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They’d been flung together, but they’d clicked—all three of them had clicked into place with each other. Strange, but true. However, she doubted either of them would be interested in seeing her again, after all of this was over. Adrian was having fun, but this wasn’t what he’d signed up for and deep down she felt guilty about that. Seth…well, Seth was a different kettle of fish altogether. She suspected he was just keeping himself amused, or keeping them all amused, or something. Whatever, he’d made it clear he wasn’t taking it seriously. Even so, she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to be with them both under normal circumstances. Would it be the same? Maybe not, but she’d like to find out. She saw Adrian teasing Seth, Seth being put out, but silently accepting the more gentle man’s opinion. Like a subtle exchange between bonded friends. The fact that they did it in front of her was a strange and unexpected aphrodisiac. Breathing deep, she savoured the image, locking it into her heart where she would treasure it, always
Somewhere behind her, a twig snapped.
Seth? She glanced over her shoulder, but not quite quickly enough.
She saw a fast moving figure dressed in black, and a flash of ice-blond hair.
Her mug crashed to the ground.
A large, oppressive hand fell over her mouth, and her body was crushed in a death-grip. When she tried to cry out, her breath was choked out of her lungs.
* * * *
Adrian woke up, and immediately knew that Lily wasn’t close by. He sat up and checked. Seth was lying a foot or so away, and there was a space in between them. The door was ajar and cold air funnelled through it. He listened for Lily, but couldn’t hear anything. Something told him this wasn’t right.
“Wake up.” With one hand on Seth’s shoulder, he whispered the words.
Seth lifted his head off the pillow. “Huh?”
“Wake up. I have a bad feeling.”
Seth was upright inside a heartbeat. “Where’s Lily?”
“I don’t know. Woke up and she was gone.” He shook his head. “Not in the bathroom, and I can’t hear her.”
Seth was on his feet pulling his jeans on. Adrian did the same. Seth pulled his gun out of his boot, where he deposited it each night, and then shoved his feet into the boots. Adrian was just about to reach for a T-shirt, when a sound reached them, a shattering sound, and a muffled scream.
“Outside,” Seth said through gritted teeth. He stalked to the hallway, half dressed, gun in hand. Adrian followed, but at the doorway Seth turned and stopped him, pushing him back into the room. “You stay here, and lock the door behind me. Go into the bathroom and lock that door as well, and don’t come out until I tell you to.”
Adrian shook his head, moving forward against the hand Seth had up against his chest. “It’s my fault that she’s here at all. There is no way I’m going to do anything else but come and help.”
Seth’s eyes blazed. “The hell you are. You are my primary witness. It is my duty to make sure you are safe, even if that means putting my life on the line. Deal with it.”
Adrian swallowed, but it was Lily out there. To hell with Carlisle and the court case. “It’s Lily.” He locked eyes with Seth and they stood silently sparring, the tension soaring.
“I’ll find her.”
“I’ll help.”
They were squaring up to ea
ch other, but Seth shook his head. “I’m not above knocking you out cold to keep you down and safe.”
“It’s Lily,” Adrian repeated, empathically, “and if you were me you couldn’t just sit here and wait. Face it, as soon as you leave, I am following.” The door could only be locked from the inside. Seth didn’t respond to that one, unable to. Adrian continued quickly. “We’re wasting time. I’ll stay behind you, but you could really use a second pair of eyes right now.”
“Jesus, you two are the most pain-in-the-arse witnesses I have ever experienced.” Seth shook his head, his eyes flickering as he looked into the hallway. “See that you do stay back,” he added over his shoulder, “and keep your eyes peeled.”
In the hallway, the control box was open. Seth stared at it, muttering to himself. “This is my fault.”
With his back against the wall, he moved slowly along hallway to the residents’ lounge. Dipping his head inside, he held one hand up, indicating that Adrian wait. The cold air was definitely coming from that direction. A moment later, Seth moved into the doorway, cocked gun in front of him. Then he disappeared into the room.
When Adrian followed, he saw that the French windows were wide open, the open curtains lifting on the winter air. However, it was the silence, and not the cold, that made him shiver.
Seth quickly pointed at him, and then pointed behind the bar, indicating he take cover there. Adrian was unwilling, but Seth glared at him. He did as instructed, dropping to his knees behind the bar, whilst watching Seth’s manoeuvres over the edge. It occurred to him in a moment of extreme irony that there wasn’t much point in keeping him protected right now, seeing as he didn’t give a shit about anything but Lily’s safety.
Seth hadn’t even got close to the French windows when a shot rang out. Had they left the doors wide open like a trap? Adrian felt sick. The hairs on his back stood up. Was Lily even alive? He crushed the thought that it was otherwise.
The back of the bar ran up to the edge of the curtains, further along the room, where the casement window ended, and he headed in that direction. Seth had his back against the curtains, a few inches to the side of the open glass doors. From memory, Adrian recognised that he was against the wall flanking the French windows. “Nice try,” Seth shouted, “but you seem to keep missing your targets.”
