“My sister,” David said flatly, crossing his arms over his chest.
Mason let out his breath in a whoosh of air.Yeah, he’d figured that was coming, although he still wasn’t sure what to do about it.He didn’t want to piss off his friend, much less his team leader, but he also wasn’t giving Audrey up.She was unexpected, inconvenient, and he was determined to keep her.
“Cassidy has told me it’s none of my business, and I see her point, but Audrey is my sister.And she’s already been through a lot.”
“I know.”
“So, I need to know you’re serious about her.”
Well, shit, was that all?
“I wouldn’t have touched her if I wasn’t serious about her,” Mason said, ignoring the fact that he’d started things off with her by talking about being friends with benefits.Even then, he’d known it was going to be more than that; he just hadn’t been ready to admit it yet.
Not that he was going to admit it to her yet, either, not until he was sure she felt the same way about him.
“You were literally engaged to Yasmine less than a month ago; you’ll have to excuse me if I have some concerns about that statement.”Though from the relief that flickered across David’s expression, he did believe Mason; he was just determined to give him a hard time.Mason didn’t have a little sister, but he supposed that was David’s right as a big brother.He could at least understand being protective of Audrey because he was, too.
“I was.You know me.You know I cared about Yasmine even though I wasn’t in love with her.Do you really think I would risk hurting her and angering you just to mess around with your sister?”
David opened his mouth.Closed it.The expression on his face turned decidedly grumpy.
“That’s a really good fucking point,” he grumbled.“Look, I just don’t want to see her hurt again.And I sure as hell don’t want her going back to Philly and that viper’s nest.”
“Then we’re on the same page.”Mason spread his hands out wide, trying to look harmless.Like the kind of guy a brother would be happy to see his sister with, if that was possible.
“Right.Good.”David sighed and then made a face.“Are you guys going to be playing at the club?”
“I think Audrey’s more of a private room kind of person.”
His friend groaned, raking his fingers through his hair.“I’m not sure I even wanted to know that much.”
Before Mason could say anything else, the red light next to the door started flashing.Both he and David exchanged startled looks, then David was yanking the door open, bolting down the hallway with Mason hot on his heels to find out why Jennifer had set off the silent alarm.
They weren’t the only ones headed to the front; the whole team was on the move, and Mason skidded to a halt behind David when they reached the front, Jensen right behind him.
Fuck.What was the FBI doing here?
Audrey
Mason hadn’t answered her call and still hadn’t gotten back to her.Something must be up at work.She hoped.Which was why she was in the back with Alexis, pounding out her frustration into some bread dough, even though the bakery didn’t normally sell loaves of bread.She needed something to do with her hands, or she was going to go nuts.
Alexis kept giving her sidelong looks, as though she was a little worried about her, but she didn’t say anything.That was another reason Audrey was in the back.Ashley would have pushed her to talk, customers or no customers.Alexis let her work in peace.Even though Grandma and her friends had finally left, it was safer back here.
A sudden commotion of noise, loud voices, in the front had them both lifting their heads.They looked at each other for a long moment, but it only got louder.Audrey patted her dough and decided it was time for it to take a rest, anyway.Grabbing a cloth to set over it, she headed to the front to find out what the heck was going on.
The bakery was filled with large, muscular, angry men.And Claudia and Darcy.Thankfully, it must have been a lull because there were only a couple of customers seated at the tables and someone else on their way out the door.
“What are you all doing here?”Audrey asked, startled, and her heart did a little hop, jump, and skip when her gaze met Mason’s.His jaw was locked, his expression grim, but it lightened a bit when he looked at her.Shouldering his way through the crowd, he made his way to her as David answered.
“The FBI kicked us out of the office.”Her brother looked like he was about to explode, he was so pissed off.“They got an anonymous tip about us.”
“Oh my God.”Audrey covered her mouth with her hands as Mason reached her and put his arm around her.“Aboutwhatthough?What could you have done?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing,” Lincoln confirmed from behind her counter, where he had just finished giving his wife a greeting kiss.To Audrey’s surprise, he was grinning.She felt Mason jerk in surprise as well when he looked over and saw his boss.“But they would have found something if not for Zeus.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to the muscular bald man who had been hanging back next to the broken front window, a slight space between him and the rest of the teams.He blinked back at them, his neutral expression not changing one iota.
