BRONSON
I hardly keptmy eyes off of her all day.
It had been a challenge to pay attention to anything the guys were saying and I’d been ribbed about it constantly. They’d also made me fill them in on Lake's and my past.
“Now it’s all starting to come together,” Gyth murmured loud enough for us all to hear.
“Sometimes you’re wise and can give the best relationship feedback, then the next second you're as blond as your beautiful wife,” Kace told him, snickering.
Gyth growled, drawing my attention away from the beauty across the lawn I couldn’t stop thinking about.
“Watch it when you talk about my wife, asshole,” Gyth replied, mock glaring at Kace. We knew the big guy well so it was easy to see the fun banter between the two and know he wasn’t truly pissed.
Bodie let out a deep laugh. “Way to prioritize, dude. I mean my wife is exactly where my attention would be, but I’m shocked you let him get away with basically calling you a ditzy blonde.”
“He won’t get away with shit.” Gyth smacked his hand down on Kace’s shoulder. “This fucker will get his when the time is right.”
“Good to know,” Bodie said just as I heard a weird noise that had my gaze snap back to the ladies.
I wasn’t prepared to see liquid flying from Lake’s mouth and nose. Capri patted her back and she seemed to get things under control. I was almost sure whatever had her losing her drink had to do with me by the look on her face and I couldn’t help but smile.
Then both ladies' demeanor changed as they talked and I wondered what they were saying. I watched closely but their conversation stopped as Lake dipped her hand in her pocket to retrieve her phone and answer it.
When her face went a bit white and a worried look crossed her features, my feet were moving across the open landscape.
“Okay, thanks for letting me know, Dave. Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Who was Dave? I felt my hackles rise hearing her talk to another man. Again, something I had no right doing, but also something else I couldn’t seem to control. Only she didn’t look happy with the call. She looked afraid.
“Lake, what’s going on? What did this Dave guy do?”
She looked at me but then her gaze veered toward her daughter still hanging with the other kids. Stormi had fit right in. Embry had taken the recently turned six-year-old—something the little girl had told me numerous times that day, proud about her age—under her wing like a mama bird protecting her young and she’d been thriving instantly.
Then Lake looked around at all the adults, the guys having followed me over. We were all built the same. Protect and serve, with great instincts. Even Landon, the only one who hadn’t served in the military and a lawyer, was still so much like us.
“I’m going to say this once and then we are getting back to our day. I won’t ruin Stormi’s Fourth of July or anyone else’s.” She took a deep breath. “Like Ruby said earlier, it feels likesomeone has been around our home. Sometimes I feel like I’m being watched. And Dave called to tell me that a man called my work for the third time in the last couple of weeks to ask when I worked next.”
My body went tight and filled with anger. We all knew and would tell her not to dismiss how she felt. If it seemed like she was being watched and with what she was saying about someone calling her work, my instincts said she was right.
She needed to trust hers.
The thought of someone lurking around her home while she and Stormi were there alone, was unsettling and made my blood boil.
“I think I need your guys’ help,” she said softly.
Moments before, her voice was stern, but it had completely changed with her admission. I had an inkling that asking for help was as foreign to her as feeling Stormi put her hand in mine earlier by the car was to me.
Braxton stepped forward. “We will do whatever we need to in order to keep you and your daughter safe.”
That is my line.I growled.
“This guy too,” Braxton told her, ignoring the sounds I was making.
“Thank you. But I meant what I said.” She glanced at her child one more time and then looked back at Braxton, causing me to want to touch her face and make her look at me. “It will be after today.”
“Okay,” he told her.
The cop in me wanted to shake her and Braxton both, telling them we needed to talk about this right then but when Lake’s eyes met mine—finally—I knew if I pushed she may walk away for good and not let us help her.
