5. Blaze
BLAZE
The second the tavern door opened, every instinct I had sharpened.
Trigger straightened behind the bar.
I shifted automatically in front of Felicity.
Not even thinking about it.
Just moving.
The man stepping inside immediately lifted one hand. “Easy.”
Dark jacket.
FBI.
Recognition hit a second later.
“Jones.”
Michael Jones stopped near the entrance and looked relieved as hell to see me standing there.
“Blaze.”
Trigger relaxed slightly beside the bar. “Well, that explains why he walked in like he owned the place.”
Michael ignored him, his attention already moving past me toward Felicity.
The second he saw her, concern tightened his expression.
“You okay?”
Felicity let out a shaky breath. “I think so.”
Think so.
Not yes.
Didn’t like that answer one damn bit.
Michael took a few steps closer, stopping when he noticed I still hadn’t moved out of the way.
His eyes flicked toward me briefly.
Assessing.
Understanding.
Good.
Because I wasn’t moving.
Not until I knew exactly what was happening.
Felicity looked between us slowly.
“You know each other?”
Michael nodded once. “Blaze and I worked together a few years back.”
“Worked together,” Trigger muttered. “That sounds suspiciously federal.”
Michael gave him a dry look. “You want details?”
“Not even a little.”
Felicity looked mildly stunned.
Which made sense.
She hadn’t known Michael was sending her somewhere familiar to him.
Somewhere trusted.
And suddenly I understood exactly why she’d ended up here.
Michael trusted me to protect her.
The realization settled heavy in my chest.
Because he was right.
I would.
Without hesitation.
Michael’s attention returned to Felicity immediately. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
She wrapped her arms tighter around herself before answering. “I pulled into the driveway and saw a package on the porch.”
“You didn’t get out?”
“No.”
“Anybody around the property?”
She shook her head. “Not that I saw.”
Michael nodded once, relieved.
“You did the right thing calling.”
Felicity laughed softly under her breath, but there wasn’t anything funny in the sound. “I’m getting pretty good at running.”
Something in my chest tightened hard at that.
Michael noticed too.
His expression shifted briefly.
Guilt.
Interesting.
Trigger quietly moved toward the front windows, checking outside without interrupting.
Ranger instinct.
Same as mine.
Michael lowered his voice slightly. “Local officers already checked the property.”
Felicity went still. “And?”
Michael hesitated.
I instantly hated that hesitation.
“The package is gone. They didn’t find anything.”
Silence hit the tavern hard.
Felicity’s face lost color immediately.
“What do you mean it was gone?”
“The porch was empty when officers arrived.”
A cold feeling slid down my spine.
No package.
No delivery driver.
No explanation.
Just gone.
Felicity looked like the floor shifted beneath her feet.
“They were there,” she whispered.
Michael didn’t answer right away.
Didn’t need to.
I watched fear move across her face in real time.
Real fear.
Not panic.
Not nerves.
The kind that came from months of never feeling safe.
My jaw tightened automatically.
“How long ago?” I asked Michael.
“About twenty minutes.”
Too close.
Way too damn close.
Trigger glanced over from the windows. “No vehicles circling the block. Street looks clean.”
For now.
Michael rubbed a hand across the back of his neck before looking at me again.
“I need her somewhere secure tonight.”
“She stays here,” I said immediately.
Felicity’s eyes lifted to mine.
Surprised.
Michael didn’t argue.
That told me everything.
He already expected that answer.
“She can stay upstairs,” Trigger said quietly.
I nodded once.
The upstairs apartments over the Last Stand were secure, private, and occupied almost entirely by Rangers and their families.
Safest place in Eagle River.
Felicity looked overwhelmed suddenly.
“I don’t want to cause problems for anyone.”
“You’re not,” I said.
Her eyes met mine again.
There was too much history there.
Too much pain.
Too many things, neither of us was ready to talk about.
Michael looked between us slowly, clearly noticing the tension but smart enough not to touch it.
Good man.
Felicity swallowed hard. “I should probably leave town.”
“No.”
The word came out rougher than intended.
Her brows pulled together slightly.
“Hersh—”
Everything inside me stilled.
Not Blaze.
Hersh.
Like no time had passed at all.
Trigger glanced toward me briefly at the sound but wisely kept his mouth shut.
Felicity looked like she regretted saying my name immediately.
Too late.
“You’re exhausted,” I said carefully. “You don’t need to be alone right now.”
Something vulnerable flickered across her face so fast it almost hurt to see.
Because for one second?
She looked like the girl who used to trust me with everything.
Then the walls came back up.
“I’ve been alone a long time,” she said quietly.
Jesus.
The words hit like a punch.
Not dramatic.
Not emotional.
Just true.
And somehow that was worse.
Trigger moved closer to me as Michael started quietly questioning Felicity again about the house.
Low enough only I could hear, Trigger said:
“That her?”
I kept my eyes on Felicity.
“Yeah.”
A long pause.
Then quietly:
“You want us involved?”
I finally looked at him.
At my friend.
My brother, really.
Trigger’s expression had gone completely serious now.
No jokes.
No teasing.
Just Ranger.
Ready.
I looked back toward Felicity, standing beside Michael, with fear still shadowing her face.
“Already are.”