Page 12 of The Wrangler

Jesse cursed viciously, heart pounding, body still coiled for a fight.

But he was gone. Jesse snorted, scanning the room before turning on his heel—Keely.

She was standing in the corner, breathing hard, her hands clenched into fists. And her eyes? She kept her eyes locked on him; they were wide with adrenaline, brimming knowing that her world had just changed.

“You okay?” His voice came out rough, thick with the rage still clawing at his throat.

Keely nodded too fast. “Yeah. Fine.”

She wasn’t fine. Not even close. But Jesse couldn’t focus on that now.

His fingers were already moving, unlocking his phone, hitting the all-hands-on-deck button without hesitation. A signal that would light up every Silver Spur operative’s phone, pulling them in immediately.

This wasn’t a routine call. This was a red alert.A warning that they had an actual threat—to someone who was either on the team or a family member—and that the threat had already made it past the normal security protocols.

Reed’s plans, whatever the hell they were, would have to wait.

Because right now, there was only one priority.

Immediate. Fucking. Backup. Now.

Jesse’s gut told him what he already knew. The intruder would be back. And next time? He wouldn’t be alone.

5

KEELY

Keely stood in the wreckage of her once-perfectly normal night, arms crossed, barefoot, and entirely too aware of Jesse Bryant’s towering presence at her side.

He appeared carved from granite, radiating coiled strength and razor-sharp focus, as if about to hurl the intruder through a wall. Only problem was, the intruder was now long gone. The shattered French doors still rattled slightly in their frame.

She inhaled deeply, rolling her shoulders back. She’d been through worse. Jesse hadn’t looked away from her once. His eyes flicked over her—assessing, searching, waiting for a crack in the surface. She gave him nothing.

“Keely,” his voice came low and steady, “are you sure you’re okay?”

She tipped her head slightly, glancing around. “Well, someone destroyed my door, turned my house into a crime scene, and some psycho just tried to sneak in to do God-knows-what, so…” She let out her breath slowly, lifting one shoulder. “I’ve had better nights.”

Jesse’s mouth pressed into a hard line, his sharp gaze scanning her body like he could see straight into her soul.It should have unnerved her. Instead, it did something else entirely.

Something dangerous.

He stepped closer, towering over her now, his voice quieter. Steadier. “Keely.”

She blinked up at him. “Yeah?”

“You’re standing in glass.”

Oh.

She glanced down, only now realizing she was still barefoot. A few shards of broken glass glittered in the dim kitchen light, dangerously close to the balls of her feet.

Before she could react, Jesse moved. He wrapped one muscular arm around her waist, lifting her off the damn ground like she weighed nothing before setting her on the edge of the counter. Keely let out a breath, stunned at the way her body reacted. The heat of his hands. The dominant way in which he just moved in, scooped her up and put her somewhere safer.

“Jesse,” she started, but before she could even process what was happening, the door burst open.

And all hell broke loose. The cavalry had arrived—a little too late, but still.

Her brother came first. His eyes found her instantly, scanning for injury, for damage, for anything out of place. His jaw was tight, his entire presence a storm brewing under the surface.

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