The Dangerous Thief (Stolen Hearts #3)(13)

Or get a puppy! She’d always wanted a dog, but because of her crazy schedule, she’d never wanted to submit a dog to spending all day in a crate or daycare.

But as much as she wanted that freedom right now, Willa didn’t want to think about going back to Chicago and resuming her old life. Because her old life was how she met Jules.

If she wasn’t such an irresponsible waste, Jules never would’ve been able to slip under her radar. She knew Willa was easy to take advantage of. Looking back, it was so obvious that Jules had inserted herself into Willa’s life.

When Jules first “met” Willa, she’d run into the drink Willa was carrying and ruined her brand-new couture dress. Jules had been so apologetic, and from the second she’d bought Willa a new round of top-shelf drinks, Willa had been more than willing to talk with the other woman.

And after a few dinners and shopping trips, Willa had honestly thought she had a new best friend. When they shared secrets, it hadn’t seemed contrived or fake. It was real.

So even if everything Jules told her was a lie, Willa couldn’t act like her murder was justified. When Willa found out her ex-boyfriend was a cheating scumbag, she told every socialite she knew that he had a micropenis. That had seemed justified punishment for lying.

The line her father had crossed... no one deserved that. And Jules... she didn’t seem afraid. She didn’t cry or beg for her life. She’d been strong. Strong in a way that Willa didn’t even know existed.

And now she was gone and Willa would never know the real Jules.

Music started, signaling the end credits of the movie that had been playing, but Willa hadn’t been able to pay attention. Ugh. What strange hell she’d found herself in. Couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t watch TV. Pining after literally the worst guy on the earth for her to be pining after.

She really wanted to leave for a walk or something, anything to get her blood flowing, but knew that at least for the night they needed to be extra vigilant. Part of her wasn’t worried. When James promised to watch over her, it was hard not to feel safe. She had a feeling he didn’t make a lot of promises he couldn’t keep.

She lay back on the bed and allowed herself to take in one deep breath, savoring the soft comforter beneath her and the scent of James around her. And with that sense of security filling her, she finally fell asleep.

When Willa’s eyes popped open, the entire world was shaking. She blinked in confusion as she shot up and stumbled away from the bed. She was still trying to differentiate reality from sleep when James pulled the door open. A second later, he had crossed over to her and ran his hands down her arms in a super quick motion that was over almost as soon as she realized it was happening.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded as she looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. “What happened?”

“There was an explosion at the property line.”

“They’re trying to blow us up?” she shouted. Maybe she was still asleep. This didn’t seem right.

“No. But they knew about the motion sensors. The shockwave from the blast they set off threw all the sensors off and about half the cameras are useless.”

Her eyes widened. “So now we’re sitting ducks?”

“No. You still have me and we have lots and lots of guns, okay?”

She nodded, but that didn’t make her feel any better. A few minutes ago, she hadn’t been fully convinced there was any need to worry at all. Now there was for sure some maniac out there, setting off explosions.

“I want you to stay here. I’m going to make sure no one gets in.”

She reached out and grabbed his arm, her hand not even close to closing around his bicep. Well, that was slightly comforting. “Stay here.”

“Defensive is good, but offensive is my strength. I want to get this sorted before anyone can even get eyes on you.”

That sounded good and all, but the very idea of him leaving her alone again sent a chill up her spine. But she forced herself to release her grip on him. “Just come back, okay?”

James was quiet as he looked down at her. She felt as if there was something he wanted to say to her, but no words came out. And there was a hell of a lot more she wanted to say to him, but it was nothing new. She wanted him to promise he wouldn’t leave her. To promise that he wouldn’t get hurt and that everything would work out. She wanted him to give her things she knew he couldn’t, so she didn’t bother to ask.

After a few long seconds ticking by, James clenched his jaw and left her alone again.

––––––––



––––––––

James rolled his shoulders and twisted his neck as he tried to shake off the strange feelings rushing through him. Damn, he hadn’t wanted to leave her. Every piece of his training told him that keeping both of them barricaded in that room was a bad idea, but with every step he took farther from Willa, he had to fight the urge to run back and push her behind him.

He would get back to her soon enough. All he had to do was take out some trash and they could go back to their strange equilibrium. He had his hip holster on, with a sidearm and two full extra magazines. He also had two pocketknives in the oversized pockets of his cargo pants. Before he walked outside, he grabbed a shotgun and put on a pair of night vision goggles. If the guys coming after them were professionals, they were going to have similar supplies. Even though the headgear was some of the best stuff on the market, it was bulky and was damned inconvenient to fight in.