Page 8 of Protected By The Ranger (The Men of Ghost Security #1)

IZZY

T here’s a knock at the door, and Hayden raises his shotgun.

“It’s me. Jake.”

Oh, thank God.

I rush across the room, fumbling with the locks. The door swings open to reveal Jake standing on the porch, and the sight of him sends a rollercoaster of emotions crashing through me.

Relief. Terror. Confusion. Hope.

His knuckles are bloody, split across both hands like he’s been hitting something much harder than skin.His black t-shirt is torn at the shoulder, andthere’s a darkness in his green eyes that gives me pause. But he’s alive and he’s here.

Without thinking, Iwrap my arms around him and pull him into a fierce bear hug. Jake’s breath is hot and rapid against my neck.

“It’s over,” he tells me, his voice roughwith exhaustion.

“Jake,” Hayden’s voice cuts through the moment. “You alright, man? Is it handled?”

Jake steps away from me and turns to face my brother. “It’s handled. Waverly won’t be a problem anymore.”

“Good.” Hayden’s voice carries satisfaction and relief. “What do you need from me?”

“Just give us a few minutes?”

Hayden nods and settles back into his chair, but I can feel him watching as Jake steps away from me.

“Are you hurt?” I pull back to search his face, my hands running over his chest, his arms,then gently taking his hands in mine.

“Nothing that won’t heal.”

But Ican see the way he favors his right hand, the careful way he moves his shoulders. My mind races with possibilities, each one worse than the last.Whathappened? Do I even want to know?

“Come on,” I whisper,leading him into the kitchen. “Let me take care of you.”

He follows me to the kitchen sink without protest, settling against the counter while I gather supplies. His knuckles are worse than they appeared from a distance—split and swollen, with traces of blood that make my stomach clench.

“Tell me what happened,” Hayden calls out as I dampen a clean cloth with warm water and start gently cleaning his hand.

“Waverly was staying at the Comfort Inn.Blaketracked him down, and Zane and I went to have a conversation with him.” Jake’s voice is matter-of-fact, but I can see something darker flickering behind his eyes.

“He understood my point of view, and he’ll never bother you again. I was very motivational.”

The clinical way he describes what he did makes my heart twist with tension. This is what protection looks like when it comes from someone like Jake—thorough, ruthless, and completely without compromise.

“Is he...” I can’t finish the question, but Jake understands.

“Alive. Scared, but alive. I have his electronic devices. I’ll have Ghost’s tech guy delete everything permanently and make sure there aren’t any cloud copies of anything. We’ll keep monitoring him, and you, to make sure he got the message and stays away.”

The relief that floods through me is so intense that it makes me dizzy.

For months, I’ve been living in a constant state of fear.

Looking over my shoulder, checking locks twice, jumping at every unexpected sound.

I haven’t felt safe in my own skin for so long that I’d forgotten what normal felt like.

“I was so scared when you left. I thought I might lose you.”

“You’ll never lose me. I’m not going anywhere.”

His hand comes up to cup my cheek, thumb brushing across my skin. The contrast between the violence these hands have done tonight and the tenderness they show me makes my chest tight with overwhelming emotion.

“What if someone else decides to fixate on me? What if this happens again?” The fear bubbles up before I can stop it. “What if next time—”

“Hey.” Jake’s voice is firm but gentle. “Look at me. That’s not going to happen. And if it does, I’ll be there. No one is going to hurt you.”

The question slips out before I can stop it. “What happens with us?”

Jake’s hands frame my face with reverent care. “That’s up to you.”

The intensity in his green eyes makes my breath catch.Something’s happening here, at this moment. This is real, and it’s ours.

Before I can respond, he pulls me into his arms and kisses mewith desperate need. His hands tangle in my hair as he deepens our kiss, and I press my body against his.

“Jake, what the actual fuck?”

Hayden’s voice cuts through the moment like a blade. We break apart to find my brother standing in the kitchen doorway, his expression shifting from confusion to understanding to fury.

“Ah, Dawson…” Jake stammers, and it’s the first time I’ve seen him be remotely unsure about anything.

Jake doesn’t let go of my hand, doesn’t step away, or try to make excuses. Instead, he faces my brother directly, his posture steady despite the bandages and torn shirt. “I’m in love with your sister.”

My brother’s eyes widen as he looks at Jake. “And you think that makes it okay to—”

“I think as long as Izzy is happy and safe, that makes it worth everything. Including your anger.”

Hayden’s eyes narrow, studying Jake’s face with the intensity that makes me cringe.“You’re serious about this. This isn’t just some adrenaline-fueled thing after a dangerous situation.”

“Dead serious,” Jake replies without hesitation.

Hayden’s gaze shifts between us, taking in our joined hands, the way Jake positions himself slightly in front of me. “Jesus, Jake. She’s my baby sister.”

“She’s also a grown woman who can make her own choices,” I say.

Hayden looks at me then, really looks at me, and I see the moment he recognizes something in my expression that makes his shoulders drop slightly.

I move to Jake’s side, wrapping my arms around his waist. The message is clear—I’ve made my choice, and it’s Jake.

“You going to treat her right?” Hayden asks Jake, his voice carrying the weight of big-brother protectiveness.

“I’m going to treat her like the extraordinary woman she is.”

Something in Jake’s tone, the absolute conviction with which he speaks, seems to satisfy Hayden. My brother studies Jake’s face for a long moment, then nods once.

“Good. Because if you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”

“Understood.”

“I’m going back to the hospital. I’m not staying here with you two,” Hayden says with a hint of a smile. “If I’m lucky, no one noticed I was gone.”

“I can drive you back,” Jake offers, but my brother shakes his head.

After Hayden’s taxi picks him up, Jake turns to me, his green eyes intense as they hold mine.

“Come on,” I tell him, taking his bandaged hand in mine. “Let’s go to bed.”