Reese had no doubt. Atticus James was a smart guy. He didn’t see him having any issues undergoing the intensive course Sniper 1 Security put their agents through. The most important part was getting him the training necessary to get his license as an armed personal protection officer. Sniper 1 Security required it for their employees.
“How’s Decker?” Reese inquired.
Z didn’t answer immediately, which told Reese he was trying to formulate an answer. Reese was still trying to wrap his head around what Decker had been up to in New York and why Z had sent them on a wild fucking goose chase to find a man who wasn’t missing.
“I’m keepin’ him chained to his desk,” Z said before he mumbled something Reese couldn’t make out. “Look. I gotta run, but I’ll call JJ in a bit and check on her.”
“Yeah. Talk to you later.”
Reese disconnected the call and leaned back in his chair. He wished he knew what the hell his brother was up to. Then again, something told him he wasn’t going to like whatever it was.
Chapter Thirteen
“Are you sure you don’t wanna goto the hospital?” Baz asked JJ after Deputy Downs left.
“I’m sure.” She looked up at him, her eyes wary.
Baz wasn’t sure if she was saying it because she thought he needed to hear it or if she really was okay. She’d shown no signs of pain or discomfort since her return, but this was JJ. She was good at keeping that shit bottled up.
For now, he would follow her lead.
“Can I get you anything?”
Her lower lip protruded in a pout. “A cronut would be good right about now.”
“Hold that thought,” he said as he headed for the kitchen.
He retrieved the box that Ramona Weber had delivered earlier in the day. The bakery owner had stopped by while they were searching for JJ to see if there was anything she could do to help. Luca had told her they would let her know, so she’d left a box of cronuts—JJ’s favorite—for when she returned. Baz appreciated the gesture, even though he’d been on the verge of panic when he learned what she’d done. He’d worried that by getting his hopes up, they were testing fate.
He pulled one out, set it on a plate, and then put it in the microwave for several seconds. He grabbed a napkin and returned to the living room to find JJ still sitting on the couch.
“Are you serious?” she exclaimed, her eyes as wide as her smile.
“Ramona brought some for you.”
“Remind me to thank her later.”
Baz took a seat beside her and watched as she devoured the flaky croissant/donut.
“What you told the deputy … is that really how it happened?”
JJ wiped her mouth with the napkin and looked at him, concern in her pretty green eyes. “It really is. Why?”
He shrugged. “I just need to know you’re okay.”
She touched his arm. “I am now.”
“You know I’m not gonna let you outta my sight,” he told her, putting his arm around her shoulder and letting her lean on him.
“I know, but really, I’m—” She cut herself off. “Actually, I’m not okay. Physically, yes. I would tell you if somethin’ was wrong, I promise. They didn’t use that horse tranquilizer on me. That’s the only reason I went with him, so he wouldn’t. The rest of the time, I was sittin’ in that chair.”
Baz looked down at her wrists because JJ said they had tied her up. He saw nothing concerning, only a hint of red from where the rope had rubbed her skin. Seeing even the slightest abrasion on her skin made that red haze return. He could hardly contain the violent urge that pulsed inside him.
“I’m scared to go anywhere by myself,” she whispered.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Baz put his arms around her, crossing them over her chest as she leaned against him. “You don’t have to.”
“Sooner or later, I will. We both know that.”
