Page 5 of When He Fights (Protector & Defender #3)

First, she wasn’t our girl. She was a woman, and she sure as shit did not belong to Gray. “Did you tell Ana I was coming for her?” Low. Rough.

“Um. I did mention that a guard was coming.”

“And?”

“Ana said she wasn’t waiting. That she was running. And she’s running right now, and if you don’t get to her soon, she’s going to vanish and probably die because I don’t have a way to track her.” Words that verged on the edge of being out of control.

Gray was never, ever out of control. Too tightly wound? Absolutely. A general prick most days? Damn straight.

But one thing you could say about Gray was that he was never, ever out of control.

“She was leaving her place right then,” Gray informed him. “No doubt driving out in the Jeep she owns now.”

The Jeep, huh?

“If she gets away and she’s out there on her own…” A long sigh. “Logan has reach. You know he has reach. I know he has reach. He’ll find her. He’ll kill her. And we’ll be lucky if we can recover the parts of her body that he leaves behind.”

Rage flared inside of Kane. That shit is never happening. “You’re an asshole.” Because he knew Gray was trying to rile him up. To push Kane to the edge. A dangerous mistake because Gray wouldn’t understand what could happen when Kane went over that edge.

“Oh? I’m the asshole? Nice try, but I’m not the one who broke the woman’s heart before.”

What. The. Hell?

“I didn’t want to bring you in on this. She specifically asked that you never be told her location, but desperate times and all that—and…are you just seriously sitting on that damn bike somewhere? Could you get moving? Did you miss the move faster part earlier?”

Oh, he could get moving, all right. “I’ll take care of her.”

“Did you hear me? She’s on the run. As in, now. Kane, you have to do something—go find her. ”

“I didn’t break her heart.”

“What? Yeah, you did. She cried in the ambulance ride. And I am not telling you the shit she told me back then. You can’t pry it out of me. Kept it quiet for two years, and I’ll go right on holding the woman’s secrets.” A deep inhale. “I need her alive. You understand?”

He understood plenty. “I’ll call you when I have her.” He hung up the phone. Swiped his fingers over the screen. Kane studied the data there before he hopped on the motorcycle and made a few quick calculations. Then he sped down the road. Turned right.

Glanced around. Nodded.

And…

Braked. In the middle of the empty intersection.

He removed his helmet. Moved to stand in front of the bike. Another check on his phone showed that he was in the right spot. So he crossed his arms over his chest. He braced his feet apart. And maybe, just maybe, he even started a countdown.

Ten.

Nine.

It had been two years since he’d last seen Ana. Or at least, two years since she’d last seen him . An important distinction because perhaps he’d had to sneak out and put his eyes on her. To make sure she was all right, after all. Like any concerned friend might do.

Eight.

Seven.

And maybe she’d been in his head. In his damn dreams. Tormenting him. Showing him what he could’ve had if he’d just kept kissing her. Touching her on that long ago night.

Six.

Five.

A Jeep rounded the corner up ahead. Baby blue. As it lurched closer, he could see the line of what looked like small ducks tucked near the front windshield. A freaking army of ducks standing at attention.

Four.

Three.

Maybe…maybe he’d actually arrived in Gulfport before the sun rose. Because he’d been frantic when he got the news from Gray that she was in danger. And maybe he’d tagged her vehicle so that he could keep track of her while he figured out how to approach her.

Two.

One.

Only she was the one coming to him. Approaching him fast.

Her Jeep slammed to a stop. The brakes squealed as the vehicle shuddered about fifteen feet away from him.

Not a busy road. The road leading from the back of her rental house and snaking away from the beach strip was never really busy. That was one of the reasons why he’d chosen this spot.

The Jeep had braked hard. Some of the ducks had fallen.

Taking his time, Kane decided to sit on the motorcycle.

He pulled out a baseball cap from one of the saddle bags because the sun really was killer out there.

He slapped the cap on his head, crossed his arms over his chest, and waited for his prey to finish coming to him.

In seconds, Ana jumped out of the Jeep. Slammed the door.

She rushed toward him wearing yoga pants and a sports bra—jeez, that was all?

The pants hugged her hips, the bra made his mouth water, and, okay, fine, she had on sneakers, too.

Sneakers that swept her quickly forward as she ran to him.

For one crazy, wild moment, he actually thought she was going to run to him and throw her body against his as she held him tightly and told him how incredibly happy she was to see him again.

“What in the hell are you doing here?” Ana demanded, and her sultry, husky voice did not seem happy at all. Nope, instead, she seemed way, way too pissed.

He kept his falsely relaxed pose and quirked a brow at her even as hunger, no, lust tightened every muscle in his body. Two years had passed since their heated kiss. Since the night that she’d nearly died in front of him.

Two years.

She’d haunted him every moment. Filled him with regret. Made him wish that, hell, yes, he’d crossed the line and taken what he wanted so desperately.

If he’d kept kissing Ana that night, she wouldn’t have been alone when Logan came for her.

She would never have been terrified. She would never have gotten a knife shoved into her side—yes, he’d seen the blood that day.

The blood on her side and the giant bruise and goose egg on her forehead.

If he hadn’t stopped kissing her that night, Ana wouldn’t have been hurt.

Kane would have been with her, and Logan would not have been able to attack while she was alone.

“You can’t just—you can’t just stop in the middle of an intersection! Do you have a death wish?” Her hands went to her hips.

No hug from her. Check. No big, I-missed-you scene.

Got it. She’d gone straight to the death wish portion of the greeting.

That was fair. “Do you have a death wish?” His voice came out harder than he’d intended.

But, what the hell? His voice tended to always be hard. It had been that way since puberty hit.

She gasped and took a quick step back.

He thought about lunging off the motorcycle, grabbing her, hauling her into his arms, and kissing her.

Nope. You’re supposed to be the bodyguard, remember? Gray is gonna have all his FBI directives again.

But…fuck the directives.

This time, Kane would take what he wanted.

He was looking at what he wanted.

“ Kane . You can’t be here. ”

Oh, but I can be, and I am. He smiled at her and heard the swift inhalation of her breath. “Nice to know you remember me.”

“You are a hard man to forget.” Another step back. “Kane…”

“Hello, Ana.” I’ve missed you.

She shook her head. “What are you doing here?”

“Same as before, sweetheart.” He should not have used the endearment. Oh, well. Kane figured he was about to do a whole lot of things that he should not do. Screw it. He’d be making his own game plan this time.

She blinked her big, gorgeous golden eyes at him.

“I’m here to protect you,” he said. Protect you. Fight for you. Eliminate your bastard ex.

And…yeah, he was also there…

To claim you, baby. Because this time, I’m crossing the line.

Kane had one big rule that he liked to follow in life. He never, ever made the same mistake twice.