by Leah Brooke
The smoke from their squealing tires momentarily blinded her, and she barely had a chance to catch a glimpse of the driver before the other man leaned out the window again, taking aim again over the roof of their car.
“Watch out, Stormy! Get down!”
She recognized Lucas’s voice at once, the steely calm in it settling her. “Gee, thanks. I hadn’t thought of that.”
“You cried out. Are you hit?” The concern and demand in his voice had her answering at once.
“Yeah.” She gripped the wheel tighter with her right hand, her left hanging uselessly.
“Jesus!”
She grimaced at Logan’s curse, but at that moment, the men chasing her shot out both of her back tires, sending her into a spin.
The next thing she knew, her car tipped and started rolling over and over, and she could do nothing but brace herself as the trees rushed toward her.
* * * *
Devlin gripped the wheel tighter, his heart in his throat.
Listening to bullets hitting her car as she fought to get away from her attackers, he’d never felt so helpless.
He could tell she was scared—a healthy response to someone shooting at her—but she was levelheaded and kept her cool better than Devlin had expected.
He heard her short cry of surprise—and pain—and glanced at Caleb, who kept staring at the computer screen, his white-knuckled hold on the laptop threatening to crack it.
Her sarcasm in response to Lucas’s demand that she stay low did little to settle him, and he had a feeling it was meant to calm Logan.
Lucas gripped the back of Devlin’s seat, sharing a look with him in the rearview mirror. “You cried out. Were you hit?”
Devlin held his breath, catching it again at her trembling reply.
“Yeah.”
Easing over the centerline, Devlin looked around Ace’s SUV. “I see her.” He knew as soon as he saw her swerve that the angle was too sharp. “Fuck!”
Watching in horror as her small SUV rolled, flew up in the air, and rolled several more times, Devlin crossed the oncoming lane and sped down the shoulder toward her.
Ace turned on the siren, swerving in front of Devlin, reaching Stormy just seconds after her small black SUV hit a tree with a sickening crunch of metal.
Smoke poured from the front of the car, which had landed on the driver’s side, the two right tires spinning in the air, the back one flat.
Devlin hit the brakes with a force that had them fishtailing, but he brought their SUV under control and threw it into park, already opening his door.
Still, Lucas was faster.
Logan, frantically calling his sister’s name, raced alongside Lucas, his face deathly white.
Devlin wanted to join the others as they ran to Stormy’s side but rushed to join Ace, both men returning gunfire with the man in the sports car before he drove out of range.
Holstering his weapon, Ace cursed. “The State Police are waiting for them down the road.”
Devlin had already tucked his gun away at his back as he and Ace ran toward Stormy’s smoking vehicle. “They’re only a drop in the bucket compared to what I suspect is gonna be coming after her.”
Ace cursed as he ran beside Devlin. “Christ, if she’s—”
“Don’t even think it.”
Smoke continued to pour from the engine, and even as Lucas and Logan pulled at the crumpled door, Devlin could see flames coming from under the hood.
Ace cursed again and turned, racing back to his SUV.
Caleb used the fire extinguisher he’d grabbed from their SUV while Lucas pulled himself up to stand on the passenger door and fought to open it.
Battling the flames, Caleb glanced up at Lucas. “Hurry up!”
Fear tightened Devlin’s gut as he raced toward them, a sense of relief washing over him when he heard a feminine voice—an angry feminine voice—coming from inside the wrecked vehicle.
“I’m okay, Logan. Stop screaming and get me the hell out of here. The steering wheel’s got me pinned.”
“I’m not screaming, damn it!” Logan’s love for his sister was obvious, his fear for her even more evident as he reached in through the broken windshield and forced the deflating airbag out of the way.
Even Lucas, who was known for his calm, looked more than a little shaken. He glanced at the smoke and flames coming from under the hood. “The door’s a mess. We’re gonna have to take her out through the windshield. Shit.”
Devlin had already come to that conclusion, shrugging off his leather jacket and holding it over her face in the hope of protecting her from some of the glass.
