“What?” Jack asked, feeling sick to his stomach. He carefully tested the rope holding him, the fibers digging into his bare arms since Emmett had removed his windbreaker.

  “I found out that you were special. You’re such a nice guy.”

  “Um, thank you.”

  How had he not seen this coming? Had there been signs he’d missed? That they’d all missed?

  “So nice and good.” Emmett ran a hand through Jack’s hair, his smile wide as he moved it away from Jack’s face. “See, I found out you’re like me.”

  Doubtful.

  “Everyone’s always overlooking you. How can they see you when there’s all that flash and no substance around you? Ace and Lucky with their pretty faces, Red with all those muscles, Joker? Without Chip he’s just a Hobbit. King… well, there’s King, and then there’s you.”

  “And then there’s me,” Jack muttered. “Thanks.”

  “No, you don’t see.” Emmett frowned at him and smacked his cheek.

  Fuck.

  “Pay attention, Jack.”

  “Yeah, sorry. I’m paying attention.”

  “And then there’s you. You’re the smartest of all of them! The most dangerous. I know everyone thinks Joker is the most dangerous, but they’re wrong. You.” He tapped Jack’s head. “And that big brain of yours. You can do anything. Looks aren’t everything, you know. Not that you’re not attractive. I mean, that didn’t exactly stop me from falling for you.”

  “What?” Jack stared at him.

  “Two smart guys who were constantly underestimated? If we were together, you’d kick Sil off the team, I’d take his place, and everything would be perfect! We’d show everyone how much smarter and better we are.” A dark shadow moved across Emmett’s face. “And then that little bitch decided he was going to just waltz back into your life and take you from me? A fucking hairdresser, Jack? Really?” Emmett shook his head. “I’m so disappointed in you.”

  Wait. “You were listening in. That’s how you knew what was going on with Fitz.”

  Emmett rolled his eyes. “I just said that. I’ve been watching you for months. Then I turned Fitz’s cell phone into a listening device. Come on. We do security surveillance for a living. We can see and hear anything with the right equipment. Plus, I work for you, so you know, easy access. I tried to tell you. I’m a lot more talented than you gave me credit for.”

  “I can see that.”

  Jack thought of all the intimate moments with Fitz, their privacy violated by Emmett. Fuck, Emmett had been behind all of it.

  “You could have killed us both in that car accident.”

  “That was your own fault. If you’d have drunk your soda like you were supposed to instead of fucking that whore in the back room, I wouldn’t have had to resort to desperate measures. I was so mad at you!”

  “How’d you get the waiter to do your dirty work?” If he could keep Emmett talking, he might be able to buy himself enough time for the guys to find them.

  “That was easy. He was a single father. I destroyed his credit history, emptied his accounts, threatened to give him a criminal record and put him on the list of sex offenders. He’d lose his kid in a heartbeat.”

  Jack stared at him. How could he have been so wrong about Emmett?

  “I know what you’re thinking. Was he always this crazy? How did I never notice? It’s not crazy. I know exactly what I’m doing and why. I just got really tired of being passed over for the hot guy, the cute twink, or the hairdresser. Everyone just wants to be loved and appreciated. I tried to warn you away from him.” Emmett ran his hands up Jack’s chest. “Time and time again, but you wouldn’t listen. He’s not good for you. Talk about high-maintenance. Is that what you want? Some pretty airhead who wears lip gloss and eye shadow?” Emmett let out a snort of disgust. “You know, it’s gays like him that give the rest of us a bad rep.”

  Jack glared at him. “For someone who hates being judged, you’re sounding awful judgy.”

  “See? That’s his influence on you. Judgy? Who says that?”

  “Emmett, was this all really necessary? We can talk about this, somewhere safe, dry. Just you and me.”

  “I’m done talking. You won’t leave him, and I’m not going back to working under those two losers.” Emmett waded over to Maury and lifted his face. “This guy is a hack. He wouldn’t know talent if it knocked him over the head. Oh, wait.” He let out an amused laugh. “And Sil…” Emmett lifted Sil’s face and kissed him. “Sorry, baby. We had fun, but you’re no Jack. You’re also a nosy little shit.” He turned to Jack and shrugged. “Hey, a boy’s got to get laid.”

