I cracked my eyes open and immediately shut them again, the light filtering in through the two bedroom windows slicing through my head like a sword. With a silent curse, I roll over to face the opposite side of the room and gingerly pry my eyes open again. They are grainy, and the pain in my head is a motherfucker, but the sight in front of me is worth all the pain in the world.
Rayne is still sleeping, one arm thrust above her and the other draped across her middle. Her face is so peaceful in the early morning light that I go still while I stare. Trying to recall the previous night with her, I frown as the fuzzy details evade me.
Dinner…right? No, drinks. She was stressed about everything happening with that sick fuck Horton, so I took her to that swanky place near NES…
Frowning, my face screws up with the effort to remember. Did I drink too much? Not likely, not when I had Rayne with me and a known psychopath stalking her every move.
A picture from the previous night slams into me: men sitting near us at the bar, smug smiles; one stares at Rayne and tips his hat at me.
“Son of a bitch!” Sitting straight up in bed, I rub my head when it protests the quick movement.
“Jer?” Rayne’s sexy, groggy morning voice draws my attention back down to where she lies.
Lying back down beside her, I study her face, using my fingers to trace the delicate lines. When my thumb scrapes gently across her full bottom lip, her eyes flutter open completely.
“Hey.” Her face lights up with a sweet smile, and all I want to do is pull her into my arms and kiss her.
“You okay, darlin’?” My voice is urgent. “Last night…I went down, right? Motherfucker drugged my drink?”
Her lips roll between her teeth and her eyes show concern. “You remember? How are you feeling this morning?”
I prop my head up on my elbow and study her face, scan her body where it’s visible, and cup her cheek. “You’re safe. Thank God. What happened, Rayne? And where’s Decker?”
Sitting up, I pull her with me as agitation and a serious sense of pissed-offness invades my system. Pulling her close, I feel her touch is the only thing that can bring any sort of calm to my chaotic brain. All I can think about is the fact that I was out of commission the previous night, leaving her to fend for herself against the maniac hunting her.
Goddammit. I can’t do this for one more day. We have to bring Wagner Horton down.
“Well…” Rayne curls her body against mine, worrying her bottom lip as she peeks up at me. “Decker’s safe. He’s at Macy’s with Dare keeping watch. And you were really amazing, considering. You realized what had happened immediately, told me your drink had been drugged. You knocked mine over before I could take another sip, and you told me to call Ronin, which I did.”
“Swagger? He here?” Glancing at the closed bedroom door, all I see is Night curled up on his dog bed close by.
Rayne nods. “Yep. Downstairs on the couch all night.”
I take a deep breath in through my nose, hold it, and release it slowly through my mouth. “Good. When I think about what could have happened, Rayne…I could kill someone. With my bare hands.”
Shaking her head, she rests it on my shoulder and squeezes my arm with one of her hands. “Don’t. I’m safe. Decker’s safe. Everything is okay.”
As the anger surges through me to a point I can no longer control, I shove the covers away and shoot out of bed. Walking to the window, I pull both hands behind my head and stare out onto the quiet tree-lined street. “This needs to end.”
Turning back to Rayne, I stutter to a stop. Because she looks so damn gorgeous, sitting up against the headboard with messed-up hair and wearing my T-shirt. She’s exactly the picture I want to see in my bed every single morning from here on out. But I can’t truly enjoy it, not when I know someone’s trying to rip her away from me.
“Baby…I want you to pull out a bag for you and one for Decker. Start packing. I’m going to go down to talk to Swagger.”
Moving toward the door, I stop when I hear the alarm in her voice. “Packing?”
I glance over at her. “I’m getting you and Decker out of Wilmington. My family has to come first. I want you guys out of here while the team wraps this up.”
Her eyebrows scrunch together in an adorable frown I want to kiss off her face. “I don’t want to leave without you, Jeremy.”
Striding back to the bed, I lean down and take her mouth. She tastes so sweet, even first thing in the morning. When the pounding in my head reminds me that I still have a nasty hangover courtesy of Wagner Horton, I pull away with a whole lot of fucking regret.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, leaning my forehead against hers. “But I didn’t mean I was sending you and Deck away. Neither of you are going anywhere without me.”
