Chapter 11
One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
Five knocks.
Then… “Bridget, I’m opening the door, don’t shoot.”
My heart had been pounding in my chest for what seemed like hours. My palms were sweaty to the point I was worried Theo’s gun was going to drop from my hands.
What if Theo wasn’t alone?
What if he’d been captured and someone was out there with him making him knock on the door so I wouldn’t shoot?
My mind whirled with different possibilities. All of them scarier than the last.
No .
Theo wouldn’t knock if someone was out there. He’d just open the door and let me start shooting.
Oh, God .
What if I accidentally shot Theo or Easton?
The door slowly opened and I held my breath. It opened farther and my heart thumped harder. Finally Theo’s big, beautiful body came into view. I dropped the gun and launched myself at him. He rocked back but easily caught me, wrapping his arms around my back and holding me close.
“Everything’s fine. You’re safe.”
“Easton?” I croaked.
“Getting our bags ready to go.”
I didn’t lift my head out of his neck when I asked, “We’re leaving?”
“Yeah, baby, someone was in the backyard.” I tensed and Theo kept right on giving it to me straight. “He got over the fence, the light came on, and he fled. Garrett caught it on camera but the guy was wearing a mask.”
“So how do you know it’s a man?”
“Don’t know for sure. But when I say fence I really mean a six-foot wall. A woman would have to be taller than average and strong to get herself over. And if the person was short and strong as fuck, Garrett would’ve noted the person could be a woman.”
That was kind of sexist. I was sure there were plenty of women who could easily hop a six-foot wall but right then facing another move, I didn’t have it in me to stand up for the sisterhood and protest.
Theo walked farther into the closet and in a show of his superior strength he squatted to pick up his gun I’d dropped while I was wrapped around his midsection like a deranged monkey.
I couldn’t find it in me to be embarrassed.
After another terrifying incident I needed him close.
I needed his heat and the comfort he gave me and I didn’t care what that said about me.
I was over being strong.
I was over being stuck in fight or flight.
I was over preparing for a battle that would one day sneak up on me. I didn’t know when it was coming, I just knew it was.
Theo came out of his squat, shut the safe room door—a room I was grateful he didn’t make me get into because I wasn’t lying. I would’ve had a full-blown panic attack. I’d always hated small spaces. Hated the feel of being closed in. Nothing traumatic had happened to me, I just didn’t like it.
“Thank you for not making me go in there,” I mumbled.
“I’d never ask you to do something that would cause you harm.”
I believed that. But in this case, giving in to what I wanted put him at risk.
“Did you have another gun on you?”
“There are more weapons—”
“I didn’t ask that. Did you give me the only gun you had on your person?”
“Yes. But Easton was armed.”
I closed my eyes and shoved my face into his neck.
Yes, he’d put himself in harm’s way so I wouldn’t have a panic attack.
I both loved and hated that.
“From now on I’ll make sure I always carry an extra,” he told me.
What he was saying without saying it, was there could be a next time.
I loved and hated that, too.
Love that he was straight with me, something he knew I appreciated because I’d told him so back when he was guarding me.
There had been so much going on around me that I had no control over, but he’d always told me flat out, no sugarcoating it, what was happening and why.
He gave me a sense of security, even if I didn’t like what he was telling me.
Now was no different. I’d rather know the unfiltered truth than some watered-down version or nothing at all.
“Thank you for always being honest with me.”
“I struggle with that,” he told me as he walked out of the closet. “I want to protect you and part of that is I want to protect you from being scared and I can’t do that if I’m always telling you what’s going on.”
God .
I didn’t love that, I adored it.
“The best way to protect me is to arm me with the information so I’m not blindsided. That scares me more—when I don’t know an attack is on the horizon I can’t mentally prepare.”
Theo stopped by the bed and patted my rear end. I rightly took that as he wanted me to unwind myself and get to my feet. When I was steady he slid his hands up my arms and over my shoulders, until he reached the sides of my neck. He gave me a gentle squeeze, all the while holding my gaze.
“I tell you because you need it, but also because I know you’re strong and you can hack it.”
That was a nice thing to say though I didn’t get to tell him that.
“Proud of you, baby,” he whispered. “So damn proud.”
I didn’t know why it happened. Could’ve been it had been so long since I’d heard someone tell me they were proud of me.
It could’ve been the way Theo was staring into my eyes.
It could’ve been the adrenaline, or it could’ve been a combination of all three.
