I didn’t let my mind go there, and couldn’t as I engaged with Hector. I told him where we were and to get to us. I also told him their positions. He confirmed and I disconnected, shoving the phone back in my jeans pocket.

“Hector and Tex will take the sides.” I looked around the seat to Ren. “Shit goes down, baby, you disappear,” I ordered gently.

I saw his mouth get tight and the muscle jump in his jaw. This was silent badass for Want you to disappear instead of me, and I belatedly rethought Ren’s ride along.

It should be noted, though, that I loved him like crazy, but I loved him more when he kept his mouth shut and just jerked up his chin.

“The feel of that house, this operation just became mine,” Mace declared, and I looked at him. “You steer clear unless you get my signal, yeah?”

“Gotcha,” I replied immediately, and he did a slow blink.

He thought I’d argue.

He’d learn.

And what he’d learn was that I was a badass. But not a stupid one.

“Stun gun at the ready, Ally,” Mace kept ordering.

I nodded.

We saw the headlights of a Yukon coming our way, the lights going out before it parked.

Hector’s ride.

“Move out,” Mace muttered and we moved.

Ren disappeared quickly. I saw Hector waste no time crossing the yard and vanishing around the side of the house. Tex was lumbering, but his position was closer. He also wasted no time and took it.

I turned on my stun gun as Mace walked right up to the front door.

I stood, back to the house at the side of the door.

He looked at me and gave me a head jerk which I had to interpret on the fly.

I made an educated guess, turned my head the other way, leaned forward and looked into the window at my side.

Mace knocked loud.

All the shadows behind the sheets dropped.

I looked back at Mace and shook my head.

Without delay, he lifted a long leg and put a boot to the door, shouting, “Bond enforcement!”

Interesting.

We had no warrants for anyone inside, but that didn’t mean someone inside didn’t have a warrant on them. So that was a good call. And smart.

I stopped noting that for future reference because the rest happened fast.

Mace went in.

There were noises, thuds, shouts, running feet.

Someone came out the front. I put my foot out, tripped them and they went flying, landing on their front on the cement walk. I moved in quickly, stunned them and they went lax. I grabbed a wrist and started to haul them off the walk so they wouldn’t be trampled if anyone else tried to escape out front. As I did this, I saw Hector running in the front door.

That was when I heard Mace’s whistle.

I took that as his sign.

I got in, Tex coming in behind me, and it appeared Mace had had all the fun, what with the bodies littering the floor and some tweakers cowering in a corner.

But Ren was having fun, too. Across the room, he had hands on a guy—arm and back of the neck. He slammed him face first into the wall, let him go and the guy dropped straight to his back, o-u-t, out.

My man.

Totally hot.

After allowing myself a quiver in my happy place, I took in the space. There was a lot of mess, some not so great furniture, and three car stereos sitting on a filthy, battered coffee table.

That night’s take.

And last, little baggies of meth crystals and drug paraphernalia everywhere.

No weapons.

I looked at Mace. “You hogged all the fun.”

Mace got close and talked low. “We need a reason to be here. You and Tex talk to each one. Get names. Call Brody and have him run them for warrants. Warrant or not, after you talk to Brody, call the cops. They get here, I’ll deal.”

I nodded and turned to Tex to see he’d gone back out and was now dragging in the one I dropped outside. He was doing it by the dude’s hand so the head and the rest of the tweaker bumped and cracked against everything even as he was coming out of the stun. He was probably also tweaking, so that didn’t help.

“Tex, a little care,” I told him.

“Got shit for brains already, don’t matter I stir it up,” Tex replied.

Since I didn’t need a lawsuit on any of my cases, I scratched a chat with Tex about his sidekick do’s and don’ts to happen at a later date and got busy, taking Tex with me.

When I was done, I gave a nod to Mace who was standing sentry at the entrance, while Hector stood sentry at the door that led to the back of the house.

Mace was studying me, looking broody.

Even after Stella gave him good loving and his family back, Mace could be broody. Usually it was hot. Unfortunately, now it served to hide whether he felt I passed or failed.

Whatever. He didn’t sit on the Licensing Board. I failed the Mace Test, I’d live.

I turned to Ren who was providing badass presence at Tex and my backs.

“You good?” I asked.

He was looking beyond me at the wired, strung out, unkempt tweakers, and I didn’t have to know him as well as I did to know he didn’t like what he was seeing.

He then looked at me.

“You sure this is the company you wanna keep?” he asked.

“No. What I’m sure of is that tomorrow and the next day and the next, some person in this ‘hood is not gonna walk out to their car, see their stereo stolen and feel violated,” I replied.

He studied me several beats, grinned and murmured, “Good answer.”

“So you’re feeling me,” I noted.

“Not yet,” he replied.

I rolled my eyes.

When I rolled them back I noted his grin got bigger.

It was then, I heard sirens.

* * * * *

Oh God.

I was close.

I threw my head back and breathed, “Ren.”

My man, on his knees behind me, pulled out.

On my hands and knees in the bed, I looked at him over my shoulder and whispered, “No, baby.”

“On your back. Knees up. Spread,” he ordered, his voice thick.

Okay, I could do that.

So I did it.

He covered me and not a second later slammed into me.

My back arched and I wound my arms around him.

“Every guy watchin’ you move onstage at Smithie’s wants his dick right here,” he growled, thrusting fast, hard, deep and I focused on him (barely).

He got off on that.

Like, seriously.

Suddenly, I did too.

He drove in, then ground in, his mouth coming to mine. “But this is all mine.”

It so totally was.

“Yes,” I panted.

Inexplicably (and tragically), he pulled out again and moved down my body. His hand went between my legs, his finger working me, his mouth went to my breast and he sucked my nipple deep.