Page 87 of Point of Contact

Nate was already outside, concern pinching his brow. "You worried the shit out of me, man." He slapped Reed on the shoulder. "When I figured out you were gone, I freaked the fuck out." His eyes shifted to where Courtney still clung to him. He blew out a long breath. "What the fuck is wrong with Vincent?"

Reed opened his mouth to answer, but Courtney beat him to the punch. She grinned wide. "Currently? Probably a pretty wicked headache." She looked ridiculously proud of herself.

Reed swatted her on the ass as he strode toward the van. "You shouldn't have done that." Courtney had no clue what Vincent was capable of. And while Reed was willing to bet Vincent wouldn't have hurt her, she didn't know that when she took a swing at him with a chair. "I need you to at least try to stop being a pain in the ass all of the time. You’re going to get yourself hurt."

The possibility that she could have ended up injured, or worse, had him gripping her tighter as he hefted her into the van. Plunking her down onto one of the seats running up the side, he dropped next to her and hauled her tight to his side. "

Courtney raised her brows, chin lifted defiantly. "You wanted me to just sit there and wait, not knowing what was going on?" She shook her head. "No way. Especially not once I found out they had you too."

Reed gripped her chin as he leaned in close, lining his eyes with hers, his voice dipping low. "Are you just trying to get a spanking?"

He could admit that watching Courtney's ass pink up under his palms had been more than a little arousing and, after the shit she’d pulled today with Vincent, she was more than deserving of a paddle or two.

Courtney smirked. "I mean, I'm always trying for that, but I'm being serious too. If I think you're going to get hurt, I will beat the shit out of anybody with a folding chair."

She wasn’t exaggerating. There wasn't a doubt in his mind Courtney would fight anyone for him. She'd proven her willingness to step up to the plate for him over and over again. And, while her defiant, stubborn, and snarky attitude once grated his nerves, now it was one more reason he loved the fuck out of her.

But it also meant she was going to be hard as hell to keep safe, so he was going to have to do something drastic.

"In that case, I'm going to have to move us into the housing complex." He'd been struggling with how to suggest this, but honestly, she didn't give him any other choice. Not now that he knew how quickly she would go rogue. "It's gated and there's a guard there twenty-four hours a day." He slid his thumb from her chin up the line of her jaw. "So at least if shit goes down you'll have backup."

Courtney's lower lip pinched between her teeth as her cautious gaze moved over his face. "But what about your parents?"

Reed took a deep breath, his own uncertainty matching hers. "I think they need to move there too."

He wanted so desperately to believe he could keep his parents separate from his connection to Alaskan Security, but it wasn't true. All the security systems and cameras in the world couldn't stop someone from getting to them if they were determined.

Clearly.

Courtney pressed her lips together, rocking a little closer. "With us? In the same place?" There was a hint of hopefulness in her tone. Like she wasn't only unopposed to the idea, but maybe even excited by it.

"Would that bother you? To have my parents living with us?"

She shook her head before he finished his question. "No. I think it's a good idea. Your mom needs help, but she doesn't want someone she doesn't know in her house, so I think it would be great." The concern came back, pinching her brow. "As long as it's the kind of place your dad could get around in."

That would be the trickiest part. The townhomes were beautiful. High-end with lots of space and light. But they were on three floors.

Reed turned his attention across the van to where Pierce sat looking deep in thought. "Pierce."

The owner of Alaskan Security's gaze came his way.

"Do you think we can put an elevator in one of those townhomes?"

Pierce's eyes moved from him to Courtney and back again, the tightness in his expression softening the tiniest bit. "I'm sure we could find a way."

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

COURTNEY

"DID I DO it right?" Heidi held out her cutting board of shredded carrot for Reed's mom to inspect.

"Close enough." Reed's mom gave her a pat on the back. "Much better than last time."

Heidi beamed, clearly understanding just how precious that complement was. "Does that mean next time I can chop the green stuff?"

Reed's mother looked her over. "Maybe."

Courtney muffled a laugh as she turned back to her own task. Reed moved his parents into the rooming house immediately after she'd been abducted from the end of their driveway. He'd avoided confessing the true nature of his career to his parents for years, but there was no longer any avoiding it. There was also no longer any way for them to safely stay in their home.

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