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L ottie was gone—fucking gone—and a panic like he’d never felt before consumed him.

Ignoring the throb in his arm, Chaz dragged himself up and staggered forward. He grabbed his gun and knife off the ground, and took off running through the trees.

“LOTTIE!” he roared, searching for her and the asshole who’d stolen her. The fucker he was going to disembowel with his Ka-Bar and leave for the bears.

“Chaz!” Brand appeared, hurrying over. “You’re bleeding.”

“I don’t give a shit. They took her and we need to get her back!”

“They’re gone,” Lex confirmed, moving into view. Corey and Jayson appeared on his heels. “Those guys were definitely military trained. Probably mercenaries.”

The panic running through Chaz’s veins turned to icy dread and he felt himself go pale. “They can’t be fucking gone!”

The idea of Lottie being kidnapped by a group of bloodthirsty mercenaries was too much. His heart rate accelerated at the same time the pain in his arm intensified. He needed to get to her, and his fear for her safety and frustration at the entire situation was making him irrational.

“Take it easy, Madden,” Brand said, exchanging worried glances with the others.

“Not until Lottie is safe,” he snapped.

“I can only track them so far,” Corey said. The former SEAL who spent most of his time in a log cabin in the woods was the best tracker Chaz knew. “Once they leave the forest in a car or on a bike…there’s nothing I can do.”

“We know what they want,” Brand stated logically, “and they have no idea we already found it. Does Lottie have the map?”

“No, I have the map and the jewels,” Chaz said, forcing himself to take a breath and start thinking rationally. He was going to save her and they’d figure out how.

“Good. They’ll be in touch and then we can bargain. We’ll get her back,” Brand said, voice firm.

“Fuck, yeah, we will,” Lex reaffirmed.

“Let’s go back to the cabin, clean your arm and wait for them to make contact.”

Those weren’t the words Chaz wanted to hear, but he knew Brand was right. Forcing himself to turn around and leave the forest was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. Even though he knew he wasn’t leaving Lottie, it sure as hell felt like it. She’d been abandoned by the men in her life before, but not by him. Never.

Brand clasped a hand around Chaz’s good shoulder and squeezed. “You care about her. A lot.”

A muscle flexed in Chaz’s jaw as he thought about a life without Lottie. Not a fucking option , he decided as clarity struck him upside the head and a pang vibrated within his once-dead heart. Looking down as his boots marched through leaves, he knew he’d die for his Sunshine. And if that wasn’t love, he didn’t know what the hell was.

“I love her,” he announced. “I fucking love that woman more than I’ve ever loved anyone—including myself.”

When he finally looked up, he saw his friends were all smiling.

“I don’t think any of us are too surprised to hear it, Madden,” Jayson said.

“Yeah, we all saw it—and I’m talking about more than your hard-on,” Lex added.

Chaz sighed. “I’d punch you, but I guess I got shot.”

“Hang in there,” Corey said.

Once they were back in the SUV, Jayson took care of the wound. Although Wes was the one who’d been a medic, the rest of the guys had been trained in the basics. Luckily, the bullet went through and through. Besides, it was the least of his concerns.

Now that he could admit his feelings to himself and the world, it wasn’t a shock to discover Lottie had slowly been healing his fractured heart. His jaded, bitter attitude had been replaced with a love so damn strong, so completely fierce, it sent his emotions into a tailspin.

As Brandon drove, he glanced at Chaz in the rear view mirror. “I’m happy you’re in love, but how do you feel about her being a package deal?”

Chaz knew he deserved the point blank question. Should have expected it. He’d never held back when it came to expressing his feelings about kids and marriage. And his friends were just as fiercely protective of Reya as they were Lottie.

“The nugget is fucking adorable.”

“Are you ready to be an insta-dad?” Lex asked.

“A toddler isn’t easy,” Jayson added. If anyone knew, he did. He’d raised Emma by himself.

“I know and, yes, I’m ready. Life with a two-year-old is kinda like taking care of your drunk friend.”

They all laughed.

“Yeah, for a few years ,” Jayson said. But his face instantly softened. “But you wouldn’t have it any other way.”

No, Chaz realized he wouldn’t.

Originally, his feelings for Lottie had scared him. At the time, he’d embraced being numb and didn’t want to feel anything…and she’d made him feel everything. Now? He found himself in the hardest battle he’d ever been in, but he was determined to find her. To fight for both her and Reya. Because now that he knew what he wanted, who he needed, he’d pull out every stop to make it happen.

◆◆◆

After she nearly fell off the motorcycle a couple of times, Helmet Head finally stopped. Another man in head-to-toe tactical gear dragged her off the bike and shoved her into the back of an SUV.

Whoever these guys were, they seemed scarily competent and well-organized. She’d much rather have been kidnapped by a bumbling bunch of idiots, but that wasn’t the case. Shrinking back against the seat, a little out of fear, but more so she could get a better look at all five of them, she frowned. Other than the quick glimpse she’d gotten when Helmet Head lifted his visor, they kept their faces covered by neck gaiters.

