by Cynthia Eden
Only instead of helping him, that dick Rick whirled away. “Stay with him,” he barked to the guys around him. And damn if that asshole didn’t rush toward the cabin, too.
“No!” Bran thundered. “I need her!” I need her! “Get me the hell out of here so I can help her!”
Rick didn’t even look back.
“Don’t worry,” one of the shadowy figures who’d been left with Bran said quietly. “He’s a former firefighter just like Julia. If they can’t handle this, no one can.”
Former firefighter just like Julia. Bran shook his head. Julia was a PR specialist. She handled social media. She wasn’t a firefighter. She didn’t belong in the flames. “Get me the hell out of this vehicle. Now.”
But they didn’t.
Those sonsofbitches just stood there…until they heard the wail of a siren.
The sheriff’s car roared onto the scene, followed by a deputy. Still no sign of a freaking fire truck, but Bran would take what he could get. As soon as Gideon leapt out of his patrol car, Bran bellowed, “Gideon! Over here! Get your ass over here!”
Gideon ran toward him with his gun drawn. He slowed when he saw the group of men around Bran’s SUV. “Who the hell are you people?”
That was exactly what Bran would like to know. But instead of answering, the men backed away, putting their hands up, as Gideon approached.
Screw them. “I’m cuffed,” Bran snapped. “Tell me you have something to get me loose.”
Gideon craned to look inside the SUV as his deputies hurried to join the party. Gideon cursed when he saw Bran’s wrist. “Yeah, yeah, I can get you out. Got bolt cutters in my trunk.”
***
She was getting them both out. The flames were all she could hear, the loud crackle drowning out everything else as she hauled Cole toward the rear door. She barely breathed as the smoke burned her eyes and nose, yet she kept hauling him back. Not stopping. Not thinking. Moving by desperate instinct. Then she got to the cabin’s rear door. She let Cole go just long enough to wrench it open. Opening that door would send more oxygen pouring toward the fire, but they’d be out. They’d be safe. She clutched the quilt in her fists and hauled him over the threshold. She hauled so hard that her body heaved back and she felt herself falling, tumbling even as she held on to Cole—
“I’ve got you.” Hard hands wrapped around her, stopping her fall. She blinked away the tears and smoke and saw Rick.
Big, steady, hard-faced Rick. His hands were shaking as he held her.
Together, they pulled Cole the hell out of there. They rushed from the fire. From the flames that seemed to chase after them. From the fire that was laughing as it crackled and grew. As it tried to destroy everything and everyone, it seemed to call out—
You won’t get away. You think you can leave me? I’ll take you. I’ll watch you burn. Burn, burn…
No, that wasn’t the fire. That was Daniel’s voice. Daniel’s taunt. One that still haunted her mind.
“Cole? Cole, buddy, look at me.” Rick crouched over Cole’s prone body.
Julia sucked in deep, desperate gulps of air. “F-found him at th-the foot of stairs…”
“Looks like someone knocked his fool head open.” Rick shook him. “Cole, look at me.”
Cole let out a rough moan.
“Julia!”
At the shout of her name, her gaze flew around the area. That desperate shout had come from close by. Too close. Police lights swirled at the scene, and she saw Bran running toward her, with Gideon right behind him.
“Thought I left him cuffed,” she whispered, still on her knees beside Cole.
“You did,” Rick muttered. “And, spoiler, someone is pissed.”
Pissed but alive. They were all alive. The fire truck still hadn’t arrived on the scene, and the blaze was everywhere now, eating up the house. Destroying everything in the cabin.
“I know Cole’s got at least a concussion, but I think he’ll be okay,” Rick said. She knew he’d been an EMT back in his firefighting days. “Still want his ass in a hospital.”
Bran ran straight to her and yanked her up into his arms. The handcuff dangled from his right wrist. “What in the hell were you thinking?” His eyes were wild, reflecting the fire as it raged.
Gideon staggered to a stop behind him.
And Rick’s team closed in.
“Easy,” Rick ordered Bran in a low, lethal voice that carried easily over the fire. “Watch yourself, rock star.”
