“Fuck you. I don’t need no fuckin’ hospital.”
Cain stepped in front of him, one of his scarred hands unconsciously fisting. “Keep talking and you will.”
Gerry put a hand on Cain’s shoulder. “We got this. But we’re going to need a statement from you and Jenny.”
“Tomorrow,” Cain said. “Jenny’s had enough for tonight.”
“It’s all right, Gerry,” Jenny said. “I’m okay. Just tell me what you need.”
Gerry cast a long, disgusted look at Ryder. “We can do it tomorrow. Like Mr. Barrett said, you’ve had enough for tonight.”
Cain relaxed. “It’s just Cain. We’ll see you at the station in the morning. I’ll call, let you know what time we’ll be there.”
The EMTs strode through the door just then, spotted Ryder, and hurried toward him. He was swearing, calling them filthy names. He loudly declined any help. The EMTs verified he was okay as far as they could tell without taking him in, and the officers hoisted him to his feet.
“We’ll see you two in the morning,” Gerry said, as the police hauled the biker out through the ruined door. After the shuffle of feet and Ryder’s cursing disappeared down the hall, silence fell.
“I can’t thank you enough for what you did,” Jenny finally said.
“You work for me now. I take care of my people.”
The words were like a wake-up call, putting things back in perspective. She was just an employee, nothing more. She had to remember that. “Nothing like this has ever happened here before. Whatever the reason, I’m glad you came.”
Cain nodded. “Get dressed, grab your overnight bag, and let’s get out of here.”
“What?”
He glanced at the shattered door. “You can’t stay here. Troy says the rooms are all full. You can stay over at the Grandview.”
She started shaking her head. “I’ll just drive down the mountain to my house.”
“The storm outside is blowing like a bitch, and after what happened, you’re in no shape to drive.”
That much was true. Every time she thought of the attack, about how bad it could have been if Cain hadn’t arrived when he did, she started shaking again.
“I’ll sleep on the sofa in my suite,” Cain added. “You can have the bedroom.”
The thought of sleeping in Cain Barrett’s bed was enough to make hot color wash into her cheeks.
He must have noticed. Amusement touched his lips. “You don’t have to worry. Ryder’s in jail, and I’m nothing like him.”
She managed to keep her eyes on his face. Nope, Cain Barrett couldn’t be more different. “It isn’t that. I just . . . I don’t want you to have to give up your bed.”
“I can handle a night on the sofa. You’re going to be working for me, and as I said before, I take care of my people. Get dressed and let’s go.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
IT HAD TAKENCAIN YEARS TO PERFECT THE KIND OF SELF-CONTROL IThad taken not to wrap his hands around the biker’s thick neck and squeeze the life out of him. The thought of what Ryder planned to do to Jenny had sent him into a blinding rage.
Even in his bad-boy days, he’d been protective of women. Maybe it was something his grandmother had instilled in him, or maybe it was just part of his DNA. Whatever the reason, he felt even more protective when it came to Jenny Spencer. She was a foot shorter than Cain, a foot shorter and nearly a hundred pounds lighter than the bastard who had tried to rape her.
His stomach burned to think of it.
“Stay here,” he said to her, as they reached the bottom of the stairs in the Copper Star lobby. Cain went to the door leading into the saloon to check on Ryder’s buddies, see if they were still in there. The bar was about half full, but there was no sign of the men.
He looked out the front door to see if their bikes were still parked along the street, but the arrival of the police must have been enough to send them on the run. Cain was no fool. Even with Ryder gone, four to one wasn’t good odds.
He kept a close eye on the shadows and the doorways of closed-up businesses as he led Jenny down the sidewalk to the Jag. Spotting no sign of trouble, he took the overnight bag she had been carrying so he could keep his hands free, clicked the locks, and opened the passenger door.
