Because the area was only lit with a battery-operated lantern off to the side, it took a minute for her eyes to adjust. Standing less than five feet away in the building’s small entryway was a man she’d never seen before.
The guy was tall, the muscles beneath his black button-up nearly as big as Grant’s. His dark hair was almost black, and his small, beady eyes studied her much too closely.
With the exception of the pistol in his hand, he looked like a bouncer in a dance club. Sounded like one, too.
“Well, well, well.” The prick looked her up and down. “Looks like the party’s finally about to start.”
“Where’s your boss, fucknut? I want to get this over with.”
“Sexy and sassy. My kind of lady.” He winked. “Boss is inside, but I’ll have to search you before you can go in.”
“Let me save you the trouble.” Keeping the bag steady, Mac reached behind and pulled her pistol from her back waistband. She held it out for him. “Here.”
“Thanks, doll.” He took the gun. “But I still have to search you and the bag.”
Of course, he did.“Fine.”
Sliding the heavy duffle off her shoulder, Mac let it drop to the floor. Not bothering to wait for him to do it, she squatted down and unzipped the bag. Spreading the enclosure open, she waited while he pulled a small flashlight from his pocket to check out the contents. Once he nodded his approval, she zipped it back up.
“Now the fun part.”
“Fucker better watch where he puts those hands,” Grant grumbled.
Okay, sometimes the big-brother routine was kind of nice.
Fighting a smile, Mac stood and removed the flannel shirt she was wearing over her black tank. Tossing it to the side, she spread her feet a little less than shoulder-width apart and held out her arms.
The man smiled. “Now, why do I get the feeling you’ve done this before?”
“Why do I get the feeling this is the closest thing you’ve had to a date in a while?” Mac offered him an extra-sweet smile.
The man’s lips fell, her little quip clearly pissing him off. “Turn around.”
“Trev and I are at the back,” Jake whispered in her ear. “It’s clear, but the windows are too damn high to get to. Gonna see if we can get a clear view from trees back here.”
Doing as she’d been told, Mac faced the closed door behind her. She held her breath while the guy ran his hands along the length of her body. Starting on the outside, he worked his way inward.
Mac gritted her teeth, coughing loudly when he got a little too close to the apex of her thighs. When the asshole cupped the underside of her breasts in a totally non-safety-search sort of way, she threw an elbow back as hard as she could, nailing him in his solar plexus.
The man grunted and pulled away. “Bitch!”
She turned around as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “I said you could search me. You want to get to second base, you’re gonna have to at least buy me a glass of wine, first.”
Humiliation turned to anger as the idiot advanced toward her. Mac positioned her feet in a fighting stance, her hand inching toward the weapon hidden in the center of her sports bra.
Wanting nothing more than to get to Coop, she was about to reach for it through the collar of her tank when another man rounded the corner to join them.
“That’s enough, Paul.”
Paulhalted his movements at the other man’s orders. Because he was standing in the shadows, Mac couldn’t see the newcomer’s face, but the voice…that voice sounded oddly familiar.
“Mac, you good?” Grant’s voice came through the coms.
Before she could answer him, the other man spoke again.
“Hello, Abigail.” The man stepped forward, out of those shadows and into the light. “It’s been a long time.”
Mac’s eyes growing wide with uncontrollable shock. “You?” she breathed the word out in a rush. “But you’re…”
