Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Wren couldn't keep the smile off her face. Bo was…cute. He was completely into this. She still wasn't sure why they couldn't just go up to her front door, but seeing Bo and his friend, Kevlar, in SEAL mode was worth the over-the-top stealth.

Kevlar was a tad shorter than Bo, but no less intimidating…or good-looking. Though she found she preferred Bo's leaner look to Kevlar's muscles. They'd driven to the strip mall not too far from her apartment complex and pulled up next to a Crosstrek. When a man got out of the vehicle, Wren stiffened, but then Bo greeted him warmly and she realized it was his friend.

After being greeted with a chin lift, which made her kind of smile at the masculine and serious gesture, Kevlar and Bo discussed the plan.

She and Bo were going to go through the trees and shrubs on the back side of her apartment, while Kevlar would go around the front and scope out the parking lot to make sure Matt wasn't there. Of course, none of them knew what kind of car he drove, so that part of the plan was tricky.

While Bo's teammate watched the front, Bo would climb up onto her balcony, help her up—she still wasn't clear on exactly how that would happen, but she was going with the flow—then Bo would pick her lock and they'd go inside and get what she needed to survive at his house for a few days. It sounded easy enough, but Bo had warned her that many times, best-laid plans had a way of going bad.

She wondered how many times that had happened to him while on a mission, but she didn't get a chance to ask. The longer she was around the man, the more she wanted to know about him. Which was a change for her. Usually the better she got to know someone, the more disappointed she became. She'd find out they didn't like animals, or old people freaked them out, or they smacked their lips when they ate. It was ridiculous, how judgmental she'd become, but she knew it was a way to keep people at arm's length. She was working on that, which was why she'd decided to go on the date with Matt in the first place.

She snorted. Look how that turned out.

"You okay? You can stay here if you want," Bo told her, obviously hearing her little snort.

"No, I'm good. You wouldn't know what to pack anyway. You'd probably come back with all shirts and no pants or something," she teased.

"You got your ears in?" Kevlar asked Bo .

He nodded and tapped his ear. Wren had seen them test the little radios in their ears earlier.

"Okay, I'll let you know if I see anything hinky," Kevlar said.

"Roger. Ten minutes. That's the goal. No more," Bo told his friend.

"We'll meet back at the car in fifteen. Give me five to scope out the front, then I'll give you the signal to make your move."

Bo nodded again, and then Kevlar was gone. He disappeared as if into thin air. Wren was impressed. For the first time, she got a little nervous. This was all over the top and kind of fun before, but now that they were about to go slinking around in the dark and breaking into her place, it was more real.

"Breathe, Wren," Bo told her. He was standing right next to her. Not touching, but close enough that she could feel the heat coming from his body. Looking up at him, she swallowed hard. He was wearing a black T-shirt, a pair of black cargo pants, and black boots. The only thing not black on him was his hair.

She felt a stirring of attraction deep in her belly. He was hot . She'd never been the kind of woman to be attracted to a man in uniform, but now she understood the draw.

"Wren?" he said softly, the concern easy to hear.

"I'm good," she said quickly.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I just…I think it's the dark making me nervous."

"I won't leave your side. Well, except when I climb up to your balcony, but I'll have eyes on you at all times. You're good."

Wren nodded. She wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her thighs. The black T-shirt Bo found for her had been huge on her slender frame. She'd tied a knot in the material at her side, so now it was tight against her body. Bo had also found a pair of leggings in the dresser in the guest room that belonged to his sister. She was obviously taller than Wren, and while they were baggy at the ankles, they fit well enough. Shoes were more problematic, as she couldn't wear Bo's, so she had to wear the black sandals she'd worn on her date with Matt. As soon as they got inside her apartment, she'd switch into sneakers.

They walked toward the edge of the parking lot and before they stepped into the trees, Bo turned to her. "Ready?"

Wren nodded, her mouth too dry to speak. Was she really doing this? Acting as if she was some kind of commando? What if her nosey neighbor saw them and called the police? What if she messed up somehow? What if Bo fell as he was climbing to her balcony? What if he couldn't pick her lock? All the what-ifs they'd already discussed came roaring back into her head. All the things that could go wrong.

