“Emma.” My voice was low. Tense. “Wake up.”

She stirred, groaning sleepily as she turned her face toward me, her eyes barely cracking open. “Liam… what the hell is that?”

“It’s your alarm.” The words came out clipped as my own adrenaline started to spike.

Her eyes flew open, and she practically shot upright in bed. “What do you mean, my alarm?”

“I mean, your alarm is going off because something’s happened,” I was already swinging my legs over the side of the bed and reaching for my jeans. “Your security team is notifying you.”

Her expression changed in an instant, panic flashing in her eyes as she scrambled out of bed. “What? I should message Terry! See what’s happening!” she barked, fumbling for her phone.

I handed it to her. “Get dressed, Emma.”

She stared at me for half a second, as if she wanted to argue, but then she nodded and started pulling on the first clothes she could find while messaging Terry, the head of her security team.

“Terry says there’s a guy on the property,” her voice trembling slightly. “They didn’t see him come in, but he’s moving around the house. He’s near the terrace and the living room. How does he know it’s a guy?”

I paused, pulling my shirt over my head, my mind racing. “It’s unlikely to be a woman,” the words automatic.

“That’s sexist,” Emma quipped, her tone sharp but shaky. “Could be a woman. Maybe she wants the Grammys or my rose coloured Birkin bag.”

“Emma.” I shook my head and put a finger to my lips, gesturing for her to keep quiet as I moved toward the door. I cracked it open slightly, straining to hear or see anything. The thought of someone breaking into her house—her house—made my blood boil with rage. I clenched the doorknob so hard it felt like it might snap off.

“Terry says stay put,” Emma whispered harshly. “They’re handling it. Jesus, who’s in my house?”

“Stay here,” I kept my voice low but firm.

“Liam,” she hissed, grabbing my arm. “Don’t leave me here alone. Let Terry and the guys handle it.”

“I’m just trying to get a look,” my eyes narrowed as I scanned the darkened hall outside.

My mind raced with possibilities, each one more chilling than the last. The fact that this had happened on the same night we’d had a party sent my thoughts spiralling. Could it have been someone from the party? Had they stayed behind, lying in wait for everyone to leave? The idea made my stomach churn. Were they here the whole time we were upstairs—fucking?

The thought of us upstairs while some asshole prowled through Emma’s space made my blood run cold.

“Liam,” her voice softer now, her hand squeezing my arm. “Please don’t go out there. I need you here with me. Safe.”

The vulnerability in her voice pulled me back from the edge. I turned to her, my eyes meeting hers—wide, worried, and filled with fear. The tension between us was palpable, but her plea was enough to anchor me. “I’ll stay,” I reluctantly forced myself to calm down. “But the second I hear anything off—”

“Let them do their job,” she cut me off firmly, her hand tightening on my arm as if to tether me in place.

We both stood frozen, the silence stretching thin and taut around us. Every nerve in my body was coiled tight, the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. My mind was racing, every worst-case scenario flashing through my head. 

If they were here to hurt her—or worse—they’d had every chance to seize that opportunity. But they hadn’t. Which could only mean one thing: they weren’t here to harm her, at least not directly. They were trying to steal something. 

The thoughts were a storm in my head, and I had to shake them free before they consumed me. My grip tightened on the doorknob, my knuckles white as I fought the rising urge to storm through the house and find whoever had dared to invade her space.

Then we heard it—the unmistakable sound of struggling downstairs, followed by the muffled voices of Terry and his team. My stomach twisted as Emma’s phone buzzed with a message. She read it aloud, her voice trembling. “Terry says, ‘All clear.’”

“Stay here. I’m going to check it out,” my voice low but controlled, masking the fury and fear bubbling beneath the surface. My gaze locked onto hers, silently asking for her agreement, for her to trust me to handle this. She gave a small nod, her hands clutching her phone like a lifeline.

I turned and headed for the door, my movements quick but deliberate. My mind was a storm of thoughts, but one burned brighter than the rest: Thank God I pushed Emma to increase her security.

After the Henry Mac incident, I hadn’t been able to sleep without knowing she was protected. During the pandemic—when the PTSD and night terrors were at their worst—I’d slept here most nights just to keep her calm. Security wasn’t optional. Emma had agreed, though she thought I was being paranoid at the time. But tonight?

Tonight proved I wasn’t paranoid. I was right.

If someone had gotten this close—inside her home—it was already too damn close.

I practically flew down the stairs, my steps thunderous with purpose. The living room was fully lit now, and Terry and his team stood in a tight formation around a man zip-tied on the floor.

He didn’t look like some desperate street thug.

Cargo pants. Sleek black tactical shirt. A custom mask that had been ripped off. Gear spread out like he’d come prepared.

My heart dropped.

There was a stranger inside Emma’s house.

A pro.

Someone had planned this. Someone wanted in.

Into the one place she was supposed to be safe.

Terry and his team were all ex-military professionals. There were four of them on rotation, always on alert.

Now, they were hauling the intruder to his feet as he struggled and grunted against them.

The second I saw his face—bruised, beaten, rough—the last thread of restraint inside me snapped.

I was on him in three strides. One punch. A sharp crack echoed through the room. He dropped like a stone.

“Well, Jesus, Teller,” Walter muttered, shaking his head as he let the guy slump back to the floor. His voice was calm, but I caught the flicker of amusement beneath it—like he’d been waiting for me to snap.

“I was gonna settle him on the couch until the cops got here, but I guess that’s out. Solid left hook, though. You been working on that?”

“Yeah—Who the hell is this fucker?” I snarled, my voice low and seething. My fists were still clenched, my knuckles aching from the impact, but I barely noticed. My whole body was trembling from the adrenaline coursing through me, my vision narrowed to the lifeless form of the man on the floor.

Terry crouched beside the guy, inspecting him, then shook his head. “No ID. No phone, no wallet. Nothing. And there’s no vehicle nearby we can link to him. Which means he either came in on foot… or hitched a ride with one of the party guests and camped out.”

“Camped out?” I echoed, the words hitting like a spark to dry tinder.

 Rage—that’s all I felt.

“Second guy slipped past us. We almost had him. This one got as far as he did because we were split.”

My jaw clenched, muscles burning with the effort not to explode. Two of them. One still out there. And this one?

 I stared down at him, unconscious and pathetic, and it took everything in me not to kick him. My hands tightened into fists.

Terry’s voice cut through my fury, calm , unwavering but firm. “Liam. We’ve got this. Cops are en route. Go back upstairs. Make sure Emma’s okay.”