Page 82 of Unlawful Seduction

“Jax. Come. Now,” he growled.

The quiet was almost all consuming. “Jax!”

Just when my stomach fell, Jax came bounding around the corner of the house at full speed, almost knocking me over with his joy and excitement after slamming his front paws into my chest.

“Whoa, baby. What were you up to?” I was teasing the pup while Beckett walked around me and closer to the house.

“Go in the house, Mallory.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Just do as I say!” His vehemence came across as anger, but I knew him well enough to know better.

“Come on, Jax. Let’s go inside.”

“Lock the door and close the blinds. I’ll issue two short knocks, wait five seconds and issue another one. Do not open the door unless you’re certain it’s me. Understood?”

I took a deep breath. “You’re scaring me.”

Beckett shot me a quick glance. “Go inside. It’ll be fine.”

I backed away, watching as he headed around the side of the house, crouching down some as if trying to remain hidden. He waited at the corner of the building until I ushered Jax inside. Before I slipped inside, I shook my head, fear starting to eat into my common sense. How could there be anyone here?

I locked the door and backed away briefly before remembering what he’d said. My fingers were shaking as I closed the blinds, almost stumbling over the back of the couch as I moved away. Jax still wasn’t growling, but his ears were perked up.

The fear was palpable, the heavy thudding in my heart making it difficult to catch a full breath. When I heard another sound, I spun around to face the front of the house, loathing the fact there were windows everywhere. Yes, they were covered in blinds, but the amount of glass added a heightened level of vulnerability.

Jax remained close, but I could tell he was in tune to the fact an unwanted being was outside. The fur on his back was raised, every muscle in his body expanding.

Something prompted me into kicking my butt into gear. We were facing extreme danger.

The rush of emotions was severe. I’d wanted to pretend being around Beckett was normal. There was no normal in his world.

Just the effort of swallowing was difficult, especially as I did everything I could to fight the emotions swelling within me.

Sadness.

Anger.

Resolve.

His past would never set him free.

I rushed from the living room up the stairs, yanking off my jacket so I could jerk on another sweatshirt. Where the hell had I left my phone? I was frantic, moving from room to room until I located it in the master bath. I threw on the jacket, anxiety riding every breath I took.

A weapon. I needed a weapon. Jax hadn’t followed me upstairs and by the time I rushed back into the living room, he was growling and chomping at the bit while standing at the front window.

My nerves were finally shot. We wouldn’t survive this. I felt it in my bones.

A part of me wanted to reach back to my childhood when my mother had told me on every difficult occasion that prayer was always helpful. I’d lost that ability the day I’d buried my fiancé. Suddenly, I felt like doing so again. It certainly couldn’t hurt.

Please don’t let us die.

Please keep us safe.

I’ll be a good girl for the rest of my life if you let us live.

I promise I’ll let go, finally living again.

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