Guarded from Treachery (Blade and Arrow Security Bravo Team #4)

Chapter 9

9

ISLA

T here’s no reason to be nervous.

It’s just a trip to the doctor. No big deal. I’ve done this plenty of times before.

Ha.

And if I believe that, there’s a bridge in Brooklyn that has my name on it.

“Isla, are you sure you’re alright?”

I’m so tense I actually let out a little yelp as Matt’s voice breaks the silence in the car, and I startle badly enough to whack my funny bone on the inside of the car door. Clapping my hand to my sore elbow, I try to hide my wince as I reply, “Oh, yes. Totally fine.”

Matt glances over at me, his brow creased with concern. Voice tinged with skepticism, he asks, “Are you sure?” His gaze moves to my elbow, which I’m still rubbing to ease the pain. “Shit, Isla. Did you hurt yourself?”

He reaches across the backseat and gently cups my elbow, leaning his head close to inspect it. As his thumb brushes across my skin, a little tingle follows in its wake. And just like that, the pain is gone, along with the worries about this impending appointment.

It’s amazing how he does that. Without even trying, Matt has this magical ability to make all the bad stuff fade away. Not gone entirely, I’m not sure any sort of magic could do that, but when he touches me, or even looks at me, really, I feel ten times better than I did before.

Another thing that’s amazing? How my skin feels electrified every time he touches it.

I’ve never felt that before. Not that I haven’t dated or had boyfriends—I’ve had some, although not a lot—but there’s never been this sort of zing . Like I’m filled with static electricity and Matt’s the spark.

Not that we’re dating. Even if I wanted to, there’s no way he’d want to be involved in my screwed up life. Branded a liar by the police and my parents, hiding from at least one person, if not more, and pregnant .

Yeah. I’m a real prize right now.

“Isla?” Worry turns Matt’s voice rough. “Do you need Rhi to look at it? If you’re hurt…”

From the passenger seat, Rhiannon turns to look at us, her eyes darkening to a deep, inky blue. “Are you okay, Isla? What happened?”

As we come to a stoplight, Erik glances in the rearview mirror, his face creased with concern. Goofy Erik is gone, replaced by the serious one I’ve gotten to know during our yoga and meditation sessions. “Are you alright, Isla?”

“She hurt her elbow,” Matt interjects before I have a chance to speak. “I think she hit it on the car door.” Guilt shadows his features. “I startled her. It’s my fault.”

Looking at the trio of worried faces, my throat closes for a second.

They’re all concerned about me . And I know it’s their job, but it feels like more than that. Like they actually care about me as a friend and not just a client.

“Isles?” It’s Matt’s new nickname for me, which I pretend to hate but actually love. “Can you talk to me? Tell me what’s wrong?”

“Sorry.” I force a smile. “My elbow’s fine. Just hit my funny bone is all. Nothing to worry about.”

Rhiannon gives me an appraising look. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Definitely.” I show her my reddened but clearly undamaged elbow. “See? It’s fine. But thank you. Really.”

As Rhiannon turns back around, she scans the road again, easily the twentieth time she’s done it since we got into the car fifteen minutes ago. They didn’t come right out and tell me, but it’s clear each of them has a specific role in getting me to the doctor and back. Erik’s the driver, obviously, Rhiannon’s the lookout, and Matt’s the protector, sitting beside me in the backseat ready to fling himself over me at the first sign of danger.

Not that I really think anything’s going to happen. It’s Saturday morning, with the usual glut of Dallas traffic all around us, we’re in the special Blade and Arrow SUV with bulletproof windows and reinforced exterior, and I have three highly-trained former Green Berets guarding me.

Right. So there’s no reason to be nervous.

Except that I’m about to have my first appointment with my new OB/GYN. To have an ultrasound and see the little being that’s growing inside me.

In normal circumstances, I’d be excited. But in all the times I thought about having a baby, this was not how I imagined it.

“Hey.” His voice pitched low, Matt touches my arm to draw my attention. “Are you nervous?” A beat later, he grimaces. “Of course you are. That’s a stupid question. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“I’m kind of nervous,” I admit. “Going to the doctor… it makes this all feel more real. And I’m scared of what the doctor will ask. If she’ll even believe me.”

Matt hesitates before responding, his forehead creasing as he thinks. A little wrinkle forms between his brows, the one I affectionately named—to myself, never to him—his thinking line. Whenever he’s deep in thought, that same line appears, and I always know he’s about to say something really smart or intuitive.

“That makes sense,” he finally says. “But just remember, we’ve got your six. I’ve got your six. And we all believe you. So if this doctor acts like an ass—a jerk, we’ll find you another one.” Pausing, he adds, “And how about this? We can go get that ice cream you like after? And stop at that food truck you mentioned? The one with the gourmet mac and cheeses?”

