Page 7 of Plain Jade

“No.”

“What happened to the man that attacked me? I don’t want him to do that to anyone else.” She gasped, then shuddered. “What if … he had done that to someone else?”

“I don’t know if he has, but he’s not going to do it anymore.” The man was long dead. He had gotten the pleasure of seeing the light ebb away. It had given him a good thrill to see him dying.

Death was good.

It was easy.

And he made sure a lot of men found the end they deserved.

Pressing his foot to the gas, the streets were not as busy, as it was close to early morning. There was still time to get her home, to get some sleep.

She hadn’t shown any signs of a concussion, she was just a little unsteady on her feet. Braxton was surprised, twenty minutes later, to find a parking space outside of her apartment.

“How did you know where I live?” Jade asked.

“I have my ways.” He climbed out of the car and moved toward her, helping her step out.

He didn’t touch her, he was there in case she needed a helping hand, but she didn’t take it. Whatever had caused her to be dizzy back at the warehouse was gone.

Stepping into the apartment building, they took the elevator to the fourth floor, and then they stepped out and he saw her room was the third door on the right. There were not a lot of apartments, about four per floor. Not bad.

Jade rummaged in her bag, trying to find her key, but kept stumbling over stuff, so he took over. He found the key, slid it into the lock, and opened the door.

“Thank you. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

He wasn’t about to point out the obvious. She had a traumatic night, and that can make anyone uncoordinated.

Jade stepped into her apartment and invited him in. Braxton knew he should step away and leave her alone, but he didn’t. Walking into her apartment, he closed the door, and then he saw the additional security. Now, he was impressed.

Flicking the bolts and locks into place, he turned back toward her.

“Do you want some coffee? Tea?”

“No. Go and get changed,” he said.

Jade frowned. “You know, it’s not very polite to order someone around in their own apartment!”

He raised a brow.

She huffed and then shook her head.

Braxton took his time to glance around her apartment. He saw a small bookshelf in the far corner, with a few cookbooks as well as some crafting books. He noticed there were no fiction books or romance. He expected her to be a sucker for romance.

There was a television, but no DVD player, or any way of playing movies. He’d also noted that there were no DVDs lying around.

She had a sofa, a single chair, and a small coffee table. There were a couple of pictures. He figured most of them were of her parents, as they were the only two consistent people. According to his sources, her folks had passed eight years ago.

She was all alone.

And it showed.

Braxton understood it, and he relished in his own space, not having anyone. It made life a lot easier. There were no demands, no one to tie you down, nothing. It was a freedom.

He had a feeling Jade wasn’t alone by choice.

“What about hot chocolate?”

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