But Bran was only watching her. His hold tightened on her, and the handcuff banged against her skin. “You ran into that fire!”
“Yes.” And she’d do it again.
“Why the hell would you do that? Are you insane?”
Maybe. Some days.
“You could’ve been killed!” He yanked her even closer. “You don’t run into a fire, you don’t—”
“I do.” Or, she did. She’d run into fires for a living until her lover had tried to burn her alive. A shiver chased down her spine. With the heat all around her, she felt ice-cold. “I know fire. I knew I could get Cole out.”
“Yeah.” A grunt from Rick. “She wasn’t going to be DRT. Julia knows her shit. She wouldn’t have gone in if she didn’t think she could get back out.”
She didn’t look over at Rick. Couldn’t. Because the truth was…she’d run in, moving by instinct and blind panic. She’d never even thought about getting out. Her only goal had been to reach Cole. Cole—the new partner that she was supposed to be watching out for. The guy who’d been working like hell to prove that he deserved a second chance at Wilde Securities.
“DRT?” Bran repeated, and it sounded as if he were strangling.
Don’t say it, Rick. Don’t. DRT was old firefighter lingo. No need for—
“Dead right there,” Rick supplied helpfully.
Bran flinched. “No.” One word. Just that. Then he said it again, harder, rougher, “No.”
“What in the hell is going on here?” Gideon thundered.
“A fire,” Rick answered, apparently feeling incredibly helpful. “And considering the head wound Cole is sporting, I’m guessing an assault.”
“Who are you people?” The sheriff’s gaze swept them with hard suspicion.
Julia forced herself to stare at Bran. But before she could even speak, she saw the knowledge fill his eyes. Not like he wouldn’t have figured things out. She’d cuffed the guy, after all. Cuffed him, ran into a fire, and had her whole back-up team swarm so that Bran would be protected.
Bran’s breath choked out. “Julia?”
Finally, finally, a fire truck appeared behind him. One followed by an ambulance.
While the firefighters grabbed for the hose, the EMTs ran for Cole. They had him loaded on a stretcher in moments. And during that time, Bran kept his fierce hold on Julia.
As Cole was rushed away, Rick edged closer. He moved until he was standing right at Julia’s side. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Bran. “You’re gonna want to calm down, rock star.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Bran snarled right back.
“That’s not calming down,” Rick pointed out. He inched even closer to Julia. “Why don’t you get those hands of yours off her?”
Gideon stepped to Bran’s side. The guy’s fingers hovered near his holster. “This is my town. My people. I want to know what is happening here, and I want to know now.”
Pain was like ice around Julia’s heart. The way that Bran was staring at her hurt. So much fury was on his face. And his golden eyes—they kept reflecting the fire. Burning at her with betrayal.
“Hathway hired you,” Bran rasped to Julia.
She managed a nod. No more lies.
“But…not as my assistant.” He let her go. Stepped back.
The cold she felt got worse. “Not as your assistant.” Her voice was so low. She wanted to say it was husky because of the smoke.
Not because she was on the verge of crying. But the way he was staring at her…
> And the way her past was slithering around her, wrapping tighter and tighter like a damn anaconda…
Her body trembled. Instantly, Rick wrapped his arm around her—even as Bran surged forward.
“You need oxygen!” Rick cursed. “Jules, how long were you in there?” Before she could answer, he’d lifted her into his arms and was running with her toward the ambulance. The world swirled around her.
Don’t fucking leave me! Daniel’s voice. Her gaze shot to the cabin. Fully engulfed. The firefighters wouldn’t be able to save the structure. They’d just work at making sure the fire didn’t spread.
Don’t fucking leave me. Daniel’s ghost kept haunting her.
She had left him. She’d left Daniel to the flames because the ceiling had caved in. She could’ve died with the man who’d set that fire. Or she could have gotten out—she’d gotten out when Rick had dragged her ass out.
Rick. One of the few people who knew the truth about her past. He’d been Daniel’s best friend.
An EMT rushed toward her.
