Page 115 of Hush (Fighting Fate)

I gave him a hard stare. “My head is clearer than it’s ever been.”

Not wanting to waste any more time, I started striding towards the back door.

“Noah!” Adam growled.

I spun, anger pouring off me. “Who the fuck is trained for this, Adam?! Just let me do my fucking job!”

“Fine!” he yelled back. “Then I’m coming with you.”

“Yep,” Isaac said. “Me too.”

“Fuck!” Knowing there was no way I was going to be able to stop them, and not wanting to waste any more fucking time, I turned my glare on Eli and Micah. “You two stay the fuck here and watch the girls.”

With that, I raised my piece and moved outside. Sticking to the shadows, I scanned the area, trying to get my bearings. I saw where Kaeli must’ve been standing when the cocksucker took her picture, and letting my gaze follow the projected direction he must’ve been to take it, I found a row of bushes that separated this yard from the neighbor’s.

Moving around the perimeter, I scanned every possible hiding place. This was where my undercover experience worked in my favor. I knew how the scum of the earth thought, and I was going to stay one step ahead of them.

Adam and Isaac followed me, thankfully smart enough to take my lead.

“Wish I had a fucking gun,” Isaac murmured.

I wished he had one too. Both of them. I hated that they were unprotected. But I knew my skills well enough. My reflexes were sharp. If that fucker popped out from anywhere, I’d have him down before he could get any of us in his crosshairs.

We spent half an hour scouring the entire front and back yards, finding minimal signs of where he’d been. We even scoured the neighbor’s yards, much to their dog’s displeasure.

Knowing he was long gone pissed me the fuck off. I needed him gone from Kaeli’s life. From both our lives.

Heading back inside, Kaeli jumped at me the second I stepped in the door. Tucking my gun away, I grabbed her and held her tight. I was so pissed that fucker had gotten so close to her. From now on, until he was caught, she was not leaving my sight.

It wasn’t until she pulled back from me that I noticed her hair was damp and she was only wearing a pair of bikinis. Sexy, black, knitted bikinis. I groaned. “Baby, you need to put some clothes on.”

She blinked at me, looking so fucking innocent I wanted to take her right there. Then she laughed, the sound jolting through me like pure sex.

“Noah, we’re all wearing bikinis. We were swimming.”

I looked up to see she was right. All five of them were standing there with wet hair and bare bodies. Shit. My brothers were probably having a lot of problems right about now.

Looking up I saw Isaac practically salivating. Rolling my eyes, I dug the keys out of my pocket. “For fuck’s sake, Isaac.” When he looked up at me, I tossed him the keys. “You lot take my car. I’m going with Kaeli. I’ll get it from Adam’s tomorrow.”

Adam nodded and started herding them out the door. Before he walked out he glanced at Kaeli and grinned. “Bossy Noah.”

Kaeli smiled back at him. “I like bossy Noah.” Then she looked up at me with those big green fuck-me eyes. “A lot,” she said breathlessly.

God help me.

As much as I just wanted to get Kaeli out of there and safe in my apartment, I had to wait until Jace and Aiden arrived then answer the barrage of questions they shot my way, before I could even manage to get her out the door.

My already unstable emotions, coupled with the adrenalin that was still pumping through my veins, was putting me on edge, and I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea for me to be around Kaeli at all, but I needed to make sure she was safe. I couldn’t just leave her at home. I knew my sanity wouldn’t be able to cope with that.

As I led her into my apartment and closed the door behind us, I tried to force myself to keep a distance. “Do you need a shower?” I asked, praying she’d say yes.

She hummed an agreeable sound. “That’d be great. I stink like chlorine.”

Relieved I had something to do, I strode over to the linen closet and pulled out a towel for her. “Here,” I said, holding it out for her to take.

She watched me as she took it, her gaze cautious and assessing. “Are you alright?” she asked quietly.

My automatic reaction was to say yes and get her to move along, but after our talk earlier that morning, I knew I owed her some honesty. “I don’t know.” I met her gaze, showing her I was trying to be open. “Can I let you know after your shower?”

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