Steph stopped at the door to what seemed to be a full-on gym, glancing around the room and praying she wasn’t drooling.

The room was filled with gorgeous, muscular men working out, several of them without their shirts on.

She’d wondered why the outer office had been completely deserted. There had been plenty of desks, but Charlotte had mentioned that most of the men who worked for this particular division of McKay-Taggart didn’t like to be tied down to desks. In deference to their unique natures, Ian had let them put two of the large conference spaces together for a gym.

“It keeps them close to the office,” Charlotte explained. “There’s also a room with a massive TV and a shocking assortment of video game systems. We’ve found if we don’t keep them engaged, they wander off.”

Beautiful, sexy men with distraction issues. “And you want one of them to watch over me? Should I worry about shiny objects?”

Charlotte laughed. “Not at all. They’re focused when they work. You have to understand some of these guys take on a single client for long stretches of time. They eat, work, sleep when the client does. It’s very involved. It’s why they don’t want to be tied to a desk when they aren’t on assignment. And this is what they do every afternoon.”

“I thought I would find you down here, baby,” a deep voice said.

She turned and Ian Taggart walked through the door. He was so close on their heels she wondered if he’d found out where they were going and run to catch up with them.

If it bothered Charlotte Taggart, Steph couldn’t tell. The woman merely grinned up at her massive husband. “You know I try not to miss the afternoon show.”

Taggart made a vomiting sound, but then sighed. “You should be glad I got my fix.” Taggart winked down at her and held up what looked like a yellow piece of cake, or perhaps a kind of lemony brownie. “Stephanie, this is what I like to call the full douche.”

“Excuse me?” He couldn’t have said what she’d thought he said.

“Yeah, you know how a group of dogs is called a pack and a bunch of crows is called a murder. A big group of bodyguards is called a douche,” Taggart proclaimed. “Idiots, every single one of them. I have no idea why I hired them.”

“You hired them because they’re the best,” Charlotte explained with a long sigh. “And now we have to pick a couple for Steph.”

“You know I could have called them into a meeting,” Taggart explained. “They are sometimes allowed to come upstairs to the big kids table, but only if they wear clothes like normal people. Blade! What the fuck is wrong with your pants? They’re supposed to be around your waist not barely hugging your ass cheeks, you douche.”

A tall, lean god of a man dropped from the bar thingee where he’d been pulling up his muscled body and then lowering it back down. And then pulling it back up and lowering it down. It was hypnotizing. She could watch that all damn day. But now the man turned, putting his hands on his hips. Taggart was right. They did ride low on his hips, showing off those gorgeous notches. She hadn’t seen notches like that on a man since…

Well, not since the night with Brody.

The man named Blade frowned his boss’s way. “There’s nothing wrong with my pants, Tag. If you want to wear those grandpa khakis around your man nipples, then good for you, but I’m not eighty-two.”

Steph waited for Tag to explode but he merely grinned, the expression making him look younger and far less scary than normal. “That’s right. I totally hired him because he’s a massive asshole. His name is Riley Blade. Yeah, I know it sounds ridiculous but someone put those two names together.”

“Yes, my mother,” Blade shot back with a roll of his dark eyes. He stepped forward, wiping off his hand with a towel before offering it to her. “You must be Dr. Gibson. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Liam called up earlier and told us all to be prepared to take shifts working with you.”

She shook his hand. “I appreciate it very much.”

“Blade is used to protecting Hollywood stars,” Charlotte pointed out. “He worked with Lyle Tarpin on his last action/adventure flick. It was exciting.”

“Not as exciting as I would have liked,” Blade said with a frown. “And I was a consultant on that, not a bodyguard. I got to tell them all the ways they were fucking up and they still did everything I told them not to do. Now I’m here and I take shit from this guy. But seriously, we all know what you did for Theo. He’s one of the good Taggarts. We’re all happy to help you out.”

“Good Taggarts? What does that mean?” Big Tag asked.

