“Seriously?” the three men said to me at the same time.
Amongst our team, I’d developed a bit of a reputation as the guy who was willing to take the last of anything from our communal fridge at HQ. “It’s endearing when I do it,” I muttered as Wheeler shoved a large spoonful of yogurt into his mouth.
Lang started to speak, but the bedroom door opened. My teammates’ heads swiveled upward. I jumped to my feet and followed their eyes.
Cami stepped into the hallway wearing one of my black T-shirts, which seemed to swallow her whole. She was small and pale and stood frozen as she stared down at the armed men who were strangers to her. There was no good way to explain the situation, so all I could do was ease her fear.
“Good morning, Cam. These are my colleagues: Ben Hayes, Ryan Wheeler, and Logan Lang,” I said as I pointed to each of them.
“Ma’am,” they said in unison.
“Colleagues from the security company,” she said without taking her eyes off them. “In your house at seven in the morning, wearing full tactical gear.”
“I... We have a team meeting.”
My scrambled brain clutched for more to add but came up empty. None of the assholes who’d stormed my house contributed a word to help a brother out.
“Gentleman.” She stepped backwards. “Excuse me.” She fled back into the bedroom, closed the door, and slid the lock into place.
Great. I’d spent days getting her to open up to me, to share her thoughts and feelings, to trust me, at least a littlebit. We were finally getting closer, maybe starting something between us. And now that was blown to smithereens. My friends, my co-workers, looked like scary motherfuckers, and guilt by association meant I must be one, too. I suspected she knew we weren’t a threat to her, but it was obvious there was a lot more to my job than I’d told her. And the hell of it was, I still couldn’t enlighten her. But I couldn’t stay silent on the matter, either.
I walked up one step.
“Meeting,” Lang said.
I got his message. We only had five minutes until our call with Kat. Not enough time for a casual conversation, much less an explanation of why my friends were in the foyer dressed like some kind of military strike force. Which, in a way, we were.
Hayes held out his hand and Wheeler and Lang gave him their weapons. Hayes and Wheeler went in opposite directions, Hayes going toward the weapons safe hidden in my living room and Wheeler walking into my office to dial into the meeting on my secure landline. Lang leaned against the banister and crossed his arms over his chest. He didn’t look ready to tear me a new one, which was several steps up from his usual demeanor.
“Ah, Rogers.” His tone was uncharacteristically kind. After nearly five months of working together, he must be developing a soft spot for me.
I waited for his wise words or, if he didn’t have any to dispense, at least some sympathetic ones. “Lang,” I said to confirm he had my full attention.
He scowled. “Next time you somehow convince a smart, beautiful woman to fuck you, keep your phone within earshot, asshat.”
16
CAMI
After retreating to the safety of the bedroom, I sat on the foot of the bed for a few minutes to collect myself. What, exactly, had I just seen? Cybersecurity and bodyguards were one thing, but Kyle’s colleagues storming his house looked like a SWAT team. He’d assured me he wasn’t in the FBI or on the police force, but from what I’d witnessed, he didn’t really work for a security company, either. And I would never know the truth because I couldn’t ask him any questions. Great.
Ruminating over it didn’t make me feel any better, so I took a shower, dressed, and went to Bella’s room to let her out of her crate. It was nearly seven thirty when we crept down the stairs. Other than a few muffled voices coming from behind Kyle’s office door, the house was silent. I breathed a sigh of relief when the pup and I entered the kitchen and didn’t run into any more armed men.
I clipped her leash on to her collar and took her to the back yard for a few minutes for her morning pee, then led her back inside. I fed her, and while she ate, I located cerealand fruit for myself, and poured a cup of coffee from the half empty pot.
“This isn’t the morning-after breakfast I envisioned,” I said to Bella. “How about you, girl?”
She lifted her eyes and swished her tail in response as she lapped up the last of her food.
I leaned forward over the kitchen counter so I could see down the hallway to the closed office door. “I think I’d like to eat outside. Would you care to join me?”
She followed me back to the deck. While she sniffed the grass and dirt, I popped open the umbrella over the outdoor dining table and settled in to enjoy the tranquility along with my breakfast. After that, I thumbed through email while I contemplated pouring a second cup of coffee.
My phone buzzed. Gina was calling. We’d been speaking on the phone every morning now that I hadn’t been in the office. Each day, she kept me apprised of everything going on at the clinic, I evaded her questions about what was or wasn’t happening with Kyle, and by the end of the call we both felt better for having spent time with our best friend.
But this morning, I hesitated. I’d thought today of all days I would have so much to tell her. Not details of last night, but the gist of it. I knew she’d be thrilled for me. But this morning’s visitors had reminded me of how little I knew about a major part of Kyle’s life, his work. And now I wasn’t sure whether I was thrilled for myself.
When the phone buzzed again, I answered it. I still didn’t know what to say to her, but she was my best friend. I’d figure it out. “Good morning, lovely lady.”