"Stop thinking so hard," Bo scolded. "We've got this." Then he reached out and took her hand in his. "We've got this," he repeated, squeezing her fingers.

Amazingly, his touch calmed her. Enabled Wren to take a long, slow breath, and offer a nod.

Bo nodded back, then stepped into the trees. Thankfully, he didn't let go of her hand. Having that connection with him and seeing his confidence made her feel a lot better .

A minute later they were standing under her balcony, looking up.

"Kevlar gave the all clear," Bo told her. "Let's do this. You know the plan. I'll shimmy up, then help you."

Wren nodded. This was the part of the plan she wasn't looking forward to. She wasn't exactly the athletic type.

Bo squeezed her hand again before dropping it and reaching for the rope he had coiled at his side. He wrapped his arms around her, and Wren took a deep breath. He smelled amazing. Musky, earthy, manly. He tied the rope around her waist, then gave her a small, apologetic smile before weaving the ropes between her legs and around her thighs.

Wren steadied herself with a hand on his shoulder as he knelt and tied the makeshift harness around her. The feel of his hands on her body made her shiver…in a good way. It had been years since she'd been touched with such gentleness.

Before she was ready, Bo stood. He had the end of the rope in one hand, the other end tied around her in an expert type of harness. "Give me two minutes and I'll start helping you up." Then he reached for the support beam and shimmied up as if he climbed poles for a living…which she supposed he probably did.

After he boosted himself over her railing, he looked back down. "Ready?" he whispered.

Wren nodded and stepped closer to the support pole he'd just climbed. She tried to wrap her hands around it as she felt the rope around her waist tighten.

The truth was, Wren was no help whatsoever in getting herself up the twelve feet or so to her balcony. It was all Bo. She tried, she really did, but after a few awkward attempts to maneuver her arms and legs around the pole, she simply let Bo pull her up.

Before she knew it, she was over the railing and Bo was hugging her against him.

She held on tightly, returning the hug. It wasn't that she was scared, exactly, but it wasn't the most comfortable feeling to be hanging in midair.

"We'll leave the rope harness on, so I can lower you down when we're done." He was coiling the rope as he spoke, attaching it to one side of the harness at her waist.

"You sure we can't just go out the front door?" Wren asked softly.

"It's probably better to go back the way we came. Just in case. But if you really don't want to, I'll check with Kevlar and see what he thinks."

"No, it's fine. I just…It's fine," Wren told him.

Bo studied her for a beat, then nodded before stepping back and reaching into one of the pockets of his cargo pants. He pulled out what he'd called his lock picking tools and bent over her door.

It shouldn't have surprised Wren when he broke in so quickly, but it still did.

"After you," Bo told her with a satisfied smirk on his face.

Wren stepped into her apartment and without thought, reached for a light switch.

But Bo grabbed her hand, stopping her. "No lights," he warned.

"Right, sorry. I forgot. "

To Wren's surprise, he didn't let go of her hand. Nor did he move. He simply stood still by her sliding glass door.

"Bo?"

"I'm assuming you didn't leave your place looking like this."

"I can't see anything," she admitted. "What's wrong?"

He didn't speak, but instead clicked on a flashlight he'd brought that had a red light instead of white and shone it around the room.

Wren gasped.

The room was trashed. Her sofa had huge slashes in the cushions, the stuffing all over the place. The few knickknacks she had were broken and crushed on the floor. The food in her fridge had been removed and thrown all over every surface. Glasses and plates from her cabinets were lying in pieces on the floor and ground into the carpet. Even her TV had been tipped over.

For a second, Wren couldn't breathe. "Who…when…" Her voice trailed off in shock.

"I think we know who, and the when was probably last night," Bo said.

Thankful he hadn't let go of her hand, Wren held onto it as if it was the only thing holding her together. Which it probably was.

"I don't even know him…why would he do this?"

"Because he's an asshole. Because he was pissed he didn't get what he wanted."