  “You were sleeping with Sil?”

  “No, I was fucking Sil. But then he started getting suspicious, started poking his nose where it didn’t belong, so here we are.”

  That was why Sil had been acting suspicious. He’d been sleeping with Emmett and knew he was up to something.

  “You’re going to what? Leave us here?”

  Emmett blinked at him. “Yeah. Duh. You think I dragged your heavy asses out here and tied you up to let you go?” He pointed to the piling over his shoulder. “There’s a pinhole camera on that piling that’s recording this. I’m going to send the recording to your boyfriend so he and the rest of the world can watch you drown. Isn’t social media amazing? Oh, and this is where it all started. This beach is where you two met. Isn’t that romantic?”

  “Emmett, please. Don’t do this. You’ll go to prison.” The water lapped against Jack’s chest.

  “No, I won’t.” Emmett shook his head. “Like Mason says, this ain’t my first rodeo, sweetheart. Anyway, here’s the best part. After Fitz watches you drown, I’m going to set fire to his house with him in it. Your friends can’t guard him forever, and I can be patient when I want to be.” He wiggled his fingers at Jack and turned to leave.

  “Emmett, please!” Jack struggled to reach his back pocket.

  “Looking for something?” Emmett turned, and Jack’s blood turned to ice when Emmett held up the black credit card multitool. He gave Jack a pitying look. “Did you really think I was going to leave anything on you that you could use to free yourself or make a weapon out of? See? You continue to underestimate me.”

  “That’s funny,” Jack said, then grinned. “Because you continue to underestimate everyone else.”

  A shot rang out and the rope to Jack’s right snapped in two.

  Jack’s grin turned wicked. “Oh, that would be Lucky. You remember Lucky? Pretty face? Hell of a shot.”

  Emmett’s eyes widened, and he dove behind a piling to look for Lucky. Even on a good day without a tropical storm, Emmett wouldn’t find Lucky.

  “And you know, wherever Lucky is…”

  Another shot rang out and the rope to Jack’s left was severed.

  “Ace is sure to be there. Also a pretty face, and a hell of a shot.” Jack pushed against the ropes with all his strength. “Flashy, yes. They’re definitely that. Loud. Pains in the asses sometimes. But…”

  The ropes fell away from Jack, and he smiled at Emmett’s stupefied face. To Jack’s left, Joker broke the surface and wiped the water from his face. “What did I miss?”

  Emmett shook his head. “How? I took your phones and disabled surveillance in the area.”

  That would have been Emmett’s first mistake, not that the guys needed to search for any outages or strange activity. Jack held his hand up and wiggled his fingers. “GPS implant.”

  “Bullshit,” Emmett replied, sounding offended Jack would even suggest such a thing. “There’s nothing on the market like that for humans.”

  “You’re right. There’s nothing like that on the market.” Joker tapped his lips. “If only we knew a genius hacker with ties to clandestine government organizations.” He gasped dramatically and put a hand to his lips. “Oh, wait…”

  “Fuck you, Sacha.” Emmett lifted his hand, revealing the small detonator.

  Jack shouted just before the explosion rocked the pier. They dove into the water after Maury and Sil when the piling they’d been tied to dropped. There was no time to worry about Emmett. Jack kept close to Joker as they quickly swam for the piling as it slowly sank toward the bottom, which thankfully wasn’t far, but Maury and Sil didn’t have long. Reaching them, Joker quickly cut Maury free, and Jack grabbed him, then swam to the surface, leaving Joker to bring Sil.

  Breaking the surface, Jack caught his breath, the relentless waves slamming into them as pieces of the pier floated around them. The end of the pier was gone, and Jack was grateful the storm meant beachgoers had stayed away. He held on tight to Maury as he swam for the shore, the debris in the water more of a concern than the waves. The last thing he needed was to get impaled by a sharp piece of splintered wood. A horn blast cut through the cacophony of thunder, rain, and ocean waves, and relief flooded Jack as the Coast Guard cutter appeared, King’s figure a welcome sight.

  Life preservers were thrown, and Jack grabbed one, Joker the other. They were dragged toward the boat and helped up, Maury and Sil first, then Jack and Joker. They were given towels and thermal blankets while Maury and Sil were checked over.

