Then suddenly Kate was free and the badass dude was on the ground moaning. From the corner of his eye, Jase caught sight of a familiar figure, and relief poured through him. Bran Garrett was in the fight. Which meant the fight would soon be over.
Bran took out the two guys who were on Jase, took out a dumb fuck who thought he wanted a piece of the action. Jase finished off the guy between him and Kate, grabbed her and shoved her out the front door, staying close behind her. Bran followed them outside, kicking and punching, keeping them covered long enough to reach the Yukon.
When Kate stumbled in her sky-high heels, Jase scooped her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way. Pulling open the passenger door, he tossed her onto the seat, sprinted around and jumped in behind the wheel. Bran piled into his black Jeep Wrangler and they tore out of the lot, wheels spinning, dust powdering the air, driving hell-for-leather back to safe territory.
“You’re bleeding,” Kate finally said, which wasn’t exactly a surprise.
He flicked her a sideways glance. “Yeah, that can happen when half a dozen sleezeballs are trying to beat the crap out of you.”
“You were...you were amazing.”
Some of his temper eased. She had a way of powering him down. Besides, what happened wasn’t her fault. Well, not exactly. Hell, she was the hottest, sexiest hooker he’d ever seen. He’d wanted to drag her out of there himself, do exactly what the badass wanted to do to her.
“You okay?” he asked. She was shaking, a red mark on her cheek. So no, not okay.
Kate took a deep breath. “More or less. Bran showed up at just the right time. How did he know we’d be there?”
“I talked to him this afternoon, told him about your sister, mentioned we were going to Mean Jack’s.” His gaze sliced to hers. “He thought it was a bad idea.”
Kate glanced away, a guilty flush creeping into her pretty face, making the red mark stand out and pissing him off all over again. “I...um...didn’t see him, and then he was just...there.”
Jase powered himself back down. “He was probably already inside when we got there. Bran has a way of making himself invisible.”
“So you guys are friends?”
“That’s right. Bran’s a bodyguard, former special ops. We look out for each other.”
Kate glanced behind them, saw the Jeep’s headlights following the Yukon. “Where are we going?”
“My place. I need to get cleaned up.”
She flinched. “I’m... I’m really sorry you got hurt.”
He wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. “Yeah...we’ll have to find a way for you to make it up to me.”
When her eyes widened, he almost smiled. Kate fell silent and stayed that way till they got to his town house in the historic district, downtown on Marilla.
He pulled into his garage while Bran drove up out front. Jase went around to Kate’s side of the vehicle, and they went into the town house through the door into the kitchen.
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll introduce you to your savior.”
Kate stopped him with a hand on his chest. “Youwere my savior in there, Jason.” She went up on her toes and kissed him gently on the mouth, being careful not to hurt his swollen lip.
Hunger roared through him, sank into his groin. Jase reached for her, but Kate backed away before he could pull her into his arms and kiss her the way he’d wanted to since she’d left him that night at the Sagebrush Saloon.
The doorbell chimed.Saved by the bell. For the second time that night, Bran had come to his rescue. Jase crossed the living room and pulled open the door.
CHAPTER NINE
The kitchen in Jase’s three-story town house was modern and surprisingly clean for a guy, Kate thought, no dirty dishes in the sink, no trash that needed to be taken to the garbage. But Jase had been in the military, she reasoned, and the lessons he’d learned had apparently stuck.
The living room was a nice surprise too, beige carpet, navy blue sofa accented with beige and navy throw pillows and armchairs upholstered in a navy-based plaid. The coffee and end tables were pine, and an antique pine sideboard sat against one wall, everything well put together.
Unease slipped through her. She wondered who had helped him with the décor, wondered, as she hadn’t before, about the women in his life. She had never really considered he might be married. Hawk Maddox didn’t look like a marrying kind of guy.
“Kate, meet Brandon Garrett,” Jase said as she walked up to the two men. “Bran, this is Kate Gallagher.”
She thought of her outrageous hair and makeup, spike heels and bulging cleavage, and felt the heat creeping into her face. “Nice meeting you, Bran. I don’t... I don’t usually dress like this. We were trying to...um...get information...”
