Blaze (The Protectors Series) Book #10

by Teresa Gabelman

  “Make sure you see me in a week,” Slade warned Katrina.

  “She will,” Blaze answered for her.

  “You okay, Katrina?” Steve’s brow furrowed in concern.

  “I’m fine, thanks.” Katrina looked uneasy at Steve’s question.

  Blaze glared at Steve with a low growl.

  “You need to see me?” Slade broke in before Blaze could say anything.

  “Ah, yeah.” Steve rushed toward the door, staying as far away from Blaze as he could. “Seems I have another bad cause of diarrhea of the mouth and I got this itch….”

  Blaze watched Katrina grin as Steve disappeared into Slade’s office, but as soon as she looked up at him, her grin disappeared.

  “She check out?” Blaze asked Slade, his eyes still on Katrina.

  Before Slade could answer, Katrina spoke. “Yeah, she checked out.” Katrina huffed. “I’m right here and can answer for myself. Plus, I don’t see how it’s any of your business, or does patient-doctor confidentiality not mean anything with the VC Warriors?”

  Blaze was actually at a loss for words. Katrina rarely raised her voice and she definitely didn’t give many people shit, but she’d given him and Slade a piece of her mind. He liked it, a lot.

  “Fine,” she said with a growl, then started to walk away. “Go ahead and tell him everything, not that I have a say in the matter.”

  Blaze watched her turn the corner before turning to Slade, who was grinning. “Going to have your hands full.”

  “Apparently so.” Blaze smirked. “Seriously, is she okay?”

  “As far as I can tell.” Slade did turn serious. “I can’t find anything wrong with her other than the human traits that are still present. We may never know the reason, but with those human traits, she can also age like a human, die like a human.”

  Blaze had already thought that. “You will do everything you can to—”

  “I’m on it, Blaze,” Slade assured him. “I’ll do everything I can for her. I’m also going to Sloan with this. If she’s like this, chances are so are the Iron Drakes who were changed with the same serum. They’ll be easy to kill and they probably don’t realize that yet, which is to our advantage.”

  All Blaze could do was nod because hearing that Katrina could be easily killed put things in perspective. In other words, shit just got real.

  ******

  Saying these Warriors were overbearing was a total understatement. After today, she had no idea if she was going to be able to work with Tessa or not. She needed a job. Tessa had told her she could use extra help at the bar, which would be perfect. Pam and Duncan had offered her money for watching Daniel, yet she would never take anything from them for watching that cutie.

  She was tired of being bored to tears when she didn’t have training. Even working weekends would give her enough money to get what she needed, which wasn’t much. The money Blaze gave her and that she won at poker was not hers, and she wouldn’t spend a dime of it.

  Speaking of Daniel…. “Trina!” Daniel shouted and ran toward her with Sager following at his heels. He either had a hard time getting the Ka sound in front of her name, or he just wanted to call her Trina, but she didn’t care. This kid could call her anything he wanted.

  “And what are you doing, young man?” Katrina made a big showing of trying to pick him up. “Wow, what have you been eating? I can hardly pick you up.”

  “I eat like my daddy,” he said proudly, puffing his little chest out. “Will you play with me?”

  “Well, I don’t know….” Katrina pretended to think long and hard.

  “Please… please… pllllleeeeaaassseee.” Daniel clasped his hands in front of him.

  Katrina saw Duncan watching them from up the hall and smiled before looking back down at Daniel. “I guess if I have to.” Katrina sighed, then laughed when Daniel screamed in glee.

  “Dad, she said she would.”

  “So she did.” Duncan laughed. “You sure? I just have something to take care of. It shouldn’t take me long at all.”

  “No problem,” Katrina replied, letting the wiggling bundle of boy down. “Nothing I’d rather do.”

  “I’m gonna get my guitar.” Daniel ran up the stairs, then ran back down. “Don’t leave, Dad.”

  Katrina laughed, watching his antics as he once again headed up the stairs. He was a normal four- going on five-year-old, full of energy, he was very smart and knew things that for a young boy were amazing.

  “How you doing, Katrina?” Duncan looked down at her, his eyes missing nothing.

