Page 32 of Irresistibly Wicked

“I don’t think you’re afraid.” He closed the distance between them and said, “I don’t know who Brian associates with, who he owes money to, or who he told where he was going tonight. There’s no way in hell I’m going to leave you alone.”

She hadn’t thought about that, either. “You think someone might come looking for money?”

“I don’t put anything past anyone. Blaine’s fiancée Reese’s mother was into drugs, and she owed her dealer a lot of money before she went into rehab. Reese was taking care of her teenage sister, Lettie, and Lettie was abducted by the asshole their mother owed money to.”

“Holy crap. Did Reese get her back? Did he hurt her? Is she okay?”

“We got her back, but not without bloodshed. Mostly inflicted by us on the asshole’s crew, but Blaine took a bullet.”

“Oh my God. He was shot?”

“Yeah. We do what we have to do to protect our own. Look, I’m not trying to scare you, but I’m sure as hell not letting anything happen to you.”

The roar of motorcycles interrupted them, and her nerves kicked up even more.

“That’s them.” He held her gaze and said, “I promise you’ll feel safer knowing they’ve got your back, too.”

Floored by how quickly he’d thought this all through, she watched him go to the door and pull it open. He didn’t step outside to greet his brothers. He stood in the doorway, his arms crossed, his piercing blue eyes darting back to her, then to the hallway. She didn’t know about his brothers, but she couldn’t imagine anyone making her feel safer than Zander did.

As he and his brothers talked in hushed voices, she quickly tried to pick up the rest of the mess and hoped Brian hadn’t gotten himself tangled up with people who were that dangerous. But she knew she had to get him help before it was too late. No matter what the cost.

She was doing dishes when she heard Zander and his brothers come inside.

“Hey, Angel,” Zander said.

She closed her eyes briefly against the nickname. She’d gotten used to it. She even liked it, but she worried his brothers might think it meant something other than the girl who had saved his life. But that was insignificant compared to what they were up against. She shut off the faucet and tried to calm her racing heart as she turned to greet them. Zander stood between two big, ridiculously handsome, dark-haired men wearing black leather vests over T-shirts and jeans.

“Hi,” she said, hoping they couldn’t hear how nervous she was.

“Shauna, this is Blaine.” Zander hiked a thumb at the guy to his right, who looked like a tough version of James Marsden.

Blaine nodded curtly. “Nice to meet you.”

He was the one who’d been shot. He looked like he wasn’t afraid of anything. “You, too.”

“And this is Zeke.” Zander motioned to the other guy.

The mother hen could have been Zander’s twin, but with shorter, darker hair and more-serious eyes. Zeke smiled, and that was different, too. It was a nice, friendly smile, but it lacked the edginess of Zander’s. “It’s nice to finally meet the woman who saved our brother.” He glanced at Zander for only a few seconds, but the affection lingered in his voice as he turned back to her and said, “Thank you for helping him.”

“I’m glad I was there to help.”

“And we’re glad to have a chance to return the favor,” Zeke said. “We’ll take good care of your friend.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry Zander roped you into this, and I’m sorry I brought trouble to his doorstep.”

“He didn’t have to rope us in. That’s what family is for,” Blaine said.

Zeke nodded in agreement and clapped a hand on Zander’s shoulder. “It’s a refreshing change from this guy bringing the trouble.”

Zander shrugged him off and said, “You didn’t bring trouble, darlin’. That’s not your burden to carry.”

He and his brothers asked about the people she and Brian used to hang out with, none of whom lived nearby, and the places Brian used to go for drugs. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since then. His brothers were kind and concerned and, thankfully, not judgmental.

Afterward, Zander said, “Why don’t you grab enough clothes for a few days so we have time to figure this out, and then we’ll take off.”

She didn’t argue. They obviously had a plan, and she was grateful as she headed into her bedroom to pack. She grabbed her uniforms, workout clothes, and a few other outfits. When she grabbed a handful of underwear out of her dresser drawer, she uncovered the certified letter. Her stomach twisted. She didn’t want to bring Zander further into her mess, but she felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff with Brian, and if she didn’t do something fast, she was going to lose him. She stuffed the letter into her bag and finished packing.

On the way back to Zander’s cottage, he stopped and bought a big bottle of her favorite French vanilla creamer, while she struggled with the decision she thought she’d already made. Their friendship felt like a miracle, a gift that was almost too good to be true. She didn’t want to jeopardize it by asking for more, but if ever there was a time to ask for help, it was now.