Declan
The secondhe locked to the door behind him, Declan’s eyes narrowed into slits, and his senses flashed to full attention, the fuzzy pleasure of the orgasm fading. He headed over to the security set, punched a few buttons, and saw exactly what he was afraid he was about to see.
“Damn it,” he cursed, ice chilling his skin. One of the security boxes was quiet and empty, and in the other, he could just see the limp arm of a guard, sprawling out onto the ground.
Some animal part of Declan sniffed the danger in the air. He knew this was different than last time, worse than some local gang without the chops to fight.
But much more than that, it was different than last time because he wasn’t just fighting for some job now or to keep Big Paolo off his back. He was fighting for Seb, and the thought of losing that guy made it impossible for Declan to deny the truth of his feelings.
Guilt gnawed at his guts. If he had let his heart get in the way of his head and taken a blowjob when he should have been focused on Seb’s safety, he’d never forgive himself.
He took a second to ready his Glock, then punched in the emergency code that would let Seb’s father’s team and his contact from Big Paolo both know it was time to act. He then crept down the hall to peer out the front windows. Sure enough, there was a slim row of tracks, hugging the curves in the earth so carefully they were almost invisible. Declan kept his body tight against the wall as he made his way toward Seb’s wing and straight to the lab, the intruders’ point of focus during the last attempt.
This time, he didn’t have the chance to position himself or scope the scene. The second he stepped near the doorway, a shot rang out. Declan felt a flash of pain, fire against his bicep, and he threw himself backward against the wall. Sucking in a breath, he pressed his hand over his arm, wet with blood. It was only a graze, and the shock of it numbed the pain, but the round had done its job and made clear what Declan was dealing with. He heard muffled voices and knew he couldn’t stay in that spot much longer.
But where to go? His instincts tore him between Seb and the laboratory. Seb might well have been safe and running to him would only draw attention, but as Declan gripped his Glock, he wasn’t sure if he had what it took to dive back into the laboratory.
Fuck, he was not planning to die in New York.
Luckily, the creak of a floorboard grabbed his instincts, and without a second to think, Declan dived across the floor and into the laboratory, training his weight toward the sound and knocking a man backward in the process. Grunting, he grabbed the man’s gun as he tumbled, taking position behind a large desk by the entrance. The emergency alarm finally started beeping over the speaker system, arousing Ellie’s barks from Seb’s bedroom, and when a couple of shots rang out, Declan was able to use the noise to position the intruders in his mind.
Instead of launching another offensive, he grabbed the man he had downed by the neck and yanked him close. The man struggled and kicked as Declan tightened his arm around his neck, then jerked him to his feet. With a death grip strong enough to strangle the intruder, Declan held the man like a shield, not leaving more than a stray few inches of himself available to a smart shooter.
Blood dripped down his arm, hitting the wood floor. He was about to pull the kind of stunt he was famous for, but his stomach still twisted tight.
It was always a shot in the dark, whether those plans of his would actually work.
Pressing the Glock straight to the man’s head, he let out a growl. “Tell whoever the fuck is sending you that we’re done with your shit! They mess with me, they mess with Big Paolo, and they mess with Anthony Pierce’s crew, and they mess with the whole Quinn gang.” He cocked the gun, then pressed it harder to the gasping man’s forehead. “Do I need to squeeze this trigger to make my fucking point?” he yelled.
The two people across from him were masked, a woman and a man each with their guns cocked and cases by their sides. They didn’t budge or move but just held their sights on Declan as one impossible second after the next passed.
Declan would never actually shoot the man. He just didn’t have it in him, especially not when the intruder was already choking and sputtering. But the more time passed, the more he realized that the man’s friends might have quicker trigger fingers than he had hoped.
A twitch of the woman’s shoulder was all he needed, and Declan threw himself to the ground just in time to dodge another bullet. He kicked the intruder forward as he released him, light flashing in his eyes. His energy spiking, he flung himself around the desk and returned a few fast shots. A rapid volley of bullets sent him back to hiding, and Declan braced himself under cover while the intruders made their exit. By the time he could poke his head out, the scene was empty.
He grabbed his arm, which was now throbbing with pain, blood leaking through his shirt. Holding his gun in position, he rushed his way to the window, watching as an SUV spun into the driveway and swooped up the intruders. His gun still in position, Declan stumbled back across the mansion, rushing to what truly mattered.
“Seb!” He whispered the name under his breath as he rapped on the bathroom door. “Are you safe?”
“I’m here,” Seb answered, fright edging his voice. “I’m here.”
Declan pressed his hand to the door. He wasn’t ready to open it yet, scared to make Seb even a hair more vulnerable.
“Are you okay?” Seb asked. “Are you injured?”
“I’m fine,” Declan answered, his voice thin. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw the reply to his emergency code, alerting him that local police were on the way.
“Ellie?” Seb asked, still panicked.
“She’s good,” Declan grunted again. “Safe in your bedroom.”
Declan kept his hand pressed to the door, sensing Seb on the other side. The best thing was to wait until the backup arrived and to assess the situation from there.
For now, all that mattered was their safety and that Seb knew he wasn’t alone.
SEBASTIAN
The police didn’t leave until late that evening, and even then, they kept a couple officers posted outside. Seb was shaken, of course, and every now and then he still chilled with dread or jumped with panic out of nowhere. But thankfully, with a pill and a glass of wine, the worst of it had passed.
