Page 32

We were barely concealed before another man crept down the side of the house and into the backyard.
With his hand still on my belly, Caleb simply gave a silent shake of his head.
I didn’t make a noise. The instinct to protect my child was too strong.
In silence, we watched the men storm the empty house.
Caleb laughed softly in my ear. “So fucking stupid. Come on.”
With the men preoccupied inside, he hauled me away through neighboring properties. I stumbled over tree roots and uneven ground, trying to keep up with the punishing pace he set, until we stumbled out onto a road.
Caleb looked around, clearly trying to get his bearings before getting out his phone again.
I didn’t bother listening to his conversation.
I focused on the sunrise and each new ray of light that streaked across the sky.
When a car stopped in front of us and he shoved me into the back seat, I went, just grateful he hadn’t put me into the trunk where I couldn’t see out of a window.
I barely noticed the houses outside changing from million-dollar mansions to average suburban homes, and then to run-down shacks that made our old farmhouses back home seem luxurious.
When our driver stopped at our destination, I focused on the sky and how beautiful it was, not the ramshackle building I’d been taken to.
Knowing the alternative, Caleb needed no other threats to get me out of the car and up to the front door. He banged his fist against it, paint flaking beneath the force of his blows. When nobody came, he switched to bellowing, “Hayden! Get out here!”
Eventually, the door opened, and a deep, sleep-laced voice grumbled out from the depths of the house. “What the fuck? What time is it?”
Something about his voice pulled me out of the safe space my brain had created. I finally dragged my gaze away from the sunrise.
Hayden was the most attractive man I’d ever seen. Tall. Broad-shouldered. A maze of tattoos all over his tawny skin. His dirty-blond hair was just long enough to put into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, but it was messy from sleep. Tight black boxer briefs clung to his muscled thighs, but that was the extent of his clothing.
His gaze collided with mine.
He looked me up and down, his gaze coming to rest on my belly before sliding back to Caleb sharply. “What the hell is this?”
Caleb shoved me forward, and I stumbled over the threshold, not realizing there was a step.
Hayden caught me, strong arms wrapping around me. “Whoa. You good?”
Caleb pushed in behind us and took one last glance at the street, searching both ways before he closed the door. His friend’s car had already disappeared. “Get your guys up and watching.”
Hayden still hadn’t let go of me, but all his attention was on Caleb. His eyes narrowed. “Why? What have you done?”
Caleb didn’t answer, only screwed his nose up at the vaguely musty scent that seemed to cling to the old house. “It reeks in here.”
Hayden glared at him. “We could go crash at your place instead, if you prefer.”
Caleb scoffed. “Be my guest. I can’t go back there anytime soon. Not until I get a few little problems straightened out.” He looked at Hayden properly for the first time since we’d arrived. “Which is where you come in. I need you to do something for me. A job.”
“What is it?”
“I need protection.”
Hayden’s jaw clenched. “For her too?”
Caleb sniggered. “What? No. I couldn’t care less about her. You can have her.”
Hayden glanced at me, then back at Caleb. “To do what with exactly?”