Chapter 7

Seven

Jess huddled under a blanket in the hotel’s security office.

Kaley’s head rested on her shoulder while Finn and Oak talked to the night security officer. “It’s not him,” her best friend whispered.

“We don’t know that.” She shuddered at the memory of the mess on her bed.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give you access to the security feeds,” the security officer reiterated again.

“This is fucked-up,” Oak said.

“When will the police arrive?” Finn asked, ignoring the other SEAL’s outburst.

Jess wanted Finn to come and put his arms around her. Hold her. Because when he did, she felt safe. Always had.

“I’ll give them another call,” the guy said, with obvious exasperation.

“I’m guessing breaking and entering at a hotel is a low priority for them,” Jess said sarcastically. “Doesn’t matter that the room is basically ruined. God knows if whoever it was threw some of that shit onto my clothes.”

In a way, she was glad that she didn’t know that—yet.

Of course, she’d find out when they went back to the room, but no one had been up there since she and Finn had hurried to the security office after exiting the room.

Finn squatted in front of her, his large hands resting on her knees. “I will find out who did this to you.”

There was a hardness in his voice that she’d never heard before. His features were stoic, and a glint of danger shone in his eyes.

This wasn’t the Finn that she knew.

This was Finn, the SEAL.

The door to the office flew open, and five large men stormed in.

“Sitrep?” a tall man with brown hair demanded.

Finn stood, but didn’t move away. He placed his hand on her shoulder, as if he needed to maintain a physical connection with her. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Oak called us. Did you think we wouldn’t come and have your back?” the same man answered.

Finn’s fingers flexed around her shoulder. “No. It’s just…thanks.”

Jess looked around at the now-crowded room.

Who were these men, and why was Finn so surprised they would help him? They had to be his teammates. If they were, then why was Finn so shocked that they were there?

The man who’d been talking to Finn came up to her. “Hi, I’m House. This is Whistler, Shark, and Tenor.” He pointed to the men behind him. “We’re Hive’s teammates. Are you okay?”

Her mind whirled at the weird names he’d sprouted. Did their parents really give them those names?

Wait.

Hive. We’re Hive’s teammates.

Nicknames. They were nicknames...and Finn’s was Hive?

“Good to meet you all. I’m Jess.” She looked at Finn. “Hive?”

A round of chuckles sounded an incongruous sound, considering everything that was going on, but Jess welcomed it. Needed it.

“Yeah. Hive.” A guy with black hair spoke up. “’Cause Spelling is his last name. Spelling Bee. Bees live in hives. So—Hive.”

“Right. Well, I don’t think Jess needs an explanation of how we all got our nicknames,” Finn said.

“What’s going on?” House asked again.

Beside her, Finn sighed. “Someone broke into Jess’s room and threw fish guts and heads over her bed.”

“Who the fuck would do that?” a man with dirty-blond hair asked.

Jess thought House had called him ‘Whistler’ when he’d introduced the group.

“No idea,” Finn responded, but he was looking at her.

Jess held herself still, willing herself not to squirm. She hadn’t explained anything when he’d asked her what she’d meant by again .

“The police are here. Why don’t we all move somewhere which isn’t my office?” the security officer huffed.

The air in the room bristled with annoyance.

Jess stood, keeping the blanket around her shoulders. “Sounds like a good idea. Finn?” She grabbed his hand, worried he was about to hit the security guard.

“Right. Yes. Let’s,” Finn ground out. “After you?”

They all followed the man, but she tugged on Finn’s arm, and he stopped immediately.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She smiled at the intensity of his question. She liked this tough, take-charge side of him. “You okay?”

Finn’s brow furrowed. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Jess canted her head in the direction of the group of men as they disappeared around the corner. “You seemed, I don’t know...surprised...that your teammates turned up.”

“I was. I haven’t been on the team long, and sometimes I feel like they don’t like me. It’s always hard when someone new joins an already established team.”

She nodded. She got it, because when a new dancer came in and replaced someone who’d been with the company for a while, it was an adjustment for everyone. “If they didn’t like you, they wouldn’t be here.”

“True. We’d better get in there. I’m surprised someone hasn’t come to look for us already.”

Talking to the police was the last thing Jess wanted to do, because there was no way she couldn’t explain what’d happened in the past.

The fallout from that confession was going to be monumental.

Finn clenched his fists in his lap, doing everything in his power not to slam them on the table and throw a chair against the wall.

This fit of anger was irrational, but also justified. How the hell had Jess gone through everything she had, and hadn’t breathed a word of it to her parents?

Or to me!

“Bartholomew’s in jail. He can’t be the one responsible for this,” Jess told the police.

Fuck! Finn hated hearing the fear in her voice. It was worse than what he’d heard a few hours earlier before they’d opened her door to her room.

He wanted to take her out of here. Take her somewhere where no one could touch her. Then he wanted to go to that prison and beat the shit out of the man who’d caused her so much pain.

