Yes, they had. “Clearly.”
Trent looked up from the Army men he was playing with long enough to beam me a smile and say, “Two girls want to marry me.”
It was so random, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Only two girls? Are you sure? I bet there are far more than that.” I booped him right on his cute little button nose with my fingertip. “I would marry you.”
“Tomorrow?” Trent asked.
“You don’t want to go there,” Carly warned. “He’ll hold you to it.”
Since I didn’t want to break the kid’s heart, I shifted gears. “Talk to me about these other girls. Did you tell them no?”
He shook his head and grinned. “Nope. I’m keeping my options open.”
Carly rolled her eyes and shook her head. “God help me.”
“You sure he’s not Wasp’s?” I asked. “He certainly sounds like him.”
“You have no idea,” she replied.
My stomach growled, reminding me what I came down to do. “It’s been so great to meet you. I’d love to get to know you and hear more about how this whole thing between you and Wasp went down, but I’m starving. Do you guys want to go grab something to eat?”
“Thanks, but Wasp should only be a few more minutes, then he’s taking us out.”
Wasp. Engaged. To a woman with a kid. I felt like I’d slipped into some sort of bizarro world. Still, it gave me hope. If Wasp could grow up and set his manwhore ways aside, maybe Eagle could open up to me and we could make this thing work.
As I moseyed out of the fire station and headed down the street, my mind was full of possibilities, and I felt cautiously optimistic about the future. I was so focused, that I didn’t notice the black van pulling up beside me until two men grabbed me and shoved me inside. Realizing what was happening, I swung, kicked, and tried to get free, but my arms were yanked behind my back and secured. I opened my mouth to shout for help, but the driver turned around and stuck his gun in my face.
Scruffy and unkempt, his eyes were hard and his scowl was tight as he said, “Knock her out.”
He seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place him. I was still trying to place him when I felt a pinch in my arm. Then everything went black.
Eagle
Two Hours Ago
LAST NIGHT, I barely slept a wink. A new nightmare—one where Naomi was trapped and alone—plagued me until I finally got up and read. The dream was so vivid, it was all I could think about all day. By the time I got off work, I couldn’t handle it anymore. I had to find out whether or not she was okay. Knowing I was most likely making a huge mistake, I headed directly into Link’s office as soon as I got home. His door was open, and he was sitting behind his computer, working.
“Hey, you got a minute?” I asked, poking my head inside.
He glanced up and waved me forward. “Yeah. Come in.” His gaze went back to his screen.
Before I could even tell him why I was there, his cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen and said, “Give me a sec. I gotta take this.” Then he answered. “Hey, Havoc. Did you find the motherfucker?”
I could hear Havoc’s deep voice say no before launching into details.
Link listened for a while, and then said, “Thanks for checking it out, brother. You might as well come on back. Emily gets off in two hours, then they’ll be here. Yeah, man, see you soon.”
“Everything okay?” I asked, leaning against the wall.
“Bull is positive he’s spotted the same homeless man in front of the fire station, in Emily’s office parking lot, and around her house. He says the guy looks familiar, but he can’t place him. It could be nothing, but you know I don’t fuck around with that shit. I’ll feel better once Havoc finds him and they have a little chat.”
“Havoc didn’t find him?” I asked.
“Nope. But we’ll get the son-of-a-bitch and see which of her cases has shown up to bite her in the ass. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be able to talk her into stepping away from the courtroom for a while after this.”
Not likely, but I understood Link’s desire to protect his woman.
“What can I do for you, Eagle?” Link asked.
