“Dead?” Jared barked into the phone, going still. “He’s dead? What the fuck do you mean he’s dead?”

The sharp sound of his voice cut through the study. 

Beck immediately looked up from his laptop while Hayden straightened from where he had been leaning on a couch, reading.

For the first time in days, his cane was leaning against a chair, unused. 

His body was healing fast, his military resilience pushing him toward a full recovery. But the news coming through his phone was ...