Waiting for Him

by Stormy Glenn

I knew he wouldn't stop knocking until I answered the door. I got up and walked toward the front door. I needed to call Brant. The security guards he'd sent home with me weren't worth the cost of their fancy suits and gun holsters.

  Clarke knocked again before I could reach the door. I know I had a snarl on my face when I unlocked the front door and yanked it open because Clarke raised one eyebrow as he stared down at me.

  "I see you found the place."

  "Did you think I wouldn't?" Clarke asked.

  Oh no. I knew he would eventually. I had just been hoping eventually would take a whole lot longer.

  I stood back and held open the door. "You might as well come in. Apparently, my bodyguards don't know when to guard my body."

  "I sent them home," Clarke said as he walked into my house.

  "Why would you do that?" I went to shut the door when someone pushed it back open. "Oh, hey, David. How was your flight?"

  Clarke frowned at me. "He gets a smile and pleasantries and I get attitude?"

  "He was told where I live. You were not." I slammed the door shut and locked it, then headed back to my office. I still had work to do. "Since you sent my bodyguards away, I assume you plan on sticking around?"

  "We were actually hoping you could come back to the estate with us," David said. "Sal and Lany are home now, and while Lany is sleeping off the medication they gave him, Sal is waiting to hear what happened."

  "Truthfully, I don't know what happened." I hated admitting that, but it was the truth. "Like I told you on the phone, I woke up in an alley. I'd been beat up and—"

  David reached out and gently touched the side of my face. "I can see the bruising. Do you have any other injuries?"

  I glanced at Clarke. "A few."

  "Do you need to see a doctor?"

  "He does," Clarke said, "but he's too fucking stubborn."

  I brushed David's hand away. "I'm fine."

  "You're not fine, Lyn," Clarke snapped. "You've been beat up, cut, hunted by crooked cops, and shot at. What part of that is fine?"

  David's voice was raised as he asked, "You were shot at?"

  "When I was running," I explained. "Whoever was chasing me started shooting at me and Jude and—"

  "Who's Jude?"

  Right.

  He didn't know.

  "Jude is just some kid I ran into while I was trying to escape. He took me to a church so I could call for help."

  "Oh."

  "He's back at the estate." I grinned when I heard Clarke chuckle. "He's glued himself to Vinnie. I think there is a bit of hero worship going on."

  David's eyebrows lifted. "For a former mobster?"

  I shrugged. Vinnie might have been a former—alleged—mobster, but he had more principles and ethics than most law-abiding citizens. I trusted him more than I trusted most anyone else, except for the men I'd served with on the SWAT team, and Lany and Eddie, of course.

  "So, as I was saying, I woke up in an alley, all beat to shit. There was a briefcase attached to my wrist and a dead body on the ground next to me."

  "A dead body?"

  I nodded.

  "Huh." David frowned. "What was in the briefcase?"

  "I have no idea. It wasn't mine, and I didn't have a key."

  "Well, where is it?" David asked. "Maybe we can break the lock or something."

  "Oh, uh…" I glanced at Clarke because I really wasn't sure where the briefcase was at that exact moment. "I think Vinnie has it."

  Didn't he?

  "Vinnie has it," Clarke said.

  "So, let's go back to the estate and get it," David suggested. "Once we know what is in it, we might be able to figure out who's gunning for you."

  I could hope.

  "Let me grab my jacket and my laptop." One, it was freezing cold outside, and two, I wasn't going anywhere without my laptop. I needed it to access Max's FBI files as well as use a few connections even Max didn't know about.

  I hurried back into my office and grabbed what I needed, including pulling on a pair of shoes, then walked back into the main room. My stomach knotted when I saw the frown on Clarke's face as the man looked around.

  "What?"

  "It looks nice."

  That wasn't what the man was thinking, but I didn't have time to argue with him right now. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to be hanging around here a lot. He didn't have to like it.

  David opened the door before I did then slammed it closed and shouted, "Down."