Wren closed her eyes, despair swamping her. She'd just gotten her apartment all set up after moving here. She'd spent the little extra money she had to try to make it feel homey and comfortable. And now…it was all ruined. She didn't have enough in her savings to replace all her things. Stupidly, she also didn't have insurance.

Without a word, Bo pulled her back into his embrace. Wren went willingly. She buried her nose in his chest and dug her nails into his back as she held on, trying not to break into a million pieces. This was just one more shitty thing to happen to her in her shitty life.

"Shhhh, I've got you," Bo murmured.

Her breath hitched and it took every ounce of strength Wren had not to burst out crying. It took a few minutes, but eventually she was able to get control over her emotions. She went to pull away from Bo, but he didn't let go.

"Look at me," he ordered.

She didn't want to, but she tilted her chin up to meet his gaze. She could barely make out his features in the dark room, but she could still see the emotion swirling in his eyes. Feel the tenseness of his arms around her. It felt as if, without Bo holding her, she'd simply sink into a heap on the floor and never be able to get up again.

"You're safe. You can stay with me for as long as you need to. Got it?"

She didn't deserve this man. But she wasn't strong enough to disagree. To tell him she could go to a hotel. That she'd be all right. Right now, she didn't feel as if she'd ever be all right again. So she did the only thing she could. She nodded.

He studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Right, let's get your stuff and get the hell out of here. We'll call the police and make a report tomorrow. Okay?"

"Okay," she said softly .

Bo turned her but kept an arm around her waist as he led them carefully toward her bedroom. He knew the layout of her apartment because she'd drawn him a picture when they were planning this little mission. Of course, she'd thought he was overreacting, but now…it seemed as if he knew exactly what he was doing.

They stepped into her bedroom, and it seemed as if it was in worse shape than the main living area. Her closet doors were open and as far as she could tell, every piece of clothing that had been hanging up had been removed. Slashed and destroyed. The clothes from her dresser too.

Except for her underwear. She saw a pile of it sitting in the middle of her bed. The mattress had been slashed, but the pile of undies were obviously carefully placed.

Wren would've been embarrassed that she didn't have any sexy lingerie—she was a cotton comfort girl—but she was too worried about what she saw all over the small stack. "Is that what I think it is?" she whispered uneasily.

"Hopefully."

Wren's head whipped up at that. She stared at Bo. "What? You want it to be semen?" she asked, horrified.

"DNA," he said succinctly.

Wren sighed. He was right. Matt jacking off on her underwear would be gross, sick, but it would be excellent as far as pressing charges went.

"Stay here," Bo ordered.

"No, I?—"

"Please," he interrupted.

Wren thought about his request for a split second. Did she want to get closer to what was probably the grossest thing she'd ever seen in her life? No. She definitely did not. She nodded.

"Thank you. Don't move."

Wren had no intention of moving from the doorway. She watched as Bo stepped toward her bed. He leaned forward, studied the pile of underwear, then stood. He looked around the room and stepped toward her small, attached bathroom. The red light from the flashlight disappeared for a moment, and for some reason, Wren suddenly felt extremely alone.

But Bo returned just seconds later. He strode toward her at an unnaturally fast pace.

"What's—"

"Under the bed. Now," Bo ordered.

He took her arm and steered her toward the destroyed bed. He got down on his knees and pulled on her hand, encouraging her to do the same.

"Bo?"

"Heard from Kevlar. He saw someone matching Matt's description heading up the stairs. We know he's got a key, so I need you to get out of sight while I go intercept him when he opens the front door."

His words made Wren freeze in terror. "I can't," she whispered.

"You have to," he returned, pulling harder on her hand, his other on her back now, trying to get her down to the floor.

"No, you don't understand! I can't!" Wren repeated. "When I was little I had to hide under my bed from the men Mom brought home who didn't think anything was wrong with having sex with an eight-year-old! I was terrified they'd find me and hurt me. I can't get under there! The memories…"

Even as her words trailed off, Bo was moving. He stood and wrapped his arm around her waist as he scanned the room, obviously looking for somewhere else to hide.

