Flynn (Blue Halo Book 4)

Carina watched the fat raindrops pound the windshield. It just had to be unseasonably wet when she needed to go places, didn’t it?

She sighed. Every window was fogged up, but that was probably because she had the heater on full blast. She’d been waiting for the rain to stop, or at least slow, so she could make a run to Flynn’s front door.

Ha. Didn’t look like that was happening anytime soon. But then, what was the bet that as soon as she made it to the house, it stopped?

She’d decided to come here straight from Patricia’s house, so now she was early. Only by five minutes, but that was still early. And so far, Flynn hadn’t opened the door or called for her to come in.

She grabbed her bag before putting her hand on the door, still hesitating for no other reason than, you know…rain.

God, stop being a wuss, Carina. Just do it.

Sucking in a quick breath, she opened the door and ran to the house. Even though she was wearing her brace, she was careful not to move too fast, because there was no way she wanted to jolt her knee again.

When she reached the door, her wet hair stuck to her forehead, and her clothes were well and truly damp. Thank God there was cover over the door.

A shiver rocked her as she knocked. She waited a moment. Then another. She was about to knock again when her phone rang from her pocket.

Flynn.

She frowned, answering it. “Hey.”

“Hey. I’m sorry, I had a meeting with a client that ran over. I’m only just packing up now.”

“Oh. That’s okay.”

“Wait, are you outside?” Before she could answer, he cursed under his breath. “You’re already at my place, aren’t you?”

“Kind of. But it’s okay. I’ll wait in my car.” She eyed her vehicle. Argh, she’d have to run back through the rain.

“My home security system is linked to an app on my phone. I’ll unlock it now.”

Her brows rose. Okay, that was a bit James Bond.

“Okay, it’s unlocked.”

She reached for the handle, and yep, the door opened. “Wow. I’m a bit impressed.”

Flynn chuckled.

She stepped inside and almost sighed in relief. Not just because the place was dry, but because it was warm. The man must leave the heat on all day.

“There’s a small alarm pad to the right.” Flynn recited another code, and she typed it in.

“Done.”

“Good. I won’t have to kick my own ass now for letting you sit in the rain or a cold car.”

She chuckled, closing the door behind her and finding the nearest light switch. “My car was warm, but being inside is better.”

Much better. The big wooden staircase, along with the open-plan living room and kitchen, was beautiful. And like, three times the size of the small place she was renting.

“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Just leaving the office now.”

“’K. See you soon.”

She hung up, and her gaze rose to scan the staircase. It sat to the left of the hall and was huge.

“Beautiful,” she whispered to herself. And so grand.

The place she was renting was dated, with beige walls and ten-year-old fittings. This place had character, with the big fireplace, the shutters on the windows with wide trim, and the kitchen…

She moved through the living and dining rooms, then grazed her fingers along the thick stone countertop when she reached the kitchen. It was the perfect mix between character and modern.

Turning, she placed her bag on the table before checking out the fireplace. The house was warm, but with the dreary rain outside, her heart called to her to start a fire. It was a wood fireplace, so there was no way she could. Firstly, because she didn’t know how. Secondly, she didn’t have anything to start it with.

Instead, she ran her fingers along the mantel. They stopped at a framed photo. It was of Flynn and his seven teammates standing outside Blue Halo Security. They looked happy. Was that their first day in business?

They were all good-looking. All tall and strong. But only Flynn stole her attention.

What is it about you, Flynn, that calls to me so much?

Everything. It was everything.

Setting the picture back on the mantel, Carina moved into the kitchen. He wouldn’t mind if she made herself coffee, would he? The heat took the edge off, but the dampness of her clothing made a hot coffee sound heavenly.

She smiled as she moved over to the coffee machine. It was big and fancy. Would she even know how to use it? One way to find out.

She rummaged through the cupboard, found the coffee, and got to work.

Flynn letting her into his home without him was a good indication, right? Because you didn’t allow someone inside your home, tell them what the home alarm code was, without trust.

She’d just finished the coffee when a sound from the entrance snagged her attention. That was quick.

Smiling, she turned, expecting to see Flynn in the hall.

The smile slipped when he wasn’t there. No one was.

Had she left the door ajar?

Frowning, she slowly crossed the living room, only stopping once she reached the hall.

Not only was the door ajar, but the knob was broken, almost hanging off the wood.

The fine hairs on her arms stood on end, and her skin chilled. She took two large steps back—and hit something behind her. Something big and hard.

With a yelp, she spun around.

A man she didn’t recognize. He stood several inches taller than her, a ski mask over his head, so all she could see were his eyes and mouth. He was broad and muscular and dressed all in black.

It took three tries to get words out. “Who are you?”

He smiled, but there was nothing nice about it. “Ilias.”

He took a step forward. She took a quick step back. “How did you break the door?”

No normal person would have been able to break it like that. Not in so little time and so quietly. Unless he wasn’t normal…

“Let’s just say I’m special.”

Another step back. Her back hit the door, and it made a little thud as it hit the frame. She wrapped her fingers around the side of the wood, itching to tug it open and run. “What are you doing here?”

That sinister smile widened, and terror flooded her limbs. “It’s funny, really. I saw your boyfriend chasing me when I was on a job. A day later, I get a call about another job. Way more money. And now, here I am. In his house.”

A job? As in…her? Was she the job? Or Flynn?

On his next step forward, she turned and yanked the door open, ready to run. Before she could move more than a step, she was wrenched from behind and thrown.

Her head hit the bottom of the stairs—hard. Oh, God. The pain in her skull was instant and had her vision hazing.

