Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Roan

I hear it before she does. The little whine of an alarm that sounds more like an alarm on a phone than what it is… a warning bell.

The smile melts from my face and something cold and hard moves inside of me. I have my woman lying out in front of me and someone thinks they can come and take her away. Not while I have breath in my body. Not when I have this sweet angel to protect.

The change in me has her coming up on her elbows and staring at me with worry in her eyes. “What is it? What’s happening? What is that sound?”

“It’s the silent alarm on the front gate.” She sits all the way up now with a look of alarm on her face, “I need you to go to my room and lock the door, angel. I need you to go to the nightstand and grab the gun, it’s already loaded, all you have to do is release the safety and…,”

She interrupts me before I can finish telling her what I want her to do. “I… I don’t know how to use a gun, Roan. I’ve never even held one. I…”

Her eyes are drenched in worry and fear, and it just makes the thing inside of me all the more ready to go kill someone.

“Go now! Go lock the door and grab the gun, sweet girl. I’ll be back. I promise.” I pull her off the island, so she doesn’t have to jump down and push her towards my bedroom. “Go, angel. So, I don’t have to worry about you.”

She gives me a nod but before she can walk away I have her pulled back and my lips on hers in a kiss that is as much of a promise as my words are. I let her go and watch as she disappears up the staircase. I walk softly and silently into the living room where my backup gun is stored inside the locked hall table. I don’t turn a light on and don’t need one to see the layout of the house. I’ve lived here all my life. I can navigate this place in the pitch black and it’s hardly that. I have the downstairs cleared in no time. By the time backup has shown up I have made sure there isn’t anyone here anymore.

Only when I am sure, I go and knock on my bedroom door.

“Angel, are you alright?”

“Yes.” It’s quiet and not as confident as I would like, but it’s there.

“Open the door for me, sweet girl.”

I don’t have to wait long before I hear the snib of the lock click and the door pops open. She is in my arms before I can say my next words.

“Is it over?”

“Not yet, angel. But, soon. Soon it will be.”

I have the feed from the outside security cameras pulled up when John sticks his head in. “All clear, Roan. But someone was definitely out there. There are footprints all around the gate. Seems like the guy tried to climb over it but got spooked before he got too far.”

I would tell him to shut his mouth around Summer since I don’t want to scare her any more than she already is but she’s been stuck by my side since coming out of the bedroom and I am loath to send her anywhere else.

“Yeah, look here.”

I show him the footage of a shadowy figure scaling the gate but stopping short before going over. The image isn’t great and as hard as I try to make out details, it’s just too grainy and out of focus.

“Damn! You think our guys can clean it up any?”

“I’ll certainly get them to try. You guys going to be alright tonight?”

I reach over to pull Summer closer to me, needing her sweet touch to calm and center me. When I came back to the room she came flying into my arms and burrowed into my chest. Even though I did nothing the trust she put in me still makes me feel like a goddamned hero. We threw on some clothes with Summer putting the outfit she was in before, back on since Pearl and Spade are still working on getting her clothes over to us.

“Yeah, I think we’ll be good. I reset the alarms so we should be alright.”

“I’ll get out of your all’s way and let you grab some sleep. If you hear anything or find something else out let me know.”

John goes, leaving me and Summer alone with one another. “I think you should stay in my room with me tonight.”

Her head snaps up and her eyes meet mine. “I… you don’t think right next door is close enough?”

“I think the only way I’m going to get any sleep is if I know you are in my arms and not going anywhere.”

“Okay… but I’m not having sex with you.” I turn around but don’t miss the rest of what she says. “At least not tonight.”