They’d have to rip her out of the SUV quickly, the growing flames not giving them any choice.
“Move, Logan.” Lucas jumped down, shoving their friend out of the way and placing himself between her and the flames. Bracing his boots against the window frame, he pulled the steering wheel far enough to clear her. Yanking a knife from his pocket, he sliced the airbag and seatbelt and tucked the knife away before reaching in for her.
Stormy lifted a hand toward Lucas. “I can’t lift my other arm. It went dead when he shot me.”
Devlin inwardly winced, knowing the pain of being shot and hating that it had happened to a woman, especially the younger sister of one of their best friends. “You hit anywhere else?”
“No. I don’t think so.” Her voice sounded breathless, and weaker by the moment.
Ace appeared, standing beside Lucas and using his own fire extinguisher to help battle the flames. “Go!”
Bending to grip her under her arms, Lucas pulled her out, his expression grim as Logan reached for her, gathering her against his chest.
Holding her tightly, Logan ran toward their SUV.
When she shoved the jacket from her face, Devlin took it and got a glimpse of dark blonde hair twisted into a long, thick braid and brilliant green eyes clouded with pain.
Even disheveled, bloody, and with her features contorted in pain, she was stunning.
She reached out to clasp her upper arm, the leather sleeve of her jacket wet with blood.
Caleb rushed toward her, taking the wrist of her injured arm and holding it across her stomach. “Let’s keep this arm as still as we can and get you the hell out of here.”
Logan nodded and rushed toward their vehicle with Caleb running beside him, still holding her arm. “We have to get her to the hospital.”
“No.” Lucas, Devlin, and Ace all spoke simultaneously.
Logan whipped his head around, holding Stormy protectively closer. “What the hell are you saying? We’ve got to get her to the hospital! Christ, she’s been shot! God only knows what other injuries she has.”
Still holding her arm, Caleb slid into the SUV behind Logan, who settled her on his lap as if she was made of glass. “Logan, Doc Hansen has everything we need in his office. We’ve all made sure of it, just in case of emergencies.”
Devlin slid into the front passenger seat, turning to watch Caleb dig into his bag and produce a pair of scissors. “It’s been set up awhile now, but not everyone knows about it.”
Stormy pulled away, glaring at Caleb. “You cut my jacket and I’ll cut your heart out.”
Seeming slightly relieved, Logan chuckled. “I gave it to her. I think she wears it to bed.” He kissed his sister’s hair. “I’ll give you another one, honey. You can come to the store and pick out whichever one you want.”
Stormy waited until Caleb set the scissors aside before smiling up at her brother. “I want this one. You can give me a pair of those sexy leather pants, though.”
Logan’s smile fell. “No.”
After sliding her jacket from her arm, Caleb dug in his bag, producing some gauze and bandages. “Stormy, this is gonna hurt a little, but I’ve got to slow down this bleeding.”
“Fine. Do whatever you have to do.” Nodding, Stormy sucked in a breath at the pressure. “My car’s gonna blow, isn’t it?”
Devlin pulled his phone out and dialed Dr.
Caleb didn’t look up as Logan worked her the rest of the way out of her leather jacket. “Don’t know yet.”
Tossing the jacket aside, Logan began to pick pieces of glass from her hair. “I still think we should take her to the hospital.”
Devlin shook his head before Logan finished. “I understand that you’re worried about her, Logan, but going to the hospital could put her in even more danger.”
Stormy nodded, looking up at her brother. “Bullet wounds are reported and Anderson probably has cops on his payroll. Logan, I know that look. Don’t you dare throw away my jacket.”
Logan’s smile held a world of tension. “I’ll give you a new one.”
She reached out with her uninjured arm and touched the material. “Do you know how long it took me to get it scuffed up just right?”
Logan grimaced. “I don’t even want to think about it.”
“I earned every one of those scuff marks.”
Like Logan, Devlin didn’t even want to think about the danger she’d put herself in. “You get a hurt a lot?”
