But fate can take a hike. I’ve bowed in the past but damned if I’m giving away the man I adore, the father of my baby to its petty desires.
Whoever the thieves are, they don’t have a legal right to be here any more than Kai or I do. I’ll happily use that to my advantage.
The entry key card from my pre-flight check earlier in the evening is in my pocket. I dig it out now, sneaking back to the road then walking as loudly as possible towards the front entrance, trying to make it appear I belong. Like anyone could have a legitimate reason to appear at a storage facility this late at night.
The moment I’m through the door, I flick every switch near the door, bathing the place in crisp fluorescent light.
Given there are three men plus at least two of ours and Kai hiding inside, there are very few signs of life.
Now where? I scan the cavernous room, hands on hips, lips pursed in disapproval. There’s a shadow to my right, and I tilt my head, listening carefully.
“Is someone there?” I call out in a trembling voice, trying to draw someone from the shadows, my side or theirs.
When no one answers, hardly a surprise, I pull my phone from my pocket, holding it out in front of me as I walk farther into the room. I make sure I’m clearly visible from as many potential hiding places as possible.
When I hear the next rustle of movement, I dial 111 and hold it to my ear, not pushing the connect button. “I’ve called the police,” I yell to the empty space. “They’re on their way.”
There’s a larger rustle of movement, then a man lunges at me, knocking me back and off balance so my shoulder slams into the side of a packing crate at least two feet taller than me. He flees through the same door I just entered; the noises from outside let me know one of the vehicles blocking the gate has gone.
“I’m at 477 Green Market Drive,” I shout into the phone, pausing as I hear another intruder escape out the door. “Please come quickly. Someone’s broken in and they might still be here.”
The last of the trio lunges for the exit, then skips sideways and runs for me. I instantly regret leaving Mack outside as I stare at the large figure barrelling towards me. I tense my legs, ready to feint one direction and jump to the opposite side, then another man comes out of nowhere, diving at him, tackling him to the ground.
Three punches to the head, and my would-be attacker is still. Kai shakes out his cracked knuckles as he stands, grinning at me.
“About time. They’ve been lurking outside for ages.”
His two travelling companions also emerge, dragging the semi-conscious man over to the nearest pallet and securing him to the thick planks with a couple of zip-ties.
Kai drags me into his arms, the shock of his living breathing flesh overwhelming compared to the insubstantial man of my dreams. Warmth floods through me, carried on a wave of full-body tingles that make me feel faint.
Not that it matters, with his muscular arms around me, I could pass out right now and wouldn’t be scared.
“What are you doing running around at night in your condition?” he scolds me, lifting me over his shoulder before striding out the door and jogging up the hill to the waiting vehicle.
The two men with him stay behind, their roles in the transport now over. Mack glares at our approach, then brightens as I struggle out of Kai’s firm hold and toss him the keys.
“Better put your foot down,” I tell him. “If we miss the next stop, there’s no way I’m writing you a good reference.”
Captain Obvious begins detailing how his job doesn’t rely in the slightest on previous employers while Kai sets me down to get into the passenger seat.
When I aim for the rear door handle, he pulls me onto his lap instead. “You’re not serious? I’ve been waiting for months to hold you in my arms, and you think I’m letting you out of them that quickly?”
He hitches my curls away from my face with his finger, staring into my eyes until I shift in his lap like someone turned the heater up to a hundred degrees.
“I can’t believe I’m here,” he says, the soft vocals stretching out like warm mozzarella pulling away from a pizza, rich and delicious and satisfying in the extreme. “You’re like something I pulled from my imagination.”
“I hope you airbrushed me, then. Can I put in a request for fewer wrinkles or is it too late?”
“Far too late for that, old lady.” He contorts me like origami as he ducks to press a kiss on my abdomen. “And how’s the little passenger doing? Do we have a nickname for it yet?”
“It.” I blow out a dismissive noise as Mack turns the truck towards our next pit stop and floors it, stopping abruptly when lights appear out of nowhere.
“Careful,” Kai growls, holding me so securely I can’t imagine swapping his arms for a seatbelt ever again. “You need me to drive?”
“Yeah,” Mack says back with easy humour. “Like you’d be able to keep your eyes on the road.”
As he starts us off again on a smoother journey, I have to agree. Kai stares at me, eyes devouring each change since the last time we saw each other, and there are a lot.