  I grunted as a wall of muscle slammed into me, taking me to the hardwood floors just as a hail of bullets sprayed the front of my house.

  "Are you hit?" Clarke started running his hands over me.

  "No." I shook my head. "I wasn't hit."

  I admit I was a little dazed, and maybe in shock, so it took me a moment to realize the red splotch spreading across Clarke's shirt meant he'd been the one to get shot. My heart climbed into my throat.

  "Clarke."

  He followed my gaze to his arm then winced as he pulled the edge of his shirt up and looked. "It's just a graze. I'll be fine."

  "But—"

  "I'll be fine, Lyn, but none of us will be okay if we don't figure a way out of here."

  "I'm not going to ask if you're armed," I said as I sat up because that would just be stupid. The man was always armed. Hell, I'd been surprised when he took his gun off to fuck me. "But how much ammo do you have on you?"

  "My gun is full, and I have one extra clip." Clarke glanced at David. "What about you?"

  "My gun is full, and I also have an extra clip plus the gun in my ankle holster."

  I knew what kind of guns they carried because I'd been in charge of making sure they had all their licenses and training, so I did a quick calculation in my head. "That's not enough. Come with me."

  I started crawling back toward my office, making sure I kept my head down. Whoever had shot up the front of my house was only firing sporadically now, almost as if they weren't sure if they had hit anything, but wanted to keep us pinned down just in case.

  They were idiots. This was my house. I wouldn't be caught unaware. One of the first things I'd done after buying the place was move the basement door from the kitchen to my office then put in a heavy-duty steel security door.

  When I reached my office, I quickly climbed to my feet then ran to the wall of built-in bookshelves. I grabbed the middle one and pulled until it swung open and revealed the security door.

  I quickly went through the biometric security procedures to open the door. They had seemed like a good idea at the time, but in hindsight, they were a little long to get through, especially when there was an emergency situation.

  I was surprised Clarke didn't start tapping his foot.

  Once the scanner went green, I pulled the heavy door open then reached in and hit the emergency button just inside.

  "What's that?" David asked.

  "It's like one of Lany's panic buttons except that it wipes my computer clean and locks down the house. They might find a way inside, but all they'll find on my computer are my porn sites."

  "You just lost everything on your computer?'

  I smiled.

  David was so cute.

  "No, it's all backed up in the server room. It just wiped the computer upstairs. It keeps anyone from seeing anything I don't want them to see."

  "Must be some good porn."

  Pictures of Clarke mostly, but I wasn't about to admit that.

  "Come on, I'll show you my playroom."

  I waited until Clarke and David moved past me then reached over and closed the door and hit the security button again. It would automatically seal us in until I unsealed us. It also swung the bookshelf back and locked it into place so no one could swing it up.

  Knowing what my plans were for my home, I'd worked really hard to make it secure. I was not pleased that someone was messing with it. Unfortunately for them, I was a paranoid bastard. If they did get inside, I had a few surprises in store for them.

  I hoped t
hey didn't damage the house too much.

  I passed Clarke and David and hurried down the stairs to the redesigned basement. I walked immediately over to the wall of monitors, sat down, and flipped them on. There were six of them in two rows of three.

  Four of them would show me the front of the house, the back, and each of the sides. I brought up my security measures on another one. The last one was for me to hack whatever I needed to hack.

  "Okay, it looks like the same three guys from the alley, but they brought friends with them."

  I counted eight guys altogether.

  I hit a button on my keyboard. Once I heard the click, I pointed to the metal cage on the far wall. "Go gear up."

  Most of what was in there was experimental. I liked to tinker and figure out ways to hide weapons in plain sight. I also experimented with armor. I worried constantly about the guys going out on raids. Kevlar only covered so much, and there were bullets that would get through it.

  I wanted better for my guys.

  "Clarke, there should be some armor in the second drawer down. It looks kind of like a metal mesh shirt, but it'll stop an armor-piercing bullet. There also extra ammunition and guns in the cabinet behind that."

