Page 43 of Shield and Savior

One weekend.

It would give me time to talk to Alana, work out details, and do any paperwork to make this legit. Because I am all in.

I’ve never gotten dressed so fast in my life. “Alana!” My arm gets stuck in my shirt, and I almost punch myself in the eye. I hop into my pants and barely miss taking a header into my dresser. I don’t care. I need to get to Izzy. Now!

“I know!” She calls out through the wall. “Grab your go bag. Safe house two.”

There’s silence from the other room as I dig through my closet for my supplies. I holster my gun, and a chill shoots down my spine. It’s a bad day if I need to use this.

Alana dashes in. “Macie will open the safehouse. Switch vehicles five times and lock the fuck down once you’re there.” Maybe she sees the panic in my eyes. I am pretty shitty at hiding my emotions. “Lance, it’s a four. They aren’t hurt. We’re removing them from the situation.”

I breathe, but it doesn’t give me the immediate relief I need.

Flinging my bag over my shoulder, I rush out the door. It’s a fifteen-minute drive from my place to Izzy’s, but the streets are empty at four in the morning, and I’m fucking speeding. Taking the stairs two at a time until I hit her floor.

Specs is scrubbing the door to her apartment, and there’s a black plastic bag balled in the corner of the hallway. Stains pool on the floor. He turns with a rag in his hand, and I notice the whole hallway smells like bleach. “What happened?”

“The ex left a gift.” Specs motions with his chin to the bag. “Apparently, she always wanted a cat.”

I swallow. “He left her a dead cat?”

“No, he disemboweled a cat and hung it on her door.”

“You didn’t hear it?”

He shakes his head. “No, the dude was a fucking ninja. I noticed the blood coming in under the door. Checked the cameras, and he left about an hour ago.” Specs looks green, the bleach burning his eyes red. His shoulders slump with the weight of failure.

“Do they know?”

Another shake of his head. “Still sleeping.”

“How much more time do you need?”

He examines the wall. “Five more minutes. Don’t let her come by with a black light.”

I nod and walk in. The apartment is the same as when I left it. Specs’s laptop is open, and I glance through the camera feeds. All clear. But that doesn’t put my nerves at ease. One sheet of drywall separated Izzy from this monster.

I stamp down the rage as I stand in front of her bedroom door. Do I knock? No. I walk in. She’s curled on her side, one leg thrown over the blanket.Mine.

She’s mine, and I will protect her with every fiber of my being.

I run through a thousand different ways to wake her up, opting for the one that throws all professionalism out the window. I crawl into bed with her, like I’ve wished so many times before, pull her back into my chest, and hold her. She stirs, and I whisper, “Izzy.”

Still in a sleepy haze, she whispers back, “Lance? You came back.”

“Always.” She twists in my arms, looking up at me, sleep still in her eyes, not fully registering what’s happening. My fingertips brush across her cheek, moving her hair out of the way. “You trust me, right?”

She nods.

“You know I will always keep you safe.”

She smiles a sleepy smile. “That’s your job.”

I smile back at her, “And I take it seriously.” She reaches up to my face, and I nuzzle into her hand. “Baby, I need you to go grab your emergency bag while I wake up Drew. We need to get going.”

“Are we going on a vacation?” Her sleep- addled mind is really screwing up this escape plan.

“Sort of.” I kiss her forehead and push away from her. “Time to get up.” As I walk toward the door, I glance over my shoulder. She’s fallen back asleep. Damn. “Izzy, get up and grab your bag.”

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