“Oh, I love mac and cheese,” Erik adds. The car slows as he signals to turn into the medical plaza parking lot. “Do you think they have cheeseburger style? With pickles and onions and special sauce?”

“Ew.” Rhiannon makes a face at him. “That sounds disgusting. Pickles on macaroni and cheese? Gross.”

“It’s not gross,” he retorts. “I had cheeseburger mac and cheese at this little food truck in Pittsburgh. It was delicious.”

“No thanks.” Rhiannon lifts her chin. “I’ll stick with traditional.” She makes another ew face. “Pickles. Yuck.”

“I don’t know.” I lean over and pat Erik on the shoulder. “I think it sounds interesting. And I’m not sure if they have it there, but I bet if you ask, they could make it.”

As Erik pulls into a parking spot, he turns and flashes me a little smile. “Thanks, Isla.”

Beside me, Matt takes my hand and gives it a little squeeze. “So, ice cream and mac and cheese? We’ll get our dairy quota for the week?”

Holding his gaze, I reply, “That sounds perfect.”

And for a second, everything feels almost normal.

I’m just out with three friends, talking about our plans for the day.

Then Erik turns the engine off and says, “Okay. Let’s just review the plan one more time before we go in.”

The sense of normality fades.

My stomach flips over.

“I’ll be in the car,” Erik continues, “just to ensure no one tries to tamper with it.”

Tamper with the car? Wonderful. Another thing to worry about.

“Rhi and I will be inside with you,” Matt adds. “One of us will stay in the reception area, and the other will be stationed right outside the exam room. So if there’s a problem, you can just call out. Or use the earrings—you remember how to use them, right?”

Another thing the Blade and Arrow team gave me as a precaution is a pair of earrings with GPS trackers in them. And if I press the center of either of them, an alert goes off, and they’ll know right away that I’m in trouble.

“Yes.” I take a deep breath, trying to breathe past the anxiety compressing my lungs. “Press them in the middle.”

“Not that I think you’ll need them,” he replies. “But we like to cover all the bases just to be sure.”

“Okay.” Nausea rises, not from morning sickness this time, but nerves. “Let’s get this over with.”

As we walk into the building, Matt flanking me on one side, Rhiannon the other, a wave of sadness sweeps over me unexpectedly. Fear, worry, stress—those are all emotions I’m used to by now. But this bone-deep sorrow is something new.

This isn’t how I wanted it to be.

I want to be here with the father of my baby. A man I know and love, not some shadowy stranger who may be the one responsible for trying to abduct me. This is supposed to be an exciting time, seeing the heartbeat, wondering what sex it is, getting the little printed photo of the baby like I’ve seen some of my coworkers proudly display on their desks.

Once I’m checked in, we take three seats in a row against the wall facing the door, me in the middle again. Rhiannon exchanges a quick glance with Matt before looking at me. “Isla. Would you prefer to have me wait outside the exam room or Matt?”

While I know the more practical answer would be Rhiannon—as a woman, she’ll receive less attention standing outside the exam room—I answer instinctively, “Matt, please. If that’s okay?”

“Of course it’s okay,” he replies quickly.

Rhiannon nods. “Absolutely. So I’ll wait out here. And before you know it, we’ll be headed to get ice cream and some of that revolting mac and cheese Erik was talking about.”

It all sounds good in theory. Erik waiting with the car, Rhiannon standing guard in reception, and Matt positioned outside my room, ready to jump in if I need him. And like Rhi said, I’ll be done before I know it. In less than an hour, I’ll be having ice cream and listening to Rhiannon and Erik banter about macaroni and cheese.

But ten minutes later, as the nurse leads Matt and I to the exam room, panic blossoms inside me again.

I don’t want to be alone in there.

Not because I think I’m in danger. I just don’t want to be alone.

But I don’t want just anyone in there with me. I want Matt.

At the exam room door, the nurse gestures for me to go in ahead of her. When Matt hesitates outside, she looks at Matt, her eyes flickering with appreciation. “And the father? Are you going in, too?”

He frowns. “I don’t?—”

Before I can stop myself, I blurt, “Please. Come in with me.”

I know I shouldn’t have asked. It’s not Matt’s job to keep me company during such a personal thing. “Never mind,” I add quickly. “Forget I said anything.”

“Of course I’m coming in.” He straightens, his broad shoulders lifting. Then he follows me into the room, standing protectively to my side as I take a seat on the exam table. “There’s no place I’d rather be.”

Once the nurse leaves after taking my temperature and blood pressure, I say to Matt, “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t the plan. I just…” My voice dips. “I don’t want to be alone.”

