Page 92 of Simon Says

“Now.” He faced Barber. “You said you were jumped?”

“Yep. Three guys.”

“Are you hurt?” Dakota asked.

“A little banged up.” He smoothed her hair. “But not nearly as much as you.”

Fed up with all the cooing, Simon put his arm around Dakota and hauled her in to his side—away from Barber. “You chased them off?”

“Wish I could tell it that way,” Barber said. He made a point of noting Simon’s possessive hold, then moved to the chair where Bonnie sat. He put a hand on her shoulder, maybe to help keep her there, or maybe to reassure her. Simon wasn’t sure. “I was holding my own, probably broke the jaw on one of them, but then the cops showed up and they hightailed it out of there.”

Dakota looked from Simon to Barber. “Did you recognize…that is, do you know who it was?”

“Sorry.” He absently patted Bonnie as she mumbled about something. “They wore ski masks.”

Simon looked down at Dakota. “I don’t believe in coincidences.”

“Right.” She let out a breath. “Me, either.”

Barber eyed them both. “I already know that Dakota tangled with more than the stairs, so how about some details?”

Putting on a bright smile, Dakota said, “I do believe this is the perfect opening to coffee.”

Simon shook his head. “You would think so.” But he had to agree. “Let’s all go into the kitchen. I’ll make the coffee and we can compare stories. Maybe it’ll help the police. Maybe not.”

Bonnie fought her way off the chair, stumbled, and fell into Barber. “Doesn’t anyone care what happened to me?”

“Course we do, darlin’.” Holding her upright, Barber looked at Simon in accusation. “Jesus, man, you could have warned me.”

Before Simon could reply, Dakota said, “Idid.” And then, to Simon’s surprise, she joined Barber in helping Bonnie to the kitchen. “The coffee will help to sober her up.”

One strange predicament after another, Simon thought. Maybe life with Dakota would always be this way.

Life?He shook his head at himself and trailed behind the others. “Dakota thinks coffee is the cure-all for everything.”

“That she does,” Barber agreed.

“I can promise you one thing.” Dakota looked over her shoulder at Simon and winked. “It can’t hurt.”

In that moment, Simon knew he was in trouble. Even in such a ridiculous situation, Dakota impressed him with her poise, amazed him with her control, and made him proud of her for her kindness.

Mallet wanted her. Barber did, too. For all he knew, there was a man around every damn corner just waiting for a chance with her.

Yet she’d chosen him.

She was an incredible woman. Maybe too incredible to ever let go.

“YOUdidn’t tell me he was a fighter.”

Marvin Dream glanced at his moronic friend sitting in the front seat, and his temper got the better of him. He punched him in the back of the head, and when that didn’t take the edge off his anger, he did it again and again.

Unfortunately for Marvin, violence only spurred him toward more violence. He liked it. He fed off it.

Cowering, the other man cried out. “What’d I do? What? Stop it.” He ducked, trying to avoid Marvin’s rage. Blood trickled from his already-injured ear.

But Marvin couldn’t stop.

The driver swerved, cursed.

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