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The terror in his voice gutted Jesse. “I’m not leaving you, sweetheart. I need to get dressed.”
When he’d extracted himself from Sam, Jesse quickly threw some clothes on. He’d left his phone in the room to charge, and he swiped it off the nightstand. He now saw it was a little after three in the morning. Someone had to have heard those gunshots. That meant the police would be there soon. How would they explain winter in Sam’s bedroom?
He dialed Ian. His boss always answered, as if the man never slept. “Calling me at this time can’t be good,” Ian said.
“Demon used the shadows to get into Sam’s bedroom. He’s gone, but shots were fired, and no doubt the local PD is on its way.” Jesse told him about the cold in the room, how everything had looked frosted over. “Can’t explain that to the humans.”
Ian cursed. “There’s nothing we can do about that. There’s a safe house about forty minutes from you. Take Sam there.” His boss gave him the address. “Keep all the lights on, Jesse. I’m sending a few men to help you.”
“There’s something else.”
“I swear to god, if you tell me Sam is your mate…” Ian took a deep breath. “What is it?”
Jesse shouldn’t have said anything. Sam would be able to hear the conversation, both sides. “We’ll talk later.”
He hung up and grabbed Sam’s hand. “What a-are you d-doing?” His mate’s teeth were chattering.
“We need to get you some clothes, and I’m not leaving you in here alone.” Jesse flipped the light switch on in his bedroom. The shadows instantly vanished, and he grabbed his duffel bag. “Your house has been compromised, Sam. We can’t stay here.”
Had the demon tracked Sam down on his own or done a little digging to find out this house was owned by a Whitlock? Jesse wasn’t sure, but he had to get Sam out of there.
After taking his mate to his bedroom, Sam grabbed some clothes and dressed while Jesse gathered some more clothes and shoved them into a bag, then the two made it downstairs. Jesse didn’t run for the door. That wouldn’t be wise in the dim living room. He flipped on lights as they walked through the house. Then he heard distant sirens.
Their time was up. Jesse grabbed the keys to his Yukon off the hook by the door and eased the door open, keeping Sam behind him. “We’re gonna run to my ride. Get into the back as quickly as you can.”
Sam’s fingers gripped the back of Jesse’s waistband. “Okay.”
Jesse stepped out, looked around, then made a dash for his ride. He hit the fob on his way, and Sam did as he’d been instructed. Jesse ran around the front, jumped into the driver’s seat, then slowly pulled away. He didn’t want the cops seeing him racing from the house.
They turned the corner, and just before Sam’s street was out of sight, Jesse saw flashing lights in the opposite direction.
* * * *
Ian dialed Knox Ashford. The wolf picked up on the second ring. “I need you and Fletch to head to Chicago.”
Not that he didn’t trust Jesse Hart to do his job, but when dealing with preternatural cases, Ian didn’t take chances. He wasn’t sure if the demon who’d tried to take Samuel Whitlock was hired muscle or if that was an indication that whoever was behind this was also demon.
According to Malcolm, Samuel’s father, the first attempt was a demon, but Sam had said he smelled humans with the second attempt. The hired help was all over the place, so Ian wasn’t sure what kind of person was behind this.
“We’re on it,” Knox said.
Ian gave him the address to the safehouse. “I’ll have the jet fueled and ready to go as soon as you two hit the tarmac.”
Chapter Four
Sam was still shivering by the time they pulled into a driveway on a quiet street and Jesse hit a button to open the garage. To wake up and find someone standing over him had been terrifying. Sam thought for sure he was going to be taken, had struggled not to be, praying that Jesse would come to his rescue by screaming, even with a hand over his mouth.
It had worked because his bodyguard had stormed the room, ice in his blue eyes as he stared at Sam’s abductor. Jesse had looked lethal, as if he’d take on a dozen demons to keep Sam safe.
Sam ran his hands up and down his arms, wishing he would stop shaking. He still felt the freezing temperatures from that demon, still felt that hand over his mouth, still felt that bastard breathing on the back of his neck.
When the garage door closed, Jesse cut the Yukon off and turned his head. “I need you to stay right there while I check out the house.”
Sam didn’t want to be left alone but knew this was part of Jesse’s job. He trapped the plea in his throat for Jesse not to go and simply nodded. On his way to a door that led inside the house, Jesse flipped on the garage lights.
It felt like eons before the wolf shifter returned. He opened the back door and held out his hand. “It’s safe.”
Sam took the offered hand and let Jesse pulled him out. The touch sent shockwaves up Sam’s arm. He glanced up at Jesse, and the man’s eyes softened. Sam had heard the conversation in the guest bedroom, had heard Jesse’s boss ask if Sam was Jesse’s mate. The wolf hadn’t answered, and now Sam wondered if that was the reason for his overwhelming attraction to the guy. Demons didn’t know who their mate was until they slept with the person.
