Chapter 11 Colten
ELEVEN
COLTEN
There have been exactly four times in my life that I’ve known true panic.
The first was in my senior year in high school.
I was at a party keeping an eye on Lexi, who was the year below me, and she disappeared.
Her security team had no clue where she was, and at the time I didn’t have any trackers on her person, something that I quickly remedied so I would always know where she was.
In the end it turned out she’d snuck out with her boyfriend at the time, but for those forty minutes, I swear my heart was being torn out of my chest.
The second was when I was in college. I followed Cruz to the University of Oregon.
Far enough away that it felt like we had a bit of freedom, but close to home if things went south.
Our fathers were running the family into the ground, creating conflict with other organizations around the country, and getting more and more out of control as time went on.
Lexi, however, went as far away as she could.
Cruz supported the move, thinking the more distance she put between herself and their father, the better.
But having her so far away didn’t sit well with me.
In the end the people our fathers double-crossed were the same ones that kidnapped Lexi and held her for three days. The three longest days of my life.
The third was the night Cruz and I killed our fathers. Seeing Lexi broken, covered in Santiago’s blood, is a sight I will never not see in my nightmares.
And that brings me to number four. Tonight. This moment.
No matter how hard I push my body, I can’t move any faster.
The guard on duty is doing a sweep of the exits, trying to intercept whoever got into the house, but I have one focus and one focus alone.
Lexi.
I rush up the stairs, my heart beating so hard in my chest my ribs can barely contain it.
“Lexi!” I shout again. It’s quiet. Too fucking quiet, and I’m trying not to let my imagination run wild. After her scream rang down the line, I swear I stopped breathing, and I don’t think I’ll take a full breath until I have her in my arms.
I round the corner into the spare bedroom she sleeps in when she stays here and find her curled on her side, her body shaking violently as rough sobs tear from her chest.
Without hesitation, I drop to my knees beside her and pull her into my arms, wrapping her in the only place I’m absolutely sure she’s safe in.
“I’m here, Wildcat. I’m here,” I murmur, brushing my lips over her forehead.
“Colt?” she chokes out.
“I’ve got you, Lexi. Just breathe for me. I’ve got you. I won’t let anything hurt you.”
She nods, burying her face into my throat, neither of us giving a single fuck about her tears soaking my shirt.
Every breath she takes is strained and broken as despair threatens to drag her under. If she’s not careful, she’s going to have a full-blown panic attack, and I’m not certain I’m grounded enough myself to pull her out of that.
“I need you to breathe for me, Wildcat,” I plead. “Nice and easy. Follow my breaths.”
I take a deep breath, waiting for her to follow suit, before releasing it slowly. I repeat the process over and over again, making sure that she keeps up with me.
“Good girl,” I murmur, the words slipping out before I can think them through. My internet alter ego has called her that so many times I couldn’t begin to count, but I’ve always been careful of what I say to her in person. It’s a slippery slope I’ve never been willing to fall down.
Until now.
If I’m honest with myself, I think my mind was made up the second she told me there was someone in the house. Something in the back of my mind snapped, and I couldn’t have fought it even if I wanted to.
But that’s a plan to execute later.
Right now, I need to focus. I need to get her back to my place where I know she’s safe, and then I need to figure out how the fuck this happened.
This place should be more secure than the fucking Pentagon, so the fact someone so easily slipped in undetected is fucking with me.
Lexi sits up straight in my arms, her head swiveling. “Mr. Whiskers! Is he okay?”
“I’m sure he’s fine, Wildcat. He’s probably asleep in Cruz’s office with no idea anything has happened.”
“We have to go check! What if he hurt him? Oh my god, Riley will never forgive me!” A fresh wave of tears fall against her cheeks, and I press her head back against my chest.
“None of that, Lexi. Riley would never blame you for something that’s not your fault. Just let me hold you a little longer, and then we’ll go looking for him, okay?”
“But you don’t like physical touch,” she whispers.
“I know.”
“But—”
“Just stay where you are, Wildcat. I need this just as badly as you do right now.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You and I both know you’re the exception to all my rules, Lexi.”
For a moment I think she’s about to argue, but to my relief she allows herself to relax in my arms again.
Time falls away, the knowledge that I have to be the one to deal with this tugging at the back of my mind, but I’m not ready to let her go yet.
Truthfully, I’m not sure when I will be.
Footsteps in the hallway make Lexi whimper and my body turn rigid, ready to reach for the piece I dropped when I pulled her into my arms, but when Marcel rounds the corner, I relax slightly.
He takes in the sight in front of him with a raised brow but wisely doesn’t comment on the way our boss’s little sister clings to me like I’m her only tether.
“I lost him. He had a vehicle on the service road that runs down the side of the property. He knew exactly where he was going.”
I swallow heavily. “Which means he’s either familiar with the house, or he’s done his homework.”
Marcel nods. “Is she okay? Do you want me to call Cruz home?”
“No,” I reply. “She’ll be all right, she’s just a little shaken, but there’s no need to interrupt his honeymoon.”
“You got it.”
“Can you check his office for Mr. Whiskers?”
“Oh, I saw him on my way up. He was trying to hustle me out of a snack.”
Lexi lets out a small laugh, and I can’t help but follow suit.
“See, Wildcat? He’s just his usual orange menace self.” I turn my attention back to Marcel. “Any idea how he got in?”
“Negative. I checked the doors, and there’s no sign of being tampered with.”
“The other team should be here soon. I want the whole house swept, I want every second of security footage looked at, and I want to know how the fuck this happened.”
Marcel nods, turning on his heel to head back down the stairs and leaving me alone with Lexi once again.
As carefully as I can manage, I lift us both from the floor and perch her on the edge of the bed.
“Pack a bag, baby,” I say softly.
“Are you taking me back to the estate?”
“No.”
“Then where are we going?”
“My place.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s where you live now.”