“You don’t come near the kid,” Wolf continued.“You don’t even think about them.”
Wolf gave Derek another hard shove.Derek crumpled slightly, coughing.
“Or next time,” Wolf added, “you’ll end up in the dirt.”
The message landed.Derek staggered back, wiping blood from his mouth, his bravado gone.
“Crazy bastard,” he muttered.Luckily, though, Derek was already moving, heading for the door.With Jane tucked against her chest, Jade wasn’t surprised.Derek had always been a coward and, like a coward, he broke into a run.
Wolf slammed the door behind him.Jade remained where she was, rocking Jane, who had finally calmed down.Wolf looked at her a moment, then pulled his cellphone out.He dialed someone.
“Yeah,” he said when the line connected.“Derek Callahan’s back in town.Find him and bring him in before he runs again.It won’t be hard, the bastard’s drunk.”
Chapter Ten
Wolf ended the callwithout another word, then turned fully toward her, his expression softening.
“Are you all right?”he asked.
The question was simple, but the weight behind it wasn’t.Jade realized her hands were still trembling slightly where they held Jane.Her daughter had quieted to soft hiccups against her shoulder, tiny fingers fisted in Jade’s shirt like she was anchoring herself.
“I...”Jade swallowed, forcing her voice steady.“Yeah.We’re okay.”
She wasn’t sure if that was entirely true.
Her pulse was still racing.Her arm still throbbed faintly where Derek had grabbed her.The echo of his voice, his anger, his entitlement, lingered in the air.Still, Jane was safe and Derek was gone.
“That’s what matters,” Jade added more firmly, like she was convincing herself as much as him.
Wolf studied her for a second longer, his gaze flicking over her face, then to Jane, like he was checking for anything she might not have said.
Then he closed the distance between them, slowly and carefully.It was as if he didn’t want to startle her.
Jade didn’t move.When he reached them, he raised his hand.Wolf hesitated just for a fraction of a second before settling gently at the back of Jane’s head, his touch unexpectedly soft as he brushed his thumb lightly against her hair.
Jane sniffled, then stilled, her tiny body relaxing just a little.
