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“Fucking Wally,” Jules spat. I frowned at Jules. Really, there was no need for—

“Fuck, I forgot that. We had to just in case they activated us early.” Jason met my gaze. “What are you thinking? That they sent someone here to eliminate us?”

I smiled wryly because there was truth here: “You know we’re a thorn in their side. That last mission… That was a freaking suicide mission. They didn’t expect to bring you home alive.”

“We thought the same,” Auggie commented, peering through the sight of the AR-15 rifle he’d chosen. “This is nice.” He hefted the rifle in acknowledgement, then strode over to the banister, aimed toward the front door, and toyed with the lights and optics until he got them where he wanted them.

“I know,” I muttered, watching as they all slipped on their underwear and chose weapons. As expected, they each picked what I’d specifically chosen for them. Flash grenades and knives for Jules; handguns for Jason and Vance, Vance’s being a heavier version than Jason's.

I grabbed my phone, remotely disabling the alarm lights and dimming all the other lights in the apartment. We’d have the advantage of time for our eyes to adjust, assuming our unexpected visitors didn’t bother with infrared goggles. I then pulled up my camera feeds. The elevator had been blacked out. I cursed and changed feeds. The small foyer outside my front door was still viable.

“They are in the elevator now.” I turned on the speaker, and we could all hear the shuffling and heavy breathing through my phone.

“Check the exterior feeds,” Jason murmured.

I nodded and toggled to the cameras I had mounted on my balcony and by the floor-to-ceiling window from which someone could swing down from the roof and attempt to break through. They’d absolutely get a rude awakening if they tried, though, since I had bulletproof glass installed. They’d bounce off with a likely broken leg or two if I planned it right. Oh, sure, they could get through eventually, but it would absolutely slow them down.

“Balcony is compromised,” I said when my camera feed showed me nothing but the night sky, meaning the camera had been turned. I pointed to the glass doors obscured by the blackout curtains I’d installed to keep out the late afternoon sun. “The door on the right opens inward. If you stand on the left, you can catch them coming inside.”

“Mine,” Jules chirped, hustling down the steps to take up position in front of the floor-length dark curtains.

“I call kitchen,” Vance said before staring at Jason, who responded with a grim nod and shifted closer to me.

“Oh, hell no,” I muttered. “I can protect myself. I don’t need—”

“Hush,” Jason said sharply. He cupped my cheek with a hand. “You’re ours. Our Omega. We are going to do everything we can to protect you, whether you like it or not.” He slid his hand from my cheek to my belly, and I had no doubt what he was thinking. I hadn’t given the possibility even a second of thought, but my Alpha had.

“Okay,” I agreed.

“Good. Go stand in the doorway to the bathroom and let us know numbers if you get them.”

“Yes, Alpha.” I hurried into position, and as I slipped on the silk robe I had hanging on the back of the door, I toggled to the camera in the foyer just in time to see the elevator doors parting.

“Four at the front,” I whisper-shouted. “The balcony can hold another four easily.”

“Excellent,” Auggie quipped, staring down the scope of the rifle he had perched on the railing. “The odds are in our favor.”

I stared at the screen, watching as they assembled in the hall. “Don’t try shooting through the door. It’s got a steel interior. You’ll just waste ammo. Shit. Spray can; gonna go dark in a sec. I see at least one shield coming out. Aim low, Augustus.”

“Got it.” Auggie adjusted the rifle accordingly.

“Did you see if they had goggles?” Jason asked.

“No.”

“Dim the lights another ten percent. Do you have the place wired for sound?”

“I do.” I grabbed an earbud, then quickly accessed the home app and dimmed the lights until there was only a faint glow from the bulbs. Seeing the setting for my office/computer room, I belatedly remembered that it doubled as a panic room, and how the hell did I forget that until just‌ now? “Fuck.”

“What?” Jason snapped, not looking at me, but his eyes darting between the balcony and the front door.

I didn’t think my team leader would appreciate not having all the pertinent information at once, but I also didn’t think he would appreciate being left in the dark. “I… um… kind of forgot that my office doubles as a panic room.”

“River,” my alpha growled, then he sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Just lock it down for now. I don’t really think these guys will be a problem.”

I remotely closed the steel-reinforced door to it. “Done.”

Jules chirped, signaling movement from his location.