“Get her oxygen,” Rick snarled. “Get her everything she needs.” He put her in the back of the ambulance.
An EMT got her some oxygen.
She looked over Rick’s shoulder, only vaguely aware of what was happening with the EMTs. Bran was standing near the open back doors of the ambulance. He’d followed her? He stared at her. His chest heaved, and his hands clenched into fists.
“Rock star, you’re getting your ass home.” Rick put one hammer-like hand on Bran’s chest and shoved him back. “That woman just walked straight into hell, and she’s not dealing with your shit now.” He motioned to his team. “Get him home. Get him secured.”
Bran knocked Rick’s hand away. “I’m not going anywhere. Not without her.”
Her gaze whipped around the interior of the ambulance. Cole was positioned near her. In the bright light, she could see the horrible knot on Cole’s head. He was stretched out, but his eyes were open. He blinked at her. An oxygen mask covered the lower portion of his face. Cole’s hand reached for hers.
Her fingers caught his.
He squeezed.
“He’s going to be okay,” the female EMT told her. “Thank God you got him out.”
The tightness in Julia’s chest eased…until she looked back at Bran. Until she saw the blood dripping from his clenched fingers. Blood coming from—his handcuff? She yanked the mask away from her face and reached out for him. “You’re hurt!”
Bran shook his head. “Get the fucking oxygen.” He grabbed her. Grabbed the mask, but the EMT moved and took over in a blink.
Bran didn’t retreat. He kept glaring down at Julia.
“You get what you need. You get strong.” A muscle jerked along Bran’s jaw. “Then we are going to have this shit out.”
She wasn’t even sure what that meant, but Julia knew it wasn’t something good.
Chapter Thirteen
“Talk.” The one word was a snarl and even as Bran spit it out, he was glaring at the group before him.
Dawn had come. The fire had finally stopped raging. Cole Vincent had been taken away in an ambulance, but not before he’d whispered something to Julia.
Julia.
She still had a streak of ash on her delicate cheekbone. Dark shadows lined her eyes. More ash stained her clothes and even her legs. Because she’d gone into the inferno just wearing shorts, for God’s sake. She sat on the couch in his cabin, but she wasn’t shrinking or huddling or looking even the slightest bit intimidated by him. Her back was ramrod straight, her chin was up, and her hands were flat against the top of her thighs.
Her glasses were gone. He didn’t know where the hell they were. He wasn’t even sure if she’d ever even needed the damn things. He’d given her his sweatshirt so that she wasn’t just wearing that camisole, and it swallowed her. Made her look so small and fragile.
Beside her, Rick sat like some kind of protective and pissed off giant. His face looked even harder than normal. His square jaw was tightly clenched, and his beady eyes glared at Bran.
Gideon had joined the party, too. He paced near the fireplace, casting suspicious glances at Julia and Rick. Rick’s “team” was currently outside. The last time Bran had looked at them, the team had been marching around like caged beasts.
Silence stretched.
It was Rick who finally spoke. “What, exactly, do you want us to talk about?”
Seriously? Bran lunged forward.
Gideon grabbed him and hauled Bran back. “Easy, buddy.” He patted Bran’s shoulder. It was probably supposed to be some kind of reassuring move, but it just made Bran feel even wilder.
Julia could’ve burned. She went in there wearing shorts and a camisole, for shit’s sake. The fire could’ve blazed over her skin.
He sucked in a sharp breath.
Then…then she would have other burn scars on her…scars like the one on her inner forearm.
Something he hadn’t even pieced together until then. “You were burned before,” he snapped.
Rick shrugged. “Back in the day, it’s something that happens to firefighters. I’ve got my share of—”
“Not. Fucking. You.” That guy was about to drive him crazy. Rick was too close to Julia. He knew her too well.
Hadn’t Rick said…yes, yes, he’d said…Would fucking bleed for Julia if she asked.
Bran choked down jealousy.
“Don’t be an ass, Bran,” Julia told him.
His body jerked.
“You don’t need to talk to Rick that way. You don’t need to talk to anyone that way, okay? We were doing our jobs, so back off.”
