Pushing up from my chair, I round the table to pull her into my arms. “You can change your mind at any time. No one would blame you. It’s okay to be scared; everyone understands?—”
She tilts her head back to look up at me. “I’m not scared for myself. I’m scared foryou. And your friends.”
“What? Why are you scared for me?”
“Because we don’t know what to expect. One man? Two? Six? I know you’re trained, Alec, but you can only take on so many people. And all it takes…” Trailing off, she bites her lip hard. “Anything could go wrong.”
“It won’t.” Pushing aside my own worries, I focus on hers. “I’ve faced far more dangerous adversaries than this. I’ve been up against men with RPGs and AK-47s. My team has been surrounded by threetimes our numbers and walked away unhurt. We can handle whoever shows up here. I promise.”
Hazel’s face pales. “Men with RPGs and AK-47s?”
Shit. Maybe that wastoomuch information. “It sounds worse than it was,” I reply quickly. “And anyway, I’m fine.” Cupping her cheek, I lean down to kiss her. “So don’t worry about me.”
“How can I not worry about you? Don’t you worry about me?”
“Of course. But in this case, you don’t need to. If—when—these guys show up, they’ll be the ones surprised. Because they’re not going to have any idea who’s waiting for them.”
And when I finally get my hands on them… They—because we don’t really believe it’s just one person behind this—will sorely regret ever targeting Hazel.
Hazel strokes my jaw, brushing her fingers across the muscle working there. “Just be careful. Okay? I want this over, but not at the expense of your safety.”
I kiss her again, this time lingering for a few seconds. “I will, sweetheart.”
Glancing down at her cooling pasta, she says, “I’m not very hungry. Maybe we could watch some TV and cuddle instead? Since the curtains are all closed, it shouldn’t be a problem for us both to be in the living room, should it?”
I make a mental note to make Hazel some snacks later, so she at least eats something. “We can watch TV. That should be?—”
A soft chime interrupts me, accompanied by my phone vibrating in my pocket. Hazel stiffens. Her eyes meet mine, wide and worried.
It’s our team ringtone; the one we all use so we always know when a teammate is calling or texting. The message could just be Enzo checking in from HQ, since he’s the one staying back to monitor the property. Or it could be one of the guys stationed outside with an update.
While still holding Hazel with one arm, I retrieve my phone from my pocket and read the message on the screen.
It’s from Gage.
Two men approaching from the southwest end of the property. Both all in black. Can’t tell if they’re armed.
My adrenaline jumps. It’s happening.
I quickly send Gage a reply.
What direction are they going? Towards the front or back of the house?
Seconds later, his response appears on my screen.
The back. They’re just about to reach the western wall.
Okay. As anticipated, the men are probably going to try to enter through the back door. Or a rear window, like the original intruder did.
I send one more text.
Heading to the back. Will let you know when to move in.
Then I silence my phone and slide it back into my pocket. “It’s time.”
Fear flashes in Hazel’s eyes. “They’re here?”
“Yes. Two men.” I press a quick kiss to her forehead. “It’s going to be fine. Everything will be over before you know it.”
