“Come with me,” Dutch murmured.
“Dutch!” Ranger barked.
“Recon after I get her settled, got it!” he called out.
I glanced over my shoulder and the crack in my voice gave me away. “Range?”
His face softened ever so slightly. “You’ll be okay, you have my word.”
“Come on, let’s get you behind a closed door,” Dutch said softly.
He pulled me up the stairs before taking a hard left. The hallway dead-ended with two doors to my right, but I should have known better with these guys. Dutch held his hand out and pushed the wall in, and I heard it catch against the rollers. It raised up, revealing yet another hallway Dutch quickly snaked me down.
Before taking a hard right into a bedroom with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
“Wow,” I whispered.
“This is essentially a panic room,” Dutch said. “The door won’t lock on you or anything, but the rolling door will. We’ll come get you when it’s safe, okay?”
I whipped around to face him. “Wait. What if you guys need help?”
He scooped me into his arms and blanketed his mouth with mine. His tongue pierced through my lips, holding me hostage as mine battled his for dominance. I draped my arms around his neck. His hands roamed my body, clinging to my clothes. He trembled with a need. His cock thickened against my pelvis. And in that moment, I wanted nothing more than for his naked body to comfort mine.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Trooper said as he came racing into the room, “but we really need that recon.”
Dutch released my lips, but not my body. “You listen to us and stay here. You’re not going to get caught up in this.”
“But, what about protocols?” I asked.
“That’s what we’re doing,” Ranger said as he stalked into the room. “Troop’s on traps while Dutch is gonna be out doing recon. I’ll be here with the guys setting up a perimeter to--.”
I shook my head as I pulled away from Dutch’s grasp. “No, no. I mean, Gordon’s protocol. The police precinct. They won’t head here straight away.”
Ranger locked his gaze with me. “You know their protocol?”
I scoffed. “I’ve been with Gordon ever since the beginning of his career. He talks about all of this shit because he thinks it impresses me.”
Troop grinned. “Sounds like it just gets on your nerves.”
I shot him a playful look. “Because it does.”
Dutch chuckled, but it was Ranger who commanded my attention.
“All right, so what’s their next move?”
“Well, Gordon’s partner, Dogma? He was in his uniform. And assuming he knows everything about what Gordon has gotten himself into with whatever the fuck he’s doing, he’s going to have to keep his nose clean with this. So, even if he’s radioed into Gordon that he’s found me, he’ll still have to give proof and get permission to run an op from his boss before he can head out.”
“So, we’ve got some time, is what you’re saying,” Ranger said.
I nodded. “Some time, but not a lot. When Gordon is intent on something, he can rally people quickly. With the time we spent at the bar, there’s no telling how long Dogma watched us before radioing it in. So, it could be hours before they find us, or it could be less than that.”
“Anything else you can tell us, lucky girl?”
I smiled at him. “Protocol states that at least five men have to run an op. Two to partner up, and one to call the shots from a safe zone. That safe zone is usually a cruiser parked a quarter of a mile from the supposed crime scene. But, Gordon has mentioned a few times that he just parked his fucking cruiser right in their damn driveway.”
“Shocker,” Dutch murmured.
“One last thing,” I said quickly. “Unless they get official sign-off with the Chief of Police, they’re just coming with their issued guns. They need someone higher up to sign off on tactical gear, and that usually takes a while. So, if they roll up today, chances are they won’t have tactical gear.”