His blood thundered in his ears. “Sleeping with me was part of your job?”
He shouldn’t have said that. He knew it. Hated it even as the angry words tore from him. A wound was bleeding inside of him. Bleeding rage and pain because someone else had lied to him. Someone else had betrayed him. But, no, it wasn’t just someone. It was her. He’d thought she was different. She’d seemed so different. Like someone he could trust. Like someone he could love.
Love.
No, no, no!
Rick erupted off the couch. The grizzly bear lunged to his feet and came at Bran in a lightning-fast move. Considering the guy’s massive size, Bran hadn’t expected Rick to move that fast. Rick’s fist barreled toward his face.
“Stop.” Julia’s voice. Low and quiet. Sad?
Rick froze. His fist hovered in the air.
“Our job is to protect him, Rick. Not break that million-dollar face of his.” She was still on the couch. Still sitting with her perfect posture and staring at him with expressionless eyes and a doll’s face.
Bran forced a cold smile for her. “You called off your attack dog, huh? That what he is? The beast you keep on a leash?”
Rick smiled back at him. He showed a whole lot of teeth. “One day,” Rick promised, voice low and only carrying to Bran, “we’re going to be alone, and I will kick your ass.”
Or I will kick yours. The jealousy was eating him alive.
“Rick isn’t a beast. He’s my best friend, and you need to drop the dick routine.” She rose to her feet. Julia slowly headed toward him and never broke eye contact. “Because that’s not who you are.”
Rick’s hand dropped. Behind Julia’s back, he mouthed, You are a dick. And I will kick your ass soon.
Bran ignored him and focused on Julia. “You have no idea who I am.” His hand lifted toward her.
She flinched. Flinched? That move cut right through him. And he realized that—shit, yes, he was out of control. He was attacking on instinct, saying things that he wouldn’t be able to take back. But when he’d lifted his hand just then…had she thought he was going to hit her? Never. And he’d destroy anyone who put a hand on her. With trembling fingers, he wiped away the ash on her cheek. His fingers lingered against her skin. “You don’t know me,” he told her, hating that truth. “And I don’t know you.”
He’d thought he was getting t
o know her. That he’d found someone special. Now he felt like a knife had been shoved into his ribs.
Someone else who gave me lies. Someone else who told me what I wanted to hear. His laugh was bitter. “Did Hathway instruct you on how to work me? Did he tell you the things to say? How to manipulate me?”
She stared at him. “You’re in danger.”
She was in danger. Didn’t Julia get that? “I wasn’t the one running into the burning house.” He wanted to grab her and pull her close. Hold her tight. Make sure her skin was unmarred. Make sure she never risked herself like that again.
But…
“That’s your deal?” Bran cleared his throat. “You’re…like, a bodyguard?” He’d called Hathway while she was in the back of the ambulance. Chewed his manager’s ass out. Hathway had been sputtering and stumbling, but Bran had gotten that the guy had gone to some place called Wilde Securities. That he’d hired an undercover bodyguard for Bran.
That bodyguard was Julia. Beautiful, seemingly fragile Julia.
He was so screwed.
Because even knowing the truth, even knowing that she’d been lying to him ever since he’d opened the door to her, one devastating fact remained.
I still want her. Just as much.
“That’s my deal,” she confirmed in her husky voice. “I’m a bodyguard or something.”
A sigh came from behind Bran as Gideon shuffled closer. “That would explain how you knocked me on my ass so easily the other night.”
“She knocks a lot of people on their asses,” Rick rumbled. “Part of her charm.”
Bran couldn’t look away from her. “Cole Vincent…he’s your partner?”
“On this case, yes. He was watching from a distance, playing back-up if I needed him. But someone must have found out who he really was. When we were in that ambulance, Cole told me that he was attacked. Someone tried to kill him. The same someone that I believe is after you.” Her tongue slid across her lower lip. “The danger around you is escalating. You need me now more than ever.”
“I told you, I didn’t want anyone being put at risk because of me.” Especially not her. Not ever her. “You can’t be hurt.”