Jacob’s phone pinged, and he froze briefly before releasing my lips and lifting his head. “That’s a security notification,” he cut out.
My stomach dropped.
Like a flash, he was up, grabbing his cell and checking the cameras. “Somebody’s out back.” He bent down to grab his jeans and stood up to pull them over his legs and ass. “Lock the door behind me and call Colt.” He tossed his phone toward me. “My code’s zero-eight-zero-one. Tell him what’s happening and to lock in and get images. When you’re done, call the cops.” He pulled his tee over his head, then went to his dresser to rummage through the bottom drawer.
My eyes widened when something glinted in the lamplight, and I saw he’d pulled out a black handgun. “Oh my God.”
He nodded to the phone in my hand. “Keep your shit together and make the call, Saint.”
I stared at the gun, open-mouthed.
“Saint!” he barked. “Stay with me, baby.”
Snapping my mouth shut, I nodded, cursing at my clumsy, trembling fingers as I fumbled with the phone.
A soft kiss landed on my head, and Jake murmured, “You’ll be okay, baby.”
I glanced up to meet his eyes, and my heart tugged painfully. “I’m more worried about you. Please be careful.”
“Always.” He pulled me up and toward the door, ordering, “Lock it after me,” before pulling it open and disappearing.
After twisting the key, I looked down at the phone, my fingers shaking as I keyed in the passcode. It lit up in my hands, and I gasped at all the tech that had been programmed into it.
Going to his contacts, I looked for Colt’s name and clicked on the number before pressing the speakerphone icon, all while trying to keep my panicked breaths steady. The phone didn’t even have time to ring before the call clicked open, and a deep voice muttered, “Already on it. I got the security breach notification, too.”
“It’s Saint. Umm... Saint McClure?” My voice faltered because I didn’t quite know what to say. “Jacob told me to call you.”
“Hey, Saint,” he replied. “I’m Colt, Iceman’s MC brother, and I’m also an FBI agent. I’ve got eyes on your house, and I’m locking in and pulling up the cameras now to get more information. Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I confirmed in a low voice. “Nothing happened to us directly. I’m more worried aboutJaco—Umm... Iceman. He’s gone down there alone with a gun.”
“Ice knows what he’s doin’, sweetheart. Don’t worry about him, you’ve got one of the best at your back. Feel me?”
“Yeah,” I replied quietly, taking in the tapping sounds in the background as Colt typed on a keyboard. “I know.”
“He’s on the ground floor now. The intruder’s in your backyard. He can’t get inside the house, so don’t worry.” Colt paused, then said, “I’m a huge fan. My ol’ lady, Freya, loves “Empty.” It’s one of her favorite songs. She makes me listen to it on a loop in the car.”
I bit my lip nervously.
The last thing I wanted to do was talk about music, but I didn’t want to seem churlish toward one of Jacob’s friends, so I muttered, “Thanks.” Keeping my eyes glued to the screen, I tried to focus. “I don’t want to come across as rude, Colt, but right now, all I care about is Jacob’s safety.”
He chuckled softly down the line. “I know, sweetheart. Just trying to keep your mind off what’s goin’ on.”
“What do I do now?” I asked, feeling utterly helpless. “Is there something I can do to help Jacob? I’m not the damsel in distress type, but I don’t want to get in his way.”
“Yeah, Saint,” he replied gently. “You can stay put. Ice can’t concentrate on taking down a perp if he’s worried about where you are. I’ve got eyes on him, and our VP, Blade, is guiding him over comms. We’ll get him through it. The most helpful thing you can do is stay safe and keep out of sight.”
I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “You guys are like the A-Team or something.”
Colt chuckled. “Yeah, I guess we are. Though none of us have been taken to military court for a crime we didn’t commit.”
“I always wondered what it was they were supposed to have done,” I mused, starting to pace.
“They were accused of robbing a bank during a covert operation in the Vietnam War,” he stated.
I stopped dead. “Oh”
“They were cleared of all charges by the end of the last series,” Colt went on. “They were exonerated, got honorary discharges, back pay, and apologies.”