Stormy shrugged, wincing almost immediately when Caleb taped her wound. “Not much. Mostly from men who get pissed off when they’re caught.” Turning her head, she met Devlin’s gaze, sending a jolt through him he hadn’t expected. “I don’t want to bring trouble to all of you. I need to get out of here as soon as possible.”
Stunned by his reaction to her, Devlin forced a smile, wanting to wrap his hands around the neck of every man who’d ever had the audacity to touch her. “We’re better able to protect you in Desire. Everyone in town will be notified and will take precautions.”
Her eyes widened, looking impossibly larger, her thick dark lashes giving them an exotic look.
“No.” Stormy sat up, earning a curse from Logan as he settled her in place again. “I just need a car and—”
“No!” Devlin’s tone was sharper than he’d intended, but he needed to establish ground rules from the beginning. “Logan is a good friend, and he’s asked us to protect you. That’s exactly what we’re gonna do. This is what we do, Stormy, and we’re good at it.”
Caleb finished taping the bandage in place and glanced up at her. “The best.”
Stormy’s brow went up. “Full of yourself, aren’t you?”
Chuckling, Caleb used a penlight flashlight to look in her eyes, turning it off just as Lucas jumped into the driver’s seat. “Just stating the facts, ma’am.”
Leaving Ace behind, Lucas made a U-turn and headed back toward Desire. He glanced in the rearview mirror before turning to Devlin. “How’s she doing?”
Devlin met his gaze briefly before turning back to watch Caleb run his hands over Stormy and studying her face for any reaction. “Caleb has the bleeding under control, but he’s still checking her out.”
“I’m okay. I had my seatbelt on. Just got jostled a bit and slammed in the chest with the airbag.” Stormy struggled to sit up, her face turning red when Caleb slid a hand under her shirt. “Stop that!”
Frowning, Caleb wrapped his hand around the wrist of her injured arm and slowly lifted it out of the way. “I’m checking to see if you have any broken ribs. If I wanted to cop a feel, I certainly wouldn’t do it after you’ve been hurt and while you’re lying on your brother’s lap.”
Devlin would have been worried about anyone who’d been hurt, most especially a woman.
He’d never had any trouble maintaining an emotional distance with anyone they’ve ever been hired to protect but found himself drawn to Stormy in a way that was totally unprofessional.
Turning back to face forward, he pulled his gun from his waistband at his back and held it on his lap, staying alert for any sign of trouble. “I already called the doc to have him meet us at his office. He was already there.”
Lucas nodded once, keeping one eye on the road and the other in the rearview mirror. “I know. I called him, too, while Ace called Dillon and Ryder to come pick up her car. Then I found out that Ace had already called him.”
“Who are Dillon and Ryder, and what are they going to do to my car?”
Lucas smiled at Stormy’s question. “Dillon Tanner and Ryder Hayes own the garage in town. They’ll take your car in and make sure it’s secure until Ace and his men get a chance to look at it.”
“Ow! Damn it, stop jabbing at me!”
Turning, Devlin chuckled, meeting Logan’s gaze. “Your sister’s quite a spitfire.”
Pushing Stormy’s hair back, Logan smiled down at her, his pride in her unmistakable. “Yeah, she is. So, tell me how the hell you got involved with a murderer. The last I heard, you were following men their wives suspected were cheating on them.” His eyes narrowed, his accusing look not appearing to bother her at all. “Not anything like this.”
She glared at Caleb, slapping his hand away when he pushed lightly on her abdomen. “Yeah. Well, men are scum, so you can pretty much count on them fucking up. I just didn’t expect Kline to kill anybody.”
Offended, Devlin blinked. “That’s kind of a harsh statement, don’t you think?”
“Not at all. Other than my brother, I’ve never met a dependable man.”
Devlin blinked again, surprised at the venom in her tone. “You’ve obviously been hanging around the wrong kind of men.”
