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And when our food arrives—surprisingly fast for such a busy place—I laugh at her wide-eyed reaction. Pancakes? More like slipcovers. They’re so big the edges hang off the plate. “I might have made a mistake,” she admits, and that’s before the server plops down the plate of bacon. I’m fairly sure they cooked up half the pig.
“What was that about going big or going home?”
She rolls her eyes. “At this rate, you’ll have to roll me home because I won’t fit into the car after eating this.” That doesn’t stop her from digging in, though, and I do the same with my omelet. When she offers me some of her pancakes, I feel like I have to say yes, if only to help her plow through them. They’re surprisingly light and flavorful, but it’s her reaction as she enjoys one bite after another that’s really enjoyable.
I can almost believe this is something I could do regularly—that we could do since her presence is what makes it bearable. Better than bearable. Fun, or as close to fun as I have experienced in way too long.
Her sudden scowl comes as a surprise, at least until she reaches into her purse and pulls out her phone. “I have to take this. It’s my brother.”
Immediately, I’m on guard, but I keep a neutral expression as she answers the call. “Hello? Wait a second. Slow down.”
This guy. It’s always something with him.
Our eyes meet, and the fear in hers snaps me back into reality. This is not a fun little outing. I don’t take fun little outings. I solve problems. I get shit done. When I gesture for the phone, she hands it over willingly. “There’s trouble,” she whispers to me.
When isn’t there? “Jase? What’s happening?”
“I don’t know, man. Something’s all wrong.” He sounds vague, overly excited, but unfocused.
“How? What’s happening?”
“I don’t know. I just woke up, and it feels like… like somebody’s been here. Everything’s off. There’s a weird feeling.”
Whatever is happening, it’s real for him. That alone is enough to make me take him seriously. That, and the fact that he didn’t think to ask who he’s speaking to. He’s too worked up. “Listen to me. I have guys outside your house as we speak. Stay put. I’ll have them take care of it. All right? Just stay where you are.”
I end the call and hand the phone over before taking a wad of bills from my wallet and leaving them on the table. “You’re going to go back to the hotel. I’ll handle this.”
“Like hell!” A few nearby patrons turn and glare, but she ignores them. She’s much too concerned with glaring at me.
“This is not up for discussion, understood? That’s where you’ll be safest.”
She shakes her head hard like an obstinate child. “I’m going to the house. No way am I going to sit back and not know what’s happening.”
“I’ll fill you in.”
“Right.” She shimmies out of the booth in an instant. “I’ll get there on my own.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I follow her close but hold my tongue until we’re outside. Sure enough, she’s got her phone in her hand, and she’s pulling up the Uber app.
“Would you stop being reckless for once?”
“It’s reckless to care what happens to my brother?” She turns her back on me, searching for a ride.
What are my choices here? There isn’t one. “Fine. But you’re going to listen to what I say.” Her head bobs up and down, and I could kick myself, I really could. She’s already bullied me into coming along. Who am I kidding, pretending she’ll listen once we get there? I would rather have her with me than in some stranger’s car, that’s for sure. Who’s to say they would get her there in one piece?
While on the way, I dial one of the guys guarding Jase. “We didn’t get an alert,” he reports. “Nobody’s been in or out. We were just saying how quiet everything seems. The street’s empty.”
“Stay where you are. It could be nothing.” And sending my men to the door with their guns drawn, ready to search the place, might take a paranoid kid and turn him into a feral animal trying to survive. You can never tell how someone’s going to react in that type of situation. It’s safer for them to stay where they are until we arrive.
It doesn’t take long. And I’m not surprised when Teagan bolts from the SUV within moments of it coming to a stop. “I’m just going to go in and check on him,” she insists like the headstrong pain in the ass she can be. I wait with the guys at the curb, the three of us watching closely.
She doesn’t get halfway to the front door when an explosion rips through the quiet house and knocks her to the ground.
