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I hoped to hell Rogue wouldn’t notice the riding crop on the ground. I reminded myself not to look toward it and resisted the urge to kick it out of the way.
“You don’t need to say anything about this,” I said.
“What’s going on back here?” TJ appeared behind Rogue.
“Too late,” Rogue said.
At least we had our pants pulled up by that point.
“Nice pajamas,” TJ said, nodding in Darren’s direction.
“Thank you.” He gave me a pointed look. “See? Some people have good taste.”
I snorted.
“Get back to the damn house,” TJ said. “You’re not supposed to be out here unprotected.”
I felt the wetness sliding down my inner thighs. “Too late for that too.”
Rogue started laughing so hard he had to bend over and hold his stomach. TJ just huffed. “Seriously, get your ass in the house.”
“You didn’t get to see them like I did,” Rogue protested.
“I’m going to tell Ghost about this,” TJ threatened.
“Don’t you dare. You know I’ll get you back.”
Darren and I walked off as they continued to squabble. My head was reeling, and my body ached. I did everything I could not to walk like I’d been riding a horse all night. “You know there’s no way we’re going to keep what had happened out there a secret from anyone on the ranch. Does that bother you?”
Darren just smiled. “I’ve staked my claim. If they weren’t all coupled up, I’d already have made damn sure they knew you were mine.”
“Why is it so hot when you talk like that?”
“Because you need a protector.”
“No, I don’t. That’s what I—”
“That’s right. You protect other people, but there’s been no one looking out for you.”
“Take cover!” Rogue yelled.
A shot rang out as we dropped down by the porch steps and pulled our weapons out.
“Fuck. Somebody’s out there.”
A few minutes later, TJ called out, “It’s all good.”
“Then who was shooting?”
“He was.” Rogue pointed at TJ. “But it must’ve been a fucking deer.”
I realized the whole house was up as everyone spilled onto the porch.
Grant saw me and Darren, gave us an up-and-down look, then rolled his eyes. “What the hell is it about this place?”
“We didn’t need the ranch for this,” Fox said.
“Rogue, are you all right?” Ghost ran over to his boyfriend and pulled him into his arms.
“I’m fine. It wasn’t anything.”
“TJ,” Rhys ran to him as well. “What happened?”
“I swear I saw someone. They moved like a person, not a deer, but after I shot at them, a deer ran out. We didn’t see or hear anything else.”
“So someone could be back there?” Darren asked.
“If the bastard is at good at disappearing as Ghost is,” TJ said.
Ghost shook his head. “It’s dark. A lot of people can pull my tricks in the dark.”
Jacob joined us then, and Grant scowled. “I told you to stay in the house.”
“If all y’all out here with your guns can’t protect me, then I’m not going to be any safer in the house.”
“He does have a point,” Rhys said.
Grant glared at his brother.
“Maybe everybody’s just a little on edge,” Fox said.
Rogue snorted. “Everybody but you. I think Darren managed to take the edge off whatever you were feeling.”
“Enough,” Ghost said, laying a hand on Rogue’s shoulder.
TJ shook his head. “I want to say it’s all fine, but I know what I saw, and something feels off.”
Grant walked down the steps and farther away from the house. He stood still for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, it does.”
Rhys moved toward him. “So what’s our move?”
“You and TJ stay out here and keep watch from the porch. I’m going to go in check in with the guards to see if they’ve noticed anything.”
The rest of us headed inside with Grant who seized me by the shoulder once we were in the kitchen. “What the hell were you doing out there?”
Before I could answer, Darren said, “Making sure Fox fully understands his role in this mission.”
Rogue whistled. “Darren has quite a way of convincing people.”
“Jesus,” Ghost said.
“I can’t help that I caught them in the middle of it. Don’t worry about it, though,” Rogue said. “We’ve all been caught. There’s something about the air out here. It makes a man have extra strong needs.”
“This is not the time for jokes,” Grant sad.
“Maybe you need to go release some tension with Jacob and let us handle this.”
He growled at his brother. “This is my safehouse, and I’m going to make sure everyone stays safe.”
Jacob patted his back. “Calm down, baby. We’re going to be okay. Look at y’all. Do you really think somebody’s going to come here and defeat you?”
Grant smiled at the compliment as my phone buzzed. It was X. I held up a finger and answered the phone.
“We lured them to Houston,” he said. “They know you’re somewhere not far away. It’s possible they know the exact location, but I’m not certain.”
