Page 18 of Mine to Protect

Apparently not.

My cheeks burned as I shifted to stare out the windshield, hiding my embarrassment.

I was a stupid woman, inept at all things men.

Of course I read the signs wrong. He didn’t want me.

Who would?

“If security is your concern, I can take care of myself,” I said, attempting to hide my hurt and mirror his monotone.

“Really? She was an agent, had more training than you.”

I huffed in annoyance and shook my head while tapping the passenger window with my short nail. “Turn at the next right. Anyway, you underestimate me, Sergeant Mathews. We go through the same training as any officer of the law. Plus I’m a black belt, and I have Benny here to watch out for me, since you seem to be concerned about the additional workload.”

Only the tick of the SUV’s blinker sounded as the two men sat silenced. The tension growing taut with each rhythmic click.

Crap. That was too pushy. Was that too pushy? Maybe, but he needs to know I’m an asset to this investigation, not additional work for him.

“You have my vote,” Peters said as he navigated the SUV through the narrow streets. “And mine is the one that matters, so welcome to the team.”

A grumble of discontent rumbled in the back seat.

The corners of my lips turned up.

Take that, asshat.

Birdie, one.

Sergeant Mathews, zero.

* * *

The hollow thumpof my hiking boots against the aging, wooden porch steps followed theirs as Benny and I trailed the two men into their rental cabin. Somehow, inside was ten degrees colder than outside. Running my hands up and down my arms, I surveyed the front room. It was similar to mine, with a small kitchen equipped with the basics, which opened into an eating area and living room. The only difference was the two bedrooms where mine only had the one.

Both men disappeared into their respective rooms, followed shortly by the banging of bags being dropped.

The tips of my fingers tingled as they numbed in the frigid cabin.

Right. Might as well make myself useful. Surely they were cold too.

The precut logs I found on the porch were thankfully dry, protected from the light wintry mix by the overhang, and old, which was perfect for a fire. After grabbing a few, plus some tinder, I hauled everything into the living room and kneeled in front of the fireplace.

Too engrossed in the construction of a perfect teepee that would catch quickly, I failed to hear approaching footsteps.

“What are you doing?”

I sucked in a quick breath and shoved off the floor only to slam the crown of my head into the thick wooden mantle.

“Dang it!” I exclaimed, cupping both hands around my head to ward off the impending pain.

Wide, warm hands wrapped around mine, applying more pressure.

Even though the gesture was caring, bile rocketed up anyway, burning my throat. Flinging my hands down to detach the unwelcome touch, I retreated a few steps until my back hit the wall.

“Easy, boy. I didn’t hurt her,” Agent Peters said in a soothing yet frightened tone. “Hey there, Johnson, call off your dog, would you? I’d prefer my balls to stay attached to my body if you don’t mind.”

A few slow blinks cleared the moisture building in my eyes, blurring my vision, and I gasped. Benny stood between us, the dark hair along his back standing on end as he prowled closer to Agent Peters, teeth bared as he growled.

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