Page 31 of Rescuing Macie

The second they were out of earshot of the detective, he leaned down and asked, “You okay?”

Macie nodded. She could feel her heart beating way too fast, but she took a few deep breaths to try to control it.

Colt held open the door for her, and his palm at the small of her back felt nice. Comforting. His touch reminded her of how they’d made love the night before. She’d been on her knees in his bed and he’d taken her from behind. His hand had caressed the small of her back, just as he was doing now.

Just the thought of Colt making love to her was enough to help snap Macie out of her downward spiral. He was an amazingly generous lover, always making sure she got just as much pleasure out of their joining as he did.

After Colt had gotten her settled in his Wrangler and climbed into the driver’s side, he turned to look at her. “I’m going to see what my team can do to find this guy.”

Macie blinked. She’d been lost in her thoughts about Colt and her, naked in bed together, and his mind was obviously in a completely different place than hers.

“You’re going to get Ford and his friends involved?” She wasn’t sure she wanted that. Macie had no doubt her brother could probably track down Teddy, but she wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep his shit together long enough to find out any information from him. Ford was pissed. Extremely pissed that Teddy had obviously targeted her as an easy mark. As someone he could use to hide his drugs, or whatever it was he’d stashed in her apartment.

“No, not Truck. He’d lose his shit and do something stupid, which could hurt his career. I’m talking about the other Delta team I command.”

Macie nodded in understanding. She hadn’t met the men he was referring to, but she knew of them.

“Because Trigger and his crew don’t have any connection to you, it will be easier for them to look into this. I’ll talk to him tonight. Ask him to have Brain see what he can find.”

“Why Brain?” Macie asked.

“Because Brain is a sneaky son of a bitch and is smarter than anyone I’ve ever met in my life. The man could have been a brain surgeon or a nuclear physicist, but he chose to enlist in the Army instead. He’ll be able to use technology the cops don’t have to see if Teddy is even still in the area, and then the others can use his intel to track him down.”

Macie bit her lip and stared at Colt.

“What?” he asked, reaching out and caressing her lip with his thumb.

“I…I don’t want anyone to get in trouble. Least of all you and your men. Maybe, if no one has been back to my apartment since that second break-in and the detective can’t find Teddy, he left town.”

“Maybe,” Colt agreed. “But I’m not taking the chance that he isn’t just lying low, waiting for the perfect time to strike against you. We still don’t know what it was he was looking for. Maybe those thugs did find whatever it was when they searched your apartment that second time, but we don’t know for sure. And until I’m one hundred percent certain you’re safe, I’m not taking any chances.”

Macie’s chest felt tight, but this time it wasn’t because she was on the verge of panicking. No one in her entire life had ever gone to as much trouble to look after her as Colt. Sure, Ford had done his best to take care of her when they were kids, but this was different. And strangely enough, knowing what Colt had done to get to his friend Gris, how violently he’d defended him, made her feel confident in his ability to keep her safe.

“Maybe we should go back to my apartment and look through everything again?” Macie suggested.

Colt shook his head. “No. Not today. You’ve had enough, and if we didn’t find anything the first time we looked, then we probably won’t find anything the second time.”

“Do you think Teddy knows where I’ve been staying?” Macie asked quietly. She’d been worried about it for a while, which was why she was more than content to stay in the house when Colt went to work every day. He had a security system, and it was easier on her psyche.

Colt looked at her for a long moment before finally nodding. “Yeah, hon. I think it’s possible. If he’s smart—and I think he is, because he’s managed to elude the cops for this long—he probably had someone watching your apartment, and when Truck and the others showed up to get more of your stuff or to check things out, he could’ve had them follow us back to Killeen.”

Macie bit her lip again. Then asked, “Am I putting you in danger?”

With that, Colt leaned over and put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her closer to him. Macie braced her hand on the console between them but didn’t try to pull away from him. “I can handle that punk Teddy. Brain got his rap sheet for me, and believe me, he doesn’t scare me.”

“But—”

“No buts,” Colt said firmly, interrupting her before she could even start to protest. He kissed her briefly, then pulled back to look her in the eyes. “I like having you in my house. In my bed. I like seeing your computer and files on my dining room table. I just plain like you, Macie. This isn’t a hardship for me. If I had my way, you’d stay even after this is over. So if you think I’m gonna let a punk like Theodore Dorentes hurt you, you’re crazy.”

She liked everything he’d just said, but one thing stood out. “You want me to stay?”

“Yeah, Mace. I want you to stay,” he confirmed.

She should tell him he was insane. That she had way too many issues to be a good bet. That he’d helped her feel more normal recently, but her anxiety would always be an issue. That as a colonel, he needed a partner who was outgoing and social, which would never be her. That she always second-guessed people’s motives for doing anything.

But she kept quiet. She wanted Colt more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life, and if he didn’t understand how fucked-up she was, then she wasn’t going to tell him.

“I like you just the way you are,” he added after a moment, as if he could see what she was thinking. “There will always be people who misunderstand us, but as long as we’re good with who we are together, then fuck them.”