The sound of the exterior door off my kitchen creaking open snaps me out of my thoughts. My pulse spikes, and I spin toward the sound, my heart racing.

Grabbing a knife from the knife block near me I step closer, half expecting trouble when Orion steps around the corner and into my view. He looks completely unbothered, expression calm and unreadable. We lock eyes as he slips his lock picking tools into a sleek black case before tucking it into his pocket.

“What the hell, man?” I exclaim, lowering the knife I’d raised in self-defense. “You just picked my lock instead of knocking like a normal person?”

Orion shrugs as he steps fully inside my kitchen and shuts and locks the door behind him like he lives here. “Cute knife,” he says, barely glancing at it. “But I couldn’t chance you washing that mug before I got my hands on it. You should probably upgrade your security. That was way too easy.”

I shove the knife back into the knife block with more force than necessary. “It’s too early in the morning for this. Why are you breaking into my house and why do you need my mug?”

Without answering, he holds up an evidence bag in one hand and Aubrey’s discarded mug in the other.

“I’ve been following your aunt around all morning, waiting for the chance to collect a DNA sample from her. This was slightly more legal than breaking into her house. Ergo, evidence.”

I blink at him. “DNA? Evidence?” My stomach tightens, as I fold my arms over my chest. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Orion leans against the counter, completely unfazed by my irritation. His presence is deliberate, his posture just relaxed enough to make it clear he’s not in a rush, but there’s a challenge in his eyes.

“I need to know if she’s Bennett’s mom,” he says, his voice low and deliberate.

I stare at him, my jaw tightening. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Think about it,” he says, tilting his head slightly. “If she is, this could be the key that we are missing. All these tangled relationships, secrets, grudges. If Bennett is her son, that changes the narrative—blows it wide open.”

I drag a hand through my hair, pacing the kitchen. “This is insane. How are you even able to do DNA testing?”

Orion holds the evidence bag up like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “She left it behind. I don’t need her permission. I’ll send it to a friend or see if Morgan can do it.”

His tone is clipped, but there’s a determination in his eyes that makes it clear he’s not asking for my opinion. He’s already made up his mind.

I stop pacing and square my shoulders. “You’re playing a dangerous game.”