"That looks so much better on you than me," he commented, and I grinned.
"I dunno, babe," I replied, teasing, "you looked pretty hot in it."
"There was supposed to be a storm coming this weekend," Steele said, the clicking of keys telling me he was on his computer. "Maybe the wind knocked out your power." There was something in his voice, though, and he tossed the phone down on his bed while he pulled a shirt on.
"You don't think that's what it is, though," I observed. A trickle of fear ran through me.
Steele didn't immediately reply, his face grim as he left his bedroom. "I'm coming over," he said instead. "I'll be there in fifteen, or less if Arch drives."
Yep, now I was really worried. I made my way back out to my kitchen and tried the lights there. Nothing. The oven and microwave were dark too.
"It's probably just the storm coming through," I murmured, not even believing myself. "But yeah, I think maybe it’s not the worst idea for you to come over."
Steele grunted a sound of agreement, his footsteps pounding as he ran down the stairs. "Stay on the phone with me, okay? I need to know you're safe. Just hang tight."
I wrapped my free arm around my middle, biting the edge of my lip in nervousness. "I should call Cass," I said, checking the time. He'd said he was going to Club 22, but it was for a meeting, not a night out. Maybe he'd be back already.
Steele's brow furrowed further. "I'd rather you stay on the line with me, babe."
I shrugged. "Yes, but you're fifteen minutes away at least. Cass might be just across the hall. I could go and knock, I guess?"
"No!" Steele's reply was a sharp yell. "No, don't unlock your door. Just... fuck, just call me right back, okay?" I saw him burst through the door to the gym and caught a flash of Archer and Kody sparring on the padded mats.
"Yep, absolutely. I'm sure it'll be fine, though." I was reassuring him, but neither of us were buying it.
"Stay inside; keep your door locked. I'll be right there. Hellcat—" He broke off with a frustrated sound. "Fuck it. I love you, stay safe."
The call ended before the shock of his words could fully sink in, and for way too long I just stood there staring at my blank screen like a stunned rabbit.
Maybe I'd heard him wrong? Maybe the panic of the situation was mixing with my post-orgasm euphoria, and I was imagining things? But nope. It had been a clear line, and I hadn't misheard him.
Steele had just said that he loved me.
26
It took me another couple of moments to shake off my shocked haze, then I quickly searched my phone for Cass's number. He'd saved it for me earlier in the week when Zane had told him about the incident with Bree's number. I hadn't used it yet, but I was sure as hell glad I had it now.
It only rang a couple of times before he answered.
"Kid. What's happened?"
Thumping club music played in the background, and my stomach sank. He wasn't home in his apartment. Shit.
"Just a power outage," I told him, keeping my voice as calm as possible. The last thing the Reapers needed was their guest hostage getting all girly over a blackout. Besides, Club 22 was even farther away than the guys' house, so it was pointless to worry Cass. "I was just checking if you were home or not."
"I'm leaving now," he told me. "I'll get the recruits to check the circuits. Stay put in your apartment, kid. Don't fucking leave."
He ended the call before I could assure him that I was no fucking idiot—I wasn't going anywhere.
So now I had all the big bads coming to my rescue. I just needed to stay alive until they got here.
In an attempt to distract myself from the anxiety churning my stomach, I went back through to my bedroom and pulled on some clothes. I hardly needed to be practically naked in nothing but a satin robe when Archer arrived, that was for sure.
A heavy knock sounded on my door, making me jump in fright, and I clapped a hand over my mouth to cover the little shriek that escaped.
My first reaction was that Steele must have gotten Archer to drive after all, but then... A quick glance of the time on my phone showed only five minutes had passed since my call to Steele had ended. Even with the way Archer drove, that'd be impressive.
Just in case, I grabbed my butterfly knife from my dresser and slipped it into my pocket.
Clutching my phone in my hand, I hurried back through my apartment to the front door and used the peephole to check who was there. Of course, with the power out to the whole building, there wasn't enough light to see who it was, just the shadowy shape of a man. Just one man, though, so it was unlikely to be Steele and the guys. I couldn't see Archer and Kody choosing to stay behind at the house. Not when Steele was clearly as worried as I was.
My visitor knocked again, and I clenched my jaw to control my fear.
I wanted to call out and ask who it was but swallowed the words before they left my lips. Better they think no one was home, even if it was one of the Reapers working security.
"Maddie?" the shadow man called out, and the fear drained out of me in a rush of relief. "Maddie are you home? The power's out to the whole building."
No shit, Scott.
With one hand, I unlocked the door to let Scott in, but with the other I hit dial on Steele's number. As confident as I was that Scott was harmless, it didn't cost me anything to be cautious.
"Hey, are you okay?" my friend asked when I swung the door open. "I thought I was going to get stuck in the foyer when the power went out." He gave a short laugh, moving past me into my apartment.
I quickly closed the door and locked it again, breathing deeply to try and calm my hammering pulse.
"I'm fine. What are you doing here, Scott? You scared the shit out of me." Folding my arms under my breasts, I gave him an accusing frown. My phone was still in my hand, tucked under my armpit. I didn't know why I felt like I needed to hide it from Scott, but I did.
"Me?" He sounded surprised, giving a weak laugh. "Damn Maddie, here I was thinking you'd appreciate a knight in shining armor coming to your rescue." His tone was joking but there was something... off.
I took a small step backward. "Scott, what are you doing here?"
He frowned, seeming hurt by the suspicion in my voice. "Uh, I came by to study for my English lit paper. Remember? You said you were going to help me..." He held up his book bag to demonstrate his point, and the tension dropped from my shoulders.
"I did. Shit, I'm sorry, Scott. I totally forgot." Now that he mentioned it, I vaguely recalled agreeing to help him. He'd been talking about it at lunchtime, and when I said I could probably give him some pointers, he'd invited himself over.
I glanced at the screen of my phone, and saw the call was still connected to Steele. I didn't end it, just slid my phone into the back pocket of my jeans.
"Well, I don't think I can be much help right now," I said, giving him an apologetic shrug. "I'm just waiting for Cass to get back and check the circuits. Probably just a blown fuse or something, but until he gets here it's, uh, all a bit dark."
"That's okay, Maddie, I don't mind." Scott beamed at me, but instead of leaving—which was what I'd been angling toward—he headed over to my kitchen and started hunting through my drawers, using the flashlight on his phone for light. "You should probably have a flashlight in here somewhere. Or candles at least."