Page 36 of Hearts Storm

I nod, understanding the weight of his concern.

The Saint brothers have always been a tight-knit crew, especially after losing their father. Dex has always been the protector. Now it seems like he’s the one who needs saving.

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do,” I offer.

“Thanks.” Brex drains the rest of his coffee and goes quiet.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he grimaces as he takes in a breath and gives me a look.

Damn it. I know that look. One that tells me I might not like what he has to say. “Speaking of Portland. You’ll never guess who I ran into while I was there.”

“Who?”

“Pretty,” Brex murmurs.

Setting my cup down before I crush it and get coffee all over my desk, I growl, “What?”

“Yeah. You know. Reyna.” My chest tightens, dick instantly hard when he says her name. “But you already knew her name, didn’t you?”

When he pops an eyebrow, all I can do is shrug. I’ve refused to talk about her with him. For some reason I refuse to admit. Even to myself.

The last thing I’m going to admit to Brex is that my intentions to avoid Reyna at any cost have fallen by the wayside.

Ever since she dunked my ass at Skin & Ink’s charity event, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her. I was only able to keep myself from seeking her out for a few days before I caved, casually walking by Summit Studio any time she was helping Sasha with a yoga class.

One day I just happened to walk by while she was teaching a pole dancing class. It brought back way too many memories. So I stopped.

Then, Jax talked me into doing freaking yoga—which kicked my ass, by the way—and, of course, she was there. Strutting around the room. Adjusting poses while murmuring in soft, sexy tones. It was all I could do to keep Mr. Happy from making an appearance in front of thirty some odd other people.

Still, for the most part, I’d managed to avoid her despite knowing she was going to be working for LFSR.

And that brings me up to now. Her first day is tomorrow. Which is why I’ve decided to schedule her on the opposite shift from mine. Three days on, three days off.

Except I don’t want her to be on her own with the other guys. And I can’t risk being around her. Too much temptation. So that’s where Brex comes in.

His next words jolt me back to the present.

“Ran into her a few blocks from Dina’s. Two drunk assholes had her cornered in an alley.”

My blood runs cold. “What the fuck do you mean, cornered?”

Brex’s expression darkens. “Exactly what it sounds like. Two guys, drunk off their asses, had her pinned against a brick wall. One of which had his dirty hand up her dress.”

The rage that floods my veins is instantaneous and white-hot. My knuckles crack as my hands curl into fists. “Did you⁠—”

“Put one of them through the wall? Yeah.” A feral grin of satisfaction splits across his face. “The other one ran off before I could get to him. Neither of those assholes will be harassing anyone for a long time. Not with a broken jaw and a couple of cracked ribs.”

Rage floods my body. The thought of anyone laying a hand on Reyna makes me want to find whoever’s responsible and finish what Brex started.

“She okay?”

“She was shaken up.” Brex leans forward, elbows on his knees. “Got her breakfast at Dina’s.” The next look he gives me is resigned. “I know why she left like she did. That morning at the hotel.”

My head whips up in surprise.

“She told me about the texts on your phone.”

The words land like a slap. My mind goes in circles thinking back to that morning, trying to remember what texts he’s talking about. Then it hits me.