  “I’m okay,” Katrina replied with a nod. Out of all the Warriors, Duncan was the one she was most comfortable with. She’d spent so much time with Daniel since she’d been there, that Pam and Duncan had really welcomed her into this tight group.

  Duncan’s stare stated he clearly didn’t believe her. She was glad that Daniel was fast because he was coming down the stairs with his little guitar and Jax following him with his.

  “Looks like you’ll be needing this.” Jax grinned at her as he handed her his guitar. “Little guy here knocked on my door saying you’re giving him lessons today.”

  Taking the guitar, Katrina grinned. “Is that what we’re doing?”

  “Yep!” Daniel grinned back then headed into the game room. “Come on, Trina.”

  “Sorry,” Duncan said to both of them with a laugh. “Once his mind is made up, there’s no changing it, much like his mother.”

  Jax nodded but didn’t smile. Katrina noticed, and she knew Duncan did also.

  “How’s Caroline?” Duncan asked the question Katrina wanted to.

  Jax ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “Getting worse.” He glanced quickly at Katrina, then away. “Something needs to be done before I go off on the fucker.”

  “I’ll talk to him,” Duncan replied with a sigh.

  “Well somebody better, because I’m not going to watch her suffer much longer.” Jax turned to head back upstairs. “If it comes down to choosing between him and her, the bastard dies.”

  Katrina’s and Duncan’s eyes met, but neither said a word.

  “Trina, come on!” Daniel’s voice carried out to them.

  “Daniel, watch your manners.” Duncan’s tone wasn’t harsh, yet Daniel understood he was pushing it.

  “Sorry,” Daniel called. “Trina, pleeease come on!”

  A huge grin broke over Duncan’s face as he rolled his eyes. Katrina slapped her hand over her mouth so Daniel didn’t hear her laughter.

  “I do what I can.” Duncan chuckled with a shake of his head. “I’ll be back soon. If you need me, just call. Pam may be back before me, but I’m not sure.”

  “No worries.” Katrina held the guitar close. “We’ll find some trouble to get into, I’m sure.”

  “That I have no doubt.” Duncan left, still grinning.

  “Come on, Trina.” Daniel patted the floor with his hand. “See what I can do.”

  Katrina sat next to him on the floor. Sager lay between them, his eyes closed but ears alert. When he started to play, Katrina’s brows lifted in amazement. He was a little clumsy with the chords, but holy crap, the kid soaked things up like a sponge. It wasn’t perfect, but everything she’d taught him a week ago, he had down.

  “Daniel, that is awesome,” Katrina praised, truly stunned.

  “I know.” Daniel nodded at her with a seriousness that reminded her of a Warrior. Poor Pam; this little one was going to be a handful.

  As they sat together, Katrina found herself relaxing, forgetting everything that was wrong in her life and enjoying the little boy’s company. How refreshing it was to live through someone so young, if only for an hour.

  “Play that song.” Daniel watched her hands as she strummed.

  “‘That’s What’s Up’?” Katrina asked, and grinned when he nodded. “You remember the words?”

  “Yep.” Daniel put his guitar down. “But I don’t want to play. You play and I’ll sing with you.”

  W
hen she had tried to find a song safe to teach him, “That’s What’s Up” by Lennon and Maisy had seemed perfect. It was a cute song that was easy to learn both the words and guitar. Daniel loved the song and learned it quickly, as he did everything.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to play?”

  “I don’t want to mess it up.” Daniel frowned, touching the guitar.

  She knew he wanted to play, but the little perfectionist didn’t want to ruin it. He was far too stinkin’ cute. “Daniel, we all mess up. I’ll probably mess up, but that’s part of learning something new.”

  “Really?” Daniel slowly picked his guitar back up. “So it’s okay if I get it wrong?”

  “Is it okay if I get it wrong?” Katrina asked him the same question.

  “Sure.” He grinned excitedly. “But I’ll try not to, okay.”

  “Me too.” Katrina laughed and then started the song with Daniel following. He messed up right away so Katrina made sure she did the same.

  “See.” Katrina stopped playing. “We both messed up, so let’s start again.”

