Page 83 of When He Protects

Firefighters were battling the blaze. An ambulance waited about twenty feet away. Clay’s patrol car sat near the edge of the sidewalk, with its driver side door hanging open.

Tyler frowned at the chaos. How the hell long had he been out? And where was Esme? “Esme!”

“She’s all right.” Kane stepped in front of him. “Breathe. Don’t lose your mind. The woman is alive.”

But he didn’tseeher.

“You got her out. I heard her telling Clay how you carried her out right before the house blew.” A shake of Kane’s head. “What tipped you off? How the hell did you know what was happening?”

“The bedroom was trashed.” His hands had fisted. “Someone searched the house while we were at your place. Didn’t care about the mess left behind—that told me the guy must’ve had a plan in place.”Where is Esme?His chest was far too tight. His heartbeat too fast.

“A plan as in…he was gonna blow up the house and everyone inside? Except you got out before he could?”

Barely. He felt blood trickling down his side. He’dbarelygotten out.

“You probably have a concussion. You were out cold when I first came across you and Esme. Checked your pulse to make sure you were still in the land of the living—spoiler alert, you were—then I got your lady to safety STAT before coming back for you.”

He grabbed Kane’s shirtfront. “Esme.”

“Right. Esme. She was holding tight to you and screaming your name. Only like I said, you were out cold.” Kane frowned down at the fists that were wrinkling his shirt. “Wanna take a breath? And ease that grip? I promise,she’s fine. She’s in the back of the ambulance. Figured you wouldn’t want her standing out in the open, considering it seems like this location has been seriously compromised. So I got her to safety then came back to you.”

Tyler let him go and lunged for the ambulance.

“Had to drag her—kicking and screaming—for the ambulance,” Kane’s voice followed him. “She did not want to leave your side.”

Tyler reached the ambulance. He yanked open the back door and?—

“I wantout of here!”Esme yelled. She jerked on her right wrist. A wrist that was cuffed. One handcuff was around her delicate wrist. Another was around the metal edge of the gurney beneath her.

“What in the hell is happening?” Tyler demanded. Why was Esme cuffed?

Esme’s head whipped toward him. The golden hoops on her ears bounced with her quick movements. Relief—wild joy—flashed across her face. “Tyler!”

He jumped into the back of the ambulance. “Get the cuffsoffher!” Tyler barked at the young EMT who stared with wide eyes.

“But…the sheriff said she had to stay put?—”

Tyler grabbed Esme. He pulled her close. As close as he could get her in the back of the freaking ambulance and with her cuffed.

“Sir, you’re bleeding pretty badly.” Worry filled the EMTs voice. “The side of your shirt is soaked with blood.”

Esme’s scent wrapped around Tyler. The ache in his chest eased. She was safe.

“I am going to kick Kane’s ass,” she promised. “He wouldn’t let me stay with you. You were unconscious, and I was so afraid.”

He eased back so he could stare down at her.

“You’re supposed to be bulletproof,” she said. “You can’t get hurt.”

Anyone could be hurt.

“You’re bulletproof to me,” she added. “My superman.”

Fuck, he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to haul her out of that ambulance and get her as far away from the rest of the world as possible.

But she was still cuffed.

“Tyler!”

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