“Ah, Isles.” Matt moves closer to the table and touches my hand. “I’m sorry. I should have thought… Do you want me to text Rhi? Have her?—”

“No.” It’s quick. Adamant. “Can you stay? Is it too weird?” Then I crack open my chest, leaving my heart exposed. “I don’t want Rhi or Erik. I want you here. If you don’t mind.”

An unreadable emotion moves across his features. His fingers wrap around mine. “I don’t mind at all. In fact, I’m really glad you asked.”

Just like that, the storm clouds part and a sliver of sun peeks through. Just like he always does, Matt makes everything better.

I wish Matt were the father.

Wait, what?

That’s ridiculous. We’ve barely known each other two weeks, not counting the first day in the parking lot. We’re not even dating, let alone in a relationship that would involve having a child together.

But still.

He would be a good dad. I can tell. And I love being around him. Not in love, that would be crazy, but if things were different, I could see it happening.

It’s not, though. And letting myself think about impossibilities is only going to make it worse when Matt leaves. When he heads back to San Antonio and I’m still here, pregnant and alone again.

“So.” Matt glances around the room, his ears turning the slightest bit pink as he looks at a large poster illustrating the female reproductive system. “The doctor is supposed to do an ultrasound, right? That’s what I read. And you’ll find out how far along you are?”

“Yes.” Butterflies erupt in my stomach. “She’ll be able to tell the age, and if everything is looking normal, if the baby is developing properly…”

“What about the sex? Will you know that yet?” He pauses. An undercurrent of apology deepens his voice. “Sorry. I shouldn’t assume you want to know. With everything…”

“I want the baby to be okay,” I reply, holding his gaze. “And at some point, I do want to know what sex he or she is. Whoever did this, it’s not the baby’s fault. And…” Tears burn in my eyes. “I know it’s early. But I still care.”

His thumb brushes across my cheek, coming away wet. “However you feel is okay, Isla. And just know, I support you with whatever you choose.”

More tears threaten to break free, and I sniffle to keep them in. Matt gets that adorably flustered look that happens whenever I get upset, and he says in an overly bright tone, “So. Minecraft . I was thinking, now that the castle is done, maybe we could create an underground lair? Or a huge treehouse?”

“Oh, a treehouse.” My lips lift. “I always wanted one when I was a kid. And on Discovery, there’s a show where this guy makes elaborate tree houses to live in. I think that would be so cool. Like this hideaway up in the trees.”

“Okay.” Matt smiles. “So tonight, we can work on a treehouse. And we can?—”

But a shrill alarm interrupts him.

It’s almost deafening.

A red light above the door starts flashing.

My heart stops beating for a second.

“It’s fine.” Matt shifts so he’s between me and the door. “Just the fire alarm. Nothing to worry about.”

His voice is carefully calm, but an undercurrent of urgency runs through it.

“Come on.” He helps me off the table and tucks me beside him, his arm coming around my side. With his free hand, he reaches inside his button-down shirt, no doubt touching the gun I know he has holstered beneath it. “We’ll just head out to reception, meet up with Rhiannon, then wait in the car until this is all taken care of.”

Although I’ve been through dozens of evacuations over the years, most of them false alarms caused by burned popcorn in the microwave or a malfunctioning smoke detector, I can’t help feeling nervous.

But I swallow it back and make sure my voice is steady as I reply, “Okay. Sounds good.”

As Matt hustles me from the exam room and back down the hallway the same way we came, it seems like any other false alarm. There’s no distinctive smell of smoke or an ominous glow emanating from beneath any of the doors we pass. The few nurses we encounter seem annoyed but not concerned, one of them even grumbling, “If Harriet burned her popcorn again, I’m complaining to the doctor. This is just ridiculous.”

By the time we get to the metal door that leads to the reception area, my heartbeat is practically back to normal again. Until the nurse ahead of us tries the handle and curses.

There are four of us gathered at the door, the cursing nurse, another woman in scrubs, me, and Matt. Matt glances at the cursing nurse and asks, “What’s wrong?”

She looks at him, and her expression flashes with that same appreciation I saw from the other nurse. Then she says, “The door is locked. It must be some override thing when the alarm goes off. But I don’t remember this from the last time.”

Matt grabs the door handle and gives it a hard yank. His jaw goes hard. “Dammit.”

“There’s an exit at the other end of the hallway,” the other woman in scrubs says. “Hopefully it’s not an actual fire or we’ll burn to death.”

Lovely.

The cursing nurse jolts. “Shit. Do you think?” She pauses. “I think I smell smoke!” Then she bolts off down the hallway, calling over her shoulder, “Come on, Glenda! I don’t get paid enough for this shit!”

Matt glowers in their direction. “Well. I’m not sure how I feel about the staff here.” Still keeping me against his side, he changes direction and heads after the two women, his muscular arm firm around me. “As soon as we get outside, I’ll text Erik to come meet us. I’m sure Rhi is already out there.”

