“Hey, everything okay?”
“Yes,” I said, keeping my eyes on Brent. “I’m officially accepting your offer, so I’m gonna need a key.”
CHAPTER 6
BRENT
I could feelJohn’s eyes on me as I left the coffee shop. I had shit to do, and no time to worry about my new roomie. He was a grown-ass man and could take care of himself. But as I walked the three blocks to my condo, I couldn’t help but analyze what happened.
John wanted it as much as I did, and that had been some movie shit right there. Who wouldn’t want to be grabbed by a handsome man in the middle of a coffee shop only to have the fuck kissed out of you?
I groaned as I ran my free hand over my head. I didn’t do that romantic shit. But somehow, that asshole made my heart beat a little faster every time I saw him. Now all I felt was … rejection. He’d turned down my offer to be fuck buddies but wanted to be friends.
As I waited for the light to change, I finished my iced coffee. Tossing the empty cup into a recycling receptacle, I pulled out my phone. All of this was Dare’s fault. He’s the one who sent him to find me. That asshole.
I opened my messages and sent him a text.
Me: You mother fucker!
Checking the time, the plane wasn’t supposed to take off for another fifteen minutes. Surely he hadn’t turned his phone off yet.
When I got to the condo, I took the stairs two at a time until I reached our door. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I looked down at the doorknob and listened for movement. Since the incident with the tires, I have been on alert for any unusual activity. But all I heard was the upstairs neighbor’s dog running across the floor.
After a very intense workout with Phantom at our new training facility, I stopped by the grocery store and my favorite deli to pick up dinner for two. I hadn’t seen John at the office, so I had no idea if he was home. Either way, I wasn’t going to be rude and eat in front of him. If he wasn’t there, I’d just put it in the fridge.
As I climbed out of the Tahoe, my phone pinged with an incoming text. I sat the bag in the front seat and surveyed the area before I retrieved it from the charger. The screen lit up with a text notification.
Daredevil: Serves you right.
I laughed at his snarky reply. He hadn’t been gone half a day, and I missed him. But I still owed him a big ass prank for sending John to find me.
Pocketing my phone, I grabbed the bags and locked the car. Ever since the car had been vandalized, I’d been hyper-aware of my surroundings. If we could catch the asshole who’d done it,maybe we could save some other person thousands of dollars in repairs.
GQ planned to set John up with a vehicle but gave him the keys to Dare’s Tahoe until the dealership had one ready. All the vehicles in our growing fleet had a special communications package, as well as bulletproof glass. It was something Jesse insisted on since we may be transporting clients. I thought it had to do more with how Nate died, but I didn’t bring it up.
Climbing the stairs to the condo, I dropped the bag to the ground before I reached the door. A black-and-white photo was held in place by a survival hunting knife. The image of me jogging alone down by the waterfront had a red “x” across my face while the knife was placed through my chest.
Momentarily surprised, I whipped my head around, but luckily the setup of the floor plan left no place for anyone to hide. Careful not to touch the door handle, I quickly unlocked the door and swept the bags inside out of the way with my foot.
Closing the door, I made sure the lock was engaged, then headed to the kitchen to find a plastic bag.
With one in hand, I went to get my gun and tucked it into the waistband of my track pants. Opening the bag, I turned it inside out and opened the door. Checking the area outside the door, I covered the knife handle with the bag and jerked it out of the wood. The picture remained attached to the deep gouge in the wood, so I carefully used the plastic to remove it. Carefully, I maneuvered it into the bag and zipped it closed.
After a quick assessment of the damage, I went back inside, making sure to lock the door. Striding to the kitchen, I tossed the bag on the counter as unease crept up my spine, taking away my appetite.
Reaching back for my gun, I took it out of the back of my pants and placed it on the granite countertop. My first responsewas to call out to Daredevil, but I was alone. And suddenly, I’d never felt more so in my entire life.
I opened the cabinet that held all our cookware, placed the bag inside the largest pot, and covered it with the lid. Then I slid it to the back of the cabinet. I didn’t want John to see it when he came in, because it was none of his concern. I wouldn’t drag him into the mess I’d created.
Calling GQ should have been my first reaction, but whoever had left that left it for me. Not Daredevil. Not EHM, but me.
I was a motherfucking Navy SEAL, and I could take care of myself. Now my priority was to figure out who had it out for me, but also to protect my brothers from whatever shit I’d caused.
Picking up the bags, I unloaded them and put the food in the refrigerator. Maybe I’d eat when John got home, but right now, nothing appealed to me.
Shaking it off, I put my key in the door and entered the apartment. It was quiet as I’d expected. I was a grown man but hated the quiet. It reminded me how alone I was. So I went for the remote and turned on the TV to the Sports Channel for background noise.
Before heading to the shower, I sent Dare another text.
