My room wasn’t as close to Aerie’s as I would have liked. As aforementioned, I am not a moron. Therefore, I never told her I would have preferred to share a wall.
Since I got here, she never so much as came to the door, let alone walk right in, so imagine me shocked as shit when I opened my eyes to find her hovering over me, staring down with wide eyes.
“Princess?” I exclaimed. Not even my shock could conceal the thick sleep in my voice.
It was dark as hell in this room, had to be the dead middle of the night. Yet here she was, her dark hair blending in with the shadows, the whites of her eyes standing out exceptionally. She danced back and forth from foot to foot as she hovered near where I lay.
“There’s someone in the house,” she whispered, clutching Cheeto against her chest.
I jerked up, the covers falling down around my waist. “What?”
Aerie’s head bobbed. “We need to get out.”
My brain was tripping to catch up, even though adrenaline was already pumping through my veins. “Why isn’t the alarm going off?”
She moved closer to the mattress, so close her body came into contact with it. “Because someone cut the power. I have an alert on my phone that tells me if something like this happens.”
“You’re sure someone cut the power and it just didn’t go out?” Even as I asked, I shoved the covers back.
A loud bang from somewhere in the house caused my head to whip around.
“I already called the police. It’s going to take them a few to get all the way out here,” she whispered.
I leapt out of the bed, not self-conscious at all of the fact all I had on was a pair of boxer briefs.
“Get in bed,” I demanded, pointing at the spot I’d just vacated.
“What?” she stammered. “No. We have to go.”
“He’s already in the house, A. I’m not risking your safety by lurking around this house for the door. Get in the damn bed.” My heart was thundering, my mind already calculating. I really hoped there wasn’t more than one or two men.
“What are you going to do?”
My eyes flashed up to her scared face.
“Get in the bed, princess.” Gently, I shoved her in and pulled the covers up over her bare legs. “Don’t open the door for anyone. Not even me.”
“What?”
“Do it,” I said, no room for argument in my tone. “You’ll be safe in here ‘til the cops come.”
I started to rush from the room, but her urgent voice stopped me. “Nate! Don’t do this!”
“Keep this locked.” I reminded her, locking the handle and then slipping out into the hallway, shutting it behind me.
After a quick check to verify the bedroom door was definitely locked, I moved down the hall, keeping my back against the wall as I crept.
I knew someone who wanted in that room could get through the lock. But they’d have to get through me first. I might not be as big as her bodyguards, or as skilled, but I wasn’t completely lacking. I had what it took, at the very least, to keep the them fuck away from her until reinforcements showed up.
What the hell was going on anyway? Who had balls big enough to bypass Aerie’s very elaborate security system and waltz right into her estate? Why?
Overzealous fan?
Stalker?
Someone who didn’t know she was home and wanted an easy payday?
What if she was here alone?
My blood ran cold at the last thought. Technically, she was supposed to be here alone. If I hadn’t showed up and basically conned my way in, she would be running around this house right now, alone in the dark, against unknown opponents.
“Toss the place,” I heard a deep, low voice command as I crept to the top of the stairs. It wasn’t quite as dark here because of all the large windows at the front. The moonlight filtered in, giving me some sense of the space.
There was more than one man.
A few other muffled thuds and the sound of shattering glass echoed through the night.
“This is pretty nice shit,” another said. “I’m keeping this.”
I slinked down the stairs, hoping they were too busy with their felony to come out and notice me. At the bottom, there was a piece of furniture tucked against the wall with some oversized, wooden candleholders in various heights. The second my bare feet left the last step, I crept to the holders and silently picked up the biggest, heaviest one.
It wasn’t a gun, but I was better at baseball than shooting anyway.
“C’mon, next room. Then we’ll go find her.”
Goose bumps raced over my skin. That temper in me exploded like an erupting volcano. Trashing this house was one thing. Going after my girl?
Fuck no.
Bubbling anger made me move faster, rushing across the cold floor. I didn’t look down, but toward the living room.
Sharp pain sliced through the pad of my foot, and then more stinging pain followed. I bit down on my lip and stuttered to a stop, but it wasn’t a silent sound. My sudden movements sent broken glass shards sliding over the tile and clinking into each other.
A few things happened instantly:
1. I noted the giant windowpane that was smashed in near the door.
2. My presence was no longer secret.
3. We all stopped, silently trying to sense each other out.
After I stood frozen for all of the span of several heart beats, I burst into action. Ignoring the pain in the bottom of my feet, I rushed into the room, brandishing the candleholder.
“Who the hell are you?” one of the men exclaimed.
Barely noting how trashed the room was, I rushed toward the closest man. There were two of them, all in black, ski masks covering their fuckwad faces.
I used the element of surprise I had going and lunged, swinging the heavy wood and clocking him on the side of the head. He dropped onto the floor like an anvil and didn’t move.
I crashed stares with the second man, but then he took off deeper into the house. No longer attempting to be any kind of quiet, he grabbed and pulled things as he went, leaving a trail of shit for me to maneuver around as I chased.
Just when I thought he was going into the kitchen, he veered off, ducking into a small hallway that led back out to the front of the house near the front door.
I picked up the pace, thinking he was going to try and run out the front door. As I rounded the corner, he jolted up the first step.
Holy fuck, he’s going for Aerie.
“You mother fucker!” I yelled. “Don’t you touch her!”
He laughed as I scrambled after him. Dropping the candlestick, I took the stairs three at a time, catching his out-of-shape ass at the top. With a running leap, I jumped on his back, and he fell onto his knees. I punched him in the side of the head, and he grabbed me, flipping me over his shoulder.
I landed on my back, sprawled out in front of him.
He grunted as his fist came down like a hammer. I rolled just before he caught me in the face.
Scrambling up to my knees, I lunged, knocking him backward. With him on his back, I leapt on top of him and decked him in the face. Then I did it again. The sound of the bones in my hand crunching didn’t make me pause as I drew back my fist a third time.
The man rolled, using his weight and hands to shove as we went. I hit the wall with a thud. The painting hanging there rattled loudly. The man stood, and I rushed to do the same.
“Nate!” Aerie screamed, her voice muffled from behind the door at the end of the hall.
“Don’t you open that—oomph.” With my distraction at hearing Aerie call out, the man buried his fist in my gut. I folded over, grabbing my middle, but then jerked upright again.
We stood there, measuring each other, chests heaving. I should have ripped the mask off his face when I had the chance, though at least I got in some good hits. His mouth was bloody and so was his nose.
Aerie screamed for me again, and the man’s mouth curved into a slow, sadistic smile.
I lunged, throwing all my weight into him, slamming us both into the wall behind him. His head bounced off, and I took a cheap shot, kneeing him right in the balls.
I didn’t give a fuck. Any man who would break into some defenseless woman’s house with the intent to do her harm didn’t deserve a pair anyway.
Douche.
He doubled over with a whimper, and I stepped back, wiping at the side of my mouth. Preparing to launch myself at him one more time, I lurched forward.
The burglar snapped upright, suddenly more confident than before. The muzzle of a gun glinted in the dark, and the sound of it cocking made me stop.
“Step aside,” he slurred, pointing the weapon at the center of my chest.
I kept my eyes trained on his, not giving the gun a glance.
“You’re not going down this hallway,” I growled.
“We’ll just see about that.”