A massive man sat up on the bench press. He had dark, close-cropped hair. “It means he’s the least assholey Taggart, though I have a fondness for Sean. Any man who can make a brisket the way he does can be a complete dick and still a good guy in my book.”

“Well, all I know is I’m thrilled you decided to cut that hair off,” Taggart announced. “He used to have hair down to his shoulders. It took forever to get him to do anything because he had to curl his hair and shit.”

Charlotte slapped a hand on her husband’s chest. “Stop being such a dick.” Her face softened as she looked back at the man. “How are you, Remy?” She leaned over to Steph. “He had surgery to correct a few issues with the metal plate he has covering his brain. It’s an injury he received while serving his country. My husband should be polite about it.”

“I’m good. No complications from the surgery and my hair is growing back in nicely. I’ll be curling it again soon.” He stood and he had to be six and a half feet. Almost as tall as Brody. She barely reached the middle of his chest. He smiled down at her, charm pouring off him. “I’m Remy Guidry. I run this group of crazies. How you doing, chère?”

Oh, that accent. Pure Cajun. It made her think it had been too long since she’d even thought about sex.

“She’s doing great. She’s got a two month old,” Ian pointed out.

“Yes, I heard, and no man,” Remy replied with ease. “My own momma was a single mother. Brave and beautiful women. I will try to make your time with me as comfortable as possible. I know you’ve recently given birth to that beautiful boy of yours. I’ll make sure to take it easy. When it comes to the physical stuff.”

Wow. There it was. She’d kind of thought all those female instincts in her had died somewhere in the middle of her third trimester, but they were flaring back to life now. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

Not that she would. She wasn’t going to keep her bodyguard so close he would be in bed with her. Though it would make it easier for him to keep track of her…

Nope. Not going there. Never ever again.

Was she going to be a nun for the rest of her life? Did she have to martyr herself because she’d made a mistake? At least this time the mistake had given her the gift of Nathan.

“You do understand that Li considers her something of a kid sister, right?” Ian asked.

Remy actually took a step back and slapped Riley Blade on the shoulder. “I think this is a job for you and Burke.”

Charlotte leaned over. “Everyone’s scared of Li.”

“It’s starting to get annoying,” Ian admitted. “I’m way scarier than Li.”

Blade shook his head. “I worked a protective detail for Serena Dean-Miles at a book convention. She’s got a few crazy fans. Avery O’Donnell is her personal assistant. Jake Dean simply shook my hand, told me to take care of his girl. Adam gave me some pointers. Liam took me aside and explained that if anything happened to either of those women he would kill me, but not right away. He promised to take me somewhere and slowly feed me to a group of mangy dogs he intended to recruit off the street, but he would make sure I was alive as long as possible so I could enjoy my hideous death. He went into great detail about all of it.”

“He said that?” She couldn’t imagine it. Liam was always nice. Not always. Yeah, okay, she could see him saying that. “Well, I’m sure he didn’t mean it. You know, it’s like the dad who cleans his guns while his daughter’s date shows up.”

“I would never show that little fucker what caliber of weapons are coming his way,” Ian announced. “I will show him the report I have on him, his parents, all those fucker friends of his, and how I can find him anywhere he goes. And Li’s totally serious. He’s got a notebook filled with all the ways he can get away with murder. Serena’s been trying to get her hands on it for years, but he thinks he’s going to need it in the end. Probably for Guidry.”

A chuckle came from a man in the back. Like his cohorts, he was gorgeous. Steph put his age at roughly thirty. Dark hair and deep blue eyes that seemed built to catch the stare of any woman around. “Definitely Guidry. But he should hurry. I’m fairly certain one of his women is going to take him out first.”

The big Cajun rolled his eyes. “That will be the day.”

“Nope, it’s definitely going to be one of his one-night stands,” the man in the back replied. “We voted him the bodyguard most likely to be the subject of a Dateline episode. Hey, Taggart, those lemon bars? Why don’t you share?”

