Joshua groaned again. “Please stop talking about food.”
They walked down the brick path and through the archway that led out onto Charlotte Street, where their rideshare would pick them up. They’d only had a couple of drinks, but it was always easier to take a rideshare into the historic district than attempt to find parking during dinner hours. “Thanks again for tonight.”
“You know I’m always here when you need me,” Joshua replied. He leaned forward to see around Jay. “There’s a van that’s crawling this way. What kind of car is our ride?”
Jay shook his head. “It’s a gray Honda Accord.”
“Ah, okay. Not it then.”
The van drove slowly down the one-way street, passing them. The driver was probably looking for an address. With businesses tucked away in various locations throughout the district, it could be challenging for tourists and delivery drivers to find specific addresses. The van stopped, lights on, and Jay expected someone to roll down the window and ask for directions.Instead, the door opened, and two men in black balaclavas and black hoodies jumped out.
“Run!” Jay grabbed Joshua’s wrist and bolted, running across the street as fast as he could, Joshua in tow as the men gave chase. They took a sharp turn into the parking lot of what Jay ironically realized was the wedding venue he’d been at earlier today with Ryden.
Ryden….
God, Jay wished he were here right now. Okay, yeah, Jay got it. A Marine probably wouldn’t have to run. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest as adrenaline rushed through his system. He headed for the end of the parking lot, and they jumped over the short wall, running behind the other buildings. For the first time, he was grateful that the buildings in the historic district were packed together, one ending where another began. The lush shrubbery and trees provided cover in several areas where there wasn’t enough lighting.
They silently ran through the trees behind the cathedral. If they could make it to the plaza, it would be filled with people and have much more lighting. They’d almost made it out onto the sidewalk when something hard slammed into him.
Jay hit the ground hard, and Joshua landed next to him. One of the men rolled Jay over, and Jay brought his fist with him, catching the guy on the side of the head. He reeled, cursing loudly as he fell onto his side.
No time to waste. Jay kicked at the guy on top of Joshua and spun, ducking as his assailant swung a fist. From the corner of his eye, Jay could see that Joshua was on his feet, his back to Jay. If these assholes thought they were going to go down easy, they were in for an unpleasant surprise. Jay readied himself. He hadn’t spent the past twelve years at Four Kings Security at his desk reading. He’d been given lessons on all the different ways he could defend himself.
“You’re coming with us if you know what’s good for you,” the bastard snarled.
“Yeah, I don’t fucking think so,” Jay replied, darting out of the way when the guy launched forward. Missing, he spun around, and Jay punched him in the solar plexus. Hard. The guy doubled over and wheezed just as his masked friend cried out and fell on the grass, holding his knee.
“What the fuck!”
“Who sent you?” Joshua demanded, kicking the guy in the stomach for good measure.
“Fuck you,” the guy spat.
Had someone sent these guys to kidnap him? Jay turned to his attacker, who took a quick step back. He made to reach for something in his hoodie pocket, but Jay tackled him to the ground, punching him across the face. There was a very good chance these guys were packing.
“We gotta go!” Joshua grabbed Jay’s arm, and they took off.
“What is it?” Jay asked, breathless, as they ran across the street to the plaza.
“We’re about to be outnumbered,” Joshua said. “What do we do?”
Jay looked around when it hit him. “Holy shit. We’re a block away from the office.”
Joshua blinked at him. “What?”
“Yeah, there’s King Street.” Jay took off with Joshua at his side. He had no idea if the men who’d tried to kidnap him were behind them or if they’d gone back to get their van. Something told him they weren’t about to give up.
They ran as fast as they could towards the Four Kings Security building. Most of the staff would have gone home by now, but security was always on site, and Jay had his keys and codes if he needed them. They’d just run into the parking lot when a truck screeched to a stop in front of them, the bumper soclose that when Jay threw out his hands, he hit the hood. He shot his head up, his eyes going wide and his heart skipping a beat when he realized who was behind the wheel.
The truck door flew open, and Ryden jumped out. He bolted over to Jay, and Jay didn’t think about it or hesitate. He threw himself into Ryden’s open arms, relief flooding through him as he grabbed fistfuls of Ryden’s shirt, clinging tight. Ryden wrapped his strong arms around Jay, and at that moment, Jay knew he was safe.
“Fuck,” Ryden breathed out. “Are you two okay?” He didn’t try to pull away, and even if he had, there was a good chance Jay wouldn’t have let go. His face was buried in Ryden’s chest, soaking in his warmth and strength.
“We’re okay,” Joshua said. “Looks like those guys decided not to follow.”
The screech of tires skidding to an abrupt halt made Jay jump.
“It’s okay, darlin’,” Ryden said softly, running a hand soothingly down his back. “It’s just Frank.”
