Page 16

And Jay? If it concerned Four Kings Security, he was aware of it.

He knew all the passwords and combinations, everyone’s salary, and who was sleeping with whom.

He knew every client by name and had access to every single file.

Jay was the only one with the same level of security clearance as the six co-owners of the company, but outside of the Kings and Wild Cards, no one had a clue because that’s how good Jay was at his job, and he took great pride in that.

“I ate way too much,” Joshua groaned, following Jay outside into the crisp night air once they’d finished their meal and Jay paid the bill. He loved this time of year when it was still warm and sunny in the afternoons, but there was a slight chill in the mornings and evenings.

Jay laughed. “Isn’t that what you said before ordering a lemon, raspberry, and mascarpone donut the size of your head?”

Joshua groaned again. “Please stop talking about food.”

They walked down the brick path and through the archway that led out onto Charlotte Street, where their rideshare would pick them up.

They’d only had a couple of drinks, but it was always easier to take a rideshare into the historic district than attempt to find parking during dinner hours. “Thanks again for tonight.”

“You know I’m always here when you need me,” Joshua replied. He leaned forward to see around Jay. “There’s a van that’s crawling this way. What kind of car is our ride?”

Jay shook his head. “It’s a gray Honda Accord.”

“Ah, okay. Not it then.”

The van drove slowly down the one-way street, passing them.

The driver was probably looking for an address.

With businesses tucked away in various locations throughout the district, it could be challenging for tourists and delivery drivers to find specific addresses.

The van stopped, lights on, and Jay expected someone to roll down the window and ask for directions.

Instead, the door opened, and two men in black balaclavas and black hoodies jumped out.

“Run!” Jay grabbed Joshua’s wrist and bolted, running across the street as fast as he could, Joshua in tow as the men gave chase. They took a sharp turn into the parking lot of what Jay ironically realized was the wedding venue he’d been at earlier today with Ryden.

Ryden….

God, Jay wished he were here right now. Okay, yeah, Jay got it.

A Marine probably wouldn’t have to run. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest as adrenaline rushed through his system.

He headed for the end of the parking lot, and they jumped over the short wall, running behind the other buildings.

For the first time, he was grateful that the buildings in the historic district were packed together, one ending where another began.

The lush shrubbery and trees provided cover in several areas where there wasn’t enough lighting.

They silently ran through the trees behind the cathedral. If they could make it to the plaza, it would be filled with people and have much more lighting. They’d almost made it out onto the sidewalk when something hard slammed into him.

Jay hit the ground hard, and Joshua landed next to him. One of the men rolled Jay over, and Jay brought his fist with him, catching the guy on the side of the head. He reeled, cursing loudly as he fell onto his side.

No time to waste. Jay kicked at the guy on top of Joshua and spun, ducking as his assailant swung a fist. From the corner of his eye, Jay could see that Joshua was on his feet, his back to Jay.

If these assholes thought they were going to go down easy, they were in for an unpleasant surprise.

Jay readied himself. He hadn’t spent the past twelve years at Four Kings Security at his desk reading.

He’d been given lessons on all the different ways he could defend himself.

“You’re coming with us if you know what’s good for you,” the bastard snarled.

“Yeah, I don’t fucking think so,” Jay replied, darting out of the way when the guy launched forward. Missing, he spun around, and Jay punched him in the solar plexus. Hard. The guy doubled over and wheezed just as his masked friend cried out and fell on the grass, holding his knee.

“What the fuck!”

“Who sent you?” Joshua demanded, kicking the guy in the stomach for good measure.

“Fuck you,” the guy spat.

Had someone sent these guys to kidnap him? Jay turned to his attacker, who took a quick step back. He made to reach for something in his hoodie pocket, but Jay tackled him to the ground, punching him across the face. There was a very good chance these guys were packing.

“We gotta go!” Joshua grabbed Jay’s arm, and they took off.

“What is it?” Jay asked, breathless, as they ran across the street to the plaza.

“We’re about to be outnumbered,” Joshua said. “What do we do?”

Jay looked around when it hit him. “Holy shit. We’re a block away from the office.”

Joshua blinked at him. “What?”

“Yeah, there’s King Street.” Jay took off with Joshua at his side. He had no idea if the men who’d tried to kidnap him were behind them or if they’d gone back to get their van. Something told him they weren’t about to give up.

They ran as fast as they could towards the Four Kings Security building.

Most of the staff would have gone home by now, but security was always on site, and Jay had his keys and codes if he needed them.

They’d just run into the parking lot when a truck screeched to a stop in front of them, the bumper so close that when Jay threw out his hands, he hit the hood.

He shot his head up, his eyes going wide and his heart skipping a beat when he realized who was behind the wheel.

The truck door flew open, and Ryden jumped out.

He bolted over to Jay, and Jay didn’t think about it or hesitate.

He threw himself into Ryden’s open arms, relief flooding through him as he grabbed fistfuls of Ryden’s shirt, clinging tight.

Ryden wrapped his strong arms around Jay, and at that moment, Jay knew he was safe.

