Rules of Protection(64)

Unlike Elvis, Jake was in the building.





Chapter Fourteen

I couldn’t down the three amber-colored shots fast enough.

Ox grimaced. “Shit. The warden’s here.”

Jake strode over, his eyes flicking to each of his friends as disapproval colored his face. “You bought her a drink?” he asked, disbelief rooted strongly in his tone. “Never figured you three for traitors.” Jake gave them a harsh, cold-eyed stare that made my heart pound against my rib cage.

“Glad you could make it,” Cowboy said with an unconcerned smile. “About time you got here.”

“Had some catching up to do,” Jake replied, still looking at me.

I glared over at Cowboy. “You knew he was coming!” It wasn’t a question.

“Are you kidding? Have you met Jake?” Cowboy looked back at Jake. “How’d you get here, anyway?”

“I borrowed Hank’s pickup. I’ll need you to bring the Explorer back tomorrow. I’m driving Emily home in the truck.”

“God, Jake. You’re such a buzzkill.”

“And you’re a sneaky little—”

Cowboy got up, scraping his chair on the floor. “We’ll give you two a few minutes alone.” He motioned to Ox and Judd to follow him toward the bar.

As soon as they left, Jake started in on me. “I can’t believe you lied to me.”

“I told you I wanted to go out. I was honest…ish.”

“Are you hardwired to drive me insane? If so, you’re doing a damn good job of it. I’ve never seen a grown woman act like such a thoughtless, thickheaded, temperamental, tantrum-throwing toddler.”

I could almost admire the alliteration of his words if it hadn’t been meant as an insult. “Jeez, Dr. Seuss, tell me how you really feel.”

Jake gripped the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white. “Why do you have such a lack of commitment to your own safety?”

I sidestepped his question with one of my own. “Why does your concern feel more like control?”

“Because you can’t seem to restrain yourself from giving in to impulses.”

“God, you don’t know how to have fun, do you?”

“Sure I do. I’ll show you how much fun I’m going to have dragging your ass back to the house,” Jake said, pulling me out of my chair. “Come on, we’re leaving.”

I drew back from him. “No. I just got here.”

He tightened his grip on my arm and shook me. “You don’t want to go there. I’ll throw you over my shoulder and force you if I have to.”

A big guy at the table next to us stepped over, sizing Jake up before his eyes settled on me. “Is there a problem?”

The cords in Jake’s neck muscles tightened, but he let go of my arm. Jake was itching for a throwdown and obviously had the urge to punch something. Since I knew he wouldn’t hit me, I worried he’d just found his target.

“No, no problem,” I told the big guy. “Right, Jake?”

Cowboy, Ox, and Judd must’ve been watching from a distance. Suddenly, they stood next to Jake, awaiting the showdown brewing in the air. Or maybe they just wanted to take part in it.

“You need any help getting her out of here?” Cowboy asked, tauntingly eyeing the overgrown man next to me.

“Nope. She’s stubborn, that’s all,” Jake said, making his friends grin, and me roll my eyes.

The big man wasn’t keen on the idea of fighting once he became outnumbered. He backed off and sat in his chair without another word.

“Yeah,” Cowboy said with a triumphant grin. “She does offer a unique set of challenges, doesn’t she?”

Jake closed the physical space between us and wrapped his arm tightly around my waist. With a commanding presence, he tried to maneuver me toward the door.

I planted my feet firmly on the floor. “Jake, if you try to pull me out the door, I’m going to scream. I’ll cause an even bigger scene than I did at Dairy Queen.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Jake said, eyeing me.

I tilted my head to the side, crossed my arms, and lifted my eyebrows, daring him to try me. We glared at each other in silence, both of us trying to will the other to back down. Meanwhile, the other boys talked amongst themselves, though we heard every word.

“Oh hell, they look like two bulls with their horns locked,” Ox said, laughing. “Who do you think will win this round?”

“If I know my boy, Jake’s got this one,” Cowboy said with certainty.

“I don’t know. She’s smooth,” Judd said. “Jake may have finally met his match.”

Jake didn’t care for Judd’s remark. “She’s not smooth…she’s stubborn. There’s a difference. She’s not any worse than a stubborn heifer that doesn’t want to be loaded into a stock trailer, and I’ve dealt with plenty of them. That’s what cattle shockers are for.”

“Twice today you’ve referred to me as a cow,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Once more and I won’t speak to you for a week.”

Jake grinned. “Promises, promises.”

I grinded my teeth together, but thought it would be better to offer a solution. “We’ll compromise. One hour, then I’ll go willingly.”