Challenging the Center (Santa Fe Bobcats #6)(33)

“No. Now where are we going?”

She gave him the name of a gym, and he grimaced. “Not the greatest part of town.” Thank God he’d come with her.

“Well, I’ll carry a tire iron with me next time,” she retorted, then waited while he pulled out. “I’m meeting him there in twenty minutes. Can we get there by then?”

“Sure.” If he hauled ass, which he would. “Where’d you find this guy anyway?”

“Recommendation.”

“That’s vague.”

She just smiled and stayed silent for the duration of the ride.

Michael pulled the SUV into the parking lot and waited a beat before turning the engine off. “You want me to come in with you?”

Kat stared at him, mouth open. “I… don’t even know what to say about that.”

“I’m coming in.” He turned the car off, then looked around the neighborhood. Not the best. “Yeah, coming in.”

Kat rolled her eyes and got out of the car, providing him with a nice view of her tight ass before shutting the door. He followed her in, promising himself he would stay out of it. Promising he wouldn’t worry.

There was no reception desk, no fancy station for towels and ice water with floating cucumber slices. No assistants or trainers wearing coordinated tank tops there to greet them at the door. It was just a dark place full of sweat and steel and flesh and loud rap cutting through the clang of metal on metal.

“Little different than your sanitary weight room, isn’t it, Manny?” Kat asked with a grin. She started looking around as if trying to find someone.

“Whatever. I’ve worked out in places like this.” Not recently, but she didn’t need to know that. And he wasn’t intimidated, for f*ck’s sake. He just didn’t think this was the right place for her. “Who are we looking for so we can meet them and go?”

“Calm down, Tarzan.” She patted his chest without looking at him. That touch was electrifying to his senses. He wanted to grab that soft hand and pull her back to the car, drive back to their place, and hold her hostage for a week.

Their place? No, the apartment building. Simple mistake.

A man walked by, his T-shirt dripping with sweat, giving Kat a good, long once-over before continuing on across the floor, plopping his jug of water down beside the machine he sat on.

“Okay, so clearly the natives are not welcoming,” Kat muttered, then took a deep breath. Before he could ask what she meant, she marched over to the man who had just passed by. Michael started to grab her hand and pull her back, but she was already out of reach.

“Hey there.” With a sunny smile, Kat paused by the man’s machine. He looked at her like he might look at a gnat flying around his ear. Annoying and likely expendable. “You wouldn’t happen to know where I could find a De’Shawn Martin, would you?”

Martin? Michael blinked, then the wheels started grinding. So that’s where the recommendation came from.

The man who had given her a long look gave her one more. Michael stepped up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. Mine.

With a roll of his shoulders, the man nodded his head toward the back.

“Thanks!” Kat said just as cheerfully, despite having almost no cooperation from the other man. Michael bit back a groan as she continued to make her way through the machines toward the back where two men were talking.

The resemblance was uncanny. If he hadn’t already heard the last name, Michael still would have pegged De’Shawn for Caleb’s brother. Caleb, the Bobcats’ strength and conditioning coach. Caleb, who would have given Kat a recommendation and would have kept business in the family.

“De’Shawn?” Kat asked of both men, because she didn’t see the resemblance yet. She also barely knew Caleb, so that wasn’t a surprise.

The man on the right, a lean black man with a shaved head and a sleeve tattoo down his left arm, stepped forward. “Yeah?”

“Hi. Kat Kelly.” She held out a hand to shake, which De’Shawn did easily. “Your brother recommended you. I don’t know if he had a chance to call yet, but—”

“He called.” De’Shawn, clearly younger than his brother, looking about twenty-five to Michael’s guess, gave Michael a quick glance. “Bodyguard?”

Kat laughed. “No, not even close. Manny.” She leaned in and mock-whispered, “I’m under surveillance.”

De’Shawn just cocked a brow, then seemed to write that off as a bad joke. “Right. Aims, I’ll catch you later, all right?” He and the other man performed some complex handshake, and the other man took off. “Let’s step into my office.” De’Shawn led Kat—and by extension, Michael—to the corner of the gym where a few duffle bags sat on the ground. Then he sat straight down on the floor.

Clearly, the office bit was a joke.

After a moment’s hesitation, Kat sat beside him. Michael opted to stand a little to the side, giving them privacy without hovering… much.

“First off… is that going to be a regular thing?” De’Shawn pointed behind him toward Michael.

Kat barely looked. “No, definitely not. I’m serious about training. He drove me because I don’t have a car… yet. I don’t have one yet,” she amended quickly. “New to the area. Getting that taken care of as soon as possible.”