Fast Burn (Body Armor #4)(67)

She wasn’t ready to share with Brand yet. She’d talk to her PI first, see if he knew anything and she’d try to isolate the job Ross had mentioned to her. If he’d worked for Scott, there had to be a record somewhere.

But at this moment, what she really wanted was to be alone with Brand so she could show her appreciation for his caution—and ensure he hadn’t done anything wayward with the woman who’d stuck to his side, a woman, she suspected, assigned by Ross, despite his denials.

What she didn’t want or need was to hear Brand lecture her on unrealistic expectations. She knew everyone assumed Scott was dead.

She’d never believed it, and the text felt like proof that she was right. Who else would both protect her with gunfire, and reassure her with a message?

Peeking around Brand, she said, “If we go now, there’s a group of people between us and the area where the shot probably originated.”

Brand scowled at her. “You’re enjoying this.”

“No,” she promised, trying to bank her jubilation over the text. “It’s just amusing to see how we’ve disconcerted everyone.”

“Fuck,” Brand muttered, then with a quick glance to verify what she’d said, he stood with her and made a direct line to the car, being certain every step of the way to put his body between hers and possible danger, then hoisting her in from the driver’s side and climbing in behind her. “Keep your head down.”

Trying to follow that order wasn’t easy, not in a long dress and heels. Soon as she got in the passenger seat, Sahara reached past Brand with the promised money for the valet’s friend. “You’ll give that to him?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The poor kid barely had time to get his arm out of the car before Brand slammed the door and drove off.

While she stayed ducked down as ordered, Brand sat erect in the driver’s seat. “Aren’t you worried about getting shot?”

“I’m not the one who was kidnapped or assaulted.”

“True.” Once they’d left the lot and gotten on a main street, Sahara slowly, hoping Brand wouldn’t object, straightened in her seat. She smoothed her dress and tidied her hair. “You should know, Ross promised me he wouldn’t hurt me.”

His hands locked on the wheel so tightly tension rippled up his forearms, through his biceps and into his neck and shoulders. “You’re on a fucking first-name basis?”

Her brows rose at his acerbic tone. “I wasn’t nice to him, if that’s what you’re thinking. In fact, I was utterly rude.” She shrugged. “It didn’t bother him. He almost seemed to admire me more for it.” Seeing Brand’s expression darken further, she scowled, too. “Do not say that F word again.”

Brand glared at her. “After all this, you’re offended by a word?”

“It’s unbecoming.” She set her purse on the seat next to her and chafed her arms, chilled now that the adrenaline was wearing off. Her wrap wasn’t sufficient to help. “However, I am offended that you had a groupie crawling all over you.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“I’ll worry if I want to.”

Incredulous, Brand took a corner a little too sharply. “The way your mind works is—”

“Amazing? Thank you. I’m able to compartmentalize. The danger is over now—”

“You don’t know that.”

“—and I’m more than ready to explain to you how much I disliked your treatment.” Even though the Neanderthal approach had been a little thrilling, she couldn’t let it slide.

“No.”

“No?”

“We agreed that at times—especially times like this—I’d be the boss.”

“I thought you meant in bed!”

“That, too, sometimes.”

Her frown intensified.

“Tonight was dangerous, more dangerous than we expected. I did what was necessary and you don’t get to complain about it.”

Stunned by that, she half turned to face him. “That’s bull and you know it! Most of your initial reaction to Ross Moran was jealousy.”

“True.”

She gaped at him. “You admit it?”

“Sure. We’re in a relationship—we agreed on that, too, if you remember—but if it had only been jealousy, I’d have found the bastard and set him straight right then and there. Fact is, I wanted to do that. Bad.” He rolled his shoulders as if trying to loosen the strain. “I put your safety above my personal, very territorial feelings and attempted to get you out of there, away from harm.”

Huh. He’d admitted a lot there. She felt a warm glow expand. Tonight had been weird, but also somewhat magical.

Scott was likely alive and watching out for her, and Brand had just admitted to feeling territorial.

Under his breath, he added, “I didn’t know the prick would follow us out, have the balls to approach you in front of me, to dare to warn me or that someone would take a potshot at him with you standing so close by.”

Scott didn’t take potshots. He was an excellent aim. “I think Ross felt safe because he’d somehow manipulated Douglas into backing him. Having a DA on your side could be pretty good insulation against ramifications.”