Of course, he knew where she lived. Her address—along with a host of other private information—would be in the same file the information about her parents could be found.
She hadn’t even considered the possibility that the men she ran from might also have been watching her for a while. The thought of Beady Eyes or his partner or someone just like them keeping tabs on her sent a chill racing up her arms. This felt a lot like showing up for a fight wearing a blindfold. At least she had Jaden to count on, and she had come to depend on him for her survival.
“You don’t think they’d come here, do you?” Lauren’s heart pulsed in her throat.
“Anything’s possible. We have to keep our guard up at all times.” Jaden was probably being overly cautious, but she couldn’t argue his logic. It was a smart play.
“We can park near the business over there. Their garages will be open and empty this time of night. Then we’ll slip in and take a look.” He drove up the garage to the fifth floor, parked strategically, and stared out the windshield.
Sitting there Lauren realized just how vulnerable she’d been. It was so easy to watch her front door. Anyone could sit there and track her comings and goings. Her routine could be memorized. A serial killer, stalker, or bum could keep track of all her movements from this spot without being detected. A chill raced through her. Lauren had never felt so exposed.
She looked at Jaden. His jaw was set, his gaze determined. He seemed to be running through and checking off all the possible dangers.
After a beat, his gaze shifted and met hers. “Okay,” he said. “We can go now. Stick close by me.”
He braided their fingers together as they walked, and Lauren momentarily imagined they were strolling home after dinner at a nearby restaurant, not secretly eyeing every person who passed by in case the person tried to kill them.
The pleasant picture erased completely when Jaden stopped at the front door. Blocking the way with his big frame, his gaze intently focused on her. “I’d better go in first.”
A gasp escaped before Lauren could clamp it down. “You think someone might be inside?”
“I don’t want to risk your safety to find out. It’s better if you wait out here. You’ll have a head start. You hear anything strange going on, and I want you to make a run for it. Don’t stop.” He put the keys to their vehicle in her hand.
“What about you, Jaden? How am I supposed to leave without knowing if you’re okay?” she asked.
He took a step forward, pinning her to the wall of her landing. His mouth covered hers. His tongue, hot and needy, sent volts of want through her. All sense of time, place, and danger pooled around her feet in a knee melting kiss. Sensual pleasure heated her veins. A fierce need swirled warmth between her thighs.
Jaden pulled back, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “That should do the trick for now.”
There were those two words again…for now. They reminded her of the temporary nature of their relationship and the absurdity of it ever having a real chance. Too bad she was starting to believe she could spend more time with him. She gave herself a mental slap back to reality.
Jaden pulled the gun from his ankle holster.
Slowly, quietly, he opened the door, and Lauren’s heart immediately dropped to the floor. She didn’t need to step inside to see the place had been ransacked. Her couch had been overturned. The cushions slashed. Broken and scattered picture frames littered the floor.
“Ohmygosh. They’ve been here,” she said in barely a whisper.
His gaze scanned every door, every surface, every possible hiding place. “Shhh. Stay here.”
“Don’t go in,” she pleaded, tugging at his arm. She couldn’t even think of him getting hurt, or worse.
Jaden didn’t immediately break away from her, although his tense body language said he would. Instead, he turned to her and held her gaze. “I’ll check it out. Make sure it’s secure so you can get your things. Then you’re coming to my place where I can protect you.”
She swallowed, raw emotion threatening to drop her. “I’m going inside with you.”
“Not this time. You stay put. I need you here to watch out for them. You make sure not a soul comes through this door. If anyone out there looks suspicious, scream as loud as you can.”
He produced a small gun from his boot, took off the safety, and placed the weapon in her shaky palm.
“Look first, then shoot.” The spark of determination in his eyes confirmed he meant what he said.
“But what if something happens to…”
His eyes glinted. “You’re sexy when you’re worried.”
“Be careful.” Sensual heat crawled up her neck, mixed with fear, but this was not the time for either.
“Take care of yourself until I come back for you,” he said, pressing a kiss to her lips.
She forced her attention to the walkway outside. She couldn’t think why anyone would come to her place. Except maybe for money. Did they think she’d hide it here instead of taking it with her?
Gun drawn, Jaden eased inside. One more time, he quietly instructed Lauren to stay back.
What felt like an eternity later, but in reality was only a few minutes, he returned and motioned her to join him.
In the kitchen, her table and chairs had been turned over. Cabinets had been emptied onto the floor where shards of glass mixed with broke bits of bone China.
“Everything’s here. It doesn’t look like anything’s missing, just destroyed. Why would they do that?” she asked.
Jaden kept guard near the door. “At first I thought maybe they were looking for something. But now, I think they’re sending a message.”
“To me? What did I do to them?” she asked.
“Nothing personal. This is meant for Max.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, stepping
