“Sure. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He waited for Madden to slip into his own office across the hall before shutting down his computer and gathering his things. He flipped off the light and hurried through the empty lobby—the receptionist desk long abandoned for the day and sitting area nice and neat—then headed out the front door.
Main Street was quiet this time of night. Bright bistro lights zigzagged above the street and competed with the starry sky for attention. Lit lampposts chased the shadows from the empty sidewalks. Shops and restaurants had closed, sending citizens off to their homes. Even the horde of tourists in town for the rodeo had found somewhere else to pass the rest of their night.
Hope beat inside him with every step that at least one business remained open. Tilly’s Bar and Grill was the only place in town to grab an ice-cold beer and a good meal past nine.
And the only place to find Eve Tilly, the beautiful owner who could make him laugh no matter how sour his mood.
Although he enjoyed the breeze, he quickened his pace. Odds were that Eve had closed for the night, but if he caught her before she left, he might persuade her to let him in for a drink. If he was being honest with himself, he could get a cold drink at home. What he really needed was a few minutes with Eve to loosen the rest of the tension coiled in his gut.
As the golden letters etched into the glass of the front window of Tilly’s came into view, a shrill scream sent his pulse into a gallop. He sprinted toward the front door, yanked it open and red-hot anger pounded against his temples.
A tall man wearing a faded jean jacket and worn brown cowboy hat towered above Eve. He used his body to pin her against the bar. His long, scraggly beard hid his facial features, but there was no disguising his intent as he gripped her wrist in one hand while the other clamped over her mouth. He struggled to press his lips to her neck.
Eve clawed at the man’s face with her free hand.
“Get the hell away from her.” Reid stormed across the room and yanked the man away from Eve.
Eve’s hazel eyes flew wide. She lunged to the side, but the man kept a firm grip on her wrist. He spun around, holding Eve to his chest, and grabbed the dirty knife off the plate from the bar. “Don’t make me hurt her.”
Reid stopped and balled his hands at his side. Every instinct screamed to slam his fist in the asshole’s face, but he couldn’t risk injuring Eve. “Let her go.”
The man clicked his tongue. “You think I’ll give up that easily?”
Aiming for a calmness he didn’t feel, Reid shrugged. He focused on the man. If he stared too long at the fear in Eve’s face, he’d crumble. “Don’t see how you have many options.”
The man grinned, showing off crooked teeth. “I’m going to walk with the lady to the door, and you aren’t going to do anything stupid.”
Reid swallowed his rage and watched the man maneuver toward the exit, Eve trapped against him. Reid took small steps, keeping the two of them within reach. His heart beat a frantic rhythm in his chest as his brain went into overdrive to think of a way to get Eve away.
With his back to the door, the man’s grin grew. “So long.”
Eve firmed her mouth and jabbed her elbow into the man’s gut.
Grunting, her captor bent at the waist, and his hand slipped from hers.
Reid sprinted forward, the need to spill the other man’s blood like fuel in his veins.
The man reached for Eve’s hair, his long fingers snaking through the auburn strands. He jerked her head back before shoving her in Reid’s path.
Reid caught her seconds before she fell on the floor and the man ran out of the bar.
Chapter 2
Eve’s body trembled, and she held tight to Reid. His strong arms wrapped around her, securing her. Saving her. Protecting her.
“You’re all right. I’ve got you.” Reid spoke softly, as if raising his voice above a whisper would be too frightening.
But nothing could be more frightening than being attacked. She didn’t even want to imagine what would have happened if Reid hadn’t appeared. How far things would have gone.
Wanting to escape from the ugliness clawing at her psyche, she buried her head in the crook of Reid’s neck and closed her eyes. The scent of his cologne—a mixture of pine and leather—surrounded her, comforted her. She should tell him to go after her attacker, but she couldn’t stand the thought of being left alone.
She gave herself a few more seconds to fall apart before pulling herself back together. “We need to call the police.”
Reid grabbed his phone and scooted out a chair from the nearby table. “Take a seat. I’ll make the call. Do you want any water or anything?”
“Maybe a shot of whiskey,” she said on a short, humorless laugh.
