“Yep.” Saint walked to the door and opened it, jumping to the side in surprise. “Holy shit.”

  Val stared at the parade of people that came through the door, all carrying bags and trays, except Ace and Lucky, who had what looked like a folded-up table, and Jack and Joker, who carried a giant cooler.

  “The place is looking sweet,” Joker said. “Love the bar.”

  “Holy cow,” Laz said, taking pictures with his camera as he walked in. “It’s going to be awesome!”

  “Thanks,” Val replied. He exchanged glances with Saint, who just shrugged. He had no idea what this was about either.

  “Um, hey, guys,” Saint said, closing the door after the last person entered. Or rather, the last furry guest. “What are you doing here?” He smiled at Chip, who barked and wagged his tail so hard his whole butt moved. With a chuckle, Saint scratched Chip behind his ears. “Hello, handsome boy. Where are Gio and Cookie?”

  “Gio’s sorry he couldn’t make it. He has a charity thing going on tonight. As for what’s going on…” Joker motioned to Fitz.

  “Well,” Fitz said, putting down the shopping bags he carried so he could hug Saint. “You’ve been so busy that you forgot it’s been five years since you joined Four Kings Security. Normally, they’d throw you a party at the office, but since you’re on leave, Leo thought it would be nice to throw you a little party here.”

  “Aw, thanks, bud.” Saint beamed at Leo. “That’s really nice of you.”

  Leo shrugged. “Everyone gets a party. You should too.” His face lit up, and he held up a large white box. “Wait until you see the cake!”

  Val held back a smile. Considering Leo’s excitement, Val had an idea of what it might look like. “Where’s King?” Next to Gio, King seemed to be the only other person missing from this band of merry mischief-makers.

  “He’ll be here later,” Leo said. “His meeting with a big client ran over. Some government contract.” He shrugged like it was no big deal. Then again, Leo was a computer genius who occasionally freelanced for the military and was the son of an Army general, so government contracts were probably nothing new for him.

  “Your BFF will be along shortly,” Ace informed Saint. “He was detained.”

  Saint eyed Ace. “By detained, you mean…?”

  “I mean, locked in the supply closet by Jay.”

  Saint doubled over laughing. “Oh, my god! What is it with those two?”

  “Right?” Ace shook his head. “They need to just screw and get it over with.”

  “Wait, Jay and Ryden?” Jack said, confused.

  “Oh, honey.” Fitz stroked Jack’s hair and kissed his cheek. “You’re adorable.”

  “And clueless,” Joker pitched in with a snort.

  Val followed Saint to the long folding table Ace and Lucky set up. Colton threw a white tablecloth over it and helped Fitz arrange it. It was good that neither he nor Saint had eaten yet because the guys had bought enough food to feed an army.

  “Those two have been circling each other since Ryden joined the company,” Saint said. “They’re clearly attracted to each other.”

  “I wondered about that at first,” Jack said, “but then it looked like they were just trying to annoy the hell out of each other.”

  “Foreplay,” everyone said simultaneously, making Val snicker. He forgot how much fun these guys could be. Val might not know Jay well, but from what he’d heard, it was clear even to him that there was something going on between Ryden and Jay.

  While Laz snapped photos of everyone, Ace set up a Bluetooth speaker, connected his phone, and got some music going. Mason flipped open the cooler lid and grabbed some beers, handing one to Saint and one to Val. Half of the table was filled with snacks and finger foods, while the other had silver trays covered with aluminum.

  “Damn, guys. Thank you,” Saint said, clearly touched. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say you want cake,” Leo said from the corner of his mouth, motioning to the table.

  With a laugh, Saint went to the table, and Val followed him, stopping beside him as everyone gathered around. Ace did a drumroll on the table while Fitz took hold of the lid.

  “May I present,” Fitz said. “Sailor Goldfish!” He opened the box, and Saint laughed at the orange fish-shaped cake with a little white Navy sailor’s hat on his head sitting at a jaunty angle.

  “Oh my god, that’s amazing!”

  “Really? You like it?” Leo asked, smiling wide.

