Chapter 50
JAKE
Emma's asleep against my chest, her breathing deep and even, her body completely relaxed in the way that only comes after sex with trust. My hand rests on her lower back, and I'm content to just lie here in the darkness, holding her.
Until my phone buzzes.
My eyes snap open. It’s a security alert.
I carefully extract myself from Emma's grip, pulling the blanket up to her chin before I slip out of bed. Avoiding the floorboards that creak, I pick up my phone from my jeans on the floor and move to the window.
217. North perimeter, motion sensor triggered at the tree line.
Fuck.
I pull up the video feed.
The north side is dark. Nothing visible. Could be a deer. Could be wind. Could be nothing.
I pull up the group chat.
Motion alert. North perimeter, 217. Don’t see anything.
Mason responds in seconds. He's always awake.
Ace
On it. Pulling up the recording now.
I wait, watching the dark tree line through the window. My hand instinctively moves to the Glock I’d set on the dresser. Old habits.
Ace
Deer. Big one. Came through about thirty seconds before the sensor triggered.
It's moving east now, away from the property.
Relief floods through me, but I don't let it show. Not even to myself.
Confirm it's clear.
Ace
Clear. No other movement. Just the deer and some wind in the trees.
Sensor's sensitive. Might need to adjust the north side threshold.
Riot
Or maybe you could just relax for five seconds and enjoy the fact that you're literally in bed with the woman you've been obsessed with for eighteen years instead of jumping at every shadow.
I ignore Luke's comment.
Adjust the threshold tomorrow. For now, keep monitoring.
Ace
Already on it.
You good?
Yeah. All clear.
Riot
Speaking of all clear…
Got a call today.
Hendricks. Remember him? Ran ops with us in Kandahar.
I remember. Good operator. Better at reading people than most.
What'd he want?
Riot
Contract. Private security gig.
High-profile client, good money. He's putting together a team and wanted to know whether we're interested in freelancing.
I glance behind me at Emma. The thought of leaving her to go on a mission is unacceptable.
Riot
We’re interested in hearing the details, right?
Ace
We could use the money. Blackthorn's bleeding cash.
Riot
And Hendricks is offering serious money. Like, enough to cover operating costs for six months serious.
Shit. That’s significant. We sank a good deal of money into the down payment, and we're running lean.
Let’s talk to him after we check with Garrett to make sure the Turner situation is locked down.
Riot
Fair.
I'll tell Hendricks we're interested but not available for at least 3 weeks.
Ace
We need to think about what comes after. It’s more than cash flow.
I need something to train my sights on.
Emma stirs in the bed behind me, and I turn to find her sitting up, the blanket pooled around her waist, her eyes still half-closed.
Discuss this when I get back.
"What's wrong?" she asks, her voice rough with sleep as I set my phone next to my gun.
I move back to the bed and slide in beside her, pulling her against my chest. "Nothing. Security alert. False alarm. Just a deer. I had Mason check to be sure."
“Okay.” She relaxes immediately, her hand finding my chest. "What security alert? Did you already set up the alarm here?"
"Partly," I say, kissing her forehead. Now isn’t the time to tell her about the cameras.
“You woke Mason up over a deer?”
I laugh softly, running my hand down her side. “He doesn’t sleep much.”
She's quiet for a moment. "Are you guys good at that? Security systems? I don’t know what you did in the Army."
Even if it wasn’t classified, I wouldn’t tell her. Eliminating a threat to her is nothing compared to some of our missions. “We did what we had to do.”
“That’s descriptive.” She snorts. “You should turn it into a tagline for whatever you decide to do next.”
“Like ‘horses, we did what we had to do.’”
She laughs—a soft, sleepy sound that makes something in my chest tighten.
"Horses," she repeats, shaking her head. “Was Mason serious about that?”
“Mason is always serious.”
"Hmm," she murmurs, already drifting back to sleep.
I hold her as she settles back into unconsciousness, her breathing evening out, her body going limp against mine.
The phone stays silent.
The perimeter stays clear.
The money can wait.
Everything can wait.
Right now, Emma's asleep in my arms, and that's all that matters.