“Fuck,” Ryden breathed out. “Are you two okay?” He didn’t try to pull away, and even if he had, there was a good chance Jay wouldn’t have let go. His face was buried in Ryden’s chest, soaking in his warmth and strength.

“We’re okay,” Joshua said. “Looks like those guys decided not to follow.”

The screech of tires skidding to an abrupt halt made Jay jump.

“It’s okay, darlin’,” Ryden said softly, running a hand soothingly down his back. “It’s just Frank.”

Jay lifted his head and turned, but he kept ahold of Ryden, watching as Frank darted over, grabbed Joshua, and lifted him off his feet to squeeze him.

“Thank fuck,” Frank said gruffly, gently putting Joshua on his feet. He cupped his face. “Are you okay?”

Joshua nodded. His smile was wide. “We kicked ass.”

Frank chuckled. “I knew you would.”

“We should take this inside,” Ryden said. “In case those assholes are still around.” He ushered Jay toward the doors, leaning in to murmur. “I was on my way to, uh, what was it? The Suburban Sasquatch?”

Jay let out a shaky laugh despite the current circumstances. “You mean the Urban Unicorn?”

Ryden snapped his fingers. “That’s it.”

Jay shook his head. If he didn’t laugh, he’d cry. Having been trained and having to use what you’d learned were two very different things. The adrenaline was still pumping, and he didn’t want to think of what would follow once everything caught up with him.

Upstairs, Ryden led them to his office, turning on the lights when they stepped inside. He motioned to the couch, but Jay shook his head.

“I need… I don’t want to….” He tightened his grip on Ryden’s T-shirt, grateful Ryden didn’t ask. He led Jay inside but didn’t sit. “How’d you know?” Jay asked him.

“I called him,” Frank said, sitting on the couch with Joshua and pulling him close. “After Joshua messaged me.”

Jay blinked at Joshua. “How?” When they hadn’t been running, they’d been defending themselves.

“My smartwatch,” Joshua replied, holding up his wrist. He pointed to one of the app shortcuts on the screen. “I have an app that lets me send a 9-1-1 message to whomever’s programmed in. Two taps and it notified Frank.”

Jay made a mental note to get himself that app.

“Was it them?” Ryden asked Jay.

Jay shook his head. “These guys were not Marines, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t send them.”

“You know who’s behind this?” Frank asked, standing. Joshua quickly jumped to his feet and took hold of Frank’s hand.

Ryden gave them all a brief rundown of what was going on, leaving out everything that had happened between him and Jay. All of it Jay knew, except the part where it could be connected to one of their clients who’d been killed in a car bombing earlier that day.

Jay gasped. He stared up at Ryden. “Who?”

“Graham Gibson.”

“Oh my God.” Jay put a hand to his mouth. “Poor Mr. Gibson.”

“Wait, Graham Gibson of Gibson Global?” Joshua asked, his frown deep.

“You know him?” The moment Jay said the words, it struck him. “He has a contract with Connolly Maritime.”

Joshua nodded. “He is—I mean, was, one of Connolly Maritime’s subcontractors. Colton had lunch with him yesterday.”

“Shit.” Frank ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t like where any of this is going. Does King know?”

Ryden nodded. “We talked to him today. Jack’s looking into these guys. For now, you all stay safe and watch your backs.”

Joshua worried his bottom lip. He met Jay’s gaze. “When King assigns you protection, please don’t say no.”

Jay blinked at his best friend. “Say what now?”

“The moment King finds out, he’ll want to assign someone to protect you.”

Joshua wasn’t wrong, but he’d worry about that later. “I can’t think about that right now.” He hadn’t even wrapped his head around tonight. His adrenaline rush was fading, and he began to shake.

“I’ll look after him,” Ryden promised.

Jay stared at him wide-eyed.

“At least for tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll talk to King and work everything out. Please, Jay. One night.”

Jay didn’t have the strength to argue. More importantly, he didn’t want to. Who knew what nightmares this would lead to? Literally. “Okay. I’ll stay with you.” His cheeks grew warm at his words, but he was suddenly too tired and too cold to care. “Can we go now?”

“Sure.”

Jay waited while Frank and Ryden whispered to each other on one side. Joshua hugged him, murmuring in his ear.

“Don’t be stubborn. Let him take care of you.”

“You mean, protect me,” Jay murmured.

“That’s what I meant.” The mischief in Joshua’s eyes when he pulled back said he knew exactly what he’d meant.

Joshua left with Frank, and Jay wrapped his arms around himself.

He’d spaced out, unaware of when Ryden had stopped in front of him, until Ryden brushed his fingers down Jay’s cheek, snapping him out of it.

He lifted his gaze, a lump forming in his throat.

He’d never seen that expression on Ryden’s face—a mixture of concern and…

something else. Affection? Jay wasn’t sure what to do with that.

“Ready?” Ryden asked softly.

No. Jay was so not ready, but he nodded anyway.

It was fine—just one night. It wasn’t like they were going to sleep together or anything. Tomorrow, Jay would feel better, and everything would be back to normal—or at least as back to normal as was possible after someone tried to kidnap him. Yep, it was fine. He was going to be fine.

Cue the dumpster fire .