Page 53 of All of Me

“I don’t want you thinking that this isn’t yours and Tammy’s home.”

He didn’t speak for a long few seconds. “You know, I think Pink was right about you.”

“Oh God,” I groaned. “What did she say?”

“She said you were a banana. Soft inside, but you had to peel back the layers.” I groaned again. “Indy heard her and started calling you a ‘nana.’”

“Crap,” I whispered. “I heard her once and assumed she meant Pink’s mom.”

Shae, of course, found this hysterically funny. “Tell me about the people that Rawlings has on protection. Moira asked me yesterday, and I didn’t know what to say.” Which was a good idea. “Well, Alec and Dixie are working today. Dixie’s sound. Used to be a pilot, she and her hubby retired together. Emilio, Dixie’s hubby, is really good at being a close-quarters bodyguard. Dixie’s better at looking at the whole picture. They’re both excellent, just have different ways of looking at a situation.” I leaned back and dragged Shae’s bare feet onto my lap, liking where his heels pressed. From his smirk, I thought he did too.

“I’ve only worked with Alec once. He’s only the second non-military person Rawlings ever employed. Worked as a firefighter for eight years. Not sure of his story, but he has to be good if he’s on Jay’s team.

“Pink told me Jay’s really good at defensive driving,” Shae said. “I met him a few times at Diesel’s. They have a track out back that goes into the woods, and Jay offered to teach me.”

“Yeah?” The fuck? Something possessive wound its way into my gut.

“I mean, I can drive obviously, but I’d love to try. He even offered to take me on his bike.” Shae’s eyes lit up.

I sat up quickly and Shae copied in alarm, looking around as if I’d heard something. “You don’t want to go riding on his bike.”

Shae sent me a puzzled look. “Why?”

“Because it’s not safe.” Which was the wrong thing to say, and I knew that as soon as I heard myself.

“But he’s a defensive driver,” Shae said slowly. “Surely, of everyone, he’s the safest driver, and the best person to teach me.”

“Sure,” I snapped. “At the same time as trying to get into your pants.” Jay was maybe thirty-eight, nine. Good-looking and he knew it.And a good ten years younger than me.

Shae was silent for a moment while I squirmed.

“I don’t think any of Diesel’s guys would be that unprofessional,” he said carefully.

“Professional?Professional.You wouldn’t know what professional was if it hit you in the head.” I could hear the insane words spewing out of my mouth, but didn’t seem able to stop it. I stood abruptly. “But he’s good-looking, I suppose, so—”

Shae speared me with glittering eyes. “If the next words out of your mouth are what I think they’re gonna be, I’m leaving.”

And here it was. It had taken him less than two weeks, but I’d always known he was going to leave me. I shrugged.

His eyes narrowed. “What the hell is wrong with you? That’s what you want?” I could hear the hurt in his tone, and didn’t want to see it in his eyes, so I turned away.

“Drake,” he said softly, and I turned to apologize, to beg him not to go. To explain I was a fucking idiot that didn’t deserve him and shit, my moods were givingmewhiplash, so God only knew how he felt.

But then both our phones lit up like Christmas trees and I heard the rev of engines and the sound of gunfire. “Get Tammy,” I roared and raced for my gun. Shae blurred so fast I didn’t see him move.

Chapter Nineteen

Shae

I’d picked Tammy up so fast I didn’t think she was even fully awake. "Shh, it's okay baby," I soothed, clutching her tightly to my chest. "We're going to be alright." I could hear Drake shouting something, followed by the squeal of tires, and then gunfire. Maxie was barking frantically, and I grabbed him with my other hand. Even though I hated leaving Drake without help, I needed to get Tammy somewhere safe.

The bathroom. It was the only interior room without windows.

I dashed across the hall, Tammy's arms locked around my neck. Once inside, I closed the door and huddled in the bathtub, shielding Tammy with my body. She was awake, freaked, sobbing into my shirt.

"Drake!" I called out, praying he was okay. "Drake, we're in the bathroom!"

The noise outside seemed to be intensifying. How many attackers were there? My phone buzzed in my pocket. With shaking hands, I pulled it out to see a text from Jay:

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