Dangerous Rescue - Linzi Baxter Page 0,23

in danger. Xavier might do what’s in his best interest, but he won’t betray you.”

The alarm on Siena’s phone buzzed. She glanced down. She had to leave for work soon.

“I need to finish getting Mia ready. Are you sure it’s okay if I bring her over?” Siena asked Sidney for the tenth time.

Sidney smiled. “Yes, bring her over.”

“Thank you. I don’t have any activities after work today, so I should be home by four o'clock. I’ll make sure to write my number down so if you need me, you can call. I might not be able to answer right away, but I’ll get back to you between periods.”

Siena talked to Sidney a little longer before walking back to the house. Hudson twined his fingers with hers. The connection helped her feel grounded.

She was reaching for the door when she heard Mia’s scream from inside the house.

8

Hudson

Hudson stepped in front of Siena. “Stay here.”

But she didn’t listen. Instead, she stayed next to him as they walked into the house. He didn’t know what type of danger his daughter was in, and he hated that Siena was walking in with him.

Hudson held up his hand when they reached the end of the hall. He pulled his Glock from its holster and stepped into the kitchen. He stopped dead in his tracks, and Siena ran into his back, pushing him forward.

Kaiden smiled at him as Mia spread another glop of whipped cream on top of the stack of pancakes. His nephew must have made more when he and Siena went next door. The tower leaned to the side with chocolate and caramel dripping on the counter.

Siena pushed Hudson aside and hugged her daughter.

“Mom, that’s too tight,” Mia squeaked.

Kaiden raised his brow and glanced at his gun. Hudson placed his gun back in its holster and kissed his daughter’s cheek.

Siena drew back. “Sorry, honey. I heard you scream, and I worried.”

He would do everything in his power to keep both of them in his life. When he left Siena, he’d been young and dumb. Now it was time to make up for the mistakes in his past.

He couldn’t let them go. The thought of having to go on the mission haunted him. Even though he knew his friends would do their best to protect his family, he would still worry about Siena and Mia’s safety every second he was gone.

“The stack almost fell.” His little girl stuck her finger in the chocolate sauce and licked it clean.

“Mia was still hungry when you went next door, so I made a few more pancakes. I remembered how my mom used to make them,” Kaiden whispered.

Hudson held his breath. It wasn’t often that Kaiden brought up his parents. When Kaiden was younger, he would get quiet every time Hudson brought up his mom. They both went through the motions of life but never talked about deeply personal issues. Over the years, Hudson hadn’t broached the subject of Kaiden’s parents, and maybe that had been the wrong decision. He regretted not talking about his sister with Kaiden.

They hadn’t discussed money either. Hudson still couldn’t believe Kaiden worried about paying for college. It was all taken care of. When he got back from the mission, he would make it a point to sit Kaiden down and talk about everything.

“Where’s your mommy?” Mia asked, her blue eyes locked on Kaiden.

The air in the room became stiff. Siena looked between Hudson and Kaiden. Then she walked over to their daughter, wrapped her arms around her, and pulled her into a hug. Mia's sticky fingers patted Siena’s back, leaving a chocolate handprint.

Kaiden cleared his throat. “My parents died years ago.”

“I’ll share mine with you,” Mia said before she took another bite of her pancakes.

Hudson squeezed his nephew’s shoulder before he grabbed a fork from the counter and dug into the pancakes. Kaiden gave him a watery smile before he took a bite. Hudson’s new small makeshift family was enjoying a second breakfast together. He hadn’t eaten that many carbs for breakfast in years.

But in a few hours, things weren't going to be as easy when he had to leave for his mission. Hudson could have demanded that Siena and Mia go into protective custody. There was no doubt in his mind that Xavier had safe houses all over the country. But Siena might have refused. In the past, she would have done what Hudson asked. Now he would be lucky if she listened to one word he said.

He placed a kiss on