Page 92 of When He Protects

Yeah, I do.The man wasn’t called Heartless Harte for nothing.And he just pulled a gun on me.“They’ll be gone as fast as possible. What in the hell am I supposed to do?”

“I’ve gotten word that a top hunter is in Asylum.”

Oh, you’ve gotten word? Like…now you’ve gotten word?“This news would have helped yesterday.”

A grunt. “Don’t know if he was there yesterday. Could have been.”

Total bullshit.“They just left the hospital.”

“Then he will probably have eyes on them already. Your friends need to be very, very careful.”

His friends had just turned on him. They thought he was out to get them.

“Word is that Tyler Barrett now has a bounty onhishead.”

Fuck.

“And that Esme Laurent is to be brought in alive.”

Alive.“Since when?” He’d thought the bounty was for her death. Clay yanked at his too tight collar.

Instead of getting an answer, he was told, “Tyler Barrett is a dead man. He just doesn’t know it.”

No, no, dammit. This couldn’t happen. “I’m trying to help them!”

“Then you should probably try harder.”

Chapter Nineteen

“End of the road,”Kane announced an hour later. He braked the ride outside of a no-tell motel. “At least for me.” He turned around. “I’ll take the Jeep back. Clear out my things from Asylum and meet up with you later.”

Tyler saw Esme peering at the motel.

“Lucky number seven is all yours.” Kane waved toward the small office. “It’s an old-fashioned place. You actually get to use a real key to get inside. Get it from the guy in the little admin office—his name’s Roger—and you’ll find all the supplies you need waiting in your room.”

“Uh…” Esme cleared her throat. “How did you arrange all of this? And when?”

“I know people.” An easy response that was, Tyler knew, a massive understatement. Kane’s connections were legendary. Sometimes, for the wrong reasons. “This will be a safe place for you to cool down a bit. Regroup. I’ll check Clay’s story with Vanessa, and then we can figure out what our next move will be.”

Tyler shoved open his door and climbed out. Esmescooted over, and he helped her exit, then kept a hand on her waist.

“There is one more thing you need to know.” Kane’s voice had turned halting. His mirrored sunglasses hid his gaze. “Might be better if you and I just talk for a moment, Tyler.”

He didn’t let Esme go. “Say whatever it is in front of her.”

“Oh, so you’re trusting her now?”

He was doing more than that.

“Fine. Got a tip last night while you were all sprawled out in the hospital bed.”

“I wasn’t sprawled?—”

“There’s a bounty on your head, man.” Serious. Hard. “Why do you think I pulled a gun on someone I’ve known for years?You are in danger.You saved my life—twice—so I owe you, and I always will. I would walk into the fire with you a dozen times. Hell, I did once before already, remember? And I’d do it again. People know that you’re the one standing between Esme and death. So they’re gunning for you now. Without you, she’ll fall.”

The hell she would. “I have no intention of letting Esme fall.”

“Figured you’d say something like that. Considering the way you just kept saying her name over and over after you came awake following that blast.” A considering pause. “I don’t think it’s Clay. I can still see his face after that nightmare in Paris. He’d set the devices on our missions before, but never seen the wreckage left after an explosion. People died that day, and it changed him. He got out after that. Stopped his work with the government. Came back to his Asylum.” His jaw tightened. “I just don’t see him wiring a house to kill one of his best friends.”

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