“Don’t take another step toward my wife,” Hayden said, low.

Chapter 3 — A Quiet War

The oldest brother, Spencer, moved forward with his arms crossed. “Calm down, soldier boy. This is private family business.”

Hayden closed the distance so fast that Spencer stopped smirking. “You’re right that it’s family,” Hayden said evenly. “Which is why I’m going to find out who destroyed her from the inside.”

He shifted his gaze to Mason, the youngest, standing in the corner. Mason held a paper cup of coffee, and his hand shook badly enough that it spilled over the rim onto his shoes.

Hayden didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t hit the wall. “I’m not going to ask anyone’s permission to protect my wife and my child,” he said quietly.

As the brothers turned down the corridor, they had no idea the humble soldier they’d mocked had just declared a quiet, unyielding war on all of them. What he found back at the house that night would tell him how much worse it was than he feared.