Page 114 of Beautiful Betrayal

“Pull out that Glock you own and keep it with you. Don’t go anywhere until I find out if you’re in danger.” I don’t give him time to start worrying my ear off. I’m doing enough of that on my own. I disconnect and text Adrian:Is Davis in danger as my personal attorney and close friend? He’s at home. I told him to stay there.

While I wait for his reply, I head to our bedroom, walk into the closet and throw on jeans, a basic black tee, and sneakers. Adrian finally replies with:I have four men here with me. I sent one to Davis, just to be safe. Axe will be there with you any second.

I’m about to exit the bedroom when Mia appears in the doorway, her dark hair still a finger-fucked mess that I created. Fifteen minutes ago, we were planning our wedding and now this.

“Kara’s not answering,” she says. “I’m going to get dressed.”

The doorbell rings. “That’s Axe.” I intend to leave her to dress, but she catches my arm.

“Grayson—”

I cup her head and kiss her. “I’m okay, baby.” It’s one of the only lies I ever intend to tell her.

“Liar,” she accuses. “But I’ll forgive you under the circumstances.”

I don’t dispute her accusation. The doorbell rings again, and I kiss her again and untangle my arm from her grip before Axe blows down our door. I head through the apartment toward the door with a knot in my damn gut. Eric’s silence is killing me and it’s not a good sign. I don’t even want to know what news awaits me at the front door. I pause in the foyer and step to the panel beside the door and punch the button to the camera view to find Axe standing there.

I yank open the door. “Any news?” I back up to allow his entry.

“Nothing,” he says grimly, stepping inside and shutting the door, automatically locking up.

I key the security system into action and turn to Axe, who is doing the same with me. “What do you think is happening?”

“We have a silent protocol if there is even a one percent chance we could bring danger to our families. I don’t think they’re dead. I think they locked down.”

I don’t know if I’m relieved or the opposite. I scrub my jaw. “I need a drink. You need a drink?”

“None for me.” He pulls back the edge of his leather jacket and shows me his weapon. “We both want me to shoot straight.”

“Well, then eat me out of house and home. You have to need something. These are the men you work with.”

His jaw clenches but he offers nothing more than a barely perceivable incline of his chin. We enter the living room right as Mia, dressed in leggings and a T-shirt, with sneakers, rushes into the room. “Anything?” she asks urgently.

“Any intel that might represent a breach of safety to our team or family is a mandatory silence order until that threat is cleared. Adrian and I can’t even reach our team,” Axe explains.

“Then we know something went wrong,” Mia replies, “aside from the obvious house exploding.” She gives an awkward laugh. “I guess that was a stupid statement.”

“There’s a difference between getting your mind around something,” Axe replies, “and stupid. That wasn’t stupid.”

I walk to the bar and pour a whiskey for me and Axe. If he won’t drink his, I will. I return to the living room where Mia has flipped on the news on the big screen and claimed the couch, while Axe is now sitting in the chair to her left. I set the whiskey in front of him and then claim a spot next to Mia.

“As much as it pains me to decline yet again what I’m certain is a fine, and expensive whiskey,” Axe says, “I must. Chocolate is my only on-duty sin.”

Mia perks up. “Did someone say chocolate?” She casts me a hopeful look. “Please tell me you have some?”

“We have plenty,” I assure her because she loves chocolate and it just became a habit to keep it in the house. “Always.”

Her eyes soften with the knowledge that any stock of chocolate is about her, not me, and she kisses my cheek before she walks to the kitchen. “We both know that whiskey isn’t going to affectyou.” And because I’m an observer, a man who reads people fast and well, I add, “We both also know that you’re a duty kind of guy, a rule-maker, and follower. Drink it. I won’t hold it against you.”

Mia deposits a big bowl of chocolate on the table. “I claim the Heath bars. I’ll chew your arm off for these things.”

Axe studies me a moment, grabs the whiskey glass, downs the bourbon, and smiles. “Damn that’s good. Thank you.” He then grabs a Mr. Goodbar. “I’d chew your arm off for one of these things, I love them so much.”

Mia laughs and hands me a basic Hershey’s. “That’s all that’s left for you.”

She manages to tease a hint of a smile from me, that I don’t expect. I down my whiskey, set my glass down, and accept the candy.

“Did you know that chocolate really does affect the stress cortisol levels during an extreme stress spike?” Mia asks. “If you eat it every day just to eat it, then it increases your stress cortisol but during stress, it lowers it.”

---