Stormy smiled, closed her eyes, and dropped her head against Logan’s shoulder. “There’s a right kind?”
A muscle worked in Logan’s jaw. “Yes, there is, and in Desire, you’re going to meet a lot of them. Tell me what happened.”
“I was hired to watch a man named Sam Kline.”
Caleb pulled her shirt back down and glanced up at her while running his hands up and down her legs. “The man in the pictures?”
“Yes.”
Caleb glanced up at her again. “Who hired you?”
Stormy smiled coldly, not opening her eyes. “That’s confidential. And before you get your panties in a bunch, you have to admit that you would answer the same way.”
Devlin didn’t usually become irritated with a client, and his impatience with her unnerved him. “We have to know everything to protect you. I can guess.”
Lucas nodded. “Kline’s wife or girlfriend. We’ll dig up the information tonight. What happened? You thought you were going to catch him cheating and caught him doing something else instead?”
“Something like that.” Stormy’s face had paled significantly, her voice lower and weaker.
Relieved when they pulled up to the doctor’s office, Devlin jumped out, rushing to open the back door.
After climbing out, Caleb reached back in for her. “Give her to me.”
Logan shook his head. “I’ve got her.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Frowning, Caleb moved closer. “You and your sister are both going to have to trust us, and you’re not exactly inspiring that trust. Besides, I’m already out. It’s easier just to hand her to me. We’re wasting time, Logan.”
“Fine. Just be careful with her.” Logan looked as if he’d been through a wringer. “She’s all I have left.”
Staying close to Caleb, Devlin scanned the surrounding area. “We know that, Logan. Anyone wanting to hurt her is gonna have to go through us to do it.”
Lucas joined them, walking on the other side of Caleb, while Logan walked ahead of them to open the door, effectively surrounding her. “And that’s something that’s never happened. We’ll protect her, Logan, and do what we have to do to get the man threatening her locked up. First things first. Let’s let the doc fix her up.”
Chapter Four
“I don’t need any pain medication! Keep that damned needle away from me!”
Lucas turned from the window, starting toward her to insist that the doctor give her the pain medication she obviously needed.
The bullet wound alone would be painful enough to keep her awake once the anesthetic Doc Hansen used wore off.
She’d been jarred pretty hard in the accident he’d see in his nightmares and had to be feeling the effects soon enough.
Lucas paused when Logan stepped forward, smiling at the look of determination hardening his friend’s features.
With his hands on his hips, Logan loomed over her. “Quiet. You’re gonna be in a lot of pain once you come down from the adrenaline rush. He’s gonna give you a shot before we leave and pain pills that you’ll take even if I have to shove them down your throat.”
She gripped the front of Logan’s T-shirt, pulling herself up slightly. “Try it and I’ll knock you on your ass.”
Now that Logan’s panic had subsided, he’d become more like himself.
Untangling her fist from the front of his shirt, Logan smiled and eased her back down to the examination table. “My friends are right. I should have spanked you when you were a child.” Leaning close, he got in her face, distracting her while Doc Hansen gave her a shot. “It’s not too late to do it now, and I will if you don’t behave yourself and let Dr. Hansen do his job.”
“Damn it! Logan, I didn’t want to bring trouble with me. I just need your truck. Pain medicine’s gonna make me loopy. I won’t be able to drive.”
“You’re not driving anywhere, anyway.” Logan touched a finger to her lips when she opened her mouth to say something else. “It’s not too late for me to make up for not doing my duty.”
“Try it and you’ll be sorry.”
“I’m already sorry—sorry that you got hurt because of your need to prove something. I should have forced you to move here with me.”
Shaking her head, Stormy let her eyes flutter closed. “Not happening. Son of a bitch. That pain medicine’s amazing. Damn it.”
Relieved to see that she was no longer in pain, Lucas turned at the sight of Ace striding through the front door.
After glancing into the well-equipped room designed for emergencies, Ace dug a small notebook and pen from his shirt pocket. “Did she tell you anything else?”
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