Pulling back, the corners of her mouth tip up in a smile. “Really?”
Nodding, I focus on her deep blue eyes. “Yeah, darlin’. Not letting you out of my sight. The team can go in and get Horton at this point, as soon as they pinpoint his location. Then they’ll call in the authorities, he’ll be arrested, and we’re back here in a matter of days.”
She releases a happy sigh. “I like this plan.”
Giving her a quick kiss before turning for the door once more, I throw back over my shoulder, “Me, too.”
Night rushes off his bed, stretches his front paws out in front of him and arches his back, and then bounds in front of me to beat me down the stairs. I find Swagger in the kitchen, sipping from a mug of coffee.
“You need a shave.” Indicating the few days’ worth of dark scruff on his face, I head straight for the coffeemaker.
Without glancing up from his mug, he fires back. “Scruff is sexy. No one told you?”
Rubbing a hand over my usually clean-shaven face, I smirk because I’ve had too much on my mind to shave for the past few days. “Yeah, I got the memo.”
Grabbing a mug from the cabinet and pouring a cup of the steaming black liquid, I carry it to the counter across from Swagger. He glances up and I hold my fist out.
“I owe you.”
“Bullshit. We’re a team, always have been. She’s important to you, she’s important to me.”
“She’s the mother of my kid.” Saying it out loud still freaks me out, but in a good way. “Thanks for keeping her safe.”
Swagger leans back on his stool, folding his arms across his chest. “When do I get to meet the kid? I’m pretty sure it’s gonna blow my mind, seeing you as a dad.”
The thought of Decker brings an immediate smile to my face. “If it weren’t for all the crazy shit going on, everyone would have met the little dude already. I’ll plan a cookout for when we get back. Everyone’s invited.”
Swagger frowns. “Back from where?”
Holding up a finger, I retrieve my cell phone from the charging dock where someone placed it last night and bring it back to the island. Pulling up Boss Man’s number, I hit SEND and place the phone on the counter.
“Heard about what happened.” Boss Man’s voice barks out of the speaker. “Everything all right this morning?”
“Yeah, thanks. But it’s too hot in Wilmington right now. I’m thinking I need to take Rayne and Decker away for a few days while the team neutralizes Horton.”
Ronin lifts a brow, and I lift one shoulder in a shrug.
I’ve never walked away from a mission before. But in this case, my family is my mission. And getting them out of harm’s way is my first priority. I know I can count on the rest of the NES team to finish what I started. And I’m the only one I feel comfortable enough protecting my family.”
“I can compute with that plan, Brains.” Jacob Owen’s voice is thoughtful. “But I don’t want to send you alone. Take Wheels with you. Have any idea where you’re going?”
“Haven’t gotten that far, Boss.”
“Mountains. I have a cabin in the high country that’s off the beaten path. You three can hole up there until we bring Horton in. Shouldn’t be long.”
Relief swarms around me, mixing with gratitude. I would have found a place to take Decker and Rayne, someplace off the grid where we wouldn’t be easily found, but Jacob had just made things that much easier.
After discussing logistics a few minutes further, I end the call. Taking a long swig of my coffee, I lean back and just breathe for a minute. Having a strategy in action for getting my family out of the fray brings me a sense relief. And an overwhelming feeling of determination to implement the plan as soon as possible.
“Rayne’s upstairs packing.” Chugging the rest of my coffee, I push it aside and glance at Swagger. Every muscle in my body is tense. No matter how many plans I make I’m not going to be able to relax until the threat to them is eliminated. And as important as it is for me to be the one keeping them safe, it’s gonna drive me fucking insane that I’m not the one going after Horton.
“Hey.” Swagger’s voice breaks into my thoughts. “Don’t sweat it. You know I’m gonna do this for you, bro.”
“Yeah.” I glance at him without smiling. “I know.”
Swagger shoves back from the counter. “I’m headed home to shower and then I’m headed into the office. Today, Brains. We bring him down today and hopefully you can bring your family back home tomorrow.”
Tomorrow.
This will be over tomorrow, and then I can start a life with Rayne and my son.
Tomorrow.