Lucky couldn’t move. He couldn’t fuckingthink.And for a minute there, he was pretty sure his heart had completely stopped beating.
God, no. Not Ellie. Please, not her!
He glanced at his phone for what felt like the millionth time since Archer’s had rang, as if she would magically pick that moment to call or text. “She and I are supposed to have dinner together.” Shock left him feeling as if he were in stuck in a thick, immovable fog. “I was going to take her to that new Asian place over on Main. It was going to be our first official date.”
The words had tumbled freely from his lips, and he didn’t have the wherewithal to stop them.
So much for keeping that a secret.
“A date?” Archer scowled, the former SEAL becoming more and more angry with each new word he spoke. “Ellie’s been kidnapped, and you’re worried about a fucking date? Jesus, Jason.” He got right up in Lucky’s face. “Is that all you fucking think about? And what happened to keeping your hands off, huh? Let me guess, you already fucked her, didn’t you?”
“Don’t!” Lucky’s hands shot out before he even realized he was moving. Shoving Archer hard in the chest, the other man stumbled back form the force, and Lucky couldn’t bring himself to feel a bit bad. “Don’t you dare talk about her like that!”
“I’ll talk about her any way I want, you son of a bitch. You fucking promised!” Archer shoved him back. “You looked me right in the eye and told me you would keep your hands to your fucking self. But that was too much to ask for the great Lucky Lucas, right? You just couldn’t resist getting into her—”
“Fuck you!” Lucky’s fist flew toward Archer’s face.
His knuckles slammed into his friend’s jaw in a blow so powerful, the other man flew off his feet and onto the marble tile below. Standing over his downed teammate—and with a captive audience of three surrounding them—Lucky made his point crystal fucking clear.
“What has or hasn’t happened between me and El is no one’s business but ours. Yes, I broke my promise, but it wasn’t just so I could add another notch to my belt. Which, by the way, has a shit ton less holes in it than any of you like to think.” Spittle flew from his angry lips, but Lucky drew in a deep breath and finished what he needed to say. “I care about her, Arch. More than I ever thought possible. Now, you can believe that or not. It’s your choice. But right now, you and Hayes need to get to the hospital to check on your women.” He offered the other man a helpful hand and waited.
At first, he didn’t think Archer would accept the help, but then the explosives expert reached up and placed his hand in his. Giving his arm a good, strong pull, Lucky helped his friend back up to his feet, and the two men shared a look that said it all.
“Go. Be with your fiancée.” Lucky turned to head back toward the elevator.
“Wait, where are you going?”
“You know where your girl is, Arch.” He slapped the round button lit up on the elevator’s external panel. “I’m going to go find mine.”
With his gaze bouncing between them, Chase said, “Wait up! I’ll stay and help.”
As he jogged to catch up with Lucky, Van turned and started toward the elevator, as well. “Lucky’s right,” he told Logan and Archer. “You two go be where you’re needed. Boyer and I will stay with Lucky.”
Though they both appeared torn by the decision, Archer and Logan shared a quick nod before Logan told them, “Okay, but we’ll keep our phones on us at all times, so you call one of us the secondyou find something.”
“I will,” Lucky vowed.
“I’m sure the SPD is already involved, so I’ll get with Knox and see what they know about our perp,” Archer offered. “Anything useful pops up, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks.” He gave his teammate—hisfriend—an appreciative nod. “And…sorry about the jaw.”
“Nah, man.” Archer gave the reddened area a careful rub. “This one’s on me. We’ll talk more once we find Ellie, but…you’re right. I’ve judged you for something that apparently wasn’t even true.” His brown gaze fell on the others. “Hell, we all have, so for that…I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, man.” Chase gave Lucky’s arm a friendly nudge. “Me, too.”
When Chase’s teal eyes landed on Van’s, the big guy just arched a black brow and shrugged. “What? I ain’t apologizing for shit.” To Lucky, he kept his tone flat when he suggested, “You don’t want people to see you as a shallow, uncaring womanizer, then don’t fucking act like one.”
Despite the seriousness of the situation—and the damn near overwhelming terror he felt for Ellie—Lucky felt his mouth curve and his chest bounce with a laugh. “Spoken like a true poet, Braddock.”
The doors to the elevator opened and the three men stepped back inside the shiny metal cart.
“Just call it like I see it, brother,” Van muttered as he moved past Lucky on his way to one of the elevator’s back corners.
As he did, the seemingly cold, uncaring bastard laid a hand on one of Lucky’s shoulders before giving it a friendly squeeze.
That was the thing with Van. Most of the time, he did come off as a cold, uncaring bastard. But deep down, Lucky knew inlay a selfless warrior with a heart of gold.
Guess I haven’t been the only one wearing a mask.