  Finally they got it together and began to sing and play. She was stunned by this boy. She knew he was special in terms of his abilities. For his age he was well advanced; seriously, what kid at almost five could play the guitar, remember words to a song, and play with ease? He was a complete joy.

  As she always did while playing, Katrina got lost in the music, and once she was finished, she noticed that Daniel was no longer playing or singing, but had a huge grin on his face.

  “You have a pretty voice,” he said, then looked behind her. “Doesn’t she?”

  Confused, Katrina glanced over her shoulder to see they had an audience, and Blaze was among them. Embarrassed, Katrina turned back and leaned over toward Daniel. “Why didn’t you tell me they were there?”

  Daniel shrugged with the innocence of youth and stood. “Because the song wasn’t done.”

  Katrina’s eyes opened wide at his answer. Then she chuckled. He had a point. She stood with him, careful with Jax’s guitar.

  “Not only are you going to be waitressing, you’ll be singing at the bar.” Tessa clapped her hands. “That was amazing, Katrina.”

  “I don’t sing in front of people.” Katrina’s stomach revolted at the thought. Singing in front of people brought back too many bad memories.

  “Bar?” Blaze broke into their conversation.

  “Yeah, she’s working with me at the bar on the weekends starting tomorrow night,” Tessa said, excited, then walked out of Jared’s arms toward Katrina, ignoring Blaze’s growl.

  Katrina wished she could ignore Blaze as easily as Tessa had, but from their conversation earlier, she knew this was going to be a battle she would probably lose. Yet she planned on fighting him on this. She wanted this job, needed it. With one last look, she saw Jared laughing after saying something to Blaze. All Blaze could do was glare at her, looking even angrier. It was becoming the norm.

  Chapter 18

  After Blaze had left Slade’s office, he headed toward Sloan’s. He had shit to do and needed to focus on his work. The faster he could make sure Katrina was safe, the faster he could sort out his feelings for her. He didn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground at the moment, and it pissed him off.

  Warriors had a protective instinct that went deep. How was he not sure that his feelings for the redheaded temptress weren’t just that? Yeah, that was what he kept telling himself. Jesus, he was losing his mind because right now he heard her voice in his head.

  The closer he got to the center of the compound, the clearer her voice became, and he realized it wasn’t in his head, but coming from the game room. Jared, Tessa, and Adam stood looking in. Blaze knew exactly what they were looking at.

  He stopped beside Adam and spotted Daniel and Katrina sitting on the floor, both singing and playing guitar. Noticing they were being watched, Daniel stopped playing and just listened to Katrina, who had her back turned toward them. Her voice washed over him and certain notes that she hit actually gave him chills. What kind of fucking pussy was he turning into?

  As if her voice had put a spell on him, it took him a moment to realize she had stopped singing and was now looking directly at him.

  When Tessa started discussing Katrina working for her, anger churned in his gut. She wouldn’t be safe working in a fucking bar. He’d growled his disapproval but was ignored by both women.

  “And you agreed to this?” Blaze glared at Jared, who held up his hands.

  “Just found out about it, bro,” Jared responded.

  Tessa heard and turned. “What’s the big deal?” She frowned, looking at them both. “She needs a job and I offered her one.”

  “Babe, we need to tighten up security some.” Jared tiptoed around the issue.

  “Pussy,” Blaze sneered at him.

  “Shut the fuck up, man,” Jared shot back.

  “The big deal is a very ruthless gang is after her and don’t care who gets in the way,” Blaze stated, being careful of what he said with Daniel still in the room. “And I believe that all of us are in danger and should be careful until the situation is taken care of. If your mate doesn’t agree and lets you go to work, then he’s an idiot.”

  Jared also looked toward Daniel, but Adam had taken him to the pool table, though Adam was still very much aware of the conversation.

  “Listen, motherfucker, don’t ever insinuate that I don’t care for my mate.” Jared had stepped up to Blaze, their faces inches apart. “She is never there alone during her work schedule, so fuck you.”

  “Hey.” Tessa stepped between them. “My man takes care of me, so don’t you worry about that, fire man.”