Taggart’s face went a mottled red and he clutched the box close. “Not on your life. These are mine, Landon. You shouldn’t have carbs at all. You think I don’t see that pudgy midsection you’re getting. Go back to working out.”

Landon rolled those gorgeous blue eyes and stood, proving there was absolutely nothing pudgy about him. He strode forward, offering her a hand. “I’m Shane Landon. Former LAPD. I left LaLa land like Riley here for the land of heat and sarcasm. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Doc. You are looking gorgeous as usual, Mrs. Taggart.”

Charlotte gave him a dazzling smile. “Thank you. I try, you know.” She looked back at her husband. “So when they try to steal your lemon bars, you defend them to the death, but your wife gets nothing?”

He clutched the box. “The lemon bars are completely defenseless. You are not. I trust you, baby. Any one of these guys tries something on you, you’ll take ’em out. And I’ll protect the lemon bars.”

Charlotte groaned and faced Steph again. “The only two missing today are Wade Rycroft and Declan Burke. They both have assignments this afternoon, but you’ll meet them at some point. As long as you’re in Dallas, we’ll have everyone taking shifts.” She glanced down at her watch. “I’ve got a meeting in ten minutes. Remy, can you go over protocols with Dr. Gibson? Li wants someone with her when she’s not in the building. She’s staying at Li and Avery’s.”

That was something that had to change. “No. I don’t want to impose on them anymore than I already have. I’ve got a little money saved. I can pay for a hotel.”

Sadie, the receptionist she’d met earlier, strode through the door. “Ian, did you forget your four thirty? Because he didn’t forget. He’s here. Waiting for you.”

Ian grimaced. “It’s a corporate client. Tell him I died.”

Sadie put her hands on her hips. “I got you the lemon bars. That corporate client pays us two million a year for security services. You take those lemon bars and talk to him, and you will be nice or I will sic your wife on you.”

Charlotte slid an arm around the younger woman’s shoulders. “Don’t let me forget to thank Grace for sending you our way, hon. You are perfect.”

Taggart sighed and seemed to know when he was beaten. “Women all ganging up on a man. What’s the world coming to? And she’s not perfect. We’re out of coffee. I am going to fall asleep without coffee.”

Charlotte joined him. “Sadie, can you please make a coffee run? I’ll stop by the store and pick up a case for tomorrow. For this afternoon, the cart downstairs will do. Tell them he needs at least three shots of espresso to make it taste as harsh as he likes it. No sugar. He’s got enough of that from the lemon bars. I don’t want him overstimulated.”

“Grace’s niece is mean,” Taggart was saying.

“She has to be, baby.” Charlotte patted his back as they walked away. “It’s the only way to survive you.”

Sadie sighed. “It actually is my fault we ran out of coffee. I was supposed to pick it up this morning, but I got caught in traffic, so I’ll make a quick run. You want anything?”

Remy Guidry put a hand on his chest. “Ms. Jennings, I would be forever in your debt if you would grab these guys some coffees. We need to get changed and then we can have an actual meeting with Dr. Gibson. Unfortunately, Charlotte likes to catch us working out. Most of the time we meet with clients in actual clothing. We try to be civilized.”

“Except for Burke,” Landon argued. “Nothing civilized about that asshole. He punched me in the face for asking about his back tattoo. What guy puts frilly angel wings on his back?”

“The type who punches hard,” Blade replied. “Made the same mistake. Damn near broke my nose. I’m hitting the showers and then we can all sit down with the doc and figure out how and where we’re going to protect her.”

“And I will juggle a whole lot of coffee,” Sadie said, her eyes grim with determination.

Remy nodded her way. “We’ll meet you in fifteen, Doc.”

They filed into the back of the gym through the door that led to the locker room.

“I’ll come down with you.” It wasn’t like she had anything better to do. She could go up and watch Nate sleep, but she didn’t want to disturb the nursery. Besides, she’d only been told to not leave the building. And she’d been wondering if Li wasn’t right. She had panicked. She’d been afraid for her baby and she’d let Alfi feed into that.