  Clarke raised an eyebrow before turning toward the metal cage I pointed at. He pulled the door open and walked inside the cage.

  It was a big cage.

  "Damn, baby, I love you."

  I gasped as I swung around to stare at him, but Clarke wasn't paying me any attention. He was gearing up as if he hadn't just dumped a live bomb in my lap.

  As nice as that was to hear, I knew he probably didn't mean it. It had been a spur of the moment thing. He wasn't saying he actually loved me, but appreciating the things I had in my workshop.

  I turned around and stared at my computer screen, my eyes filling. I needed just a moment to get my emotions under control, and get the tears out of my eyes. There was no way in hell I wanted Clarke to know just how affected I was by his words.

  The man already had enough reason to stay away from me.

  I didn't need to give him another one.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Clarke

  I was amazed by the things Lyn had in his workshop. I knew I shouldn't be. The man was a genius. He came up with stuff that most people couldn't even conceive of. Still, as I geared up, I couldn't help the way my chest puffed out a little in pride.

  My baby was wicked smart.

  "I think you need to say something to Lyn," Wu said in a quiet voice, almost a whisper. "He doesn't understand you were just appreciating his inventions. He might take your words to heart."

  I frowned. "My words?"

  What was he talking about?

  "You told him you loved him, dude."

  "Oh, I meant that." I grinned. "I do love him."

  It was so much easier to say now that I'd said it out loud. I'd known how I felt for a long time. I just hadn't thought it was a good idea to say anything. Now, I knew I didn't really have a choice. Lyn was mine and I was his.

  It was that simple.

  Wu's jaw dropped. "Since when?"

  I shrugged. "A while now."

  Years.

  Wu glanced at Lyn. "Does he know that?"

  My frown deepened as I glanced at Lyn. His shoulders were hunched and his head dropped down a bit. He looked almost defeated.

  I didn't like that.

  "He will."

  I shoved an extra couple of clips into my pocket then walked out of the cage. Lyn stiffened when I stopped behind him and rested my hands on his shoulders. I leaned down until my lips were close to Lyn's ear.

  "I meant what I said, Lyn. I love you."

  Lyn gasped.

  I pressed a kiss to his temple then patted his shoulder. "You need to gear up, baby. I don't want anything to happen to you while we deal with this guys."

  "Um…I…" Lyn frowned. "I can't find my cat."

  "Meep?" I glanced around the basement room. I'd met the little furball more than once. "Could he be upstairs?"

  "Yeah, maybe." Lyn looked towards the stairs leading up to his office. "He likes to sleep on the end of my bed."

  "I'm sure he's fine, Lyn."

  I knew the man would be devastated if he wasn't. He was more attached to that damn cat than I'd seen in anyone before. I was more of a dog person myself, but if Meep made Lyn happy, then I'd learn to like cats.

  "We'll keep an eye out for him once we get upstairs."

  It was the least I could do.

  I stood and watched as Lyn did something else with his computer. I really had no idea what. He could make things like computers and technology sing. I was constantly amazed.

  This time was no different.

  By the time he got up and went to the cage to gear up, my jaw was pretty much hanging on the floor. Granted, it had only been a couple of minutes, but watching him do his magic was kind of mesmerizing.

  "Are you ready to go?" I turned and looked at the monitors on the wall. There was a lot of activity outside. "I'm pretty sure if we don't go out and deal with this shit, they're going to do a lot of damage to your house."

  Lyn grimaced, but I caught the flicker of pain in his eyes. That made me all that much more determined to take out the guys outside.

  "Have you called for backup?"

  Lyn nodded. "I texted Sal when we first got down here. He should be coming with the others."

  "Did you warn him these guys were armed?"

  Lyn rolled his eyes. "Do I look like a newbie here?"

  I chuckled at the indignation in Lyn's voice.

  "Just asking, baby."

  "Stop calling me baby," Lyn snapped as he started toward the stairs.

