Page 104 of Nothing to Fear

“I knew if we followed the mayhem, we’d find you.” Maddox smiled, and the tension abated in his shoulders. A little.

“I had my doubts.” Ares holstered a gun. “The Reaper is always quiet as a wraith when he works.”

Gideon lowered his weapon at the nonaggressive gestures but kept his guard up, finger on the trigger. Why had they come here?

“Maybe this is how he rolls on vacation.” Reece knelt, checking the pulse of Mustachio.

The banter and unguarded body language enticed Gideon to relax, but his spine tingled. Something wasn’t right. He surveyed their faces, every nuance of movement, waiting for the red flag he knew in his gut was coming.

“If you guys are here to help, you’re an hour late.” His voice was hard, unyielding to the pleasantries.

“Perfect timing.” Castle’s gaze swept the trashed store. “You did all the heavy lifting.”

Alistair scooped a decapitated mannequin head from the floor, closing the semicircle they’d formed around them, blocking off the obvious point of egress. “I feel a bit cheated. You had a knees-up party without us.”

Willow came up beside Gideon, slipping under his arm. Instinctively, he tucked her close against his body.

Silence dropped like a nuclear bomb. Every set of eyes zeroed in on the pair of them. Gideon clenched his jaw at the abrasive awareness, longing for chewing gum. But his nerves and neurons were alert to the possibility of this situation turning on a dime.

“Wonders never do cease to amaze.” Reece’s low voice carried.

“Hello, luv.” Alistair smirked, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “You look ravishing. Positively glowing.” Damn British accent rolled smoother than butter. “Odd, considering the circumstances. Must have something to do with the island air.”

Willow lowered her head.

“Fuck off, Allie. What are you all doing here?”

Maddox stared at Willow with a deadpan face, then cut her narrowing, accusatory eyes to him. His stomach churned.

“The chief has some kind of gun to his head.” Maddox’s tone was frosty. “Sanborn is worried, and he never worries.”

There must be a countdown to the whitewash. Based on the expressions of the others, none of them knew how dire things really were.

“Forensics confirmed Harper’s brakes were sabotaged,” Maddox continued. “We know her house burned down—arson. And her father is in the ICU.”

Willow’s hand dug into his shirt. “Is he still in a coma?”

Maddox nodded.

Willow pressed her face to Gideon’s chest, sucking in a ragged breath. He wanted to reassure her somehow, but he only tightened his arm around her shivering body.

“We found your passport maker’s place by the trail of dead bodies.” Reece checked the last merc. “Got a live one here.”

“What are your orders?” Gideon didn’t have a clear bead on their intentions, keeping him on the razor’s edge. No one had yet mentioned a word about how they planned to help.

Maddox shuttered her eyes, mouth setting in a grim line.

Whatever their orders, she’d just tipped him off that he wouldn’t be onboard.

Shielding Willow behind him, Gideon raised his gun.

“Whoa.” Ares strode forward, empty hands lifted, but those dark eyes trained on Gideon like a double-barreled shotgun.

If anyone else had moved, Gideon would’ve taken it as a sign they wanted to play nice, defuse the situation. But Sean fucking “Ares” Whitlock advanced before clarifying their orders.

Sanborn sent Gideon on missions to eliminate threats. Ares was sent to level battlefields. He was the best one-man wrecking ball out there.

Until someone clarified the situation, in terms clearer than crystal, the only way to view Ares closing in was as an act of war. “Stop moving. We’re friends, but I’ll put a bullet in you.”