Page 75 of Chain Reaction

He could have called or texted Ty or Colton also, but he’d rather have those conversations face-to-face.

He was bringing Raven with him.

She was obviously a target, though he still didn’t know why. Until he did, and until he knew she was safe, he didn’t want to let her out of his sight.

Of course, Raven had her own say in the matter. She could refuse. But thankfully, she hadn’t yet.

They arrived at Blackout, and Jake paused after he climbed out of the SUV.

He stared in the distance at the site of the bomb explosion.

A temporary fence had been constructed, and Blackout operatives stood guard, rotating shifts every few hours.

The area around the explosion was charred.

A crater stood where the grass used to grow.

Some nearby trees had been blown away. Others were left burnt, standing like blackened skeletons.

His chest tightened at the memories.

He was thankful everything had turned out okay. But the outcome could have been so much different.

He continually praised God for the fact everyone had gotten through the situation unscathed.

“Are you okay?”

Raven’s voice pulled Jake from his thoughts, and he glanced at her.

She stood beside him on the sidewalk, quietly waiting for him to process the scene.

He nodded slowly as he said, “Just reflecting on everything that’s happened.”

“It’s been crazy, hasn’t it?” She followed his gaze.

“That would be an understatement.”

“Yes, it would be.”

Jake appreciated how she didn’t try to downplay it. Even though Raven had grown up around affluence, she’d always been down to earth. He’d always appreciated that quality about her.

When he’d first received the assignment to guard her, he’d been apprehensive. Resistant even. He hadn’t wanted to guard the snooty college-aged daughter of a US ambassador.

He’d been totally wrong in his assumptions, however.

Nothing about Raven was snobbish.

She’d surprised him over and over again.

“Do you want to check it out?” Raven asked.

Jake snapped from his thoughts and nodded toward headquarters. “I want to get some updates first. Let’s get inside.”

The two of them headed to Ty’s office.

When they arrived, his door was open, and he sat at his desk, talking on the phone with someone. As soon as he spotted them, he ended the call.

He sat up straight in his chair as he addressed them. “You guys doing okay? I know yesterday was rough. I heard today wasn’t much better.”