She tried to push up, but her arms trembled. Suddenly, her hair was jerked painfully, and hot breath brushed her ear. “I was pleasantly surprised when you didn’t alarm the house. Made my job a little easier.”

Then he threw her head into the stairs again.

Her vision blurred, but she forced herself to move, crawling up the steps. She didn’t know where she was going, and she knew she couldn’t run from him. But every little part of her screamed to get away from the threat. Disappear.

She’d barely moved at all when those punishing fingers gripped her hair again, yanking her head back, shooting pain through her skull.

Flynn turned right onto his street. He was late. On the night he actually needed to do well and make things better between him and Carina.

It was annoying as hell.

He’d planned to be early. Light a fire. Get a start on dinner and greet her with a glass of wine. But his meeting with Paul Simmons had gone over. The man wanted them to step up their security. Instead of two men, he wanted four. Not because he’d seen anyone or that anything new had happened, but because Flynn had told him about chasing the asshole from his house, and now he was even more uneasy.

Flynn pulled into his drive and stopped beside Carina’s car. He was moments from pressing his remote to open his garage door when something caught his eye.

The front door. It was open. Only slightly—but that wasn’t what had his muscles tightening.

It was the way the doorknob hung from the door.

What the fuck?

Once the engine was off, he quickly reached for his gun beneath the seat before running up the walk. The second he stepped inside, his blood iced in his veins.

Carina cried out in pain from upstairs.

He took the steps three at a time, and the second he reached the top, he saw the man holding her.

Flynn aimed his weapon. “Release her!”

The man had a thick arm around her neck, and it took everything in Flynn not to react to the fear in Carina’s eyes.

“Or what?” the guy sneered. “You’ll shoot?”

“Yes. Bullet straight to the head.” He’d kill the man anyway. He’d touched Carina. Bruised her. He needed to die.

The arm around Carina’s throat tightened, and Flynn was moments from shooting when Carina’s words stopped him.

“He’s like you!”

Flynn frowned, scanning the man’s face. That’s when recognition blasted through him. The eyes. The same eyes of the man Flynn had seen running from Paul Simmons’s house.

“You.”

“Me,” he sneered quietly. “So you already know I’m just as fast as you. I’m also just as strong. Just as quick to heal.” The guy smirked. “Surprised there are more of us?”

Flynn’s muscles tightened further. “Us?”

“Yeah. Us. Paid guns. Bought on the black market. So you shoot, and I’ll shift her in front of the bullet so fast you won’t even see her move.”

His insides coiled.

Flynn took another step forward. “Let her go.”

“No.” He laughed. “Don’t you want to talk for a bit? Come on, ask me whatever it is you want to know.”

Flynn ground his teeth. “How are you one of us?”

A slow smile inched over the guy’s face. “Hylar had some guards. All of us former soldiers who’d been dishonorably discharged.”

Hylar. The old military commander who’d run Project Arma. The man responsible for the changes in Flynn and his teammates.

“A few of us weren’t on shift the day the facility was raided and you guys were freed,” he continued, that damn arm still around Carina’s neck. “We disappeared. Hylar either didn’t have the resources or didn’t care to find us. Heard you killed him though. Thanks for that.”

Only it wasn’t Flynn’s team that had killed Hylar. Not that he’d be sharing any details with this asshole. It was the guys in Marble Falls, Texas. They’d found the former commander. Killed him and his men.

“How’s it feel?” the guy asked quietly. “Knowing I could snap her neck right in front of your eyes in less than a second?”

Wouldn’t happen. Flynn would shoot the second his arm tightened. “How about you leave her alone and fight someone your own size.”

“I could. Or I could just kill you bo—”

Flynn pulled the trigger.

The guy ducked his head, but the bullet grazed his skull. Flynn was already moving, catching Carina before she hit the floor and pushing her behind him.

The guy moved just as quickly, grabbing Flynn’s hand and pointing the gun away from him before throwing his elbow into Flynn’s face. He barely felt the hit as he shoved the man into the wall, hard.

The asshole swung them around, bashing Flynn’s hand against the wall. The gun fell.

Flynn lifted his leg, kneeing the guy in the gut and sending him back a couple steps. He followed it up with a fist to the face.

The asshole grunted as he fell to the floor.

Flynn dove on top of him, throwing one punch, then another. He was about to land a third when the guy flipped them over and jabbed. Flynn moved his head, narrowly avoiding the hit.

When he managed to roll the guy onto his stomach, Flynn pinned him to the floor, holding his wrists with one hand and shoving his head down with the other. “Who sent you?”

The guy bucked, but Flynn slammed his head against the floor again. He caught a glimpse of Carina lifting the gun.

“Tell me who sent you before I break your fucking neck,” he growled.

“I’m not telling you shit!” He threw his head back so quickly Flynn couldn’t dodge it. It glanced off the side of his face and stunned him long enough for the man to shove him off and stand.

Flynn saw Carina point the gun at the man. He charged her, moving inhumanly fast.

“No!” Flynn jumped to his feet just as Carina shot the guy in the gut—and he shoved her over the stair rail.

Flynn lunged over the railing and grabbed Carina’s arm with one hand and a baluster with the other. Footsteps pounded through the house as the man raced out.

Flynn pulled them both up and over the railing. The second they were on the landing, he cradled her cheeks between his hands, careful to avoid the bruise on her temple. “Are you okay?”

She swallowed, giving a quick nod. “I’m okay. Go.”

He gave her a final look before running down the stairs and out of the house. The blood led to the street, then stopped.

He was gone. Again.

When he returned to Carina, it was to find her looking at the trail of blood left behind. It was a lot of blood. And a bullet wound like that would kill a normal man.

Unfortunately, their assailant wasn’t normal.