Over the last seven months, the guys had gotten called out several times in the middle of the night. It wasn't uncommon.

She could see her assertion hadn't inspired confidence in the two men.

"I'm not leaving you here alone," Merrick said firmly. "I don't think you understand what seeing you walk out of this house, completely unaware of the potential danger, did to me the other night."

"I won't go to sleep," she said. "You know I never do when you're gone anyway. All the other times you've been called out, I've waited up for you. You're wasting time, and you need to get out of here."

"She's right, Merrick. We don't go out alone. That's the deal. You know it," Cade argued.

"Christ. I don't like this," Merrick said even as he got out of bed to pull on his jeans.

Cade grabbed Elle's cell phone from the nightstand and tossed it to her. "Keep that close, honey. Call us if you need anything at all. We'll keep you posted on how long we'll be out."

Then he leaned in to kiss her before pushing back and hurrying to dress.

"You two worry too much," she admonished. "I'll be fine. Go on and get done so you can come back to me."

Merrick turned, tucking his shirt in. "You can count on that, baby."

"Did you call it in?" Merrick asked as they neared Bo Cameron's used car lot.

The building was new, and Cade and Merrick had advised Bo against having a brand new showroom built in a neighborhood that was as questionable as the one he'd chosen to open his business in.

The area was run-down and high in crime. Vandalism was common, but add in the lure of the automobiles on the lot, and it was a recipe for theft.

"I asked for a squad car to meet us there."

"I don't like this," Merrick muttered.

"The situation or leaving Elle?"

"Neither."

Cade went silent as they pulled up to the lot.

"Look, Cade! Over there."

Merrick pointed as Cade slammed on the brakes. The door of one of Bo's vehicles was open, and it was obvious someone was trying to hotwire the car.

Cade and Merrick jumped from the SUV and sprinted toward the gate. They hurdled it just as two hooded figures popped up from the vehicle and started running in the opposite direction.

Merrick pointed right to send Cade after one while Merrick broke off in pursuit of the other intruder.

Son of a bitch but this wasn't part of the job description.

In the distance, a siren sounded. It spooked the guy in front of Merrick enough that he hesitated, trying to decide which way to run. It was enough time for Merrick to flatten him with a flying tackle.

The two men hit the ground with enough force to jar Merrick's teeth. He had no idea if the intruder was armed, and he wasn't taking any chances. He quickly disabled the struggling would-be thief and cuffed him.

He sat on top of him for a long moment while he caught his breath. Then he yelled across the distance for Cade.

Moments later, an officer ran up, gun drawn. Merrick quickly identified himself and held his hands up so the cop would know he wasn't a threat.

Cade came over shoving the other hooded figure in front of him.

The two immediately started mouthing off, swearing that Cade and Merrick had attacked them. That they were innocent and that they'd been set up. Merrick rolled his eyes and got off the squealing perp and dragged him up to push him toward the police officer.

The officer called for backup, and the three men started for the patrol car, the two thieves cuffed and stumbling along in front of them.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with," one of the lowlifes yelled back.

"Yeah, yeah," Cade growled. "Save it for someone who gives a shit."

When they approached the squad car, another sped up, lights flashing. The car pulled in just ahead of the first patrol car on the scene, and the officer hurried out to assist.

Of the two thieves, one was a scrawny, scruffy guy about five foot six. But the other was a damn brick wall. As one cop took the smaller man to stuff him into the back of the patrol car, Cade and Merrick assisted the officer in getting the gorilla into the back of the other car.

As soon as they got close to the patrol car, the bigger man started resisting. The officer pulled pepper spray just as Cade and Merrick slammed the guy into the side of the car, bending him over the trunk.

"Don't add resisting and assault to the charges you're already facing, dumbass," Merrick bit out.

The hood fell away, revealing a bald, heavily tattooed skull. The thief bared his teeth, the gold glinting in the lights from the dealership.

"You'll regret this shit," the perp hissed. "No one messes with me and gets away with it."

"Guess what? We just did," Cade said.

The officer shoved the guy into the back seat with help from Cade and Merrick. The guy snarled and spewed threats and expletives until spit frothed around his lips. The officer slammed the door, effectively silencing the tirade.

"I'll need you to come down and give your statements," the officer said.

Merrick sighed, knowing the drill. "We'll follow you back. I'd like to make this as quick as possible. Have someone waiting at home."

"Don't we all," the officer said.

Merrick pulled out his cell as he and Cade headed back to the SUV.

"You calling Elle to let her know what's up?" Cade asked as he slid into the driver's seat.

"Yeah. I don't want her to worry. And I want to make sure she's awake."

CHAPTER T W E N T Y - T H R E E.

ELLE SMOTHERED ANOTHER YAWN AT her desk and winced when her jaw popped. It was a struggle to get through the afternoon when she'd gotten little sleep the night before.

By the time the guys had gotten home from the police station, it had been time for Merrick to go into the training camp, so they'd stayed up, had coffee and had hit the gym a little early.

