This time, everything felt different.
I’d been here before, but it was never likethis.
It was better.
More significant.
Chapter Seventeen
Vandal
Macy slept pressed against my side, arms wrapped around me like in my arms was where she was meant to be.Because it was.The weight of her, the warmth, the soft rise and fall of her breath against my chest. It was fucking perfect. I’d wanted her for most of my life, but never in my wildest dreams had I thought it wouldfeellike this. Like some sacred shit. Like my entire world had been cracked open and rearranged while I wasn’t paying attention.
She shifted with a soft moan before snuggling closer. I tightened my grip around her without waking her. My chin rested against the crown of her head, breathing her in, letting the reality ofussettle. This was it. I knew it as well as I knew the inside of an engine.
This mattered.So fucking much.
Outside, the night was too quiet. There was no wind, only the songs of crickets and frogs, the occasional hum of a car in the distance. Despite the gritty underbelly, Steel City was a peaceful, calm suburb. It was so quiet that it was easy to pick out the sounds that didn’t belong.
Whispers came, low and coordinated. Undeniably male.
I didn’t move at first. Didn’t open my eyes. I lay perfectly still as I listened, counting breaths and cataloging sounds the way the Army had taught me. One voice. Then another. Not arguing. Controlled.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I slid one hand free slowly and reached for it, keeping my body still to let Macy sleep. Slate’s name lit the screen with a message.
Slate: Might not be anything, but Halloran knows she’s somewhere in the Vegas metro area. Don’t know how, but he does.
Fuck. Fury pulsed through me and I wanted to toss the fucking phone across the room. Putting a bullet in someone’s head would make me feel better, but now wasn’t the time for emotion. It was the time for cold, distant reason. For protection.
I promised Macy I’d keep her safe and I would.
I looked back at her, hating that I had to do it but knowing it had to be done. With a long, controlled breath I laid my hand on her hip and shook her gently at first. And then a little firmer the second time. The third time, I gripped her a little tighter.
A moan tore through the quiet and she finally stirred, slow and sleepy, a soft smile curling her mouth when she looked up at me. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I said with a soft smile that I knew didn’t reach my eyes. I kept my voice steady even as my pulse spiked.
She was instantly alert and sat up. “What is it?”
“Don’t freak out,” I whispered, leaning close and pointing to my ears.
Her eyes went wide. She focused on a spot beyond my shoulder and listened, stiffening when she heard the voices.
I nodded, hoping my expression reassured her. “Move slowly and quietly, but get dressed as fast as you can.”
She nodded too quickly but didn’t argue. Didn’t panic. She slid out of bed and moved with controlled efficiency, grabbing clothes, pulling them on with shaking hands that still obeyed. “They found me?” The question came out in a flat, lifeless tone.
Instead of answering, I tossed the phone across the bed to let her see the message for herself.
She read it with even wider eyes, swallowed hard and nodded. “If they’re already here, this info must be hours old.”
“Maybe but Sombra Negra has tons of money, it wouldn’t take much to get a team of men on the ground in Vegas quickly.” I hated to think about that shit, and I was kicking myself now for not being more proactive about this. “We need to get out of here.”
She wrapped her arms around her petite frame and nodded again.
I dressed fast, grabbing my wallet, keys and my guns. One went in a holster at my ribs and the other stayed in my hand just in case I needed it. Muscle memory took over, my movements were smooth and practiced, as if no time at all had passed since my Army days. “Stay close to me and do what I say. Got it?”
Macy was so fucking scared, but she was trying like hell to be strong and not let her fear show. She swallowed hard and stood taller, shoulders squared with her jaw clenched tight. “Yep. Got it.” Her thumb rubbed over the infinity tattoo on the inside of her middle finger. I felt my own hand move without thinking, rubbing the identical tattoo on mine.
