She opened her eyes and found everyone in the bar looking at her.
Not that too many people were there. Jenna recognized all of them. The Eagle’s Nest’s owner, Lexi, and her husband, Gavin Zimmerman, were standing behind the bar. Zac Mackay, owner and leader of Linear Tactical, was on a stool at the far end of the room. Finn Bollinger, Charlie’s husband, was next to him.
They were all sitting casually. Way too casually.
Zac gently tilted his head toward a corner booth. Jenna followed his gaze and found her brother sitting beside Omega Sector agent Callum Webb. Zodiac Tactical had worked with him on more than one occasion.
Across from the two men sat a pregnant Ray, her crossbow on the table pointing in their direction, her hand resting on the trigger. At her shoulder stood Ray’s husband, Dorian—the huge man looking just ascalmas everyone else in the room.
“See?” Lexi said from behind the bar. “Jenna is here. Now we can all put our weapons away.”
The crossbow was the only weapon Jenna could see, but she had no doubt there were more within reach of damned near everyone in the building.
“What is going on?” Jenna asked, taking in deep breaths to erase the rest of her dizziness. At least everyone was so caught up in this showdown that they weren’t aware of her issues. “I feel like I walked into the OK Corral.”
Before anyone could answer, Charlie and Wavy burst through the door, Wavy’s security team basically on top of them.
Zac cursed and stood up. “Everybody, stay calm.”
The tension in the room ratcheted up a dozen notches.
“Woman, what part ofdon’t come in heredid you not understand?” Finn asked his wife.
Charlie glared at him, hands going to her hips. “You and I have been married how long, and you think I’m just going to sit in thegoddamned carwhile my friend comes into a potentially dangerous situation?”
Finn scrubbed his hand down his face. Jenna held up a hand to stop him from whatever argument he was about to make.
She looked over at the booth. Craig didn’t seem injured, but he did look pretty pale. “What’s going on, Ray? You know that’s my brother, right?”
“I found him wandering around town.” Ray’s eyes didn’t leave the men across from her. “Last time I found your brother wandering around town, he was willing to sacrifice me to law enforcement. I’m a mother now. Have two kids who call me Mom and another on the way. So, you’ll understand that I’m not going to take any chances this time.”
Jenna walked slowly toward the booth. “Last time Craig was in town, he was doing whatever he had to in order to get me out of hell. I don’t know that he would’ve really turned you in, but if he had, it would’ve been for good reason.”
“Speaking of last time, can I remind you that you shot me with that fucking crossbow of yours?” Craig nodded toward the weapon on the table.
Ray’s icy blue eyes narrowed. “We don’t like people sneaking around, then or now. You still have full movement of all your limbs, right? Count yourself lucky.”
Craig fell silent, but Callum leaned back next to him in the booth. His hands weren’t visible under the table, which probably meant he had a gun pointed at Ray. “Dorian, why don’t you get your wife under control. She’s got a weapon pointed at two federal agents. All we want to do is talk to Ian DeRose and Jenna.”
Dorian didn’t move from where he stood beside Ray. “Well, I’m not as stupid as my friend Finn, so I don’t tell my wife what to do.”
“Take some notes, Bollinger,” Charlie muttered from the other side of the room.
“Although, if Ray would let me,” Dorian continued, “I would put myself between her and that weapon I know you have pointed at her under the table.”
Ray shrugged with a little smile. “He’s protective. But I’m protective of him too.”
Callum shook his head. “We’re not your enemy.”
Ray’s eyes narrowed. “The other people in this room, and maybe a dozen who aren’t inside this building, are the people we know for a fact are not our enemies. Beyond those, I take no chances.”
Callum brought his hands up from under the table and set his gun on the surface. “Not your enemy.”
Dorian relaxed just the slightest bit now that a loaded gun wasn’t pointed at his pregnant wife. Everyone did.
Until the door burst open behind Jenna. She spun and saw Ian and Mark rushing in, weapons raised. She forced herself to tear her eyes away from Mark and back to the booth. By then, both Callum and Craig had their guns in hand. At least both of them were smart enough not to point them at Ray, even though she had the crossbow.
Jenna held up a hand and put on her best Evelyn O’Connell fromThe Mummyvoice. “Now, now, children. Let’s all calm down. My brother isn’t here to do anyone any harm. Callum may work with some people I find personally repulsive, but he’s not a bad guy either.”