“Listen. I care about you, Saint. And yeah, I want you, but it took me a long time to figure myself out, and I’m not going to be the first guy you fool around with only to decide you made a mistake.” Getting his heart broken was one thing, but going out and looking for heartbreak? He wasn’t going to do that to himself.

  Saint threw his arms up, clearly frustrated. “How do you know if it’s a mistake if you don’t even give me a chance?”

  “Because I’ve been here before.”

  “Really? You’ve been in this exact situation with me before.”

  “Don’t be a smartass. You know exactly what I mean.”

  “I’m not an adolescent who’s trying to figure himself out. I can handle this. I can have a relationship with a guy.” Saint seemed very sure of himself, but Val knew better.

  “Yeah? So let’s say we start dating. What then?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Val folded his arms over his chest as he leaned against the door. “Are you going to introduce me as your boyfriend?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “To your coworkers?”

  “Of course.”

  “Your parents? Your family?”

  Pause.

  And there it was.

  “Like I said. I know who I am, and I’m not going back in the closet, Saint. Not for you, not for anyone.” He pushed away from the door. “Nothing can happen between us.”

  “Then why did you come here?” Saint demanded. “You don’t want me, but you don’t want me with someone else, right? You can’t have it both ways, Chief.”

  “Fuck this. Do whatever the fuck you want.” Val turned and opened the door, storming out of the room. He didn’t need this shit. The door slammed behind him, and it took everything Val had not to turn around. He had never come across anyone so fucking stubborn and frustrating.

  Well, this night was a complete disaster. The thing was, Val wasn’t sure if he was pissed at Saint or himself. Both. Definitely both. Saint wasn’t wrong. Val couldn’t have it both ways. That didn’t mean he had to like it. And he didn’t like it at all. His heart kept telling him to go back, but what the hell did his heart know? It had gotten him into plenty of trouble in the past.

  Val made his way through the club, stopping by the bar to see Frank on his way out. When Frank saw him, his smile faded.

  “I’m leaving.”

  “Went that well, huh?”

  “I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Okay.” Frank wanted to say more, but his friend knew when to back off, which said something because Frank was just as stubborn as he was and rarely backed off.

  Tonight was not the night to get into it. Val was tired, pissed, and his dick was arguing with him to go back and end Saint’s questions. Not what he needed. Saint wanted answers, but Val wasn’t the one to give them to him, he couldn’t be.

  Having parked behind the club, Val took the back exit out. By this time of night, the parking lot around the club was packed. He headed for his car, more determined than ever to get his shit together. He’d been looking forward to working on his tavern for years, and now he could. The last thing he needed was to get distracted by a guy who didn’t know what he wanted.

  As he neared his car, he thought he heard a noise. It sounded like a groan. He stopped and scanned the parking lot, but all he heard was the usual sound of cicadas chirping and the breeze ruffling palm fronds. He’d just hit the button on his key fob to unlock his SUV doors when he heard something. This time there was something. He heard a garbled but distinct cry for help coming from the end of the parking lot.

  Locking his car, he hurried toward the end of the parking lot near the dumpsters. He didn’t like that the place was shrouded in shadows, but if someone was in trouble, it was his duty to help.

  “Is someone there? Do you need help?” he asked as he drew closer.

  “Please,” someone rasped.

  Shit.

  Val carefully got closer when something moved in the shadows. Not something—someone. Three figures lunged from the darkness, tackling him. Val hit the dirty asphalt of the parking lot hard but managed to keep his head protected so it didn’t slam against the ground. Three men dressed in black with hoodies wearing masks over their faces kicked him.

  “Fucking cocksucker,” one man spat, his voice low and harsh as he kicked Val in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

  Val tried to fight them off while doing his best to protect his head at the same time. He had to find a way to get up.

  A punch to the side of one guy’s knee sent the asshole stumbling sideways as he cried out. The other two hesitated just enough to give Val the chance he needed to get up. And good thing he did because one of the men pulled a knife, swiping it at Val. He managed to get out of the way, a sharp sting making him hiss. He’d been cut but, thankfully, not stabbed.