  Blaze had always liked Tessa; she said what she thought. He actually grinned at her. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “That’s better. I like it when you Warriors play nice.” Tessa patted them both on the arm. “So now about Katrina. She needs a job. A trainee’s pay is nonexistent.”

  “Everything she needs is provided to her,” Blaze argued, but should have known better.

  “Oh, I’ve seen what the VC provides their trainees, which by the way are almost all men.” Tessa snorted in disgust. “Male deodorant, jock strap, socks, men’s underwear, and a one-size pair of sweatpants and T-shirt. Not to mention the smelly soap and shampoo in a tiny bottle. Seriously, look at her hair. You think that little bottle would last her any time?”

  Blaze looked at Katrina, who stood staring at him with hope in her eyes. He’d never even considered what Tessa was saying and felt like shit for it. He knew they got a bag of supplies, but never realized what was in it because he never looked. Just tossed it their way to keep in their lockers. All trainees stayed off the property until becoming Warriors, and even then, some remained off property, but close enough that if called upon they could be there in seconds.

  “You have money. I gave you money for the poker game, over a thousand plus what you won,” Blaze reminded her. “Use that for whatever you need.”

  “That’s not my money. I didn’t earn it,” Katrina replied with a shake of her head.

  “Yes, you did earn it,” he answered, before realizing by the look on her face she thought he meant something entirely different.

  Before Blaze could respond, Jared spoke up. “Someone will be there during their work times. If not me, I always make sure someone will be. Nothing to worry about.” Jared took Tessa’s hand. “Plus, you got the trainees so damn busy, it will only be on the weekends. Chill, I got it.”

  Blaze still frowned, not feeling any better. Once Tessa and Jared left, he gazed down at Katrina. When she tried to walk past him, he stopped her. “I meant you earned that money playing poker, nothing else.”

  “Oh.” Her face softened slightly.

  “I know your past has been shit, Katrina.” Blaze let his grip on her arm loosen. “But know I respect you and meant nothing else by my comment.”

  “Thank you.” Katrina’s eyes filled, but he watched her fight it and
blink the blood tears away. “But that’s your money, not mine.”

  “What difference does it make, Katrina?” Blaze growled, attempting to keep his frustration minimal.

  “If you have to ask me that, then you don’t know me at all.” Katrina’s voice sounded so sad he wanted to reach out and comfort her; instead, anger burned his chest.

  “I know you better than most.”

  Her eyes widened at the whispered innuendo.

  “And that’s obviously going to change,” she shot back, her eyes now narrowed.

  He pulled her close, his head lowered so only she could hear his words. “Don’t bet your sweet ass on that.”

  ******

  Katrina didn’t know how to respond so kept her mouth shut. He confused her to the point she wanted to scream. Most of the time she was quick with her wit and could match words with anyone, but not with Blaze, never Blaze. It was unsettling.

  “Come on, Daniel.” Katrina turned away from Blaze for safer territory. “Let’s get Jax’s guitar back to him.”

  “Okay!” Daniel ran toward her, then did a one-eighty to grab his guitar. “Come on, Sager.”

  Sager stood and followed Daniel without hesitation. Katrina knew she had lost her dog. Actually, Sager had never really been hers. Katrina was happy that he and Daniel had found a special friendship, though.

  “Hey, Blaze.” Daniel stopped in front of the huge Warrior and looked up. He lifted his fist to Blaze, who bumped the little hand with his larger one.

  “What’s up, little man?” Blaze knelt in front of Daniel to be on his level.

  “Just, you know, playing guitar and stuff,” Daniel said, again sounding so like the Warriors, all cool and collected.

  “You did a pretty good job,” Blaze acknowledged with a grin.

  “Yeah, I know,” Daniel said in all seriousness. “Trina taught me.”

  “She’s pretty good too.” Blaze nodded, then started to stand, but Daniel stopped him.

  “She’s the best,” Daniel said, his eyes swirling with color. He didn’t have the eyes of a half-breed or a full blood. They were a deep blue that seemed to now swirl with light. “And if you don’t face your past, you will lose her forever. Talk to Caroline before it’s too late.”