“Of course. We’re turning onto your street now.” Xander’s eyes narrowed. “I see you, Frey.”
She glanced up. A familiar-looking SUV drove toward her and quickly and expertly parallel parked a few spaces down from where she was standing. She caught a glimpse of Xander through the windshield in the passenger seat, and the remaining tension and fear rumbling within her eased.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Xander was out of the Rover before Wilson was able to put it in park. He ate up the sidewalk in his rush to get to her, taking in her bright-blue eyes that were wide with both worry and relief. Reaching her, he enveloped her in his arms and let out a breath when she sank into him. A shiver tore through her as she exhaled, and a protectiveness stirred in him and clutched at his gut.
No one was going to hurt his woman. Not on his watch.
He kept his arms around her as he pulled slightly away. “Hanging in there?”
She nodded, but her eyes turned glassy.No. Hell, no.Cupping her face in his hands, he brought his lips to hers, unsure if he was reassuring her or himself. “We’ll see what this is together, okay?”
She nodded again, buried her face in his chest, and hugged him tightly.
A throat cleared, and he glanced at Wilson who stood a few feet away from them with his hands tucked into the pockets of his dark-gray tactical pants. Despite the worry for the woman in his arms, Xander couldn’t help but grin. His friend looked damnuncomfortable, and it was fucking hilarious. Nothing fazed Wilson. Or so he’d thought.
Before Xander could let some smart-ass comment fly, Wilson rolled his eyes and scratched the tip of his nose with his middle finger.
Smothering a chuckle, Xander released Freya but kept her tucked against his side. “This is Wilson. Wilson, Freya.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said, extending her hand.
Wilson stepped toward her, and when he shook her hand, his friend’s hand engulfed hers. He and Wilson were roughly the same height, and while Xander prided himself on staying in excellent physical condition, Wilson took it to the next level. His friend was a damn beast. He’d never been able to figure out how the man had stayed so stealthy when they were on ops. Not that he was complaining, because he was grateful to have Wilson watching his six.
On top of the man’s operative skills, Wilson probably knew him better than he knew himself. The moment Xander had realized something was wrong with Freya, all it had taken was one glance at his friend, and Wilson was in motion. He’d made their excuses with Frazier, leaving their boss to handle the client meeting on his own. No hesitation. No questions. Wilson had simply grabbed his keys and asked, “Where to?”
And Frazier, who knew him as well as Wilson did, had met his gaze and given him a nod.
“Shall we do this?” Wilson asked, angling his head toward her building entrance.
Taking Freya’s keys from her hand, Xander unlocked the main door and let Wilson in first. He ushered Freya in next, and after making sure the door was securely closed behind them, he followed her up the staircase.
At the landing, he scanned the hallway. No security cameras that he could see. On the left was the door to Knit Wits’ storageroom. Directly across the hall was Freya’s apartment. With a large white mailing envelope on the ground propped against the door.
He turned to Wilson, and as if the guy had read his mind, he pulled a credit-card-sized bug detector from the side pocket of his pants.
“Let’s give him a minute,” he murmured to Freya, who stood stock-still beside him.
Wilson walked up and down each side of the hallway before pulling a pair of gloves from another pocket and donning them. “Clear,” he said, picking up the envelope.
“Thanks,” Xander said as he stepped away from Freya to unlock her door. After Wilson silently entered her apartment, Xander turned back to her. “Hang tight.”
“You think someone’s in my apartment?” Her eyes widened, and her voice was a panicked whisper.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “No, I don’t.” That was the truth. Because if someone had gained access to her apartment, they would have left the envelope on the inside.
After a moment, Wilson’s body filled the doorframe, and he glanced at Freya. “Why don’t you look around to see if anything looks out of place.”
She glanced up at him, and he gave her a reassuring nod. “We’ll both be right beside you.”
Pride surged through him when she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and followed Wilson inside.
After going through her small apartment, she said nothing was amiss. However, he could see her anxiety remained. He gestured to the envelope. “Want me to take a look first?”
She crossed her arms over her chest and nodded, clearly nervous.
Wilson held out another pair of gloves, and as he reached for them, Freya chuckled. “Geez, Wilson, what else do you have in those pants of yours?”
