As he picked up her suitcase, she grabbed the box of photos and placed it in a large tote bag. “Xander?”
He paused at the door and turned back to her.
“Thank you for helping me. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t shown up...” She’d probably be curled up in fetal position in her bed after having puked her guts out from fear. Like she’d done the last few times she’d gotten the ominous photos.
“There’s nothing to thank me for, Frey. I’m here for you.” He was once again in front of her, wrapping her in his strong arms. “I’m all in, remember?”
Again, he lifted her chin up with his finger, and the look he gave her—one of care and concern and something so sweet she didn’t want to jinx it by naming it—had her chest squeezing. “I’m all in too. Let’s go figure this out.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Tension gripped Freya’s shoulders as Xander pulled into a driveway that was about half a mile down the road from his.
They’d left her apartment with Xander driving her in her rental and Wilson following behind in his Range Rover, which was nearly identical to Xander’s. Apparently, Hudson Security had a fleet of eight armored SUVs—all black Range Rovers—which seemed like quite the job perk. Until he’d mentioned that all the vehicles were fully armored. What that exactly entailed, she wasn’t quite sure, but it sent a bolt of unease through her. It was a reminder that what Xander did was dangerous, and the thought of him putting himself in more danger because of her didn’t sit right.
As he led her from the rental car into the house, nerves sprang anew in her stomach. Not only from the thought of rehashing the worst day of her life, but also from meeting more of Xander’s friends.
“Oh good, you guys are here,” a familiar-looking brunette said as they entered the main room. The petite woman was seated at the end of a rectangular dining table with two giant men occupying the chairs on either side of her. She wavedtoward the kitchen. “Gavin made some chicken stuff if you two are hungry.”
Xander glanced down at her. “Want me to grab you some food?”
Her stomach turned. Food was the last thing on her mind. “No, thanks. But if you’re hungry, go ahead and?—”
“I’m good.” With his hand at the small of her back, he nudged her toward the dining table, and she quickly glanced around. Xander was right, this place was a larger version of his. However, where Xander’s giant television sat in his living room, here it was a mammoth workstation with an intimidating number of screens.
“I’m Bean,” the woman said with a wave, pulling Freya’s attention back from the computer setup. “Wait, we’ve met before, haven’t we?”
“We have.” Freya nodded, trying to place the woman. “Ah, I did your hair about a month or so ago. You were going to a charity event, I believe.” She quickly racked her brain for what she knew of the woman—from when she’d done her hair and from what she’d been told by Xander. And just like that, nerves bloomed. Because this unassuming, delicate-looking woman was, in reality, formidable.Small talk, Freya. It’s what you do. So what if the woman’s a bona fide genius?“Xander tells me you’re in charge of the company’s cybersecurity. I believe his words were ‘brilliant’ and ‘game-changer.’”
In her line of work, Freya had learned that compliments never hurt.
The woman beamed. “Oh, did he now?” Bean turned her smile toward Xander. “Iknewyou were my favorite.”
“Oh good God, don’t get her started,” the man to Bean’s left grumbled before lifting his chin. “Gavin Frazier. Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” she replied as Gavin shot Bean a wink. “Thank you for helping?—”
“Good to see you again, Freya,” a woman’s voice called out.
Frowning, Freya glanced around, but Bean was the only other woman in the room.
“Over there,” Bean said, pointing to an open laptop that sat at the opposite end of the table.
She smiled when Esme and Tash waved from separate boxes on the screen. “It’s good to see you both again.”
“Wish it was under better circumstances, though,” Tash said.
The man seated to Bean’s left rose and turned to her with his hand extended. “Matt Alvarez.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said, shaking his enormous hand. The guy was just as tall as Xander, but even more muscular, and he had jet-black hair and tanned skin. The wave of intensity that he emitted was beyond intimidating.
“He’s Daisy’s dad,” Xander said, pulling out the chair beside Alvarez and gesturing for her to sit.
“Daisy said she invited you to her birthday party.” Alvarez shot her a bright smile that nearly had her jaw dropping.
Holy crap, the guy’s smile transformed him. In one second, he’d gone from a tough-looking badass you’d be afraid to run into in a dark alley to an obviously doting father who was completely enamored by their child.
Freya’s shoulders relaxed, and she grinned back at him. “She did. We met over ice cream last week. For the record, Daisy is an absolute darling.”
