, spotting the detail he was talking about. "Nicholas Porter died during a training exercise gone wrong," I murmured, frustration simmering in my veins.
"Yeah, that's what Mom told me," Lucas confirmed.
I wrinkled my nose, looking up at him. "He died two years before you were born, Lucas. He can't be your bio-dad."
"Unless Gumdrop's date of birth was fabricated and he's actually twenty-one, not nineteen," Zed offered with a casual shrug.
Both Lucas and I swung our heads around to stare at him over that suggestion, but Zed just blinked back at us, unapologetic.
"What?" he muttered, "Cass gets to suggest Lucas is some kind of sci-fi sleeper agent, but I can't make a rational hypothesis that he's older than we think?"
Dallas cleared his throat. "Uh, well, I mean sure, that's maybe possible? But I did also locate all of Lucas's birth records and shit, so... I mean, I don't think that's the right theory." He spread his hands in an awkward gesture. "I'll look into it. I guess?"
Elbowing Zed, I refocused. "Zed's being a dick. I think the plausible explanation, and certainly why Sandra seemed to point in the direction of Nicholas Porter, was that she'd used him as a smokescreen."
Lucas sat forward in his seat, his elbows on his knees. "So... now what?"
Dallas shrugged. "Beats me. I just find the info you ask for. What dots you connect to make a picture, that's up to you guys. Way above my pay grade."
I sighed. "Fair call. Cover your ass, Dallas. I cannot impress this on you enough. Cover your ass. Trust me when I say you don't want the Guild paying a visit. Keep