Wren's breathing was way too fast. She felt lightheaded. This was supposed to be fun . She'd humored Bo. Despite knowing her date had taken her ID and keys, she didn't think in a million years he'd really come to her apartment. But nothing about this was fun anymore. She was terrified.

Wren gripped Bo's shirt and looked up at him, not caring that her terror was overriding her good sense. "Please! Don't leave me here alone!"

Bo paused for just a moment—and they heard the sound of a key in the lock at her front door.

He spun, taking her with him, and quickly stepped behind her bedroom door. He clicked off the flashlight in his hand and pulled her against his body, wrapping an arm around her, holding her so tightly she could barely breathe.

But she didn't care. Wren did her best to burrow even further into him. Their hiding place sucked. If whoever was coming into her apartment—almost certainly Matt—turned on the light, he'd see them immediately. Though Wren had no doubt that the man holding her wouldn't let anyone hurt her. It was both a scary thought and a relief at the same time.

In her twenty-nine years, she'd never had anyone put themselves between her and danger. Certainly not her mom, not the father she'd never met, not teachers, not the many foster parents and siblings she'd lived with .

But this man, someone she'd met not even twenty-four hours ago, was doing just that.

She finally understood why people did crazy things in the name of love. She didn't love Bo, but she could see herself falling for him.

They heard the front door creak open, and every one of Bo's muscles tightened. As if he was readying himself to confront whoever entered.

But before he could move, they heard voices. Then shouting. Then footsteps pounding down the stairs away from the apartment.

"Shit! Fuck! Damn it!"

Wren lifted her head off Bo's chest. That was Kevlar's voice. "Something's wrong!" she exclaimed. "Go check on him!" she urged, pushing Bo. Now that her date had obviously run off, she found the strength she'd lacked a few seconds ago.

"Settle, Wren. It's okay."

"It doesn't sound okay," she insisted as Kevlar continued to swear.

"Asshole maced him. It hurts, but he'll be all right. Just stay here a little bit longer until he makes sure it's safe."

Confused for a moment, Wren finally realized Bo must have heard whatever happened through the little receiver in his ear.

After what was probably only about thirty seconds, but seemed like an eternity, Bo moved. To Wren's surprise, instead of insisting she stay put, he grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him as he left her bedroom and headed down the short hallway.

Kevlar was standing in her kitchen, his head bent over her sink, the dim under-counter lights on as he used the extension thing to spray water on his face.

"Fucker got away," Kevlar said as he did his best to get the mace off his face. "Was gonna go after him but didn't want to risk him having a buddy or something who might come in after Wren."

Wren stilled. Two. That was two men in the last five minutes who had gone above and beyond to protect her. And this man she'd only met ten minutes ago. It was confusing as hell. Experience had told her that she wasn't worth anyone stepping up for, but these men were blowing what she thought about herself to smithereens.

"Guess we're moving to plan B," Bo said with an unamused huff of laughter.

"With the sound of those sirens, I'd say so."

For the first time, Wren heard the sirens. "Should we leave? What're we going to do? What do we tell them?"

"Stop panicking," Bo ordered. "We were going to call the police tomorrow anyway. This is just speeding up the process. We haven't done anything wrong."

"Bo! We broke in! Climbed up the balcony."

"It's not breaking and entering if it's your own apartment. Breathe, Wren. It's going to be okay."

"If you guys get in trouble, I'll never forgive myself."

"We aren't going to get in trouble," Kevlar said.

"Should I take this rope thingy off?"

"Wren, look at me," Bo said, instead of answering her question.

She looked at him.

"It's fine. You're the victim here. Breathe . "

"I don't like the police. Things don't turn out well for me when I talk to them."

Bo framed her face with his hands and tilted her head up so she had no choice but to look at him. Her hands rested on his chest as she did her best to keep from freaking out.

"Things are different now," he said firmly. "Kevlar and I are here. You're okay."

Wren tried to calm down. She really did. But he didn't understand. Didn't know how many times she'd trusted authority figures to have her back, only to be let down.

