20. Nobody Touches One of Ours
Chapter twenty
Nobody Touches One of Ours
Matt
I freeze, blood turning to ice as I stare at the Polaroid in my hands. I’d expected something simple—maybe a congratulatory note tied to the evening. But the first image, now seared into my mind, is anything but.
Harper.
She’s outside Starbucks, smiling with a couple of friends. Completely unaware. My gut twists, fury and fear tearing at my insides. I don’t bother with the rest—I fling the photos at Bishop and push to my feet in an instant.
“Matty?” Melina questions, confusion laced with worry. I barely hear her. My gaze rakes the room, hunting for the waiter in that cream-colored jacket. How could I have been so careless?!
I push past tables, chest pounding, adrenaline flooding my system. The place is crawling with servers, trays flashing, jackets blending in the crowd—no way to tell who dropped the envelope.
I drag a hand through my hair, rage in my chest, and whip toward the table. Bishop and Steele are up, bodies squared, shielding Melina from the polaroids in front of them. She’s teetering on panic, questions spilling out with no answers.
I stride back fast, locking on my teammates. “I lost him,” I growl, wrath simmering under my skin.
“What’s going on, Matt?” She says, worry etched on her face.
I touch her arm, forcing my tone steady. “Stay here. Give me a minute.”
She looks uncertain, but I’m already turning away, closing the gap to Bishop. I stop short, blocking her view, my voice dropping to a lethal whisper. “Show me the rest.”
Bishop hesitates, eyes wary. “Mason—”
“Let me see the fucking pictures,” I snarl under my breath.
He hands them over, teeth clenched. My fingers tremble as I flip through, anger mounting with each image.
Bishop jogging near his apartment. Easy target.
Steele at the pump. Exposed.
Spencer at soccer practice. My stomach churns. Just a kid.
Harper at Starbucks. Protectiveness claws at me.
Then the last one.
My blood runs cold, vision tunneling.
Fuck.
Melina and I, in her kitchen. Her legs wrapped around my waist, head thrown back, lips parted in ecstasy. My fist tangled in her hair, mouth buried against her throat.
He watched us. That sick fuck watched us. What was perfect—sacred—now feels dirty, tainted by a predator’s eyes on her. Bile rises from my core, rage and shame colliding. He violated the woman I love in a way I’ll never forgive.
Bishop tenses beside me, sensing the shift immediately, watching like he’s waiting for me to explode—holding me in check like a wild animal.
Next to him, Steele’s jaw is locked, his expression dark with fury. They saw the images. Every damn one. I hate that they’ve seen her that way, a moment that should’ve been only ours.
I shove the explicit photo into my pocket, anger boiling in my veins. My glare cuts sharp as a blade. “Not a fucking word. To anyone.”
They nod instantly, the threat landing. No one else will ever see that photo. No one will know what that bastard stole from us.
Callahan clocks the commotion and is already moving, Hale, Brooks, and Diego close behind. They close ranks, forming a tight circle.
His gaze cut to me. “What’s happening?”
Bishop answers flatly. “Pictures. Of us. Melina. The kids.”
Callahan’s jaw hardens. “Let me see.”
My teeth grind, but I shove the stack into his hand. He flips through fast, expression darkening before looking at me.
“Is this all of them?”
“All you’re gonna see,” I snap, temper razor-thin.
He holds my stare a beat, then shifts to Bishop, who shakes his head in a silent warning: Don’t push him.
Callahan exhales, reading the danger. He backs off. For now.
Melina’s voice cuts through, tense and rising. “Matt, what the actual fuck is going on?! Talk to me!”
Guilt claws at my gut when I glance at her. But I can’t deal with that. Not yet.
Callahan leans in, “It was personal before. Now it’s business. Nobody threatens my guys and walks away. Emergency briefing at HQ. Now.”
“I have to get Melina home.”
“Then take her. Report after.”
“I’m not leaving her alone in that house, Callahan.”
“Agreed.” His eyes sweep the clearing ballroom, then fixes on someone. My stomach drops. Mercer.“Mercer!” Callahan calls.
My entire body tenses, fury spiking. “No fucking way.”
“Mason, this isn’t the time for a pissing contest,” Callahan fires back. “She needs security. He’s the only option right now.”
Mercer approaches warily, stopping at the edge of our circle. “Sir?”
“I need you to take Melina home and maintain surveillance,” Callahan orders. “Stay with her until Mason returns. Alpha team is meeting at HQ.”
Mercer nods. “Of course, boss.” His gaze flicks to me, catching the fury simmering under the surface.
I pin him with a glare. “If anything happens to her, I will end you.”
Mercer doesn’t flinch. “I’ll protect her with my life.”
I exhale hard, not trusting him, but with no other choice.
The event is done. At our table, worry shadows every face. Tessa has an arm around Melina, who looks like she’s about to lose her shit. When I approach, Melina rises, fire blazing.