It didn’t make logical sense that a man would travel halfway around the world to enact vengeance on a woman he’d barely met, a woman who’d tried her hardest to help him. It was more likely that Liam was correct. The “boss” had panicked and tried to threaten her in order to make her work harder to save the man he’d probably shot himself.

Sadie gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks. They all want those super tall cups and when I have two trays, it’s hard to hit the elevator buttons. The last time I tried it myself I got caught in the insurance firm on three’s rush. They get out at a quarter to five, and let me tell you, I’ve never once seen an office empty that fast. They sprint out of here.”

Maybe it would be okay to stay at Li and Avery’s. She followed Sadie to the elevator, enjoying the easy chatter. She liked the people she’d met. Sadie talked about growing up in Waco and all the friends she had there. She’d gone to college and still kept up with her hometown people.

Steph hadn’t talked to anyone from her quiet, upstate New York town in years and years. Not because they hadn’t tried to reach out, but because it hurt too much. It hurt to watch them move on with their lives when she was stuck. Not career wise. Avery had taken care of that, but emotionally she hadn’t truly moved on.

“A lot of my friends have moved into the military,” Sadie was saying as they approached the small coffee cart. The smell of fresh ground coffee permeated the air even this late in the day. “Some of them are at Fort Hood. I’m kind of surrounded by military men, which is how I know I can’t show Uncle Ian any fear. You have to be firm with the man and not put up with his shenanigans. Although it really does help if you have something tart to shove in his face.”

Would she be around long enough to use that bit of information? “I’ll keep that in mind.”

She heard Sadie ordering from the barista, but her mind was on the talk with Avery the night before. Was it time to put down roots? Time to try to build something stable? Her clinic moved often. She went where she was needed, and sometimes she got kicked out by various officials who didn’t like her helping the poor. It happened far too often. In the seven years she’d had her clinic, she’d moved six times. What kind of existence was that for Nate?

He would probably be an only child. If she moved here, he would have a group of kids to belong to. They might not be blood, but that didn’t seem to matter to these people.

She could start a practice here. The poor didn’t only exist in Third World countries. There was plenty of need right here in the States, especially in big cities with large pockets of uninsured and homeless people.

She could do good here and Nate could have a semblance of a family.

“You want anything?” Sadie asked.

“Sure. I could use a pick me up. How about a vanilla latte?” How long had it been since she’d had one of those? Her mouth kind of watered. If she lived here, she could go to restaurants and coffee bars. It was hard when the nearest city was thirty miles away and she didn’t have a lot of backup.

She could eat and shop and have friends to do girly things with. She could maybe meet someone. Not the bodyguards. They were lovely to look at but she couldn’t handle another big, glorious manly man. Nope. She would stick to her own kind. Find a nice doctor or a lawyer who spent more time in the courtroom than a gym. No more notched hips to distract her. No way.

“Doctor? Is there a doctor? I think my friend is having a heart attack!”

Steph looked over and there was a man in the doorway to the building. Several people were pulling cell phones, assuring the panicked man that they would have an ambulance here in no time at all.

But Steph knew any time was too long, especially when she was right here. She ran toward the man. He was in jeans and a T-shirt, his beard a bit ragged. “I’m a doctor. Where is he? Did he collapse?”

“Around the corner,” the man said. “We were looking for the parking lot, but he collapsed onto the sidewalk.”

She didn’t even think about the fact that he wasn’t moving to get in front of her, merely pointing her in the direction he wanted her to go. Her adrenaline was already up. People reacted in many different ways when confronted with medical emergencies.

Her mind was on what she would need to do.

ABC. Airway. Breathing. Circulation.

“Was he conscious when you left him?” She ran around the corner and stopped. No one was lying on the ground. They were on the far side of the building, the street blocked by large bushes that also cut the majority of the noise. There was a good three or four feet of grass that ran the length of the side of the building, and there was nothing at all but green.

And she was alone with the man who had run into the building.

