CHAPTER FOURTEEN
TRINA
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Josh comes flying out of his office with Aidan in tow yelling orders while I stand there gaping.
“Penny I need you to get the general on the phone.”
The general?
Black Hawke Security employees appear out of the woodwork as I press my back against the wall to get out of their way.
“She’s gone home.” Ryder reminds him, and stalks along the hallway toward him. “What’s happened.”
“Get the girls out of here. We’re in code red,” Josh yells.
Code red?
My heart slams inside my chest.
Josh seems to have doubled in size. The SEAL is an intimidating man any day of the week but now, as he storms down the hall passing Ryder, he looks like the alpha warrior I know he is.
That all of them are.
One of his men is in danger.
My man, I hear my inner voice whisper.
But he’s not, so I ignore it. That doesn’t mean I’m leaving.
“No. I’m staying.” I cry, following him.
“Adian!” Josh yells.
“On it.” Adian widens his arms, blocking my progress as Briar comes flying out of the staff room, eyes wide. “Babe. Get Alice! You all need to go home. Now.”
“I’m here. What’s going on?” Alice peeks her face around the corner looking like a deer in the headlights.
“What’s happened to Marshall?” I try to look around Aidan’s huge body at Josh.
“Get me on a fucking plane!” Ryder pushes past Aidan, following Josh, and that’s then I notice my body is shaking.
“No time. Get them out of here, Adian,” Josh yells.
I do a sneaky little dart thing that I used to do with my dad all the time and then stop as Josh glares at me.
I stop dead.
“If you care about him, go home and let us do our jobs. Oh, and you’re going to dinner at his mother’s place when he gets home. Go buy a dress.”
My brows lower, confused. I stare at Aidan, then Ryder, and back to Josh.
What is going on right now?
Oh, god.
I wrap my arms around myself the moment I realize he’s distracting me. That something bad has happened. They only say shit like that when it’s bad.
A tear slips down my face before I can stop it, and Josh holds my gaze for a beat more, then walks away.
“Come on, Trina. Let’s get out of their way.” Briar nudges my shoulder.
I robotically follow them all downstairs and out the door into the darkness.
“Cole, call them an Uber and make sure they get home,” Aidan says, then kisses the hell out of Briar. “I’ll be home when I can.”
When I can.
Oh god.
Oh god.
What if Marshall dies? What if...I never get to see him again and tell him how I feel. How much that kiss stirred something in me I wasn’t expecting. Despite being drunk. That I’d thought about it every damn day.
Stop. If I kiss you again, I’m fucking you. I want you sober and fully fucking conscious when I do.
No, fuck me Marshall.
Marshall’s hard cock had pressed against my hips, and I could almost feel it right damn now.
You’ll hate me tomorrow. No.
Talk about a test in willpower.
“Get the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the phone.” I hear Josh yell upstairs when Aidan pushes through the door to head back inside.
Holy hell. Does BHS have access to speak to people at that level? I know Josh and Aidan are decorated SEALs and Marines respectively, but that doesn’t mean they have direct phone numbers for high-ranking officials.
Suddenly I realize that I might not know all there is about BHS and what they do. I thought they provided security and personal security. Is there more?
Where is Marshall?
Cole guides us into the Uber when it shows up but grabs my arm before I climb in. “Trina. Go home with Briar and have a drink. Something with a lot of sugar.”
“I’m fine.” I lie and we all know it. “Just...can you tell us if he’s okay.”
He nods. “He’s fine.”
It’s his turn to lie. I don’t know why I asked. Cole has no idea. None of them can or will tell me anything.
I climb into the Uber and the door shuts. The silence in the cab is odd and I feel like I’m in a tunnel.
“You ready to admit you like him now?” Briar hugs my arm as the car pulls away.
“No,” I whisper.
“Didn’t think so.”
I can hear the gentle smile in her voice, and when I look over at Alice, she reaches and squeezes my hand. “We all want him home safe.”
Goddamn that toy soldier. I was never meant to fucking care.
How can one stupid kiss mean so much?