Page 87 of Overstaying His Welcome

“I had to. You weren’t making any sense.”

The words were inauthentic. I could tell Lune didn’t mean them, and so could Pratt.

Before anything could escalate, two voices shouted, “HANDS UP! FBI!”

Lune and Pratt spun around only to find Mindy and Stabler standing at the ready. With guns pointed in their direction, the two were out of options.

Or that’s what I thought.

In a move that was far more idiotic than I would have pegged him to be, Lune reached for his gun. Mindy wasted no time shooting him in the shoulder. He went down, his arm limp from the wound.

“I told you to put your fucking hands up, you creep.” With her weapon still raised, she made her way over to his side. She cuffed him, careless of his wound. Hearing the man cry out was a joyous experience.

Pratt was far smarter than his brother. With a resigned expression, he put his hands in the air. Stabler cuffed him next.

Neither officer started reading them their rights. It was pretty clear to me this wasn’t going to go further than this room. Not after what they’d likely heard like I had.

“Do we need to get you a recording of that confession?” I asked Stabler when Mindy came to undo my binds.

He shook his head. “No. I’ll tell the boss we have no leads but that I’ll keep the case open. When the time comes, we can produce a body and cover story.”

“Look at you go, Stabler. You’re turning into one of us. Looking for a change in careers?”

“Not a chance, Tank.”

At the sound of my boyfriend’s name, I attempted to get to his chair. It was a struggle to walk after being out for however long. I knew I had to look ridiculous as I made my way to him on hands and knees.

I’d never crawl for anyone else. Only Chance Sheppard had this kind of pull on me.

“Babe,” I said against his temple.

He didn’t reply. I peppered kisses against his skin, my heart racing as I begged the universe to keep him alive. I needed to know he was safe and healthy and still with me.

“Who’s the doctor you use?” Stabler asked, reminding me there was work to be done.

With my whole team out of it, I needed all the help I could get.

Lune was mumbling on the floor, while Pratt leaned against the table. His eyes caught mine, and I saw just how he knew this was the end.

“You hadn’t even told the director yet,” he stated.

I shook my head. “No, I hadn’t. But it doesn’t matter. Your time was up either way.”

His slow nod let me know he understood. Whatever had been the original intent hadn’t worked out. The brothers who thought they could protect one another wound up being the other’s downfall.

“Someone hand me my phone.” I pointed in the direction of the desk where all the devices had been piled up. I wasn’t sure why they’d done so. Maybe it was because they intended to keep an eye on any transmissions coming in.

Either way, I needed to call Dr. Brigg in order to get her here. Maybe even Fabian, though his specialty was in rehab. The more hands on deck, the better.

As I glanced around the room, my heart sank. My past had come back to hurt all these men. What was supposed to be our safe place had been infiltrated.

No matter what happened next, we’d be making even more changes. Stricter security policies and hidden alarms.

NightShade Security would never go through this again.

I dialed the number for the doctor as I kept my eyes on Chance. Dr. Briggs answered quickly despite the late hour.

“Tank?”

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