She turned, hoping she was wrong.

Nope. Not wrong. The man she’d been trying to help was standing there, holding a gun aimed at her head.

“Hello, Dr. Gibson,” the man said, his accent now strong. How had she not heard it before? “My boss would like to have a word with you.”

She held up her hands and prayed she survived the next few moments.

 

* * * *

 

Brody stepped into the small locker room. It looked like even though this McKay-Taggart office didn’t also house a club and living quarters, there was still space to work out. He was sure Taggart himself would call it the dog park and discuss the need for all the puppies to expend energy, or something equally obnoxious.

Liam was by his side. “Guidry? Is there a reason the office is empty?”

Even from where he was standing, Brody could hear that Cajun groan. He stepped out, his body covered only in a white towel wrapped around his waist. “We’re getting dressed. Charlotte sprang the doc on us. We didn’t think we were meeting with her. Honestly, I thought you would just tell us what we were going to do. I didn’t realize the doc had a choice in the matter. I’m a little surprised. You’re quite bossy when it comes to your family.”

“And that’s why you live alone, Guidry,” O’Donnell shot back. “You always let the woman think she has a choice. However, you’ll find I recently emailed you a schedule for who will watch over her and when and where. I’ve also sent you protocols you’re to follow, but I want you to chuck ’em right out the door.”

Guidry’s eyes narrowed. “Ah, you’ve decided this is serious. I got the feeling when you came in this morning that you weren’t sure. What’s happened in the meantime? And why the hell is the Aussie here? Shouldn’t you be back in London?”

Oh, it was time to start letting the whole team know why the hell he was here. “She’s my client. I’m running lead on this. You can look at what O’Donnell sent you all you like, but I’ll be the one making the decisions when it comes to the doctor.”

“Oh, really now?” O’Donnell asked.

“Really.”

O’Donnell watched him for a second, but then he softened slightly. “You might find that a harder job than you think.”

Probably. The new boyfriend might not like that someone she had a past with was trying to control the situation. He would deal with it. “It’s my job, all the same.”

“As it happens, I agree with you.” O’Donnell turned back to Guidry. “Where is Steph? She isn’t in the office, that I can see.”

“I told her to wait in there,” Guidry explained. “She was talking to Sadie when Shane, Riley, and I hit the showers. She can’t have gone far. Maybe she walked back upstairs for a minute.”

“She got in a lift with the pretty receptionist chick.” Tucker walked in, glancing around at the new surroundings. “Hey, we’ve got something like this back in London.”

“She got in a lift?” Then they were likely right and he needed to go back upstairs. When he got hold of her, he would tie her to a bloody chair and then she couldn’t lead him on a merry chase. “I’ll try to catch her upstairs. You wait down here. Ping my mobile if you see her first.”

He started to turn to go.

Tucker shook his head. “I don’t think she was heading up to the other floor. I was kind of wandering around because the cute receptionist actually has quite the bad attitude. I was surprised by that. I read somewhere that women who get employed in her position are generally hired for their welcoming natures. Not so with Sadie. She told me she would find a new home for her letter opener if I didn’t stop touching her. I don’t think she meant a new desk. I got the feeling she intended to use the letter opener for something painful.”

Which proved that the bloke still had good instincts.

O’Donnell’s shoulders squared. “You touched her?”

This was why he hadn’t wanted to bring one of the lads with him. They weren’t good in the real world yet, but they never would be if they didn’t get out. He got that. It was up to him to protect the poor bastard until he understood enough of the world to get by on his own.

Brody stepped between O’Donnell and Tucker, trying to ward off what would likely be Tucker getting his arse handed to him. “Tucker, tell the nice Irishman why you were touching her and where.”

Tucker was smart enough to stay behind him, but Brody could hear the confusion in the younger man’s voice as he began to speak. “I was trying to hold her hand. I read in a book that the way to let a woman know you are truly listening to her is to hold her hand and look her in the eyes when you speak to her.”

