Page 70 of Fractured Fear

After Zane gets Spencer’s door open, they both stop in their tracks in front of me.

“Seriously?” I whisper-shout.

“Shhhhh,” they both return.

I’m only a few inches taller than them, so I go up on my toes to see what has them stuck.

Spencer is on the couch, sitting up, but passed out. She keeps jerking and nodding as if she’s still not fully asleep.

“Let’s just go,” I order, but they ignore me and stalk towards her. I sigh and follow suit.

“How many pills did you give her?” Rio whispers.

“Enough. She should be knocked out cold,” Zane answers.

“You idiots didwhat?” My eyes almost pop out of my head. I’m surprised but at the same time, I’m not.

“Don’t judge us. You would have done the same,” Rio retorts.

Yet another thing I won’t admit to.

My brows try to disappear in my hairline when I notice the handgun on the cushion next to Spencer.

Where the hell did she get that?

Zane and Rio act unaffected by the Glock and move it to the coffee table. Zane sits to her right while Rio gets comfortable on her left. They work in tandem laying her down on Zane’s lap and situating her feet in Rio’s. Zane strokes her hair with care and Rio massages her lean legs. Eventually, the tension in Spencer’s body fades away and she falls into a deeper sleep.

I reach for the gun and notice the serial number is filed off. The little Princess and I are going to have a talk about that later.

Lightly dropping myself on the other side of Zane, I lean back into the couch, and settle in for the night. My eyes close and I’m ready to slip off into a light sleep. When you have a job like mine, you can fall asleep just about anywhere and Spencer’s couch feels like a fucking cloud.

After a few minutes of peace, Spencer whimpers. I pop one eye open and see the strain in her face. Her eyebrows are pinched and her mouth in a frown. Seeing her like this is unsettling. She’s already working her way under my skin. I don’t need to see her vulnerable like this.

A small cry falls from her lips and before I know it, I’m kneeling at her side with her hand clasped in mine. I rub circles on the back with my thumb hoping it’ll ease her.

“No. Don’t touch me. Get off me!” She begins to thrash and sob harder. Zane continues stroking her hair and Rio does his best to dodge a foot to the face.

“It’s okay, Princess,” I gently whisper in her ear. “We’re here. You’re safe. No one will get to you with us around.”

Her breathing is as erratic as her heartbeat, but she stops fighting. Z eyes me skeptically while Rio smiles wide.

“Not a fucking word,” I threaten them both. Zane huffs like a fucking dog while Rio mimes zipping his lips and throwing away the key even though he doesn’t actually keep his damn mouth shut.

“Welcome to the Spencer Gray fan club. We meet every night outside, and end up here tucked in with her sexy body.”

“Dude. Stop,” I interrupt, but he just keeps on going as if I haven't spoken at all.

“Our meetings end at four thirty a.m. before she wakes up. Oh and it’s BYOB.”

“BYOB? Bring your own beer? Where’s the beer?”

“Bring your own binoculars,” he answers with a smirk.

“I can’t believe I’m complicit in this bullshit.” Little do they know—and I’ll forever deny it—I probably would have found myself here in a week or so. There’s no way in hell I’m leaving her alone while there’s a serial killer out there. He’s already made one attempt and I doubt he’ll stop there.

We fall into a comfortable silence. Each of us staring down at the woman who’s captivated us all, but I can’t allow her to detract me from what’s important; catching a killer, stopping the skin trade in New York, and keeping my family safe.

CHAPTER 27

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