We could have handled it. Then the rest of the team showed up and quickly ended the brawl. Ryan’s badge was surprisingly helpful, but when all was said and done, he and I weren’t on the team that was going to wrap up this job. I was on a trial run for a job I’m now never going to get, and he didn’t need to be in the mix. Delta goes off to do whatever Delta does behind the scenes, and I head toward a table where Javier and Ryder have safely stowed Emma. Emerald’s is chaotic. People are evacuating—men running for their cars, strippers running for their clothes. The place is wild, and my girl’s upset and being calmed by two guys I don’t know. I’m grateful they’re here, but enough of that. I hop over a railing, and when she sees me coming toward her, Emma’s face lights up. Damn. Man, that reaction does something to me deep inside. Forgetting about the two men standing guard beside her, I scoop her into my arms, pressing her head to my chest. I need to feel her and hear her voice to know she’s alright.