After what felt like forever, but was probably only about twenty minutes, the SUV pulled up to a large house perched on the edge of a lake. The men got out and one of them opened her door. Instead of waiting for her to exit on her own, he reached in and yanked her out.

“I don’t need you manhandling me,” she snapped, but he ignored her, dragging her forward. The house looked to be at least three levels and there were a lot of windows. “Where are we?”

“None of your business. Just move your ass.” He nodded toward the house and the rest of the men walked inside with them.

Manhandler and his crew escorted her through the foyer and toward a hall. The place had rustic vibes and a masculine energy with its dark paneling. She didn’t miss the deer head and other animal trophies hanging on the far wall, and her face twisted in a grimace. The place felt like a hunting lodge and she wondered how many weapons might be on the premises. Maybe she’d be able to get her hands on one.

They entered a large room at the back of the house with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the lake.

“Sit,” Manhandler ordered, shoving her toward the nearest chair.

With a glare, she lowered herself down into the upholstered seat and gripped onto the smooth wooden armrests.

What the hell kind of trouble had Andy gotten involved in? she wondered. Because she had no doubt that her current circumstance was a result of something stupid her ex had done before his untimely demise.

A dark wood barn door slid open on its wheels and Lottie’s head swiveled to see a large man in a perfectly pressed suit walk into the room. He carried himself like he was someone of importance—or believed himself to be—but she had no idea who he was. His dark eyes zeroed in on her as he sat down in the large leather chair on the other side of the desk.

“Hello, Charlotte,” he said, tapping a fat finger on the desk as he assessed her.

She turned in her chair to fully face him and lifted her chin, refusing to show fear. “Who are you and why exactly have you kidnapped me?”

“Feisty,” he murmured. “I like it.”

“Well, I don’t like you.”

“But not that much.” His eyes narrowed. “Watch your mouth or I’ll have one of these men cut your tongue out.”

She pressed her lips together, deciding not to push him, and waited for an explanation.

The man leaned back in his chair. “Andrew Dennison stole from me and I want my gems back.”

Seriously? Her idiot ex stole from this man and then tried to give the gems to their daughter? Was he insane?

It quickly occurred to her she had two options: tell the truth and admit they’d found the gems. Or, lie and possibly anger him. Her gut told her to be as transparent as possible, but to tread carefully. And she didn’t want the stupid jewels, anyway. All she wanted was to walk away from the situation and return home to her daughter and, hopefully, begin a relationship with Chaz.

“You can have them,” she said. “Just leave me and my daughter alone.”

“So he did send them to you?” he pressed. “The local fools I hired to search your apartment in Cielo Springs didn’t find anything.”

“That’s because we just found them.”

“Where are they?” he demanded. “And I assume ‘we’ means the former military men always flanking you?”

“Andy buried the gems and sent me a map. He wanted to go on a treasure hunt and find them with our daughter one day.” She shook her head. “I guess he felt guilty and wanted to make it up to her. I don’t know.”

“Touching,” he replied dryly.

Although Andy certainly had his issues, she’d never known him to steal. Something about what the man in front of her was claiming didn’t add up. Her ex was an asshole, but this felt entirely out of character for him.

“You said he stole the gems from you?” Lottie asked, studying his reaction closely.

He waved a dismissive hand through the air and shrugged a shoulder. “It’s really none of your concern,” he replied. His tone held a note of warning, but she wanted answers. Deserved them.

“I just never knew Andy to be a thief,” she said carefully.

The man shifted his bulk in the chair, leaning over the desk, eyeing her closely. “He won them,” he explained, using finger quotes, “during a high stakes poker game. But I believe he was cheating and now I want my goddamn shit back.”

He hissed the last few words out between clenched teeth and Lottie reeled back in her seat. That made sense. Andy loved playing poker and was always rubbing elbows with the wealthy, desperately wanting to fit into their elite circles. Whether he really cheated or not, she’d never know. But she knew one thing—the man before her was a murderer.

“You killed him,” she whispered.

The man sat up straight and brushed his hands together. “I didn’t kill anyone,” he stated dismissively.

Her gaze moved around the room. All five of the lethal men who’d attacked them in the woods stood there, as if waiting for orders. She had no doubts Mr. Suit sent them in to do his dirty work. But the truth was he was the one who gave the order to kill Andrew Dennison. Even though she and Andy hadn’t worked out, she still felt bad about his untimely and awful demise.

“Now, Charlotte, I suggest you tell me where the gems are or things are going to get extremely unpleasant for you.”

Shit. She quickly understood that she was in a very sticky situation. If she told him where the gems were, he would no longer have any use for her. Plus, she knew he and his team were behind the apparent “suicide” of her ex. Mr. Suit’s team of killers may have hidden their faces, but the man in front of her certainly wasn’t concerned about concealing his identity. If the truth got out, she would expose them as murderers.

Lottie had the power to send these men to prison for a very long time. And those gems were her only bargaining chip. Telling him she didn’t have the gems or the map would render her useless. And she needed him to keep her alive.

She just had to figure out how to best use them until Chaz and the guys could get to her. Because once the man in front of her had those sparkly stones in his possession, there was no way he would let her walk out of this place alive.