“What is happening, Matt?” she demands, anger and fear lacing her voice. “You cannot leave me in the dark!”
I grab her elbow, guiding her a step aside. My tone drops low. “Photos.”
Her eyes widen. “Photos?”
“Of you, me, the kids. Bishop. Steele.”
Her mouth falls open, horror flooding in. “He was here?”
“I don’t know.” Rage bubbles under my skin. “Could’ve been him. Could’ve been someone he hired. Callahan called an emergency briefing—it’s Aegis business now.”
“When?” she presses.
“Now.” My jaw clenches. “Mercer is going to bring you home and stay on watch until I get back.”
“Mercer?” she repeats, eyes narrowing.
“He’s all we have,” I admit, strained. “I promise you’ll be safe.”
“I want to see the photos,” she insists.
“Later,” I say, gentle but firm. “They’re evidence. They need to be checked for prints.”
She nods, reluctant. I lean in, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be home soon.”
“You better,” she whispers, shaking. “Be careful.”
My chest tightens. “Always.”
***
We gather in Aegis HQ’s situation room, the air charged with hostility.
Callahan stands at the front, hands braced on the mahogany surface, tension radiating off him in waves.
Bishop and Steele flank me, faces like stone.
Hale, Brooks, and Diego complete the circle, every eye locked on our commander.
“Let’s get right to it,” Callahan snaps, cutting directly to me. “Mason. Lay it out.”
I toss the Polaroids onto the table, my voice cold despite the fury burning in my veins. “These were delivered at the gala. Shots of Bishop. Steele. Melina’s kids. And one of me and Melina. Covert. Professional. He’s been watching us.”
Callahan flips through the stack again, spreading them out for the rest of the team. His gaze cuts back to me. “You said there was one of you and Melina. It’s not here.”
My jaw tightens. “I have it.”
Silence descends. All eyes lock on me, waiting for me to produce the missing photo. Bishop and Steele stay quiet, shifting uncomfortably.
Callahan studies me, brows furrowing. Before he can push, Bishop exhales. “I saw it. It’s… intimate.”
I shoot him daggers, but Bishop doesn’t blink. “We have the others. We don’t need it.”
Callahan’s expression shifts, a flicker of understanding crossing his face. He gives a single nod—silent respect. It tempers the rage, enough to breathe.
“Fine,” he says gruffly, straightening. “This asshole threatened my guys and their families. Nobody touches one of ours.”
Hale leans in, stress bleeding through. “Are we sure this is the stalker? Could he have hired it out?”
“Possible,” Bishop admits, “but it feels personal. He wanted us to know he got close. It’s about power. Control.”
Steele interjects, frustration sharp. “Whoever it was, he’s cocky as hell. Walked straight through a checkpoint. We have to figure out how.”
Callahan lets out a breath, still seething. “You don’t have to tell me twice. I tore into the venue’s head of security before I left.”
Steele nods. “I’ll pull the gala footage. Someone dropped that envelope on Mason—I’ll have an image by morning.”
Callahan gives a curt nod. “Do it.”
His gaze snaps to Brooks. “Bag the photos. Get them dusted. If this asshole left a print, I want it.”
Brooks takes out an evidence bag but hesitates. “You realize our prints are all over these now.”
A sharp curse rips from me. Fuck. I should’ve known better.
Callahan’s jaw hardens, but his voice stays even. “Doesn’t matter. The lab can still lift anything underneath. Make it happen.”
I lean forward urgently. “We also need someone watching Melina’s kids tonight. They’re staying with a family friend.”
Callahan turns immediately. “Hale—get a detail over there now. Nobody in or out without us knowing.”
Hale rises. “Consider it done.”
Bishop’s tone is grim. “He’s escalating. Following the kids, exposing us... we have to assume he’s ready to act.”
My gut twists. “I want eyes on Melina and the children at all times,” I growl.
Callahan’s gaze pins me. “You’re too close to this, Mason.”
“She’s my responsibility.” I fire back.
A long beat. Then Callahan nods, something unspoken passing between us. “Then we protect her together.” His eyes sweep the room.
“Immediate security measures. Bishop—profile this fucker. Steele—pull footage. Hale, Diego—round-the-clock patrols in their neighborhood. Brooks—bag the prints and vet every Aegis employee and contractor.”
Brooks speaks up. “You think we have a leak?”
Callahan shakes his head. “Don’t think so. But we can’t be too careful. Everyone gets vetted.”
“Contingencies?” Bishop asks.
“We’ll set safe houses,” Callahan answers. “And worst-case extraction plans. But priority one—identify and neutralize the threat before it escalates.”
Steele looks at me. “We’ll get him, Mason. He fucked up tonight—he showed his hand.”
I nod tightly, fury simmering. “Good. Because this ends now.”