Or it simply could’ve been Theo—the man he was, the strength he exuded.
Hearing his praise I felt my eyes get wet with gratitude.
His right hand slipped up my neck, over my cheek, and he used his thumb to brush away an errant tear.
“You did great,” he finished.
I didn’t feel like I did great.
“I was shaking like a leaf,” I admitted. “My heart was in my throat, and the longer I was in there the more my mind started to go to crazy places.”
“I bet.”
That was another thing I loved about Theo—he never tried to placate me or give empty platitudes. He just gave honesty and moved on.
“I’d like to not have to do that again.”
“I’d like for you not to have to do that again, too. But if the time comes when you do, you proved you can handle yourself.”
I knew I sounded like a broken record, but I was tired of handling myself. I was so damn tired of waiting for the next shoe to drop. And by shoe I meant the next trauma.
“Ready to roll?” Easton asked from the door.
“Yeah,” Theo answered for us.
“I want to grab my coleslaw.”
Coleslaw.
That was what my life had come to. Sadly, the most important thing in my life was KFC coleslaw. I had nothing else of importance.
“Already done.”
“That was sweet of you,” I told him.
“What can I say? I’m sweet like that.”
“No, he’s not,” Theo rapped out. “Generally, he’s an asshole.”
“Theo!”
Obviously, Easton took no offense if his chuckle was to be believed.
And if not that, the easy way he threw his own jab told the tale of brothers bantering.
“That’s rich coming from you, pal. The King of Dick.”
“Well, I don’t like to brag, but…” Theo let that trail off and I pinched my lips to stop myself from smiling.
Theo indeed had something to brag about. So much so, I was seriously disappointed Theo’s promises from earlier were being derailed with another move.
“I’ll give you that since your lady’s in the room. However, I feel the need to note—”
“No, you don’t,” Theo cut him off, stopping him from saying whatever he was going to note.
Though, I could guess what that was.
After all, men are nothing but overgrown boys who still like to talk about their penis size.
“Are we leaving or are we going to stand around and compare penises?” I asked. “Because if we are, someone better have a ruler. I might’ve been born in the morning, but not yesterday morning so I won’t fall for nine inches in man-speak when really that means four in the Imperial system.”
“Nine inches? Jesus Christ, what the fuck are you packin’? I’m gonna start calling you Long John Silver instead of Two,” Easton joked.
I couldn’t stop myself from snickering and that didn’t stop when Theo narrowed his eyes on me.
“Trust me, baby, he needs no encouragement.” Theo paused and sliced his eyes to his friend. “You do that, Three, you’ll find I can be creative with my nicknames.”
“Do your worst,” Easton welcomed.
“Singapore,” Theo weirdly said.
Silence hit the room.
I glanced around Theo to see Easton smiling broadly.
“If you’re talking about Sofia—”
“I’m talking about the coconut water.”
Easton’s smile grew and he shrugged.
“Who knew coconut water gives you diarrhea? Besides, every now and then it’s good to cleanse your colon.”
“Right. Maybe when you’re alone and not sharing a hotel room with four other people. The sounds you were making were otherworldly. You sounded like a dying rhino mating with a giraffe.”
Unperturbed, Easton shrugged again.
“You could’ve left the room. Yet you stayed to listen. What’s that say about you?”
“It says I was worried you were going to be swallowed by your asshole.”
Seriously .
“As interesting as Easton’s explosive diarrhea is, can we maybe move on to a subject that doesn’t include death by shitting? Or perhaps leave before the person comes back and kills me for real this time.”
Easton sobered immediately and spat, “No one’s going to kill you.”
I was taken aback by the force of his statement.
“I was just making a joke.”
“Right.” Easton relaxed a fraction but there were still deep lines between his brows. “No one’s going to touch a single hair on your pretty head and you can mark that a promise.”
Well then …
It seemed Easton took his job super-duper, double-extra serious.
“I know you and Theo won’t let anything happen to me.”
Easton studied me a moment longer and looked like he had more to say. Yet he didn’t say it. He didn’t say anything when he turned and left the room.
“Did I say something wrong?” I asked Theo.
“No, honey,” he said softly. “Easton can be intense. Especially when he cares about something or someone. He jokes around almost as much as Cash does but when it’s important he’s all business.
Plus, he has more sense than Cash so he normally stops Cash before he can take a joke too far or do something crazy. ”
“And he cares about you,” I noted.
Theo gave me a sweet smile.