The look on his face changed then. “You bitch!”
The first one grabbed her from behind, one arm locking around her upper body while his other hand fisted in her hair. “Now what are you going to do?” He snarled as he controlled her by using her hair.
Katrina cursed, digging her nails into his arm as she tried to twist free. Why did they always go for the hair? She tried to calm herself because she was letting anger and panic push her instead of using what she’d learned, but knowing that didn’t help whensome asshole had a handful of her hair and his nasty breath against her ear.
“Let go, asshole,” she growled, jerking hard enough to send pain across her scalp.
His grip tightened just as the warehouse door slammed open so hard it cracked against the outside wall. The man froze.
Blaze stepped out first, Jared right behind him, but all she saw was her mate. His eyes went straight to the hand in her hair, then to the arm holding her in place. The fire in his eyes burned hot, but the rest of him went deadly still.
“Let her go,” Blaze ordered, his eyes blazing black rimmed with red.
The man holding her hesitated which was a huge mistake.
Blaze moved so fast Katrina barely saw it. One second the man had her hair in his fist, and the next he was ripped away from her and slammed into the wall hard enough to make the metal siding groan. Katrina stumbled, catching herself, but Blaze was already there, his hand on her waist, steadying her without taking his eyes off the men.
“You hurt?” he asked, his voice low.
“No.” Katrina’s answer came out sharper than she meant it to, mostly because her pride hurt worse than her shoulder. “I was handling it.”
“I know.” His thumb pressed once against her side, a silent reassurance that hit harder than words. He didn’t look at her like she was weak. “But you also didn’t call out to us. We work as a team out here, Katrina.”
Then his gaze went back to the man who had touched her.
“And he was hurting you.” Blaze’s voice dropped, dark and calm. “That’s not going to work for me.”
Jared stepped farther out of the doorway, his expression flat as he looked at the other two men who looked ready to bolt. “I promise you that if you run, I will catch you.” Jared narrowed his eyes at them. “And that will end with an ass kicking neither of you want.”
The man that had Katrina by the hair tried to move, but Blaze’s hand shot out and pinned him to the wall by the throat.
Katrina opened her mouth to tell Blaze to ease up, then closed it. Her shoulder throbbed, her scalp burned, and her pride was taking one hell of a beating, but none of that was what kept her quiet. It was the way Blaze stood there, solid and furious, not because he thought she was helpless, but because he had seen another man’s hands on her and refused to let it stand.
There was a difference.
Blaze knew she could fight. He’d trained with her, pushed her, believed in her even when she’d wanted to throw in the towel and cuss him six ways to Sunday. But he also knew what it cost her to have a man grab her like that. To feel trapped, even for a few seconds.
And damn him for knowing exactly how to stand in front of her without making her feel small. Katrina swallowed hard, her eyes on his broad back.
She had always thought being rescued meant being weak. With Blaze, it didn’t feel that way. It felt like being loved.
“Did you question them?” Blaze asked, then glanced down at Katrina when she didn’t answer.
“I didn’t have a chance.” Katrina frowned, because no, she hadn’t questioned them. She also hadn’t identified herself as a Warrior like she was supposed to do, mostly because her mind had been full of other shit, but she kept that little piece of information to herself.
“You got this?” Blaze glanced at Jared, who nodded.
“Yeah, if I can’t handle these three idiots, then I need to kick my own ass and retire.” Jared snorted, then looked back at Blaze. “Duncan’s on his way.”
“We’re going to finish clearing inside.” Blaze gave the man who had held Katrina one last glare before taking her arm and leading her back into the warehouse. He didn’t drag her, didn’t treat her like she was breakable, but his hand stayed firm around her arm as if he needed the contact as much as she hated admitting she did. Once they were deep inside the warehouse and away from Jared and the men outside, he stopped and turned her toward him. “What’s going on, Katrina?”
She started to open her mouth, but Blaze’s eyes narrowed before she could even get the lie out.
“What?” she said instead, because damn him, sometimes she hated how well he knew her.
“Do not say ‘nothing’,” Blaze warned, his voice low. “Because I know something is bothering you.”
It still surprised her how well Blaze knew her. No one in her life, not even her mother, had known her so well. He saw things she didn’t want seen, heard things she didn’t say, and somehowknew when her smart mouth was hiding something ugly. Now wasn’t the time for her to break down everything. Craig had definitely stirred something inside her, but they had a job to do, and she already let her head get too crowded once tonight.