“Back off, O’Donnell,” Brody warned. “He wasn’t trying anything perverted. He simply doesn’t understand how to behave. Every single thing the kid knows of the world he learned from a bloody book. He’s basically a toddler.”

O’Donnell seemed to deflate slightly. He looked at Tucker and there was something almost fatherly about him this time. “That kind of advice is for when you’re dating a woman, not one you’ve recently met. It was unnerving for Sadie to have you suddenly holding her hand. Intimacy takes time. And stop reading books like that. You have questions, ask the other members of your team.”

“The other members of my team don’t know anything either,” Tucker replied. “Though Sasha did tell me something about women who will sleep with you for money. I don’t have any money. Could I borrow some money? It might be simpler that way. I don’t seem to be good at attracting a woman myself.”

O’Donnell’s jaw dropped. “Is he serious? And you’ve got five of them?”

“Six, actually, though Robert hides it better than the rest of them. I think it’s because he spent so much time with Theo Taggart.” Or because, unlike the rest of them who were just horny bastards, Robert had a focus for his longing. He turned back to Tucker. “Let’s hold off on the prostitutes for a bit. Where did Steph go?”

“Well, if she was the chick with the letter-opening-loving receptionist who broke my heart, then she went downstairs. I overheard them talking about coffee,” Tucker explained. “Actually, I could use some. And all the talk about lemon bars made me hungry. Also, the danger made me hungry.”

He nearly groaned. The bloke didn’t understand danger yet.

“Sadie was doing a coffee run,” Guidry explained. “We’re out and being out of caffeine is a serious issue around here. It’s okay though. The coffee cart is inside the building. They’ll be back up here any minute. The building is perfectly safe. We train the guards. Hell, I’ll call down there right now and let the guard on duty know to keep eyes on her. He’ll let me know when she’s coming back up, if she’s not already.”

He strode back into the locker room. Hopefully he’d put on some damn pants.

Brody turned back to O’Donnell. “I thought you were taking care of her. I didn’t think you would let her run around wild. And where is that boyfriend of hers?”

“He’s incredibly concerned about the boyfriend,” Tucker offered helpfully. “He’s got everyone back in London trying to run down information on the poor man.”

“We need to know who’s gotten close to the client.” He sent Tucker a stare that should have made him think twice.

“I think it’s about how close this dude is to the client, if you know what I mean.” And there went Tucker’s survival instincts. “The rumor around our office is that Brody likes the doctor but hasn’t figured out how to move things to the next level. I believe the next level is sex that happens more than once. Sex that occurs on a regular and much-needed human basis. You see, this is why I read those books. Damon doesn’t want to talk to us about stuff like this. Nick screwed up and lost his girl for a long time before getting her back. Kay doesn’t do relationships, and Brody is bad at them. Walt is as clueless as the rest of us, though he did offer to try to make personalized musks for each of us. I was reading a book on how animals attract mates.”

Walt was an arsehole, and he would have those boys wearing yak urine as cologne and laughing his arse off about it. It might be funny if they wouldn’t stink up the place.

“So you’re worried about young Nate?” Liam’s lips had curled into a slight smile.

“Just how young is he? One of our potentials was only nineteen.” Had she gotten involved with a child? Somehow, he couldn’t see it. She needed a strong man. She was a stubborn woman, smart and resourceful and pig-headed when she wanted to be. It would take a strong man to put his foot down when she tried to go headlong into danger.

“He’s not nineteen, but he’s certainly young,” O’Donnell explained, his eyes lighter than before. “Seems nice enough, though he needs to keep it down at night. That was quite a racket he made. Our guest room is on the other end of the house from the master and I could still hear him.”

Brody’s fists clenched at the thought.

“See, he’s doing a lot of things right now that many psychologists would call physical tells,” Tucker said in a low voice. “Tight fists. Clenched jaw. His skin flushed. Now that could be a sign of anger or embarrassment or even sexual arousal. I don’t think it’s the third, though, because he seems pretty hetero to me.”