“Where is everyone else?” I ask as we hurry back down the hall. “The other patients. Doctors.”

“I don’t know,” he grits out, sounding a bit less calm than before. “They must have gotten out before the door locked. Or they went out the back exit.”

“You’re probably right. And I guess being a Saturday it’s not as crowded. Still. It seems like a fire hazard to have the door lock.”

As we pass by one of the alarms, still blaring at an eardrum shattering level, Matt raises his voice to reply, “It does. And I’m not very pleased with this place. Maybe we should?—”

Out of nowhere, a huge figure crashes into us.

A man. All in black. His face covered with a full-face mask.

The blow is so unexpected, so violent, I’m knocked away from Matt. I fall to my knees, throwing out my hands to keep from smashing my face.

Matt reaches for me, but the man in black is all over him, punching, kicking, clawing, a dervish intent on causing as much damage as possible.

“Isla, the button,” Matt calls out roughly. “Press it now!”

Just as I’m about to press the left earring, a hand grabs my arm and yanks it hard. Pain erupts in my shoulder. I hear a faint pop.

As I yelp in pain, Matt yells, “Get your fucking hands off her!”

An arm comes around my chest, lifting me off my feet. I’m pressed against a hard body, my back to their front. Hot breath wafts by my ear, and the scent of garlic hits my nose.

Even as I start wriggling, kicking, trying to throw my elbows back, any of the things Matt taught me to do in self defense, it’s too late. This man—whoever he is—is carrying me away.

I shriek, “No! Stop it! Put me down!”

Behind me, I hear flesh hitting flesh. Soft grunts. Muttered curses.

God . Matt. He’s being hurt and it’s all my fault.

I keep kicking and yelling until a meaty hand clamps over my mouth. And a voice hisses in my ear, “Shut the fuck up or I’ll do it for you.”

NO.

This can’t be happening.

The man carrying me picks up his pace, almost to the back exit already. And I still can’t reach the earrings, my arms are pinned and no amount of struggling will get them free.

From behind us, there’s a loud thud. The floor shakes. A pained groan trails off.

Matt.

NO. Not Matt.

Oh please, let Matt be okay.

I’m sobbing, but I can’t get air in through my mouth. My nose is all stuffed up. My lungs burn.

I’ve never been this scared in my life.

I thought the parking lot was bad. But at least it was just me. Now it’s Matt. And this little baby.

Oh, God. Please don’t let them hurt the baby.

Gray dots are edging into my vision as I fight to breathe.

Oh, please.

And then.

A click.

Now that I’ve been around Matt and Erik and Rhi, I know what it is.

A trigger cocking.

“Put her down right now.” It’s cold. Deadly. “Or I will shoot you.”

Matt!

For a second, the man holding me freezes.

“ Now ,” Matt growls. “You have three seconds.”

Nothing happens.

“One.”

The arm around me loosens a little.

“Two.”

Oh, God.

Abruptly, the man shoves me away from him, and I fall to my knees again.

Fear tinges his voice. “Don’t kill?—”

There’s a soft thud.

His voice cuts off.

As I scramble to my feet, I spin around.

Did Matt kill him? But the gun didn’t go off.

“Isla!”

Panic all over his face, Matt rushes to me and pulls me into his arms. “Shit, honey. Oh, shit.” His voice is shaking. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Ah, shit.”

I cling to him, pressing my face against his chest. My body won’t stop shaking.

“It’s okay,” Matt croons, “You’re okay. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Wait. Is he okay?

Lifting my head from his shirt, I peer up at Matt. There’s a rising bruise on his jaw, but aside from that, he looks alright. “Are you hurt?” I ask. “Did he hurt you?”

Pain darkens his gaze. “No. I’m fine. Just some bruises. But Isles. I heard you cry out. You fell . Shit.”

“Matt!” Erik’s voice carries down the hall, followed by a rush of footsteps. “Sitrep!”

Matt hugs me to him again, and only now do I realize he’s shaking, too. “Both down,” he calls back. “Unconscious. Isla might be hurt.”

“I’m okay,” I whisper as I crane my head to look at the men who attacked us. And like Matt said, they’re both sprawled on the floor, unmoving.

Erik and Rhiannon come racing down the hallway, guns drawn and intensity in their gazes. Erik kneels beside one of the attackers while Rhiannon approaches the other. Matt is still holding me tightly, his heart pounding so hard I can feel it.

“I’m okay,” I tell him again. Even though my shoulder and knees are throbbing, that’s minor compared to what could have happened.

Matt looks down at me, guilt in his eyes. “You were supposed to be safe.”

Oh .

“I am.” Resting my head on his chest again, I close my eyes and breathe in his comforting scent. “I am safe. Because of you.”