Roped In (Armed & Dangerous #2)(7)

As soon as Robert laughed, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was then I realized how afraid I’d become. Whoever broke into my house was after me. What if he was never caught? I’d never feel safe again.

Turning the corner, I spotted Robert in the kitchen with another man. He was tall, closer to my age, with blond hair and the muscular build of a fighter. His blue gaze met mine and he acknowledged me with a smile. He cleared his throat and Robert turned around to address me.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Do you want the truth, or a polite lie?”

He chuckled. “I’ll take that as a no.” Motioning toward his friend, he said, “Hadley, I’d like you to meet Logan Chandler. He’s a good friend of mine and the one who’ll be escorting you to the great state of Wyoming.”

I held out my hand. “Nice to meet you, Logan.”

He shook my hand and winked. “Likewise.”

“Are you going to be ready to leave for the airport in an hour?” Robert asked.

Susan handed me a cup of coffee and patted my shoulder before leaving the room. I set my bag down and took a giant gulp; it burned going down, but my body was numb. “Actually, on the way there, I need to stop by the hospital to see Nick.”

Robert sighed. “That’s not possible.”

My head jerked up and I glared at him. “Why not?”

“Because you need to stay hidden. The hospital is swarming with every f*cking news station and gossip rag in the city; all waiting for you to show up.” He stepped back and leaned against the bar with his arms crossed, trying his best to look intimidating in his Minions pajama pants—it wasn’t working. He had a point, sure, but I couldn’t let him stand in my way.

I set my cup down. “There has to be something we can do. I’m not leaving town without seeing him.”

Robert and Logan looked at each other, but it was Logan who turned to me and spoke. “There is a way, but you’re probably not going to like it.”

I stood up straight. “I’ll do anything. Let’s go.”

A small smile splayed across his face. “Your wish is my command.”





When Logan said he had a way in, I didn’t realize it was going to be traveling at breakneck speeds through rush hour traffic on a sport bike. Whizzing by vehicles at ninety miles an hour, I screamed a few times and kept my eyes shut. My teeth ached from clenching so hard, but I sucked it up and held on until we got to the hospital.

“You can let me go now, Hadley.” Logan chuckled, pulling off his helmet. When I didn’t let go, he squeezed my hands, still tightly wrapped around his waist. My muscles shook from holding him so hard.

I slowly pried my hands apart and slid off the bike. “Sorry. I’ve never been on a motorcycle before. At least the paparazzi didn’t recognize us when we pulled in. I mean, how could they when we were going at light speed?” I started to unbuckle my helmet but he grabbed my hands, pulling me to him.

“Keep it on. We’re not alone out here. Pretend to fumble with the straps until we get in the elevator.” I nodded and followed along beside him. There were a few people in the parking garage, but luckily, we were able to get in the elevator by ourselves. Once inside, he helped me with the helmet and pulled it off.

“Here, put this on,” he said, handing me a baseball cap from his back pocket. “We don’t want anyone recognizing you.”

I snorted and slid it down on my head. “I doubt they could anyway. I look like death.”

The elevator doors opened and we stepped out. I already knew where to go. My heart sped up the closer we got to Nick’s room.

A voice called out. “Hadley?”

I gasped and jerked around. Tristan Abernathy stood in the doorway of the waiting room with the rest of the hockey team spread out behind him, dressed in their jerseys and lounging in chairs. Tristan looked worse than any of them. His dirty blond hair was unkempt and he looked exhausted.

“Tristan,” I breathed.

“Where have you been? We were all worried about you.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I’m in protective custody. I’m not supposed to be here, but I had to see Nick.”

He held me close, burying his face in my hair. His chest shook and it broke my heart. “He doesn’t look good, Hads. What if he doesn’t make it?”

“We have to believe he will.” Once he let me go, Kip and Dawson, two of my favorites on the hockey team, stole me away and I threw an arm around them both. They were twins, both with dark brown hair and blue eyes. “I’m going to miss you guys so much.”

“We’re not going anywhere, sweetheart,” Kip assured me.

Swallowing hard, I stepped back. “But I am, and I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“Where are you going?” Tristan asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. I glanced over at Logan, who shook his head.

“I can’t say,” I said, looking up at Tristan. “It’s for my protection.”

“When will you be back?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“We’re running out of time, Hadley,” Logan called.

Nodding once, I walked to the door and then faced the team. “Good luck at the games, guys. I won’t physically be there, but know I’ll be watching.” I hugged Tristan one more time. “I’ll find a way to keep in touch, okay? I’m hoping they’ll catch this bastard soon, so I can come home.”