Page 23 of Keeping Guard

Dalton’s here and won’t leave.

“I have to go,” he said, standing.

“Where?”

He glanced at Jack. “To rescue a damsel in distress.”

“Explain.”

“Later.” He’d told Peyton not to call him unless she was desperate. Until he could get to her and assess the situation, he couldn’t know if she really was in danger, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

Jack stood. “I’m coming with you.”

“Not necessary.” He was perfectly capable of dealing with Dumb Groom.

“Still going. Just let me tell Nichole.”

“Fine. But you have three minutes. Can Lucky stay here?”

“No. Wherever you go, he goes.”

“You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?”

Jack laughed as he jogged down the steps, Dakota chasing after him as he headed to Nichole’s studio. Noah clipped Lucky’s leash to his collar. “Let’s go see your friend.” He wondered what Peyton was going to think when he showed up with both Jack and Lucky.

In his car, he started to call Peyton but paused. Maybe there was a reason she texted instead of calling, like she didn’t want her ex to know she had help coming. He clicked on messages and typed.

On the way. U ok

Locked myself in the bathroom. My elevator code is 4349 Text me when you get to my door.

“In the back seat,” he told Lucky when he saw Jack approaching. On second thought, he wasn’t sure what the situation was. What if he decided he needed to stick around to make sure her ex stayed gone?

“Listen,” he said when Jack opened the passenger door. “I don’t know what the deal is, so why don’t you follow me in case I decide to stay for a while?”

Jack studied him for a moment. “Okay, but you need to tell me what’s going on.”

“When we get there.”

“Where are we going if I lose you?”

“Don’t know the address, but it’s downtown. The building has a mall on the first floor with lofts above.”

Jack nodded. “I think I know it. I’ll be right behind you.”

When he shut the door, Lucky stuck his nose between the front seats and whined. “Fine. You can have your seat back.”

At the waterfall, Noah had studied Peyton’s ex as he stood behind her father, silently watching. If the man loved her, he should have been upset to see her with a bare-chested stranger and her in that stranger’s shirt. Hell, if that had been him, he would have had a whole lot to say. There probably would have been fists involved.

What kind of man didn’t blink an eye at seeing his fiancée almost naked in the presence of another man? The answer to that was one who didn’t give a damn about her other than the gains marrying her would bring him. Noah blamed her father as much as the ex. If what Peyton said was true, and he had no reason to doubt her, her father had betrayed her. He was pretty sure that had hurt her more than losing a fiancée.

When he reached downtown, he watched for the landmarks he’d memorized when he’d left her, and after only one wrong turn, he found the garage where he’d parked when he’d brought her home.

“What’s the situation here?” Jack asked after they’d both parked and were headed for the exit.

“Her name’s Peyton. Don’t know her last name. I met her yesterday at that waterfall you took me to. She’s...ah, she’s a runaway bride.” He glanced at his friend to see his reaction.

Jack came to a dead stop. “Tell me you’re yanking my chain.”