When Day Breaks (KGI #9)(75)

Swanny immediately drew his gun and headed for the door, his team on his six. He checked the peephole, stunned to see Hancock standing outside, a murderous expression on his face.

What the f**k? What was Hancock doing here? And why? Any time Hancock made an appearance trouble was usually in his wake, and Swanny’s hackles immediately rose.

“Hancock,” he mouthed to the others.

The what-the-f*ck looks abounded, matching his own reaction. Hancock pounded on the door again and it was clear he wasn’t going anywhere.

Swanny held up his hand and motioned for Edge and Skylar to take the other side of the door while Nathan and Joe stood just behind Swanny, and Swanny reached to unlock the door.

The minute Swanny opened the door, Hancock was in his face, hands gripping Swanny’s shirt in tight fists, so fast and furious that Swanny had no time to react. His team immediately raised their guns and trained them on Hancock, and Joe barked an order for Hancock to stand down or he’d shoot.

“Where is she?” Hancock demanded, ignoring Joe’s threat.

Hancock was one pissed-off ball of bristling male, anger pouring off him in waves. Before the rest of Swanny’s team could follow through with Joe’s threat or Swanny could get his own gun up and between them, Eden’s voice echoed through the room.

“Guy? What on earth are you doing here?”

And then to Swanny’s utter shock, she pushed by Swanny, inserting herself between the two men, and threw her arms around Hancock, hugging him tightly. More baffling was the fact that he returned her hug just as fiercely, his fury seemingly diminished now that Eden was there in front of him.

The looks on Swanny’s team members’ faces were a mixture of what-the-f*ck and utter bewilderment. Had the entire world gone insane? How the hell did Eden and Hancock even know each other, much less be on such intimate terms?

Hancock was visibly relieved as he held Eden tightly against his body, and Swanny realized that Hancock’s anger had in fact been worry. What the hell was Hancock’s connection to Eden? Hancock was a rebel, following his own set of rules and morals. Swanny wouldn’t have believed him capable of feeling emotion for another person.

“You scared the hell out of me, cupcake,” Hancock said gruffly.

Everyone’s mouths fell open, even Swanny’s. Cupcake? What the ever-loving f**k? And she’d called him Guy. Hell, Swanny didn’t even know Hancock’s first name or if Hancock was his first name. He knew very little about Hancock at all other than the little that had been gleaned from his run-ins with KGI on two missions.

But there was a softness in his expression that was never present. Swanny had never seen the man appear anything except cold and reserved, but he was anything but that with Eden. There was honest-to-God relief and tenderness in his eyes as he hugged Eden again.

Skylar’s lips parted, and she stared at Hancock as if an alien had suddenly descended. Cupcake? she silently mouthed. For real?

Swanny was every bit as bewildered as the rest of his team. This wasn’t a contingency they’d planned for at all. How could they have? Sure, Hancock had shown up and had crossed paths with KGI in the past, but he’d never had a personal stake in any of them. And it appeared he most certainly had a close relationship with Eden.

A tight fist wrapped itself around Swanny’s neck as jealousy and a sense of territory violation assailed him. He considered Eden his, and he didn’t like the fact that another man, especially Hancock, was evidently on intimate terms with her.

When Eden pulled away, Hancock looked her up and down, his eyes narrowing as if studying her for injuries.

“Are you okay?” Hancock asked in a soft voice.

The KGI team was utterly bewildered, and it was reflected in all their expressions. Swanny’s teammates lowered their guns but didn’t holster them, and Swanny kept his up, on constant guard because he didn’t trust Hancock in the least.

“I’m fine, Guy,” Eden said. “They’ve taken very good care of me. Why are you here? How did you know? I don’t understand. Have you spoken to Dad or Ryker or Raid?”

“Because I saw your name splashed across the news as having been car-bombed by a f**king RPG,” Hancock growled. “If they were taking such good care of you, then why the hell were you ever in that position to begin with?”

“Not to interrupt an apparent reunion here,” Joe said dryly, “but can someone tell me what the f**k is going on here? How the hell do you know Hancock, Eden?”

She turned startled eyes on Joe. “The question is how do you know Guy? And why are you all treating him like the enemy?”

Hancock slid an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side, and brushed a kiss over her brow. Swanny had to swallow back the growl forming in his chest. He didn’t like what was going on here and he definitely didn’t want Hancock touching Eden.

And yet suddenly so much made sense. With a startling moment of insight, Swanny recalled her asking if Hancock had talked to her father or brothers, as though it was an absolutely normal event to have occurred. It would certainly make Eddie’s reaction make sense, and explain why he hadn’t gone off the rails and caught the first flight to Paris.

Because Eddie knew Hancock was on his way.

“It’s all right, cupcake. Let’s just say that me and KGI go way back and have a somewhat tumultuous relationship.”