“You might not be so happy with me when I’m done,” Rowe warned.
Royce lifted one black eyebrow. “Sounds like my kind of fun. Damn. Sorry I’m going to miss it.”
“Yeah, you won’t be saying that when I have to get Lucas to float me a loan to buy the place.”Chapter TwentyRowe leaned against the wall in the quaint ranch house in Morning View, Kentucky, with his arms folded over his chest. It was a struggle not to pace. Muscles twitched and ached, demanding movement. He hated waiting. He was so bad at it. At his age, he thought he’d be much better, but he felt like he was getting worse with each passing year.
He glanced around the house, admiring the work Royce had gotten done. The bodyguard had inherited it from his aunt, and he’d allowed Rowe to use it as a safe house a couple of times while he updated the old farmhouse. Royce talked about selling it since the place was way too far out in the country to try to rent out. The commute to just about any job would be at least an hour, and who the hell wanted to start the day like that?
Of course, the house had some appeal. The closest neighbors on either side were nearly a quarter of a mile away. Just lots of open space, trees, and freaking quiet. They left a few windows open to allow in a breeze. Music from crickets and frogs rose up, making it feel like a peaceful summer night.
And the stars.
When he lifted his face to the sky, he found so many stars shining overhead, it was humbling. The last time he’d enjoyed stars like that had been on his trip to Colorado to clear his head. The trips down to Red River Gorge for camping with Noah hadn’t given him so many stars. Those nights had been overcast. Plus, he’d been more concerned with what was happening in their tent after the sun set.
Swallowing down a sigh, Rowe looked over at Noah as he sat at the old folding table that served as a planning center and makeshift dining room table. Quinn had printed out a map of the house and surrounding area. They’d marked possible entrances to the house. There was a lot of open land and trees to the east, but it all ended at the Licking River. And thanks to some heavy rains that spring, the river was running fast and high. It was highly unlikely that Erik would choose to come from that direction without having a chance to properly scout it first.
That left the main road. And considering how infrequently traffic came down the road after dark, he felt pretty confident that they’d be able to spot him.
Then why was anxiety clawing at his stomach like a trapped rat trying to gnaw its way out of his chest?
It had to be because of the man scowling at the map, his loose curls hanging around his face, threatening to get in front of his eyes. Rowe almost smiled at those ridiculous curls that gave Noah a relaxed surfer vibe. Rowe had given Andrei and Lucas so much shit over Lucas’s desire to keep Andrei’s hair long. But after spending the past few years with Noah, he totally got it, and it was even a little embarrassing. He loved running his fingers through Noah’s soft hair when Noah fell asleep after sex with his head on Rowe’s chest. Or the way he could wrap his fingers in that hair when they were fucking. He loved just reaching out and touching Noah whenever he wanted, those silken strands sliding through his fingers.
“Do I want to know what you’re thinking?” Noah asked, pulling Rowe out of his thoughts.
Rowe blinked and he found Noah smiling up at him. “Later,” Rowe promised. He let his voice dip a little, becoming rough and husky. Now was not the time to discuss all the ways he was absolutely addicted to the man.
“Thank you! I really don’t want to know,” Quinn chimed in, reminding them all that there was a larger audience listening in.
“Pfft…” Garrett made a scoffing noise. “You’re not old enough to hear the wicked things rattling around in his brain. But I’m happy to take some notes from the seduction master.”
Rowe rolled his eyes and huffed while several people, including Noah, laughed loudly.
And then Noah’s cell phone started ringing. The laughter stopped and Noah held up the screen toward Rowe. It was a Virginia area code.
“Get ready,” Rowe murmured and nodded for Noah to answer.
Putting the phone in the middle of the table, Noah answered and immediately put it on speaker. “Hello.”
“Noah? It’s Sally. Sally Perkins.”
“Hey, Sally!” Noah said in a friendly voice, but he shot Rowe a worried look.
They hadn’t been expecting to hear from her. They’d been confident that Erik and his goons would leave Sally alone as soon as Rowe, Noah, and JB left town. It was clear that she didn’t know anything about Erik’s operation and wasn’t a threat. Now Rowe was kicking himself for not sending a couple of bodyguards to keep an eye on her until Erik was taken care of.