  “I love it,” Saint said, throwing an arm around Leo, another sign of how comfortable Leo was around Saint because he did not like to be touched by strangers.

  Leo leaned in, whispering loud enough for all of them to hear. “Don’t worry. The orange isn’t cheese. It’s buttercream.” He wrinkled his nose. “A cheese cake would just be weird.” He realized what he’d said and snickered. “Well, obviously not a cheesecake because that’s not weird. Technically, cheesecake is made from cheese, so maybe it is?” He shook his head and waved a hand in dismissal. “A conundrum for another day.”

  “Before we start on dessert,” Ace said, “How about some dinner.” He and Lucky unveiled the trays, and Saint groaned. It was one hell of a spread.

  “Is that your mom’s pernil recipe?” Saint asked Ace, inhaling deeply. “So good.”

  “Of course it is,” Ace said with a snort. “Like I would bring you anything else.”

  “It always smells so amazing,” Val said as he picked up a large, heavy-duty paper plate off the stack. He’d had Ace’s mom’s famous pork shoulder before, and it was so good. There were several more Cuban dishes, some of which Val couldn’t remember the name of but sure as hell remembered the taste of. Mouthwateringly good.

  “Oh my god, it’s that yummy vegetable thing. What’s it called again?” He served himself several pieces.

  “Yuca. Don’t forget the mojo that goes with it,” Saint said, placing several pieces on his plate.

  Val scoffed. “Please. As if I would forget what gives it that extra special yumminess.” He served himself a heaping plateful of food and shoveled a forkful in his mouth, groaning at how good it was.

  Saint leaned into him, his voice low so only Val could hear. “Damn, Chief. If I’d known that was all it took to get you revved up, I would have cooked for you weeks ago.”

  Val almost choked on his food. He grabbed his beer and took a sip. “Are you trying to kill me? More importantly, do you know how to cook this?”

  Saint snickered. “I do. It’s not as good as this, but it’s pretty damn good.”

  “Can’t you just ask for the recipe?” Val asked.

  “There is no recipe,” Ace replied. “My mother learned from her mother, and it follows the ‘little bit of this, little bit of that’ cooking method. No measuring utensils needed. She just knows how much to add.”

  Val was familiar with that method. His nonna had been the same. “Probably why it tastes so damned good.”

  They all ate and talked, music playing in the background. When they finished eating, Saint cut his cake, taking the fish’s sailor hat for himself and giving Leo the cute little fishy head. Laz took photos of them, many with the guys making faces or stuffing their mouths with cake. Val was going to have to get some of the photos printed and framed on his wall. The thought gave him an idea. He should have a photo wall of friends and patrons, get them in different sizes and frames. He’d talk to Laz about it later.

  Saint hummed cheerfully around a big bite of cake. “This is delicious.”

  “It is,” Lucky said, then narrowed his eyes at Saint. “You know what else was delicious? My flan.”

  “Your what?” Saint asked, puzzled.

  “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about my flan.”

  Saint blinked at him, then seemed to remember what Lucky was referring to. “Dude, come on. It’s been five years.”

  “A flan that delicious is unforgettable, you flan thief!”

  Val did his best not to laugh at Lucky’s indignation. He turned to Saint. “You stole his flan?”

  “I didn’t steal his flan,” Saint replied with a groan, then glared at Lucky, “Tell him I didn’t steal your flan.”

  Lucky glared at Saint some more before turning his attention to Val. “So, Graciela’s abuelita makes the most mouthwatering flan de coco, and I had waited and waited for her to bring me some, and when it finally happens, Graciela gives it away!” He thrusts a hand at Saint. “To him! Can you believe this?”

  “Why?” Val asked, taking another bite of cake. He might need to have seconds. This really was a good cake. Val wasn’t big on sweets, but he could appreciate a tasty dessert.

  Lucky waved a hand in dismissal. “Because he was all sad like a big puppy or something.”

  “My divorce was finalized that day,” Saint explained.

  “Ah. So he didn’t really steal your flan,” Val said.

