Page 80 of Unraveled Love

He glanced up at me with a smirk, and I’d never wanted to punch an expression off another man’s face so quick and hard. Seriously? He was kidding about sex,now?

“Next time I’d rather have blue balls.” Not that there’d be a next time. “You might have left us out there unprotected with anything, asshole.”

I didn’t wait for his response or reaction. I ran after Addi.

She was brushing her hair in the bathroom, pulling it up into a ponytail when I entered, already dressed with socks on her feet. She stared at the mirror as I flung the towel around my hips to the bathroom floor.

“I know you didn’t say to brush my hair, but I wanted it out of my face.”

“Where’s your gun?” I asked. Like I gave a shit about hair right now.

“Nightstand.”

“Once you get your shoes on, grab it. Holster it like I taught you, and keep that safety on.”

She was struggling to breathe, and again, I was the asshole, barking orders at her like a green officer fresh out of the academy.

I took my own second, blew out a breath, and shook my arms to relieve tension. Maybe they were out in the woods and a battery died. This could be a false alarm.

Fucking doubt it.My instincts told me something was wrong. Briggs wouldn’t have been concerned otherwise. I grabbed my clothes and boxer briefs and went to her.

“I don’t mean to be an ass right now, and I’m sorry.” I kissed her shoulder, and I swore I saw her lips kick up at the corners.

“I understand. Just go. Find them.”

I knew she wouldn’t need the apology. Still, I felt more settled and more focused now that I had said it. I threw on my clothes, grabbed my own guns, and was heading downstairs when Addi was still at the bed, tying her shoes.

“Living room only, in view of Briggs and me at all times then, hear me?”

“Yes.”

“And if that changes, you are getting your ass up here, future blow jobs be damned.”

I was awarded with a smile she couldn’t hide before it flashed, and then she ducked back to her shoes.

I took off down the stairs and went straight to Briggs’ shoulder, peeking out from behind the curtains we kept closed.

“Word?”

“Nothing. Not Mason either, and yes, he did turn his radio on.”

“Fuck.” I scrubbed my hands through my hair right as Briggs swore.

“Holy shit. Five of them.”

“Five who?”

“Armed assholes. They’re closer.” He peered closer at the screens, and adrenaline hit.

“Holy shit. What’d they do? Take the men out with sniper rifles?”

“I don’t fucking know, but I can’t find them, so whatever they’ve done they did it out of camera view, which makes no damn fucking sense because I have every single inch of this house covered.”

“Except Landon’s tech company makes scramblers. How much of what we’ve been seeing was a looped reel and now is real time?”

“Fucking shit,” Briggs cursed right as we saw five guys appear at the tree line.

One of them looked up, and it was a face I’d become so used to seeing in pictures.

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