Page 71 of Return of the Bad Girl (Rock Canyon, Idaho 4)

“Move!” Eric’s bark propelled them a little faster.

Caroline still had ahold of Callie, and when Eric turned his attention back to them, Callie’s quaking intensified.

“Okay, Eric, tone it down a notch,” Caroline said, squeezing Callie to her side. “When we told them we weren’t interested, Wayne acted like he was going to hit Gracie, and—”

“Wait . . . Did he touch you?” Eric asked Gracie. His whole demeanor, from the clenched fists to the snarl, said he was ready to pound someone.

Oh yeah, there’s nothing going on between those two. Nope.

“No, Caroline and Callie had my back. He raised his hand up like he was going to, but Callie took him down faster than any of us could blink,” Gracie said, waving Caroline off so she could take Callie’s shoulders. “You have to teach me how to do that.”

“Are you okay?”

Gabe’s question startled Caroline. He was standing right next to her, but she had been so distracted by Callie’s distress that she hadn’t sensed him. Looking up into his concerned face now, she had the strange desire to throw herself into his arms and let him comfort her.

“I’m okay, although I think the fun’s kinda been sucked out of the evening,” Caroline said.

“Why don’t I take you home?” he suggested.

Her heart rate went from zero to sixty in two seconds flat.

“Actually, I drove Callie, so I have to take her home first.”

“I can get a ride with Gemma and Gracie,” Callie offered, and Caroline turned to look at her, relieved that she’d stopped shaking.

“Are you sure?” Caroline asked, noting the small smile Callie gave Gabe.

“Yeah, you should let him drive you.”

“I still have my car,” Caroline said, getting the feeling that Callie was setting her up.

“Then I’ll just see you there,” Gabe said, brushing against her as he passed. She turned to watch him slip through the crowd and licked her

lips as those wide shoulders disappeared outside.

“He wants you bad,” Callie said, beside her.

Caroline gave her a sheepish look. “Yeah, well, the feeling is kind of mutual.”

“I knew it,” Gracie said, coming up behind them. “Let’s bail, before Eric starts yelling at me again. I don’t know why he always starts shit with me. I’m a fucking ball of sunshine.”

“I think the best way to get Eric into a good mood is for Gracie to—”

“Gemma!”

Gemma giggled and headed for the door as the three of them followed behind.

BACK IN THE apartment, Gabe was on the couch, waiting for Caroline to walk through the door. When he’d seen Wayne Coulter raise his arm and Caroline step in front of Gracie, his whole body had shut down for a split second before adrenaline rushed through him, propelling him out of his seat.

By the time he’d reached them, the blonde girl—Callie—had knocked Wayne off his feet with a sweeper kick, and Walt was about to jump in. He’d caught Walt around the neck and slammed him to the floor. All he’d wanted was to keep the son of a bitch as far away from Caroline as he could.

Just then, the lock turned in the door, and Gabe got off the couch, facing Caroline as she came in.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hey.”

She shut the door, turning the lock with a click and walked along the length of the couch. “So, you took down Walt pretty fast.”