  Val smacked the guy’s fist away when he tried again to stab him, and Val swiped his leg from under him. The guy hit the ground, knife skidding, but the other two tackled him to the ground again before Val could grab it. One tried to hold him down while the other punched him. Val was not a small man, but neither were these guys.

  “What do you want?” Val growled, sucking in a sharp breath when someone’s boot made contact with his side. What the hell did they want from him? If they’d wanted to mug him, they would have done it already. This was something else, something worse. If he didn’t do something, they were going to kill him.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  What the hell was he doing?

  Saint closed his eyes as he leaned against the closed door he’d slammed like some petulant child. His heart pounded fiercely. When was the last time he’d gotten this worked up over someone? Never. Not even with Alicia. With a frustrated growl, he pushed away from the door and left the room. He went through the crowd to Ryden, who stood talking to some guy near their table. His expression must have said it all because Ryden excused himself and came over.

  “Hey. Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, just tired. I’m going to head home.”

  “Okay. I’ll catch you later.”

  Saint nodded and headed toward the back exit to the parking lot. What if Val was right? He certainly had a hell of a lot more experience than Saint did. He’d been an openly gay man for a long time. Saint didn’t even know what he wanted. Other than Val.

  Watching gay porn didn’t exactly prepare him for sex with another man. What if they fooled around, and Saint wasn’t ready? Val cared about him and considered Saint more than some guy he could screw around with. Maybe Saint needed to slow down.

  What the hell had he been thinking? Letting some stranger lead him into the back rooms. Shaking his head at himself, he walked out into the parking lot and headed for his truck when he heard a shouted curse. Peering toward the darker end of the parking lot, he could see a group of guys doing something. Stepping closer, he realized they were beating someone.

  “Hey! What the fuck are you doing?” He shouted as he got closer.

  “Saint!”

  Holy shit, it was Val!

  “Son of a bitch. Get the fuck away from him!” Saint bolted toward the hooded men, one of them cursing under his breath and taking off, the other two cursing at him for leaving them. As Saint shoved one of the hooded figures, the other pulled a knife and made a swipe at him, but Saint jumped out of the way. He punched the guy in the solar plexus, and the guy gasped for breath as he doubled over.

  Seeing they weren’t going to get the drop on Saint, Knife Guy grabbed his friend, and they hauled ass. Saint wanted to go after them, but Val was more important. He quickly dropped onto one knee next to Val, who groaned and coughed as he propped himself on his elbow. His face was dirty, his lip bloodied from where it was split, and his cheek was red. It would no doubt turn into a bruise. His clothes were a mess, and Saint didn’t want to know what the stains on his pants were from.

  “Are you okay? Were you cut or stabbed?” Saint asked, checking Val over for any puncture wounds. His sleeve had been sliced, and Saint checked to find a fine red line. “Looks like you were cut, but you won’t need stitches.”

  “I’m okay,” Val growled, and Saint helped him to his feet. “Assholes came out of nowhere.”

  Saint lifted his gaze and saw that the lamppost light was out. “Were they trying to rob you?”

  Val shook his head and hissed when he touched his arm. “I don’t know. They didn’t ask for anything. One of them called me a cocksucker, which is weird considering I’m one guy out of dozens leaving a gay club.”

  Saint opened his mouth to reply when a couple of the guards from the club ran over.

  “You two okay? One of our guys heard shouting.”

  “Tell me you caught that on camera,” Saint said.

  The taller of the two guards shook his head. “The camera’s out.”

  Was it possible the attackers knew that? The parking lot of Sapphire Sands wasn’t small, and after someone tried to kidnap Gio a couple of years ago, Frank and Jack had added some extra cameras to the club’s high-end security system. Before he could ask, Frank rushed out of the club.

  Val groaned. “Great.”

