Page 55 of Casey's Hero

When he raised his head, she followed him upward on tiptoe, until he broke contact.

Casey sank back flat on her feet, her lips tingling from the kiss in the late-night air.

Jacob drew her arm through the crook of his elbow and walked her into her building and up to her apartment.

Casey gasped when she saw the door hanging half-open, the doorframe split where the cartel gang had forced their way inside.

“I’d forgotten about the damage they left,” she whispered, looking over her shoulder, half-expecting to see them returning to finish the job. When she was sure no one was following them, Casey stepped inside her apartment and took stock of the damage.

“It could have been worse,” she admitted. Her tote bag was still where she’d left it on the kitchen counter. She looped it over her shoulder and quickly inventoried the contents.

“It appears they weren’t after things,” Jacob said from the living room.

Casey shivered, joining him in front of the sofa. “Just people.”

Jacob slipped his arm around her and pulled her close. “Let’s lock up the best we can. You can stay with me at the hotel. I still have a room there.”

Casey frowned. “Are you sure? I’m not your responsibility.”

He chuckled and held her closer. “Like Hawk, I don’t want to let you out of my sight for a moment. I was going to stay here if I had to sleep on the couch.”

Her cheeks burned. “You wouldn’t have been sleeping on the couch. And what makes the hotel any safer? That’s where they took Hawk.”

Jacob sighed. “All the more reason to stay at the hotel. I failed him the first time. I won’t let it happen again.”

“You didn’t fail him,” Casey said. “Who knew Camila would send her cousins out to collect him? What woman in her right mind has to kidnap a man to marry her?”

“That’s just it. She’s not in her right mind.” Jacob gave Casey a crooked smile. “I could almost feel sorry for her if she hadn’t caused so much trouble.”

Casey’s lips firmed into a tight line. “I’m not feeling that charitable. I’d like to see her in jail for what she did. Any one of us could have been killed.”

“Yeah, but we weren’t. Look, I have a walkie-talkie set in my truck. We could assign one to Hawk and keep one in our room, in case Camila decides to make another attempt to get her man.”

Casey stared up at Jacob. “Do you think she’ll try again?”

“That woman is a few fries short of a Happy Meal. I wouldn’t put anything past her and her idiot cousins. How they built up an influential cartel is beyond me.” He took Casey’s hand in his. “Come on. There’s not much left of the night, and I know you have a million calls to make first thing in the morning.”

She nodded. “Give me a minute to get some things.” Casey snagged the bulky satchel from the floor by the door and addedto it a toiletries kit and a change of clothes. “Ready,” she said and walked with him out of the apartment.

Jacob pieced the doorframe back in place, twisted the lock and pulled the door shut.

“It won’t take much to push it open, but it will at least keep the honest people honest.”

“There’s not much in there that I care about. Everything important to me and my business is in here.” She patted her heavy bag. “You’re right. The sooner we get them married and off on their honeymoon, the better I’ll feel.”

Casey let Jacob help her into his truck, even though she was perfectly capable of getting in on her own. Any chance she could get for him to touch her was fine by her. Everywhere his fingers brushed left her quivering in anticipation of what might happen when they got to his hotel room.

Jacob spedthrough the streets of Honolulu to the hotel. Yes, he was concerned about his friend Hawk. However, an even more immediate need was getting Casey to his room and naked.

As soon as he came to a halt in the hotel parking lot, he killed the engine and hopped down from his truck.

Casey was already out on the other side, carrying her oversized tote bag. “I texted Kalea. They’re in her room.”

He held out his hand.

She took it, and they entered the building, walking briskly.

Moments later, they nodded at the men standing guard on either side of Kalea’s door and passed the walkie-talkie through the door of Kalea’s room to Hawk. The man was shirtless and eager to close the door as quickly as he opened it.

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