“If you don’t shut your trap, mate, I’ll shut it for you.” He should have come alone.

O’Donnell was laughing. “This is the best. I thought it would be a rough day, but this has definitely made it better. Maybe Tucker should stay here with us and irritate the shit out of Big Tag.”

Tucker would be dead in a day. Or Big Tag would find him amusing and set him on everyone else.

Before Brody could foist Tucker off on the Dallas office, Remy strode back in and had every single bit of Brody’s attention. He’d put on jeans, but hadn’t bothered with shoes. He’d managed to throw on a shirt, but it was unbuttoned. None of that set off Brody’s instincts the way the Browning pistol in the Cajun’s hand did.

“We’re on our way down,” Guidry was saying into his phone. “Check the security footage. I want to know which way she went and who went with her. And block one of the elevators. I know it’s quitting time, but I need one up here and dedicated to getting me down there ASAP. Lock out everyone but McKay-Taggart.”

Brody’s heart sped up. “What’s happened?”

Two new men came out of the locker room. Riley Blade and Shane Landon, if he remembered correctly. Both men were carrying their sidearms. Unlike their boss, they’d managed to put on shoes, though both sported wet hair.

Guidry strode out, obviously expecting everyone to follow. He moved toward the lifts. “Approximately three minutes ago, someone walked into the lobby screaming that he needed a doctor.”

“Bloody hell.” There was no question in Brody’s mind what Steph would do. It wouldn’t matter that she was in danger. She would go anywhere, with anyone, if she thought she was needed.

Li had his mobile out, putting it to his ear as they made it to the lifts. “Steph? Pick up the phone. Damn it. She’s not answering. I gave her a new phone this morning. I told her to keep it with her at all times.”

“Which she wouldn’t if she was doing CPR on someone,” Blade pointed out. “I’m taking the stairs.”

Guidry nodded and pointed to Landon. “Go with him. Hopefully we make it down first, but head out the minute you hit the floor.”

“Well, I hadn’t gotten to the cardio portion of my day,” Landon said before taking off for the stairs.

Brody waited for the lift doors to open, cursing the fact that Taggart had to have the best views.

That view could cost Steph her life.

“You know she really could be saving someone’s life,” Guidry pointed out. “Heart attacks do happen. The guards have called 911. We could be walking into a situation where we scare the crap out of someone who’s barely holding on to life.”

Brody shook his head. He trusted his gut. His gut said this was far too much of a coincidence to be real. “Nah, he found out where she was and he knew exactly how to get to her. He’s probably had men watching for her.”

“Then we’ll pick them up on CCTV,” Tucker said, sounding far more serious than he had all day. “We can send every face through the software and maybe we’ll get a name.”

“Good.” His heart was racing, but it came to him in that moment that he’d made a mistake. A horrible mistake that he needed to correct as soon as possible.

When he got hold of her—please, please let her be alive—she would know who was in charge, and it wouldn’t be some playboy kid.

He realized in that moment that he’d been so bloody wrong. She did need him. He’d thought all along that she was too smart for him. Nope. Not for a second. Her brain might be brilliant but it had not a single lick of common sense.

“I need you to understand that I’m done playing around, O’Donnell,” he said under his breath as the lift doors finally opened. “That woman belongs to me and I intend to let her know.”

Li pushed the button that would take them to the bottom of the building. “And I intend to sit back and see what happens. I need the man alive, Brody. If she’s been taken, we have to try to not kill the fucker.”

“No promises.” If the man had laid a hand on her, he wasn’t sure what he would do. Except that it would be brutal and painful.

She was his. It all fell into place. He’d been a damn moron to not see it.

The woman needed a keeper. He was nothing but a grunt who’d spent his whole life as cannon fodder, protecting men who were worth more than him.

She was everything to him. Why couldn’t he be that for her? Why couldn’t he spend the rest of his life protecting her?

He watched in tense silence as the floor number got smaller and smaller.

The doors opened and Brody ran out, hoping beyond hope that there was still time to save her.