a little. “Fuck, am I hurting you? Are you hurt?”
He shakes his head.
“Good.” I go back to crushing him to me. “What happened?”
He’s never held on to me so hard. “T-there was a-a b-bomb.”
“A bomb?”
“H-homemade pipe bomb.”
I pull back just enough to cup his face. “Where?”
Iris’s voice comes from behind us. “Someone threw an inactive pipe bomb over the fence.”
I force myself to pull out of Harley’s arms, but he immediately trembles. Fuck that. I press against him again and hold him so he knows he’s safe and that I’m here.
Only then do I turn to face three people who look more concerned about the way I’m holding on to my charge than the actual bomb threat. Behind them, the police make their way out of the gate and close it.
Being with Harley like this for them to see puts everything on the line, but Harley is hurting, and he needs me. So he can have me. All of me. Whatever he needs.
I pretend I’m not hugging him while I talk. “Inactive pipe bomb?”
Iris hands me his phone which plays a clip from the security camera.
On the screen, the top of a silver car is visible as it drives slowly past the house, and then something is lobbed over the fence before the car speeds off.
The angles of the cameras we have on the courtyard and the driveway don’t catch what type of model the car is. Only the color.
Great, we’re looking for a silver car. That narrows it down.
“It was fake,” Trav says. “PVC pipes were strapped together and there was exposed wiring, but it wasn’t connected to anything.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We think it was a scare tactic,” Iris says.
“Scare … who would want to scare—” The name comes to mind before I get the question out. “Billy Webber. Where is he?” The growl in my voice is feral.
“Brix, I think you and I need to speak privately,” Trav says.
“Where. The. Fuck. Is. Billy?”
Trav and Iris share a glance.
“We don’t know,” Gideon says.
“I have Angel and Domino on it,” Trav says. “You know Angel will be able to sniff him out.”
That’s not good enough. “I told you we pulled back surveillance too soon.”
Trav has been saying for weeks that Billy is harmless. He’s a creature of routine, and then suddenly a pipe bomb shows up and he’s gone?
“Whoa, you were watching him?” Harley asks. “Why?”
“Ever since he sent the note. I needed to make sure he wouldn’t make another move.”
Harley pulls out from under my arm. “You didn’t tell me.”
“You didn’t need to know.”
He doesn’t like that answer.
I turn to him and rub my hands up and down his arms. “I didn’t want you to worry,” I say softly.
Iris clears his throat, and when I look at him, he’s staring at me as if I’m crazy.
When I glance at Trav and Gideon, I realize why. I’m showing way too much affection for someone I supposedly only work for, but I can’t focus on that right now. They can yell at me and fire me after I know Harley is safe.
“I’m taking Harley to a hotel,” I say.
Gideon nods. “Already booked him a room in West Hollywood near the recording studio.”
“Stay here.” I cup Harley’s cheek with one hand. “I’ll go pack for you.”
Harley still looks a little pissed, but he can yell at me later too.
Everyone can yell at me after we get out of here.
I head into the house and go straight to Harley’s room. I throw the suitcase he keeps in his closet for short trips onto the bed and start rummaging for clothes.
I’m not at all shocked when Trav appears in the doorway. “Not now, boss, I’m busy.”
He folds his arms. “I thought you two looked a little close at the ranch.”
“We are close. You can’t work in this type of environment without getting close.”
“That’s not what I’m implying, and you know it.”
I throw some socks and underwear into Harley’s case and face Trav. “Am I fired?”
“I should kick your ass off this job if not out of Mike Bravo completely.”
I balk. “Completely? We’re not hurting anyone. We’re not compromising the mission.”
Just what I need. Not only is this stalker situation so messed up I’m barely keeping it together, but now my job—the job I need—is in jeopardy. I thought I’d be reassigned, not … not this.
I didn’t think it was possible to be torn in two completely opposite directions before.
Protect Harley or pay off my mountain of debt. Love him or keep my career.
Wow.
Now I’m even