Page 76 of Endeavor

There are twelve texts and two missed calls, all from Rhett and my heart starts hammering. I open them.

Rhett: Someone broke into my fucking house!

Rhett: Pick up the damn phone!

Rhett: MF- I’m serious! Stop fucking and answer me.

Rhett: Benson and Dean are here.

I keep reading the texts, all of them with a sense of urgency and fear.

I slowly and carefully untangle myself from Emma and pull on my boxer briefs. I walk to the balcony and slide the door shut behind me before pressing call.

“Where the fuck are you?” Rhett’s voice yells.

“I was sleeping.”

“You always answer.”

I want to explain I had a sex marathon of epic proportions that the universe has never seen before and my body entered a state of Zen that’s otherworldly, but I don’t think Rhett would appreciate that at the moment.

“I was exhausted. What’s happening? Someone broke into your house?” I ask.

“Jackie and I were sleeping. I heard a noise and then a crash. The new security team had just installed the motions sensors inside but hadn’t finished all the outside installation on the far side of the house because something needed rewiring over there. Whoever it was, got in over there but tripped inside and set off the motion sensor in the dining room. They managed to get out of the house before I was even out of my bedroom. Dude, this is insane. I…Jackie is still a crying mess. She doesn’t want to stay here ever again. The cops are here still trying to find evidence. The security team is helping them. They caught an image this time though.”

“Thank God!”

“It’s not good though. It’s definitely a dude like we thought. He was wearing all black and had a gaiter covering most of his face. He had a cap on, and you can’t really see anything. He’s about six feet tall though. They are doing some analytics because they want to see if there’s something on his cheek, right by his hairline. Maybe a scar or cut or tattoo or something.”

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “Well, it’s something. Shit, I’m sorry. That’s terrifying. I’m just glad you had some of the security stuff set up already. Considering what happened a few days ago…shit, I don’t want to even think about it.”

“I know,” he replies.

The slider opens behind me, and I feel Emma’s warm arms wrap around my waist as she presses a kiss to my tense back.

“I’ll be back tonight. I’ll call you when I get home,” I say to him.

“Be careful. Jackie and I are heading out to my brother’s cabin for a bit and Max is going to visit his dad in Chicago. It’s time to get out of Dodge for a while.”

I pound my hand on the railing. “Fuck,” I curse under my breath.

“You still going to your mom’s place?” Rhett asks.

“Yeah, I’m just stopping by the house tonight to get clothes and stuff.”

“Be careful,” Rhett says. “And call me when you get settled at Blythe’s. The security team has assured me that all our security measures will be fully in place by tonight. So, expect some security guys at your house in addition to all the tech stuff.”

“I will.”

“OK, twatwaffle. I gotta go check on Jackie. I love you, brother.”

“Love you, too, fuckknob.”

We hang up, and I stare out at the vineyard. Everything seems so calm. It’s eerily silent in comparison to the blood pounding through my body at a speed that can’t be good for my heart.

“What’s wrong?” Emma asks, her body still against mine.

“He broke into Rhett’s house,” I reply, turning to pull her against me.

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