  King hurried to Jack and cupped his face. “You all right?”

  “Yeah,” Jack shouted. “Where’s Fitz?”

  “With Saint and Ryden back at HQ. Your boyfriend is almost as stubborn as you. Almost. He wouldn’t stay home.”

  “I need to get to HQ. Emmett’s going to go after Fitz. I can feel it in my gut.”

  King looked toward the damaged pier and the other Coast Guard cutter searching through the debris for Emmett. “You think he survived?”

  “He had that pier rigged to blow. I think he’s a resourceful son of a bitch. Been watching me and listening in for months. He still has access to our system. If Fitz is at HQ, who knows what Emmett can do.”

  “He’s not going to get to him,” Joker assured him. “Saint and Ryden won’t let that happen. Saint already feels shitty about last night.”

  Jack shook his head. “Wasn’t his fault.”

  “You tell him that.”

  “I will. Soon as I see him.” Jack turned to King. “Can I borrow your phone?”

  King handed him his phone, helping him off the cutter after they pulled up to a nearby pier. Jack thanked the Coast Guard guys for the help, then dialed Fitz.

  Voicemail.

  “Shit.”

  “What is it?” King asked just as Ace, Lucky, and Red ran over.

  “Fitz’s phone is going straight to voicemail.” Jack tried calling Saint, then Ryden. “Same with Saint and Ryden.” Fuck. He hoped that meant the guys had Fitz in a secure location.

  King ushered Jack and Joker to his truck. “I’ve got some uniform workout sweats and tees in the truck you can change into. Might not be the best fit, but at least they’re dry. Everyone, we’ll meet behind HQ, across the street. Watch your backs.”

  Joker climbed into the back seat and grabbed a black Kings shirt and pair of sweats for Jack, then tossed them over to him before rifling through the stack for himself. They got changed as King drove them to HQ. On the outside, everything looked normal. The streets had turned into shallow rivers of running water as areas started to flood from the unrelenting downpour. The palm trees were bowed from the thrashing wind, and it was hard to see through the gray of the storm.

  Somewhere in that building, the man he loved was in danger.

  “You’re right. I am a douche-nozzle,” Jack admitted grudgingly.

  King arched an eyebrow at him. “I don’t remember calling you that, but okay.”

  Jack jutted a thumb in Joker’s direction, and King nodded.

  “Ah. That makes more sense.”

  “I love him, and I’m pretty sure before Maury called, Fitz had been about to tell me he loves me. I’m going to get him out of there safe and sound, and then I’m going to tell him I love him, and we’re going to live happy ever fucking after because we both deserve it.”

  Joker clapped Jack on the back. “That’s the spirit! You go in there, rescue your man, and have babies with beautiful hair.”

  “Pretty sure that’s not how it works, but I appreciate your enthusiasm.”

  “Fuck yeah! Let’s do this.”

  King sighed. “Let’s do this smart. With a plan.”

  Joker pointed out the window behind King. “Ace and Lucky are already across the street.”

  “Make no mistake, the blood pressure medicine I’m sure to be on any day now is because of all of you.” King opened his door and growled at them to move.

  “He’s such a grumpy fuck,” Joker said with a big grin. “God, I love him.”

  “I’m sure he loves us too.”

  “Of course he does. He says as much every time he growls ‘You two are the reason I have gray hairs.’” Joker scoffed. “Like Ace and Lucky don’t give him gray hair. Besides, he’s blond. You can’t even see them.”

  “You can see them.”

  “Okay,” King said when Jack and Joker joined them. “We’re going to—”

  An explosion blew the windows out of the back half of the building, debris and millions of tiny glass shards turning into projectiles in the fierce wind. Jack stared up at HQ in horror.

  “That was my office.”

  ELEVEN

  The boom that rocked the building was unlike anything Fitz had ever heard, and he threw his arms over his head as dust rained down on him. Fear that the whole place was about to come crashing down around him threatened to paralyze him. His nerves were already frazzled, knowing Jack was out there in this storm in the hands of that sick bastard and there was nothing Fitz could do about it. Someone grabbed him, and he gasped before he remembered the only ones in the room with him were Saint and Ryden.