And at first, it had been fine, but as the day had grown longer, she'd fizzled. Merrick had joined her and Cade for lunch, and afterward they'd dropped her by the office while they headed out to a client meeting. She was struggling to keep herself upright. She couldn't imagine how Merrick must feel after no sleep and an intense workout.

Her cell rang, and she glanced down to see Cade's number pop up. Smiling, she picked up the phone and hit receive.

"Hey," she said. "How's it going?"

"Hey, sweetheart. Fine here. What about there? Has Dad made it in yet?"

She rolled her eyes. "No. Did you make him come in because you guys had stuff to do?"

"Damn right," Cade said. "He should be there shortly. I talked to him on our way out, and he said he'd be right over."

"I'll be sure to put on some fresh coffee then," she said in amusement.

An explosion sounded, startling her into a scream. Glass shattered, spraying her with tiny shards. It registered quickly that it was gunshots she was hearing and that bullets were peppering the walls of the office. Cade's roar echoed through the phone as he yelled her name.

She dove under her desk, the phone flying from her hand.

More breaking glass and the sound of impact. It was different than the gunshots. And then she smelled...smoke?

Not daring to raise her head, she lowered herself so she could peer out from underneath the desk. To her horror, she saw another Molotov cocktail hurled through the now-open window.

It hit the floor close to where the other had landed, and flames spread rapidly. They were already climbing the curtains and the walls and were dangerously close to her desk.

If she moved, she might be shot. If she didn't move, she'd be burned alive.

Cade listened in shock as Elle's scream echoed through the phone. Then he heard a crash and the unmistakable sound of breaking glass.

"Elle? Elle!" he roared.

"What the fuck is wrong?" Merrick demanded.

Without answering, Cade executed a sharp U-turn and floored the accelerator as he headed back in the direction of the office.

"Goddamn it, Cade! What the fuck is going on?"

"Elle," Cade croaked out.

He thrust the phone at Merrick so he could focus on driving.

"See if she's still on. Something happened at the office. She screamed, and I heard breaking glass."

Merrick grabbed the phone, nearly dropping it in his haste to get it to his ear.

"Elle? Elle? Goddamn it, baby, answer me. Are you all right? We're on our way."

"Anything?" Cade demanded.

Merrick pulled the phone away and then swore. "The call's not active anymore."

"Call her back!"

Cade ran through a series of stoplights, nearly rammed an oncoming car and barely kept control when he turned left onto the street where their office was.

The drive was an eternity when in reality it only took a few minutes. His heart was hammering in his ears, and his hands and forehead were clammy with sweat.

His heart plummeted as they drew closer and he saw black smoke billowing upward.

"Elle," he whispered.

He hit the last block going a hundred miles an hour. He spun into the small parking lot, spewing up gravel and fishtailing into the dumpster.

The entire office was on fire, smoke pouring from the ceiling and windows. Flames licked from the busted windows, and Cade saw no sign of Elle.

Oh God, was she still inside?

He and Merrick hit the ground running. They threw open the door and recoiled from the blast of heat and smoke that hit them.

"Elle!" Merrick shouted. "Elle! Where the hell are you?"

They charged inside, coughing as smoke filled their lungs.

"Here!"

Cade damn near hit the floor in relief when he heard her call.

"Keep talking," Cade hollered. "Can't see shit in here."

"I'm here," she yelled back. "By my desk. I tried to crawl out, but I can't see anything."

Cade and Merrick dropped down, lowering themselves as close to the floor as possible as they scrambled in the direction of her desk. Merrick mowed right over her, and when he realized that he had her, he hauled her up over his shoulder and then hustled toward the door, leaving Cade to follow him.

The three burst from the building just as the fire trucks rolled into the parking lot, sirens screaming.

Merrick collapsed to his knees at the bottom of the steps still holding Elle tightly against him. He tipped over, her landing on the ground with Merrick over her. Merrick coughed and choked, his body heaving as he pressed Elle to the ground.

Cade sank down beside them and hastily pushed Merrick off of Elle. As soon as he managed to pry Elle free, he yanked her into his arms and ran his hands over her body, trying to determine if she'd been injured.

And then the paramedics surrounded them, and he was separated from Elle as he was pulled in a different direction from both Elle and Merrick.

"Damn it, I'm fine!" Cade snarled. "Let me see Elle. She was the one trapped in the building."

"Have a seat and let me put this oxygen mask on you," the paramedic tending Cade said in a firm voice. "If all goes well, you can get back to her soon, but for now, I need to assess your condition."

Only wanting to facilitate the process, Cade bit his lip and let the medic slip the mask over his face. He took in several deep breaths, his throat raw from smoke inhalation. The entire time the medic poked at him and took his vitals, Cade's gaze was directed across the way where two paramedics already had Elle on a stretcher. She was fighting tooth and nail and calling for Merrick and Cade.

He yanked the mask from his face and took off at a run. He shoved by one of the medics trying to restrain Elle and leaned over the stretcher to pull her into his arms.

"Thank God," she whispered in his ear. "Don't let them take me, Cade. Someone will find out about me."

"Honey, you need to go to a hospital. This is serious. We need to make sure you're okay."