  I wouldn't admit it to anyone, but I loved Lyn's little snits. For one, they made his beautiful blue eyes come alive. The only other time I'd seen them sparkle like that, I'd been balls deep in his ass. Since that wasn't possible at the moment, keeping him snarly was my only other choice. It had the added bonus of keeping him from freaking out because his house was being shot up.

  I clenched my hands as I glanced at the screens again. These assholes were going to pay for putting every single mark and hole in Lyn's cute little house. I had no idea why Lyn had suddenly decided to buy a house, but I'd make sure he got to keep it.

  Maybe Lyn would ask me to move in.

  I needed to make sure his home was safe first.

  The screen of monitors Lyn had hanging on the wall showed the outside of the house on all four sides. I'd say the man was a little paranoid, but I kind of liked his level of security. It reminded me of a smaller version of Sal's estate.

  "They're trying to bust in the back door," Wu said.

  Considering the sun was up, that made more sense than them trying to bust in the front door.

  "Yeah, good luck with that." Lyn snorted. I loved his confidence. "That's a reinforced door with steel rebar inside."

  Okay, maybe a little more than paranoid.

  "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you did something with the windows as well?" I could see a couple of the guys outside trying to break open one of the windows. When that didn't work, they started trying to smash it.

  "They're bulletproof, but not totally shatterproof. They will get through eventually."

  Bulletproof glass?

  Good to know.

  "We need to take some of these guys alive," I explained, and we started up the stairs. "I want to find out why they are after you."

  "It's gotta be that briefcase," Lyn said. "I don't know these guys. I've never seen them before last night, and it wasn't my briefcase."

  "You still don't remember how it got attached to your wrist?"

  Lyn shook his head. "Last night is still a total blur."

  Maybe his drink had been spiked or something. It wasn't like Lyn to forget shit. Of course, it wasn't like Lyn to drink a lot either. He just wasn't that kind of man.

  I grabbed Lyn's arm and pulled him to a stop at the top of the stairs. "When t
his is all done and we have your house back, you and me are going to sit down and talk." We had a lot to talk about, and not all of it involved our current situation.

  Lyn gave me a confused frown. "I'm not sure what we have to talk about. This isn't a SWAT thing."

  "The hell it's not!"

  Okay, technically it wasn't a SWAT thing, but since I was SWAT and Lyn used to be, I was making it a SWAT thing. Besides, that wasn't all we had to talk about.

  "Look, I'm not a police officer anymore, Clarke. If anything, this falls under the FBI's jurisdiction."

  I growled my disagreement.

  Burke, I could understand—even if I still wanted to punch the guy for getting Lyn a job outside of our SWAT team—but the rest of that fucking alphabet agency could go take a long walk off a short pier as far as I was concerned.

  They were pretty much useless.

  They didn't deserve Lyn.

  "Wu, you take the two guys trying to come in the back. Lyn and I will take the ones at the front of the house." That still left a couple of guys for us to deal with. I hoped our guys got here in time to be a part of this clusterfuck.

  "Stay close to me, Lyn."

  "I do know how to protect myself, you know. Just because I didn't go out into the field with you guys doesn't mean I didn't have to go through the same training you did."

  I knew that, but that didn't make me feel any less protective of Lyn.

  I'm not sure he got that.

  I reached over and grabbed Lyn's chin with my hand, making him meet my eyes. I wanted there to be no chance of him misunderstanding me. "I am perfectly aware of the fact that you are better trained than most cops on the street, Lyn. That has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I don't want you hurt. I'd take a bullet before I allowed you to be hurt."

  Lyn's baby blues widened slightly. "Really?"

  A frown flickered across my forehead. "What part of I love you didn't you understand?"

  "After waiting ten years for you to pull your head out of your ass, pretty much all of it."

  My lips twitched.

  "You're adorable when you're pissed."

  Lyn rolled his eyes, which was also adorable.

  I planted a quick kiss on the tip of Lyn's nose then stepped back, mostly because I was afraid he'd smack me. His ire was up right now. There was no telling what he'd do.