“Get her!” someone yelled behind her.
She looked back. The men were on the glass now. They were closing in, and weren’t crawling. They had their hands out to keep their balance as they jogged across the glass.
Pulse leaping, she kept moving. Then she reached the edge of the roof.
Oh, no. Rowan looked over the edge. Below, lay a huge pool area, with a glittering, lagoon-style pool.
There was nowhere to go.
Bile rose in her throat. And the bad guys were closing in.
*
Lachlan lifted his beer, sipping it as he sat on a stool at the bar at Griffin’s Sports Bar and Grill.
Seth leaned forward, ordering a serving of hot wings, and sipping his own beer. Axel was on the other side of him. The rest of the team were there as well, everyone decompressing. Griffin’s was their local hangout when they were off duty. It wasn’t fancy, but they liked it, and the best thing…barely any tourists.
But Lachlan still felt edgy. He had ever since he’d dropped Rowan at the Aurora Casino. She hadn’t looked back.
He definitely wasn’t thinking about that kiss. Fuck. He took another huge sip of beer.
“Rowan sure was something,” Axel drawled.
Lachlan’s fingers tightened on the bottle. He looked at Axel, who was giving him a knowing grin. He glanced at Seth, who was staring at him with a raised brow.
Blair leaned forward. “Saw you kissing her, Hunter.”
“Me too.” Axel’s grin widened. “Steamed up my glasses.”
“You don’t wear glasses,” Smith rumbled.
“Saw the way you looked at her.” Blair’s bi-colored eyes speared into Lachlan’s. His best friend had always gotten straight to the point. “I hope you didn’t give her your ‘I’m married to my job’ speech.”
Lachlan hunched his shoulders. “She’s gone, and I am married to my job.”
Blair shook her head, clearly frustrated.
Callie leaned back. “I liked her. Despite everything she went through, she held it together, no hysterics. Steady as a rock.”
“She’s smart and independent,” Lachlan said. “Had to be. Her parents forgot she existed most of the time.”
“Rough,” Seth murmured.
Lachlan stared blindly at the row of television screens over the bar, showing various sporting events. But he didn’t see the games. Instead, he saw Rowan’s face, with her big blue eyes and russet hair.
“I think mi amigo is realizing he was an idiot,” Axel mock-whispered to Blair.
Blair grunted and bit into her burger.
Then Lachlan’s phone vibrated in his pocket and he fished it out. It was Brooks.
He pressed it to his ear. “Don’t you sleep, Brooks?”
“Lachlan.”
The man’s tone made him straighten. He set his beer down on the bar with a crack. “What?”
“It’s on the police band. There’s an incident in progress at the Aurora Casino.”
Fuck. Lachlan pushed to his feet and glanced at his team. They all stood.
“Talk to me,” Lachlan ordered.
“There are reports of a red-headed woman out on the glass roof of the casino in her pajamas. She’s being chased by three armed men.”
“Fucking hell.” Lachlan saw his team stiffen. “We’re on our way.”
He snatched his keys off the bar. “Rowan’s under attack at the Aurora Casino. Let’s move.”
As he slammed out of the door, he didn’t have to ask if they were armed. His own SIG Sauer 226 was tucked in its holster.
Outside, his team jogged toward the black Suburban parked out front. Lachlan made his way to his Kawasaki Ninja. A calm coolness washed over him and his focus sharpened. He jumped on his bike and started it, revving the engine. The bike vibrated beneath him.
He roared out of the parking lot and onto the road. He left the SUV behind, zipping through the traffic. Soon, he turned onto South Las Vegas Boulevard, speeding toward the glass spire of the Aurora.
Be safe, Rowan. Hold on.
He dodged around several cars, and then spied the casino entrance. He turned, speeding across several lanes of traffic. He tore into the front entrance of the Aurora and pulled to a stop. Several police cruisers were screeching to a halt nearby.
Lachlan leaped off his bike and strode toward the front door. He followed the commotion into the main casino area. A crowd was gathered, looking up at the glass roof above.
He spotted her instantly. Rowan was kicking out at a man trying to grab her.
Bastards.
Lachlan sensed bodies closing in and saw his team had arrived.
“Axel and Seth, with me. We’re going out on the roof.”
Blair nodded. “Rest of us will be outside, and deal with crowd control.”
Lachlan nodded and looked for the nearest stairwell. He shoved open the door and then pounded up the stairs, Seth and Axel right behind him. He felt a heaviness in his chest he couldn’t quite ease.
He was going to make these assholes pay for scaring Rowan. And if she was hurt…
“There,” Seth said.
Lachlan shouldered out the door. There was a large terrace outside, with a bar and low seating areas clustered around. It looked out onto the glass roof just below. A crowd had gathered, leaning against the railing, staring at Rowan and her attackers struggling on the far side of the roof.
As they watched, Rowan kicked out at a man. He lunged for her and she jerked back.
Seth hissed.
“Ay, Dios mío,” Axel bit out.
Fuck, no. Lachlan watched in horror as Rowan slipped off the edge of the glass.
She fell, managing to grab the edge with one hand, dangling off the side of the building.
Fury burst through Lachlan—strong and raging. He pressed a hand to the rail and leaped over, pulling out his SIG at the same time.
“Lachlan! Fuck,” Seth called out.
Lachlan landed on the glass roof with a bend of his knees.
“Hey!” Above, he saw several security guards rushing toward them.
“I’ll take care of them,” Seth said. “Go.”
Axel leaped over the railing and landed beside Lachlan. He lifted his own Glock. Together, they jogged across the glass.
Lachlan focused on the first attacker, his jaw tight. The man didn’t hear him coming.
A swift kick sent the man tumbling. He hit the glass with a shout and started sliding. The other two men turned, lifting their weapons.
But Lachlan and Axel were ready. They both fired.
The gun flew out of the hand of one man. With a scream, he gripped his injured hand and fell to the glass.
The final man had ducked, dropping to his knees. Lachlan kicked the gun out of his hand. The man tried to run, but Lachlan grabbed his shirt with his prosthetic hand. He lifted the man up, dangling him off the glass. His eyes widened, and Lachlan noticed he had a scar on his eyebrow.
“What the fuck?” The man growled, kicking his feet.
“Who sent you?”
The man kept struggling. Lachlan shifted, holding the man over the side of the building.
“Who do you work for?” Lachlan asked.
The man’s face twisted, and he yanked something from his belt. Another gun.
Lachlan let him go. The man screamed as he fell.
“Lachlan.” Rowan’s voice was strained.
He dropped to his knees. Her white face looked up at him. He reached for her, but she was just out of reach.
“Hang on,” he said.
He went flat on his belly, leaning over the edge to get to her.
“I’m…slipping.” Panic flashed in her eyes.
“Hold on, dammit.” His fingers brushed hers.
But that’s when she lost her grip. Her fingers slipped and she fell.
“Lachlan!” she screamed.
Lachlan didn’t hesitate. He moved into a crouch and launched himself off the roof.
He slammed into Rowan midair, wrapping his body around hers.
“Lachlan.” Her arms and legs clamped onto him. The rush of the wind tore at them.
“I’ve got you.”
They hit the casino pool with a huge splash, the water closing over them.
Chapter Eight
Rowan came up sputtering. Lachlan wrapped an arm around her and yanked her to the edge of the pool.
She looked up. Holy cow. Her stomach rolled. They’d fallen a long way, and if he hadn’t grabbed her, she’d likely have landed on concrete.