"Come here," Bo whispered, then pulled her against him once again. Wren went eagerly. She felt safe with his arms around her, his scent in her nostrils. She trembled as she held onto him.

"The situation in her bedroom the same as in here?" Kevlar asked.

"Yeah. Fucker piled her underwear on her bed after he trashed the place. Then dumped conditioner on it to look like…you know."

"Conditioner? Are you sure? Why would he do that?" Wren asked against his chest, not lifting her head.

"Because he's a fuckerhead," Kevlar responded.

Amazingly, that made Wren smile. She picked her head up and turned to look at the other man. He'd turned off the water, but he was drenched from his chest down to his toes. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked extremely pissed off. But Wren wasn't scared. Not of him. It was obvious where his ire was aimed, and it wasn't at her.

"I'm gonna turn on more lights," Kevlar warned.

Wren felt Bo's hand at the back of her head, encouraging her to place it against his chest. She did so willingly and closed her eyes. She heard Kevlar's indrawn breath at whatever he saw once the bright overhead lights were on. Felt the way Bo's body once more tightened against her.

She didn't want to look. But she had to. It was her life. Her things.

The sirens were louder now, as if the police officers had turned into her parking lot. It was just a matter of time before they arrived at her door. She bet her nosey neighbor had called them when Kevlar had gotten maced. For the first time, she wasn't upset at the older woman. She supposed it wasn't a bad thing to have someone so…invested in the lives of the people who lived around her.

She looked around the kitchen and flinched. In the dark, the destruction had looked bad, but in the light it was so much worse. There wasn't one dish or cup that wasn't broken. Wasn't one inch of carpet that hadn't been covered in food or debris. There wasn't anything that Wren could see that would be salvageable.

She'd have to start over. Again.

She felt Bo's arms squeeze her reassuringly.

But the difference was, this time she wasn't alone. She had no doubt that this man and his friends would be there to help her.

Her spine straightened. If Matt, or whatever his name was, thought she would be destroyed by what he'd done, he was wrong. All her life, she'd had bad shit happen to her. She'd survive this, just as she had everything else. Fuck him . Seriously.

She took a deep breath and pulled out of Bo's embrace. As nice as it felt, she had to face the police on her own two feet. Matt wasn't going to get away with this. Destroying her things, hurting Kevlar. She'd make the report and hope that he'd be found, and that he'd pay for being a fuckerhead. She liked that term. Vowed to use it more often.

"Wren?" Bo asked.

"I'm good," she told him, surprisingly feeling as if she was.

"We'll get this cleaned up. Replace your things," he told her.

"It's okay. It was just stuff. Thrift stores always have cute things. It's fine, Bo. I'm fine. Promise. I'm actually just mad. I thought this whole thing tonight was a little much. Didn't really think Matt would do anything. But I was wrong. This…him doing all this. He needs to be stopped."

"Yeah, he does," Bo agreed.

"Doesn't Commander Hurt's wife, Julie, have a secondhand shop?" Kevlar asked Bo.

"Yeah. My Sister's Closet, I think it's called. Caroline and the other women love to shop there. I bet they have lots of things that would be affordable," Bo said.

"I'm sure Remi would be happy to go shopping with you."

"Not to mention Caroline, Alabama, Fiona, and the others. Especially after Jessyka tells them about what happened at Aces," Bo agreed.

"First things first," Wren protested. "We need to figure out what we're going to tell the cops who will be here in a minute or less. Not worry about shopping."

"You tell them the truth," Kevlar told her calmly.

"That we snuck in through my balcony door?" Wren asked incredulously, still not sure that was the best idea .

"Yup. Because when you tell them why you felt it was necessary, that you were afraid the man who drugged you and had your address and keys might be here, they aren't going to have a problem with it," Bo told her.

"If you say so."

"I do. Remember, we're here. No one is going to fuck with you, Wren. No one ."

With Bo's words ringing in her ears, Wren turned to her front door when she heard a very hard, loud voice yell, "Put your hands up where we can see them!"