Tease Me (Private Listing #4)

My gaze lingers behind us, waiting for the man in black to make an appearance. But he’s not there. Blake pushes on the door and we’re out in the sunshine. I blink against the sudden brightness, draw in a ragged breath of fresh air, and release it.

I’m not safe anywhere now, except when I’m in their arms. They’ll keep me safe.

Blake

I set Madison on her feet in the grass and she sits on the concrete ledge. Her shirtsleeve is torn. Mascara runs down her cheeks. We have a designated meeting point out front, but I can’t take her out there like this. Not without a lot of questions that I don’t want to answer.

“Are you okay?” I squat in front of her and search her tired blue eyes. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

She shakes her head. Her eyes remain on the door.

“I’ll let the others know where we are.”

When I text the others, I ask them to bring the police. There’s a possible intruder in our apartment or in the stairwell. This isn’t a shadow heading toward the back of the building.

Putting my phone in my pocket, I focus on Madison. I wish I had some water to give her, but right now, it’s just me and her. I’m not going anywhere.

“What happened?”

She pulls out her phone and hands it to me. It’s open to a message from Unknown that says Now!

Fuck.

She draws in a breath, steadying herself.

“That came in right before the alarms went off. When I opened the apartment door, a guy dressed head to toe in black pushed into the apartment. I threw my shoes at him and ran to the emergency stairs. He grabbed my arm.” She looks at the red marks banded around her arm, drawing her fingers over them. Those will definitely bruise, but she grins. “I grabbed above his elbow, kicked him in the nuts, and ran.”

“You got away, tiger.” Pride swells in my chest, even as fear knots my stomach. She was alone in there. Again. But this time I protected her, by making sure she knew how to defend herself. “Did you recognize the man? Anything distinguishing about him? Even a scent?”

Her gaze goes to the door that remains shut and her smile falls. “Nothing stood out. He’s taller than me, but I don’t know by how much. It was all too quick. Definitely a man, but he disguised his features.”

“The building is surrounded by the police and emergency personnel. If he tries to leave, they’ll find him.” I reach out and take her hand. “Are you okay? Do I need to have an EMT check you out?”

She exhales. “No, just catching my breath after running down the stairs. I could hear him behind me.”

A shiver runs through her and I wish I had a suit jacket, but mine’s on the back of my chair in my office. I sit beside her and put my arms around her, offering her my warmth.

Voices disrupt the quiet around us. Coop, Noah, and Seth come around the corner with a few officers. Seth points out the door and stops to talk with the police.

Noah comes forward and sweeps Madison into his arms. “You okay, kitten?”

She nods and tears slip down her face. Coop wraps his jacket around her shoulders and presses a kiss to her head. Satisfied that she’s looked after, I leave them to comfort her and join Seth.

“The stairs lead to our apartment, but that elevator is only accessible by card.” Seth’s tone has an undercurrent of fury. Someone has access to us when they shouldn’t.

“Madison opened the door. That’s how the intruder gained access. The only exit on that staircase is our apartment.” I turn to the officer. “As far as we know, he’s still in there.”

“I’ll let our leader know.” The officer steps back over to his group and I see him on his radio.

“Is she okay?” Seth runs a hand through his hair, his gaze on the one thing that matters: Madison. She has on Coop’s jacket. The sleeves fall over her hands and the jacket covers most of her. She looks small and vulnerable.

My chest aches at the thought of losing her.

“He grabbed her arm, but she got away.” The pride in my voice is unmistakable. She listened and learned those moves, and when it mattered, she didn’t freeze.

Fear and rage fill my chest like a swarm of bees. She shouldn’t have had to fight. Our apartment should be safe.

The officer comes back over to us. “We have a team entering the building now. If he’s still inside, we’ll find him.”