  Lucky scoffed. “Of course you would take his side.”

  “Graciela was just trying to make me feel better,” Saint told Lucky. “And since it was your flan, technically, you were making me feel better.”

  Lucky was not impressed by Saint’s answer and shoved a forkful of cake in his mouth. While the two debated whether the flan had been indeed stolen, Val couldn’t help but think of what Saint had gone through. The whole ordeal must have been rough. Val understood that being a military spouse wasn’t for everyone. Same as being the spouse of a firefighter or law enforcement officer. Any position that put a loved one in harm’s way was difficult, especially if they had to be away for long periods of time. Sadly, Val had seen many a marriage fall apart during his time at the firehouse.

  Val didn’t know Saint’s ex-wife, and although he could understand why she’d fallen in love with someone else while Saint had been deployed, he couldn’t understand why she’d waited so long to tell him.

  From what Saint had told him one night at a Kings’ event, she’d waited an entire year to tell him and ask him for a divorce. She’d been with another man for a year while Saint was abroad, believing all was well with his marriage. Val hadn’t asked any questions because Saint had been tipsy that night, and they hadn’t known each other very well then. Afterward, he seemed to have forgotten he’d told Val anything.

  “You better not steal my cake,” Lucky warned Saint, eyes narrowed as he walked away.

  “Technically, it’s my cake,” Saint called out, laughing when Lucky flipped him off.

  “He has very strong feelings about food,” Mason chuckled.

  Val snickered. “I can see that.”

  “Wow. I still can’t believe it’s been five years.” Saint shook his head as he took a sip of his beer. “It seems like a lifetime ago.”

  “Yeah. Time flies,” Mason agreed. “So much has happened in the last few years. I sure as hell never imagined I would have ended up here. With him.” His gaze softened as it landed on Lucky. “Funny how sometimes life gives you what you need, even if you had no idea it’s what you needed.”

  The door swung open, and Ryden stepped through with flair. “Fear not, for I have arrived!” He promptly got smacked in the head with a bread roll. Ryden caught it and bit a chunk off. “Crunchy, but needs butter.” Shutting the door, Ryden greeted the guys, some by flipping them off, some with hugs, and some with a playful fist bump.

  A wicked smile came onto Saint’s face when Ryden approached.

  “Heard you had a date with a closet.”

  “Yeah, and no one bothered to let me out.” Ryden chucked what remained of his bread roll at Ace, who caught it with a waggle of his eyebrows. “Dicks.” He grinned at Saint. “Happy anniversary, man.”

  “Thanks. Eat. I know you’re wasting away to nothing.”

  Ryden patted his flat stomach. “It’s only been an hour since I’ve eaten anything. I don’t know how I survived.” He walked off, and Mason shook his head.

  “Where the hell does it all go?”

  “It’s his mouth,” Saint said. “All the talking burns calories.”

  “I heard that, you shit,” Ryden called out.

  Saint snickered. “Love you.”

  “Love you more,” Ryden teased, patting his chest over his heart and pretending to make it beat.

  With a snort, Mason excused himself and went over to Lucky, kissing his cheek before murmuring something in his ear.

  “You think someone is putting something in the water at your place of work?” Val asked Saint.

  “Why?”

  Val motioned to everyone here. “Because it looks like anyone who joins Four Kings Security ends up in love.”

  “Oh yeah,” Saint laughed. “We tease King about it. Call him King Cupid.”

  “I bet he loves that.”

  Ryden called Saint over, and Saint excused himself. It appeared that Jack had been waiting for Saint to walk away, and Val had an idea why that might be, considering Fitz and Ryden had Saint flanked. Val did not envy him.

  “Hey,” Jack greeted. “So, how are things going between you two?”

  Right to the point. Val eyed Jack. “Who said anything was going on between us? Nothing’s going on.” He heard Fitz laugh and glanced over to see Saint whispering to him. “Your boyfriend told you everything, didn’t he?”