  “Oh my God! Was that an explosion?”

  Saint nodded, his gaze lifting to the ceiling, as if he could see what was happening if he glared at it hard enough. “It came from the back of the building. My guess is the executive floor or the cybersecurity department. Fuck, like it’s not bad enough the guy’s a computer whiz, now he’s familiar with explosives as well.”

  Alarms went off everywhere, and the lights shut off, but unlike in Fitz’s house, Four Kings Security headquarters had a backup system. The lights returned, and Ryden tapped away at the laptop he’d taken from the armory shelf. Fitz had wanted to wait for Jack in his office, but Saint and Ryden vetoed the suggestion, insisting the safest place in the building was the armory in the basement. It was an expansive room lined from wall to ceiling with black steel shelving packed with all kinds of tech equipment, from laptops and headsets to handheld wand scanners and radios. Another wall had locked drawer units, and next to those, locked cages holding all kinds of weapons lined one long wall. Just what kind of jobs did the Kings work that would require the use of what looked like a grenade launcher? It was practically a bunker, filled with weapons and… Fitz eyed the steel shelf to his left.

  “Whose idea was the snacks?”

  “Ace,” Saint replied with a smile.

  “Of course it was.” Fitz stayed close to Saint. He’d spent a good deal of the ride over trying to convince the big man that Fitz getting attacked hadn’t been his fault. No one would have expected someone to show up and shoot Saint with a tranquilizer. After waking up in the hospital, Saint remembered being shot at, but never got the chance to see his attacker. The bastard was sneaky and well prepared; Fitz would give them that. They knew exactly who they were dealing with and weren’t taking any chances. They’d shot Saint, then finished knocking him out with chloroform. When Jack found Saint, he’d only seen the cloth with chloroform because whoever had shot Saint, took the tranquilizer dart with him. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  Ryden shook his head as he tapped away at the laptop’s keyboard. He cursed under his breath. “I’m sure no one will be surprised to find we’ve been shut out of the system.” With a grunt, he shut the laptop. “No cameras, no calls, nothing. We’re dark.”

  “What about our phones?” Fitz asked.

  Saint shook his head. “There’s no cell phone service down here. There’s only one way into this room.” He pointed to the huge steel door.

  “And one way out,” a voice said from somewhere in the room.

  Saint pulled Fitz behind him as they faced the camera in the farthest corner of the room. “Emmett?”

  “Hello, boys.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Ryden shook his head in disbelief. “You fucking traitor!”

  “Who’s Emmett?” Fitz whispered to Saint, who turned Fitz away from the camera to murmur quietly.

  “He’s one of Jack’s. Emmett’s been on his team six years.”

  How could one of Jack’s own teammates do this?

  “Emmett, you need to stop this,” Saint pleaded, turning back to face the camera.

  “Oh my gosh! You’re right,” Emmett said with a gasp. “What was I thinking? You know what? I’m just going to go turn myself in to the police right now because that would be the right thing to do.”

  Ryden flipped the camera off. “You don’t gotta be such a smartass about it.”

  “Smartass is a Four Kings Security prerequisite. I’m sorry, do I need to explain prerequisite? I forgot I need to use smaller words for you jarheads.”

  “First of all,” Ryden spat out, “fuck you. You don’t get to use that term. Second of all, Saint’s not a Marine.”

  “Whatever. Like I give a shit which mindless group of patriotic thugs you belong to.”

  The fact that they couldn’t see Emmett but knew he was on the other side of the camera watching them creeped the hell out of Fitz. He was never going to leave his laptop camera uncovered again.

  Ryden turned to Saint. “I’m going to kick his ass; then we turn him over to the police.”

  “Let’s make a deal,” Emmett said. “You hand the little homewrecker over to me and I won’t put a bullet in you or your jarhead friend.”

  “Or,” Saint replied, “you turn yourself over and we won’t put a bullet in you.”

  “Look, I don’t have time for this. Your stupid friends are outside trying to get in, and at some point, they’ll remember the word security and the whole purpose of this building, which means King will have no choice but to let Ace, Lucky, and Joker create their own entrance.”