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FORD

“ T hanks a million, Stryker.” I shake his hand, then grab the boxes of tiny cameras and put them in Gram’s vehicle.

“Not a problem, Ford. Send me the video of the guy who broke in. I’ll see what I can do.”

I grab my phone and air drop it to him. “I appreciate it. I’ve already transferred the funds and added a tip.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know. But I like to reward a job well done.” I grin at him. “I know the kind of work you do. You’re thorough.”

Stryker looks over at Harper, who is talking to his woman, Mallory.

His voice is low as he says, “The guy you asked me to look into. Jeffrey Morrison.”

Every muscle in my body goes rigid.

My breathing accelerates.

“What about him?” My tone is dark.

Low.

Murderous.

“I have the file you asked for. I’ll send it now.”

“Do you know if he’s around here?”

Stryker’s eyes bore into mine. “I’ve been tracking him. Yes, he’s in the area. He arrived right after Harper.”

My brows shoot up. “He’s following her?”

“Appears that way.”

My hands clench into fists. “That sonofabitch is dead.”

My nostrils flare while my pulse thunders through my ears.

My gaze locks onto my wife—fuck saying future, that woman has always been mine.

Harper is laughing, her face lit up with pure happiness as Mallory says something to her.

She’s oblivious to the danger around her.

Safe because of me.

The way she should always be.

The way she will always be.

Because Jeffrey Morrison is a dead man walking.

And I’m the executioner.

We are seated at the table when there’s a loud ruckus at the door.

I smirk, instantly knowing my teammates are here.

My gaze rakes over them as they file through the door—Cole, Jake, and Daltyn.

Every head in the restaurant turns to watch them as they make their way to our table.

I squeeze Harper’s hand before I stand, doing the handshake we always do before every game, introducing each teammate to Harper before they move to Connor and shake his hand.

Once everyone is seated, Jake looks over at Harper. “So you’re the one who owns our boy’s heart, huh?” He gives her a big grin. “He finally locked you down.”

She laughs, her sparkling eyes meeting mine. “I didn’t have much choice.”

“Much? How about any?” Cole says with a devilish grin in my direction. “Connor has kept us informed via the group text.”

“I need to be part of it,” Harper says.

“As long as you don’t mind a lot of cussing and inappropriate comments. We aren’t PG at all,” Daltyn says.

“Are you kidding? I’d expect nothing less.” She squeezes my thigh. “I’m marrying this guy, after all. I know what I’m in for.”

“I like her,” Daltyn says after giving the waitress his drink order.

“Me, too,” says Cole, after he ordered drinks and an appetizer. “I can’t fucking wait for this wedding. It’s gonna be epic!”

“Lots of fun stuff planned,” Connor says, winking at each of us before his eyes return to Allie.

Her back is ramrod straight as she glares at him.

“No bachelor party?” Jake asks.

“No. Why the hell do I need one of those?” I grin. “You can have one in my absence.”

“Hell, yes. We’re staying at the B&B.” Cole says. “Maybe we can have one there.”

Harper’s eyes are huge. “Oh, God. You may give Nadine Green a heart attack. She’s an elderly woman.”

“Oh, she loves Daltyn.”

Daltyn leans forward, grinning like a man who’s already seen the gates of hell. “I was honestly worried she was gonna drop to her knees, pop out her dentures, and gum me down like I was her last meal.”

Jake chokes on his drink.

Cole smacks the table, dying.

And Connor?

He looks disturbingly intrigued.

“You saying you turned her down?” he asks, brow quirked. “Because I hear those gums feel like velvet.”

“Jesus Christ, Connor!” Harper yelps, covering her ears.

“What?” He shrugs, completely unbothered. “A man’s gotta be open to new experiences.”

Allie chokes on her drink as we laugh.

“If she does, someone needs to video that shit and put it in the group text.” Connor shoots Allie a smirk. “Maybe me since I’m staying there now.”

Harper raises her brows, looking at me.

I shrug, not surprised.

Connor didn’t tell me he was going to get a room there, but seeing how he’s fawning all over Allie, it’s not shocking in the least.

In fact, it’s typical Connor.

“You’re what?” Allie’s high-pitched voice is like nails dragging down a chalkboard. “Since when?”

Connor nonchalantly grabs his glass of water and tosses it back.

When he sets it down, he shrugs. “I may have gone in after you went inside and rented a room.” He puts his elbows on the table, his full attention on her. “Beside yours.”

“What?” Her eyes are practically bugging out of her head. “You’re staying in the room beside me?”

He shrugs. “Yeah. I mean, when my teammates said they were gonna stay there, I figured I would, too. It gives Ford and Harper some privacy at Gram’s.”

I stare at him skeptically, knowing he doesn’t give the slightest shit about privacy.

Connor is doing everything to stick a foot in the door and wiggle in before taking over Allie’s life.

I see it coming from a mile away.

Allie eyes him skeptically as the guys hoot and holler.

“We’re gonna have a fucking blast.” Cole takes the appetizer from the waitress and pushes it to the center of the table. “Dig in, everyone.”

“I just added you to the group chat, Harper.” Daltyn holds up his phone, smirking. “Enjoy. It gets crazy in there.”

I put some mozzarella sticks and potato skins on a plate and hand it to her, knowing they’re my woman’s favorites.

She smiles and thanks me before giving Daltyn a wide grin. “I can’t wait to read all the shenanigans.”

“Did Ford really handcuff you?” Jake asks, waving his mozzarella stick in my direction.

“Jesus. Do you have to bring that up here?” I look at the patrons around us, noticing many of them staring.

Fuck it.

We are who we are.

Harper levels him with a look. “What do you think, Jake?”

Jake lifts his glass in a toast. “My man. That’s how you fucking do it.”

As I laugh and clink my drink with his, I see Allie tug on Harper’s sleeve and heatedly whisper, “He handcuffed you?”

Harper laughs, wiggling her brows as she shoots me a look. “What can I say? I have hidden layers to my personality.”

Allie shakes her head, laughing. “Well, then. You go girl.” She toasts Harper with her glass of wine.

I nearly groan aloud when Connor leans in, his voice a low, taunting purr. “Are you into handcuffs, baby?”

Allie whips her head toward him, eyes wide before narrowing them in a scathing glare.

She bats him away like an annoying mosquito, but her cheeks turn a shade too pink.

I take a long sip of my drink, hiding my smirk.

And then, Allie seals her fate.

She smirks, a slow, dangerous curl of her lips.

And with a wicked glint in her eyes, she murmurs, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

The second the words leave her mouth, Connor goes completely still.

He takes a breath and blinks.

And then, his grin stretches wide, feral and victorious.

Oh, Allie.

I have to stop myself from shaking my head.

Connor leans back, arms spreading over the back of his chair like a king settling into his throne.

You just fucked up.

I glance from him to Allie, knowing she just waved a red flag in front of a bull.