I shook my head. “I’m fine, Mols. Really.”

She watched me for a second, then mimicked my nod. “I’m right here. You know that, right?”

I nodded again.

“Okay.” Smiling, she winked at me, blew me a kiss, and then turned and bounded back onto the stage as the band started playing one of her hits.

My phone went off again, shaking against my upper thigh. Sighing angrily, I yanked it out and looked at the screen. Seeing it was Jules and not Jake, my finger hovered over the screen, ready to tell her to back the hell off when I glanced over at the front of the stage.

There was a man in the pit weaving between fans, staring at Molly with a sneer on his face. There was nothing extraordinary about him—Caucasian male, mid-twenties to mid-thirties, average height, and average weight with no standout features. He wore black jeans with a white tee shirt and a jean jacket. Not uncommon attire for a concert billed as country music. But the look on his face had me taking closer stock.

I glanced back to Mols. She was oblivious, lost in her song, moving around the stage. My eyes cut back to the man, getting closer by the second.

The hair on the back of my neck rose, and I reached for the earpiece that I used to wear when I worked for Nate, but all I found was my ear. I hadn’t worn it since I took the job with Molly because I was the only member of her security detail and didn’t need to hear the chatter from the men guarding Nate and Lia. Thank Christ Sam insisted I carry a hand radio for emergencies.

I yanked it off my belt, barking into it. “Sam! Out front, eleven o’clock and gaining fast.”

I held the radio to my ear, hoping I would be able to hear a reply over the music, mentally cursing the decision to go without the headset. I glared at the man as he somehow managed to do what the rest of the people in the pit had been unable to do—squeeze between other fans and get close to the stage. As he slithered his way to the front, he never took his eyes off Molly, his features frozen in a way that told the world he despised what he was looking at.

I’d seen that look before. My heart started to pound erratically and my mind began to race as flashes from a lifetime ago started to claw their way to the surface. If I let it, if I gave in to the moment, I would start to hear gunfire erupt around me, the smell of death would invade my nose, and the pain of that surprise attack would not only cause my arm to ache, but also my heart. I’d lived with post-traumatic stress disorder long enough to know I had to fight my way to the surface right now.

I was not in a desert, thousands of miles away from my family. I was not laying wounded and delirious while I watched my friends die, one by one, praying that the Bean Nighe would come for me because death was the only way I would escape the torture, wishing I could hold my kids just one more time. I was no longer a helpless failure who let down those he’d sworn to protect.

No, I was back on American soil, only a phone call away from my son. Even though I’d failed to save all of my brothers the day my convoy leader hit an IED, I would carry that loss and guilt with me for the rest of my life. But I couldn’t change the past. I could only focus on the future. I would die before I let something happen to Molly.

Forcing the unwanted feelings and memories away, I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. I found the man in the crowd again, and I stepped closer to the edge of the stage, knowing that fans could see me if they looked.

When he reached into the pocket of his jacket, I felt my hand moving to my own gun, ready to take him out if needed. I had a clear shot, and I would not miss. Then Sam’s giant form appeared out of thin air, grabbing the man by the arm as a few other members of his security team swarmed the area. Molly’s song ended, and oblivious to what was happening almost directly in front of them, the band started to play another.

The stage lights went off suddenly, leaving everyone on it in the dark, and a collective gasp came from thousands of people. The music stopped as the guys glanced around, uncertain of what had happened. I silently thanked Sam. I took advantage of the darkness and strode out on stage to grab Molly.

“Mike?” she asked, confusion mixed with worry. “What’s going on?”

I didn’t answer. Wrapping my fingers around her bicep, I forced her to move toward the wings as more of Sam’s team hurried onto the stage and started ushering the band off. Molly glanced over at me, her eyes wide with panic, but she didn’t say anything as she followed my lead.

Backstage was a madhouse of activity. The security team, the roadies, and venue staff were hurrying around, doing God knows what. I wasn’t sure if Sam had changed the protocol for situations like these, but it didn’t matter even if he had. I was getting my girl out of the building and into a secure location. At least until we knew what was going on and talked to the police.

We moved around people, unnoticed, and sidestepped the mobs as we hurried toward the back exit. I nodded to Kris, the big guy guarding the door, and he nodded back, his eyes moving to Molly as if to make sure she was okay. I didn’t stop to verify that she was, hurrying her out into the dimly lit parking lot and across the small space to our bus.

Once the door was safely closed and we were all alone, because even Mr. B, our driver was somewhere inside still, Molly turned to me, crossing her arms over her chest. “What in the hell was that?”

I turned, lifting the shade covering the window over the sink and peered out into the parking lot.

“Oh, no. You are not avoiding this.” Molly grabbed my arm. “Tell me what in the fuck just happened.”

Before I could explain the necessity of the last ten minutes, the shrill ring of my cell phone screamed into the silence as it vibrated against my thigh once more. “Goddammit!” I snapped, yanking the thing out of my pocket and stabbing the answer key harder than I should have. Holding up a finger to Molly, I snapped into the phone, “I can’t talk right now.”

“Mike?” Julie’s sobs were nothing new over the last few weeks, but tonight were over the top.

“I’m working right now, Jules. I’ll call you back.”

“I can’t do this,” she wailed. “I can’t raise two kids alone. I… I…”—more sobbing—“I need you, Mikey! The kids need you.”

Molly crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes, letting me know she was not happy.

“Julie,” I used my sternest voice. “I will call you back. I’m in the middle of something—”

“I’m serious, I can’t do this. I can’t go to work and see him every day. He flirts with the nurses and ignores me…”

I didn’t listen to anything else she said because Nate opened the door and sprinted onto the bus, hurrying over to Molly and pulling her into his arms. Kissing her forehead, he pulled back. “You okay, babe?”

She nodded, insisting, “I’m fine. Confused as hell, but fine.”

Kelly’s features twisted in surprise and he glanced at me, a hundred unspoken questions reflected in his eyes.

“He’s talking to Julie,” Molly snapped, leaving no doubt in my mind that she was pissed. “Will you please tell me why the world has suddenly gone crazy?”

Nate turned back to her. “It was a camera. Nothing else.”

Relief poured through me as Molly arched a brow. “What was a camera?”

“Mike, are you still there?” Julie demanded, forcing me to turn my attention back to her and miss what Nate was saying.

“Yeah, I’m here. But, Jules, I’m working. I really need to call you back.”

“Fine. But first, you never answered me. Do you think it would be okay? Just for a few days to get a break? It would be fun, right?”

I had no fucking clue what she was talking about, but I just wanted her off the phone. Asking her to clarify the question would take time I didn’t want to waste talking to her. “Sure. If it’s what you need to do.”