Passing His Guard

“Yeah, well, ditto.”

Except for giving him directions, they spent most of the ride to her house in silence, each seemingly caught up in their own thoughts. The closer they got to their destination, the more white-knuckled Katie’s little hands became. By the time they turned down her road, anxiety reverberated from her like a force field, and when they pulled into the driveway, his own nerves were strung tight as a drum.

“Hey.” He shifted into park and laid his hand over hers. “You all right?”

Katie’s gaze darted to his as if she’d momentarily forgotten he was here. She shook her head. “No. But I will be.”

Aiden wasn’t sure if she was fronting or if she really believed what she said. “I know what happened here, Bug. You don’t have to go in, you know. I can grab Easton’s stuff.”

She appeared to consider it a moment. This was fucked up. When he thought about what had gone down here, the terror Katie must have endured . . . This woman had been through hell.

“No, I have to go in. If I don’t do it now . . .”

“All right. I’ll come in with you.” He admired this woman’s strength. The fighter in him recognized a kindred spirit, and he respected the hell out of her for it. Getting out of the SUV, Aiden came around the passenger side and opened her door. Taking her hand, he led her up the steps and stopped in front of the door. “You sure we’re doing this?” he asked again. “Last chance to change your mind.”

“I’m sure.”

As she dug through her purse, looking for the key, Aiden glanced behind him, taking notice of his surroundings. A bare patch of ground marked the front yard where the snow had been removed. Curiosity tempted him to ask her about it, but when he glanced back, Katie’s hands were shaking so badly, she nearly failed to fit the key in the lock, and he decided right then and there to table any questions. This shit was hard enough on her the way it was, he wouldn’t risk saying anything that could make it worse.

The lock snicked and she opened the front door, hesitating a moment before stepping inside. He followed her in and closed it behind them. Turning back around, he nearly ran into her as she stood there, frozen in the entryway.

“I can’t believe it . . .” she whispered more to herself than to him. “It’s like it never happened.” Katie looked around as she slowly stepped forward, entering the living room. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear it was just a nightmare.”

Aiden stepped up beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in for a brotherly hug. “It’s over now, Katie Bug. My boy won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know.” She looked up at him with those tear-filled eyes, and his heart lodged in his throat. “He saved my life, Aiden.” She sniffed and swiped at the tears spilling down her cheeks.

Aww hell . . . He hugged her tight against him, giving her a moment to pull herself together. “I can’t pretend to know what you’re going through, bug, but I can promise you won’t have to do it alone. Cole’s got you in this.”

She nodded against his chest. They stood there another minute before her back stiffened, shoulders tensing. He knew she was rallying her nerve, battling back more tears. This woman was a fighter. He smiled to himself as the memory of the first time they’d met came to mind. Cole was teaching her hapkido, and she’d just put the light-heavyweight champion on his ass. Yeah . . . this girl was going to be just fine.

“I won’t be very long,” she murmured, stepping out of his embrace to walk across the living room, her steps quickening with determined purpose. Aiden kept his eyes locked on her until she disappeared down the hall and into one of the bedrooms.

He entered the living room, his gaze canvassing the open floor plan. The faint scent of latex paint still hung in the air, the last remaining evidence that something bad had happened here. The eggshell walls added a modicum of coolness that bristled his nerves. The brown suede couch and matching love seat still bore the price tags hanging from the arms, as did the end table sitting between the furniture.

Refurbishing this house must have cost Easton a small fortune, not that he couldn’t afford it. The place was immaculate with a Parade of Homes, don’t-touch-anything elegance that reminded Aiden far too much of his parents’ house in Manhattan, only on a much more micro level.

Shoving his mental baggage aside, Aiden wandered into the kitchen, contemplating what kind of a sick fuck would want to hurt someone as sweet as Katrina Miller. Katie was the kind of woman that made you want to be a better man. What he wouldn’t give to have a woman look at him the way she looked at Easton. What would it be like to have someone see him for once and not Disco—not Sen. Be

For a fraction of a moment the other night, he’d thought he might have had a chance at that with Rya

“Okay, I’m ready.”

Katie stepped into the hallway with the strap of a CFA duffel bag slung over her shoulder. He smiled at the sight of her little self, touting Easton’s overstuffed gym bag. He had one just like it in the back seat of his rental. “Here, let me . . .” Aiden walked toward her, holding out his hand to take her burden.

“It’s all right. I got it.”

She made a beeline for the front door like the devil himself was hot on her heels.

“Why don’t you head out and I’ll lock up?”

Katie shot him a grateful half smile and didn’t hesitate to take him up on his offer. By the time he quickly checked the other door and secured the front, she was already in the Yukon and the engine was ru

Not wanting to alarm her, he took his time heading back to the hospital. “You mind if I fill up before I take you back?”

“No. Of course not.”

Aiden took a sharp left, pulling into the gas station, and parked beside the farthest pump from the road. Hopping out, he rounded the SUV and waited for the Escape to declare itself—which it did a moment later when it drove right on by without as much as a braking hesitation.

Hmm . . . his instincts were usually dead-on. Though it was entirely possible that the last stunt Mommy Dearest pulled was making him a touch paranoid. His thoughts jumped to Rya

Be

Now that he was righteously good and pissed off, Aiden ripped the fuel pump free from its holder and shoved the nozzle into the gas tank. He locked the trigger and when the gas began pouring into the Yukon, he came around to the passenger side of the vehicle. When Katie didn’t see him standing there, he rapped the back of his knuckles against the window to get her attention. She let out a startled yelp and jumped, her hand flying up to her throat. Shit. That was real smooth. Give your bro’s girl a heart attack, why don’t you?