  “What the fuck happened?” Frank demanded as he thundered over. He took hold of Val’s shoulder and looked him over. “You okay? Do we need to call 9-1-1?”

  “No, for fuck’s sake, no. I’m fine. Just a little cut.”

  Frank nodded and looked at Saint. “What about you? You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “Again,” Frank growled at Val. “What the fuck happened?”

  “I got jumped by some assholes,” Val replied. “Three of them. They were masked and hooded. One of them had a knife. I managed to dodge it, but two of them tackled me to the ground and started punching and kicking. Saint got here quickly after, and they ran off.”

  Frank’s eyebrows shot up, and he whirled toward the guards. “And why the ever-loving fuck did no one see this?”

  “The camera went out in that sector, remember? Ignacio called us, and we were on our way out when we were told about a brawl out front,” the taller guard replied.

  Frank cursed under his breath.

  “Pretty convenient,” Saint said.

  Everyone turned to him.

  “What if we were wrong? What if there’s a connection? I mean, first, the explosion at Val’s retirement party, and now a bunch of hooded and masked thugs jump him in an area of the parking lot where the camera just happened to be offline? They didn’t ask for his wallet, phone, or anything.”

  “Maybe we should go inside and discuss this,” Frank said, returning his attention to Val. “You sure you don’t want to call the cops? Report this?”

  Val shook his head. “I just want to go home and take a shower. No offense, Frank, but I don’t want to be covered in whatever was on the ground over there.”

  “Why were you even over there?”

  “I heard someone call for help,” Val frowned.

  “Again,” Saint said. “Probably not a coincidence.”

  “Okay.” Frank nodded. He met Saint’s gaze. “Why don’t you take Val home? It might be a good idea for you to crash there tonight just to be safe.”

  Val opened his mouth, but Frank’s glare stopped him cold. It was impressive.

  “I don’t need a babysitter,” Val grumbled.

  “No, but you might need a bodyguard, so just for tonight—and I know this is gonna be a stretch for you—but maybe don’t be a stubborn asshole.”

  Val flipped Frank off, but Frank ignored him and continued.

  “Let Saint provide some backup. I’ll drop by in the morning, and we can discuss this.” Frank turned to Saint. “Would you mind? I’d appreciate it.”

  “No problem. If Val’s okay with it.”

  “Fine,” Val grumbled. “Whatever. Let’s go. I need a shower.”

  Frank shook his head as he turned back toward the club, the guards on his heels. On the way to Saint’s truck, Val touched his side and winced.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”

  “I’m fine. Just bruised.”

  Definitely stubborn. If it were anyone else, Saint would have insisted, but Val had been classified as an EMT. He knew better than to refuse medical attention if he needed it.

  Once inside Saint’s truck, he unlocked his phone, opened his GPS app, and handed it to Val.

  “Put your address in.”

  “Are you always this bossy?”

  Saint held back a smile. “Bossy bottom. That’s me.”

  The phone went tumbling out of Val’s hands and fell to the floor. He stared down at it like he wasn’t sure what had just happened, and Saint couldn’t help his bark of laughter.

  “You’re such a shit,” Val growled, reaching down to grab the phone. He entered his address, then whipped the phone in Saint’s direction. Wow. Saint had never considered he’d find anything about Val adorable. But the man was too cute, though it was probably best not to provoke the grumpy bear.

  Once his phone was plugged in and the GPS coordinates were on the screen, he turned over the engine, the familiar and comforting rhythm of one of his favorite musicians filling the cabin. He got them moving when Val spoke up.

  “Carlos Santana?”

  “That’s right. You familiar with his music?”

  “Oh yeah. I used to listen to his Supernatural CD all the time in college.”

  “Me too! Well, not in college. That album’s one of my favorites. My dad gave it to me for my birthday.”

  “And which birthday was that?”

  Saint cast Val a sideways glance and held back a smile. “Um, my tenth.”

