Calculated Risk (Blackbridge Security 5)

“Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to,” I assure her, but in the back of my mind, I can’t help but hope they actually do get shut down. I hate the idea of her showing up to a place and having to look at the office where she was scared for her life. She isn’t the type of woman that would ever get hard to something like that. It’s going to hurt her in a year as much as it’s going to hurt her today, and I want to protect her from that. But once again, this isn’t something I can fix for her.

“You’ll call me if you need me?”

“I will,” she quickly agrees, her hand meeting mine on the console.

I give her fingers a quick squeeze. “I can always go up with you, and growl at anyone who dares to approach you.”

“Tempting,” she says with a quick roll of her eyes as we pull into the parking garage of her building.

“Kiss me for the world to see, baby.” I lean across the console toward her, and she doesn’t waste a second meeting her mouth to mine.

She seems as reluctant to pull away as I am, and I cup her cheek in my hand, thumb skating over the dampness on her lips.

“Think about me.”

“All day,” she promises.

I climb out of the truck and go around to her side, wedging myself between her legs before she can jump down.

“Can’t wait to take these off of you tonight,” I say as my hands run up her legs to her waist.

“Promise?” she teases as I pull her to me, letting her feel just how excited I am to see her again as I lower her feet to the ground.

“Skip work,” I plead one more time.

Her palm presses to my face, and I know I have my answer.

She holds my hand, walking me back around to the driver’s side door of my truck like I’m a pouting child. She stands, hands clasped in front of her with an eyebrow raised until I climb back inside.

“Have all of your work done by four forty-five,” she insists.

I tap my hand to my forehead. “Yes, ma’am. What’s for dinner?”

“Me,” she says with a wink, and I love her just a little more when her eyes dart around and her cheeks turn pink.

She heads into the building, and I’m such a fool for her that I watch her in the side mirror of my truck, so entranced by the swing of her hips in those silky fucking pants that it takes too long for my brain to register the dark sedan pulling up.

Tires screech as they pull up beside her, and I know I’m going to hear her scream every time I close my eyes for the rest of my fucking life as she’s yanked into the fucking car.

Chapter 36

Hayden

All instincts I ever thought I had fail me when rough hands literally snatch me up, pull me inside a car and throw me without care against the opposite door. I don’t reach for the door handle to escape. My fingers immediately go to the pain at the back of my head instead of kicking at the masked man that settles into the seat beside me.

I stare at him in shock, mouth hanging open as he slaps the back of the seat in front of him, urging the driver to get them the hell out of there. I can only see the parts of his face not covered by a ski mask when he looks through the back glass to gauge what Quinten is doing. I curl in on myself, sure that my man is going to shoot out the fucking windows and rescue me.

Surely this isn’t happening. Women don’t get taken outside of their jobs in broad daylight moments after kissing the man that she loves goodbye, and not after spending the most amazing four days planning their future.

I lift my leg when the car bounces out of the parking garage, the scrape of the underside echoing inside around us.

“Kick me and I’ll cut your fucking foot off,” he growls. “I’ll send you back to that motherfucker in pieces.”

I believe him, lowering my leg and whimpering when he reaches for me again. I have no clue what to do. I’ve read that you fight and do everything you can to not be taken to a different location but seeing as the car we’re in is already speeding away from my office building, we’re a few steps past that.

My thoughts race to my gun, but the police still have that from the shooting. I know that this is somehow related to all the stuff that happened with Chance Harrison. My body begins to tremble at knowing that these guys came back to finish the job, and now they’re going to be angry that I hurt one of their friends.