“They’re here,” she announced.
Stomach churning, I went to stand, but she shook her head at me. “I’ll go. I’m weirded out that somebody could be waiting with a long-lens camera, ready to pap you again.” She stood and headed toward the kitchen, her confident stride belying her tension.
Sam's reassuring hand squeeze didn’t do much to calm me down, but I sat straight, filled my lungs, and plastered a smile across my face anyway. Fuck the stalker fan and fuck Jacob. I’d drink my own piss before I let either of them see how much they’d gotten under my skin.
Chatter came from the kitchen, and I turned to see Boomer and Jonny walking out of the patio doors.
“Good timing,” I called over. “SDSS boys are here.” As the words left my mouth, I caught more movement from the kitchen, and Talia appeared, flanked by four tall, handsome men in dark suits wearing sunglasses.
My heart did a backflip.
Jacob stood out to me straight away. He looked every inch like a professional bodyguard. Tall and built, his designer suit accentuated his broad shouldersand slim waist. His hair was shorter, and he’d lost the mohawk, but he still possessed the same edge as before. Confidence oozed from him, and the rawness from the night we met seemed to reach out and grab me by the throat.
His gaze swept my back patio and garden, assessing every corner like a lion eyeing its territory. Then, his piercing gaze met mine, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.
My nails dug into my palms under the table, trying to hide the sudden surge of emotion that seeing him again stoked inside me.
The memories of our night together flashed through my mind—his protectiveness and the way he effortlessly diffused the threat of the crazy fan who attacked me settled deep inside, and suddenly, for the first time in weeks, my nerves settled.
I stood to greet the guys while clearing my throat, my smile fixed and strained. “Hey!”
Jacob approached me, stretched out his hand, and rumbled, “Good to see you again, Saint.”
He grasped my fingers, and my belly shook at his touch. Squeezing my hand, he immediately dropped it, leaving me cold, before moving to one side to shake hands with Boomer and the rest of the band while allowing his team to greet me.
I sat back down, watching the SDSS guys take seats around the table. My gaze involuntarily drifted towards Jacob’s and was met with a familiar twinkle of mischief.
Time hadn’t changed him much. He looked more slick than before, but that could’ve been the suit. A faint grin tugged the corners of his mouth, and he stared at me head-on in silent challenge.
My pulse kicked up a notch.
“Thanks for coming,” Talia drawled, her gaze going from one man to the next. “We’re grateful you’re here on such short notice.”
“Wish it was under better circumstances,” Jacob murmured, and my stomach fluttered at the deep, rich rumble in his tone. “Can you fill us in?” As he said the words, his stare dipped to the table where the photographs were still strewn, and his body jerked.
Reaching down, he picked up the topless image of me, and his jaw clenched.
Suddenly, I wished the ground would swallow me up.
“How long’s it been since you got the first one?” Jacob demanded, looking up to meet my eyes.
I opened my mouth to speak, but my voice faltered.
“The one you're holding is the latest piece of weird in a long line of weirdness,” Talia spoke for me. “The gifts began to arrive about a week ago. The weird fan mail goes back months, as far as we know. It could’ve been longer, but that was when the department that deals with fan mail for the band noticed a pattern.”
Jacob’s stare slid toward his colleague, who’d introduced himself as Gambit. “He’s escalating.”
“You think it’s a guy?” I asked.
He picked up the image of the butt plug. “This speaks volumes to me, but I've got a brother with connections who can look into these further and profile the sender.”
“LikeCriminal Minds?” Boomer asked.
Jacob examined the other photographs. “Seeing as he’s an FBI agent, then yeah.”
Sam grinned. “Your brother. Is he as smart as Spencer Reid?”
Jake’s eyes snapped up, and he lifted an eyebrow at him. “Nope. My bro’s smarter.”