  “Oh, god.” Val groaned and dropped his head into his hands. “Fuck, I’m getting old.”

  “You’re not old,” Saint assured him. He paused. “Mid-life crisis age, but not old.”

  Val’s head shot up. “Mid-life crisis? Fuck you very much.”

  “What?” Saint laughed as he made a left turn at the light. Val’s house was only about twenty-five minutes from Sapphire Sands at this time of night. “Nothing wrong with buying yourself a Ferrari or dating a guy half your age at this stage in your life.”

  “Is this you comforting me?” Val asked, eyes narrowed. “Because I have to say, you’re doing a piss poor job of it.”

  It took a lot for Saint not to laugh at Val’s grumpy expression. He was about to tease Val again when he glanced in the rearview mirror. Was that the black van he’d seen a few lights back?

  “What? What’s going on?” Val made to turn in his seat, but Saint stopped him with a subtle hand on his arm.

  “Don’t turn around. I think we’re being followed.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “They’ve made a few of the same turns, but I can’t be sure. I’m going to take a different route; see what happens.” He ignored the GPS and drove several blocks into a more populated area before making another turn. The van stayed behind them. Not a good sign. He drove for several more blocks and made two more turns, ending up on the main stretch of highway lined with fast food restaurants and shops when the van finally turned into the drive-thru of a burger joint. Saint relaxed.

  “False alarm.”

  Val visibly relaxed. “Do you really think the two incidents could be connected?”

  “I don’t like coincidences,” Saint replied.

  “I appreciate you humoring Frank. If I refused, he would just bitch about it forever.”

  “I’m not humoring him. He’s right. After what happened tonight at the club and that van that might have been following us, it’s a good idea for you not to be alone. Tomorrow we can talk to Mason and update him.”

  When they reached Val’s house, Saint was leaving nothing to chance. He backed into the garage and turned off the engine.

  “Stay here.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To do a quick check of your front yard.”

  If Val objected, he didn’t do so out loud. He stayed in Saint’s truck while Saint grabbed the flashlight from the tool bag on Val’s workstation table. He quickly and silently went around to the front of the house and checked the area. Val’s home might not be surrounded by a small jungle like the one around Colton’s, but there were bushes, palms, and lots of greenery.

  Saint scanned both ends of the quiet residential neighborhood and returned inside. He closed the garage door, and on his way to return the flashlight to its place, he signaled for Val to get out.

  “Well, that was…weird,” Val muttered as he unlocked the inner door that led into the house.

  “What was weird?”

  “Seeing you in bodyguard mode. I mean, I’ve seen you in bodyguard mode. You being all serious and intense, but not like that.”

  “Really? You’ve seen me with clients before.”

  “Yeah, but I was never one of them. Not that I am now, but you know what I mean.” Val switched the lights on, and Saint followed him down a short corridor.

  “I get it.” They rounded the corner, and Saint was pleasantly surprised by Val’s ranch-style house’s neat, open-concept layout.

  “Guest bedroom is all yours, and you’re welcome to use the guest shower. I can grab you some clean clothes to sleep in.”

  “Yeah, that would be great. Thanks.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Saint took a seat on the soft, brown leather couch. It was way more plush and comfortable than his, and each end had a recliner, which was awesome. He could easily picture Val watching the game on a Sunday. Everything was tidy, which didn’t surprise Saint. Val struck him as the kind of guy who liked order.

  “Here you go. If you need anything else, just let me know.”

  Saint stood and took the clothes from Val. “Thanks. Do you mind if I grab a glass of water first?”

  “Go for it.” Val walked off toward his bedroom, and Saint left the change of clothes on the couch’s armrest before entering the kitchen. It was bright and spacious, with matching stainless steel appliances.

  There wasn’t a single dirty dish in sight, not one crooked hanging dishtowel or a fingerprint on any of the sleek appliances. It was spotless. Checking the cabinets, Saint found the glasses and got some ice and water from the fridge. This was certainly not how he’d expected tonight to go.