Mission: Her Protection (Team 52 #1)(24)

Fuck. Rowan looked down at the gleaming roof just a few feet below her. She could see all the oblivious people enjoying the casino.

She let go and dropped, fear not even letting a scream past her lips. Bullets pinged off the glass below her.

Rowan hit the roof with a hard bang. She came up on all fours, gasping to catch her breath. Ignoring all the people far below, she crawled across the glass. It was slick under her hands and knees.

She glanced back. The men were following her and climbing down the balconies.

Shit. She looked forward. She needed a way off this roof. Now.

A warm breeze ruffled her hair and she kept moving. She glanced down and saw that people at the gaming tables below had noticed her. They were pointing up at her with shocked faces.

“Get her!” someone yelled behind her.

She looked back. The men were on the glass now. They were closing in, and weren’t crawling. They had their hands out to keep their balance as they jogged across the glass.

Pulse leaping, she kept moving. Then she reached the edge of the roof.

Oh, no. Rowan looked over the edge. Below, lay a huge pool area, with a glittering, lagoon-style pool.

There was nowhere to go.

Bile rose in her throat. And the bad guys were closing in.



*

Lachlan lifted his beer, sipping it as he sat on a stool at the bar at Griffin’s Sports Bar and Grill.

Seth leaned forward, ordering a serving of hot wings, and sipping his own beer. Axel was on the other side of him. The rest of the team were there as well, everyone decompressing. Griffin’s was their local hangout when they were off duty. It wasn’t fancy, but they liked it, and the best thing…barely any tourists.

But Lachlan still felt edgy. He had ever since he’d dropped Rowan at the Aurora Casino. She hadn’t looked back.

He definitely wasn’t thinking about that kiss. Fuck. He took another huge sip of beer.

“Rowan sure was something,” Axel drawled.

Lachlan’s fingers tightened on the bottle. He looked at Axel, who was giving him a knowing grin. He glanced at Seth, who was staring at him with a raised brow.

Blair leaned forward. “Saw you kissing her, Hunter.”

“Me too.” Axel’s grin widened. “Steamed up my glasses.”

“You don’t wear glasses,” Smith rumbled.

“Saw the way you looked at her.” Blair’s bi-colored eyes speared into Lachlan’s. His best friend had always gotten straight to the point. “I hope you didn’t give her your ‘I’m married to my job’ speech.”

Lachlan hunched his shoulders. “She’s gone, and I am married to my job.”

Blair shook her head, clearly frustrated.

Callie leaned back. “I liked her. Despite everything she went through, she held it together, no hysterics. Steady as a rock.”

“She’s smart and independent,” Lachlan said. “Had to be. Her parents forgot she existed most of the time.”

“Rough,” Seth murmured.

Lachlan stared blindly at the row of television screens over the bar, showing various sporting events. But he didn’t see the games. Instead, he saw Rowan’s face, with her big blue eyes and russet hair.

“I think mi amigo is realizing he was an idiot,” Axel mock-whispered to Blair.

Blair grunted and bit into her burger.

Then Lachlan’s phone vibrated in his pocket and he fished it out. It was Brooks.

He pressed it to his ear. “Don’t you sleep, Brooks?”

“Lachlan.”

The man’s tone made him straighten. He set his beer down on the bar with a crack. “What?”

“It’s on the police band. There’s an incident in progress at the Aurora Casino.”

Fuck. Lachlan pushed to his feet and glanced at his team. They all stood.

“Talk to me,” Lachlan ordered.

“There are reports of a red-headed woman out on the glass roof of the casino in her pajamas. She’s being chased by three armed men.”

“Fucking hell.” Lachlan saw his team stiffen. “We’re on our way.”

He snatched his keys off the bar. “Rowan’s under attack at the Aurora Casino. Let’s move.”

As he slammed out of the door, he didn’t have to ask if they were armed. His own SIG Sauer 226 was tucked in its holster.

Outside, his team jogged toward the black Suburban parked out front. Lachlan made his way to his Kawasaki Ninja. A calm coolness washed over him and his focus sharpened. He jumped on his bike and started it, revving the engine. The bike vibrated beneath him.

He roared out of the parking lot and onto the road. He left the SUV behind, zipping through the traffic. Soon, he turned onto South Las Vegas Boulevard, speeding toward the glass spire of the Aurora.

Be safe, Rowan. Hold on.

He dodged around several cars, and then spied the casino entrance. He turned, speeding across several lanes of traffic. He tore into the front entrance of the Aurora and pulled to a stop. Several police cruisers were screeching to a halt nearby.

Lachlan leaped off his bike and strode toward the front door. He followed the commotion into the main casino area. A crowd was gathered, looking up at the glass roof above.

He spotted her instantly. Rowan was kicking out at a man trying to grab her.

Bastards.

Lachlan sensed bodies closing in and saw his team had arrived.