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with Duke last. I could hear Megan arguing with the guy who’d pulled her out of the car, but it was muffled.
    Then I heard Duke’s voice yell, “Lower your weapons, now!”
    My body instantly went into a state of shock, and I gripped the side of the car to keep myself erect. Footsteps thumped the pavement, growing louder as they ran toward me, and before I could see what was going on, a body crashed into mine, engulfing me into a tight embrace. The smell of a familiar cologne filled my nose, and I knew it was Duke holding me. My body trembled with fear as he slipped his arm around my waist as he led me toward the building. He yelled over his shoulder, directing one of the other guys to bring Megan inside as well.
    I watched, still in shock, as he opened the door to the warehouse and pulled me in before setting me on top of a messy desk. Another man took Megan and placed her in a seat across the room.
    Duke’s hands rested on my waist. “Brie, talk to me. Are you okay?”
    His words were ringing through my ears, plain as day, but my mouth wouldn’t produce a response. Instead, I sat there staring at him for what seemed like hours. When one of the other guys came over and tried to hand me a bottled water, I snapped out of it and went directly into fight mode.
    I jumped off the desk and slapped Duke across the face with as much force as I could possibly conjure up. “Have you lost your damn mind?” I screamed. He backed up, rubbing his cheek, and I continued. “How dare you and your group of mercenaries, or whatever it is they are, pull guns on me and my best friend. What in the hell is wrong with you?”
    He reached his arms out toward me, and I swiftly pushed them away. “Don’t touch me!” I yelled, scanning the room for Megan who’d already forgotten about the incident and was batting her eyelashes at one of the guys.
    “Clear out. I need to talk to Brie.” His words were loud and demanding, causing the guys to follow his orders, taking Megan with them as they exited a door different from the one we’d entered.
    Duke grabbed me, one arm around my waist, the other delicately holding the side of my neck so I couldn’t look away. “Brie, listen to me, please.”
    I closed my eyes to avoid his stare, and he rested his head against my forehead, letting out a loud sigh. “I had no idea it was you and Megan in that car. How in the hell did you even find out I was here? This location is listed as an abandoned warehouse.”
    My eyes flew open, and I responded, irritated. “I don’t know. Megan probably got your information from her brother. He’s in the CIA, and she always uses him to help her when she plays detective.”
    Rubbing his hands over his face, he sighed again. “What are you doing here? I swear to all that’s holy if you would have been hurt today, I would have never forgiven myself, not to mention your father would have killed me.”
    Finally able to relax, I let out a tiny laugh. “You have no idea, but what the hell, Duke? Why in the world are you all suited up with guns? What kind of job do you have?”
    A grimace took over his face before he spoke. “I know you want answers, and after what just happened, you deserve them, but I can’t risk the safety of the guys, myself included, to fill you in on what we do. It’s not as dangerous as it looks, trust me.”
    I rolled my eyes at his response as I rested back against the desk and crossed my arms over my chest. “Oh, give me a break. If it wasn’t that dangerous, you all wouldn’t have come crashing out of the building, guns blazing, acting like you were ready to put a bullet through both of our heads.”
    His fists clenched at his sides as his jaw tightened. “Look, I can’t give you the details. Me and the guys are in private security, not your typical rent-a-cop shit. We deal with very high end clients and do whatever it takes to get the task executed. If you are going to be involved in my life, you have to realize that I can’t tell