  Jack took a sip of his beer. “Yes, he did. And whatever Saint just told him, I’ll probably know by the time we leave here.” He shrugged, a big lovesick puppy smile on his face. “Fitz loves love. And if he sees the potential to bring two people together who he believes belong together, he will meddle because he’s always right. Always.”

  Val sighed. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. I told him nothing could happen between us, and I had every intention of standing my ground.”

  Jack didn’t even bother to hide his smile. “How’d that go for you?”

  “I folded like a house of cards, Jack. It was like I didn’t even try. I kissed him, and he kissed me back, and then that led to other things….”

  “Other things.” Jack gave him a knowing smile. “And how did he handle those…other things?”

  “Like it was no big deal.”

  “Maybe it wasn’t.”

  “He’d never been with a man before. Hell, he’d been with the same woman since high school. Before any of this happened, I pushed him. Asked him if we were dating, if he’d introduce me to his family as his boyfriend, but he couldn’t respond.”

  “Maybe he just needs time to think about it, figure it all out.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about. That he’ll realize he’s made a mistake or that he’s not ready for a relationship with a guy.” Val swallowed hard. “And that by then, it’ll be too late. I’m already falling for him.”

  Jack’s smile was sympathetic. “I get it, and if it were anyone other than Saint, I would have told you to tread lightly, but Saint is a good, level-headed guy. He’s not the kind of person who rushes into something without having thought a good deal about it, especially when there’s a possibility he might hurt someone he cares about.”

  His friend wasn’t wrong. Deep down, it was probably the reason he’d gone with his gut and not put a stop to things from the beginning. Val cared about Saint and trusted him. As if he knew Val was thinking of him, Saint lifted his head, a gorgeous smile spreading across his face. He winked at Val, then went back to listening to Ryden.

  Jack patted Val’s shoulder. “I have a feeling things are going to work out.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m going to go rescue your not-yet-boyfriend from my nosy-yet-beautiful boyfriend.”

  Val chuckled as Jack went off, though Val suspected it wasn’t so much about saving Saint as it was about getting to wrap his arms around Fitz and sneak in a kiss.

  A loud boom went off, and glass shattered, but it wasn’t until Saint shouted for everyone to get down that Val hit the floor, along with the other guys who covered whichever civilian was closest to them. Val could see Saint had Leo covered from his position on the floor.

  The windows exploded, bullets pinged off the brick walls, pieces of brick shot off, and dust and debris fell in all directions. The food on the table went everywhere. What was left of the cake exploded. The gunfire was followed by shouts and the screeching of tires. Then silence.

  “No one get up,” Ace ordered as he ran in a crouch to one of the windows. He peeked out. “Clear.”

  “Is everyone okay?” Val called out as he got to his feet, his heart pounding in his ears. What the fuck had just happened?

  “Oh god. No.”

  Val turned, his blood freezing to ice at the distraught words. Both relief and horror flooded Val at once when he met Saint’s gaze.

  Everyone was not okay.

  Leo had been hit.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  This couldn’t be happening.

  “No, no, no.” Saint shook his head, unaware of the shouting around him as everyone scrambled into action. He pulled Leo into his arms, his hand covered in blood as he pressed it against Leo’s side and the bullet wound. Leo cried out and grabbed hold of Saint’s wrist.

  “Call 9-1-1!” Red dropped to his knees beside them. He said something, but Saint could only focus on Leo as he gasped for breath, his big brown eyes filled with tears.

  “It’s not your fault,” Leo told Saint.

  “Don’t—” Saint shook his head. Fuck, why? Why hadn’t it been him? This can’t be happening. The words repeated in his head.

  “Saint, lay him down!”

  At Red’s order, Saint snapped out of it and quickly did as Red asked. His vision blurred from his tears as Red took hold of Leo’s T-shirt and ripped it open to keep it away from the wound. He slid his hand underneath Leo and cursed under his breath.

  “The bullet is still in there.”

  Fuck. Things had just gone from bad to worse.

  Ace handed Red the first aid kit from Val’s office, and Red quickly got to work while they waited for the paramedics to arrive, but there wasn’t much he could do. Unlike in the movies, Red couldn’t just go digging around for the bullet.