“We’ll check and make sure he’s still there. It could be a case of a mistaken room. They were looking for someone else and found your room,” the police officer said cajolingly.

Finn wanted to wipe the condescending look off his face. The man didn’t give a shit about what was happening.

“What about the security footage? Will you check that?” House asked.

“Of course,” the officer responded, as if offended by House’s suggestion. “If that’s all, we’ll head back to the station. If we need anything else, we’ll be in touch.”

“Of course,” Jess said. Strain and fatigue were evident on her pretty face.

Her friend had stayed by her side the whole time. Not saying a word, but watching and ready to jump in if she needed to.

The officers nodded at everyone and retreated from the room.

“I’m going to give Tex a call,” House announced once the door closed behind the police.

“Tex?” Finn asked.

“He’s a legendary former SEAL,” House said. “Always keeps an eye on the teams when we go on a mission. You know, that tracker you have?”

He nodded. The first time he’d been handed the device, he’d questioned his commander about it, but the only answer he got was to keep it on him at all times.

“Tex is the one who designed it. Before you joined us, it got us out of a few tricky situations. The man’s a computer genius, as well. I know the cops will look at the footage, but I doubt they’ll inform us of everything they find. All they’ll tell us is they have a person of interest and they’re following up. Tex will give it to us straight.”

Finn glanced at his watch. It was almost six in the morning; too early to call if the man was on the west coast. He’d leave it up to House, knowing his teammate would get back to him with any information. “Sounds good.” He pushed his chair back and stood, reaching down to grab Jess’s hand. “I’m taking Jess home.”

“No, you’re not,” Tenor answered.

He pierced his teammate and friend with a death glare. “Yeah, the fuck I am.”

Oak’s hand landed on his shoulder. “You live on base. You can’t take anyone there.”

Fuck...where was his mind at? All he could think about was getting Jess away from this place. “Right.”

“It’s okay, she can stay with me,” her friend Kaley spoke up.

No doubt the dancer would make sure nothing happened to Jess, but Finn didn’t like that idea at all. Didn’t want to let Jess out of his sight.

“It’s okay. I’ll get a room here,” Finn said.

“How about you ask me what I want? I am standing right here, you know.” Jess poked him in the side.

He flinched. “Sorry. You’re right.” As much as he wanted to take control of the situation, he couldn’t, not after what Jess had recounted, and the way her control had been stripped away from her by Bartholomew. “What do you want to do?”

The rest of the guys had made their way out of the room and only he, Jess, Kaley, and Oak remained.

He may have only just met her friend, but there was no way Oak was going to be able to drag her from Jess’s side.

“I want to stay with you,” she said, after what seemed like forever, but was probably only a few seconds.

“I’ll get a room here for the rest of your stay,” Finn said, already thinking about how he was going to get to and from the base from the hotel. Not to mention PT with the guys.

He’d just have to get up earlier, considering he normally woke up fifteen minutes before he was due to arrive at PT. That was one perk of living on base—the proximity to everything.

A downside, one he hadn’t considered, was the restriction of living on base when it came to spending one-on-one time with a girlfriend. In the past, it hadn’t been an issue.

Not that Jess was his girlfriend—yet.

Maybe it was time he looked at getting his own place. Then he could have the guys over and feel like he really belonged on the team.

“You don’t have to do that. One night will be fine. I’ll just go home earlier than I’d planned.”

That wasn’t happening.

Finn didn’t say the words out loud. Although, if she really wanted to leave, he’d let her, but he hoped he could convince her to stay.

“We’ll work it out.” He looked at Kaley. “I’ll let you know what room number I get so you can come up. But maybe in a few hours. I think we all need to get some sleep.”

Jess’s friend nodded and gave Jess a hug, taking quietly to her.

“You good, man?” Oak pulled him away from where the girls were talking.

“Yeah, it’s… I’ve known Jess a long time. Hearing what she went through by herself, I can’t deny I wanted to tear this place apart.”

“I could tell. Whoever did this, we’ll find them. Tex will help.”

“Do you know the guy?” Finn asked. He trusted what House had said, but Oak was his age, and the first one to really welcome him to the team.

It’d taken the other guys a little while to trust that he would have their backs. They were a few years older than him and Oak. More established in their careers and lives.

“I’ve met him. As House said, the guy is more respected by all the teams than the rear admiral is. They know if they ever need anything, Tex will be there for them—no questions asked. House is right. He’ll give us more information than the cops ever will.”

Finn digested that, hearing nothing but admiration for the man in Oak’s voice. His tension eased, if only a touch, knowing that Tex would help. “Okay, thanks, man. Appreciate it.” He went to Jess and slung his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s get a room.”

This was one of the times Finn was grateful he had a black credit card in his pocket and could place it on the counter, guaranteeing him the best room in the place.