Page 15 of Guarding Bristol

She stared right back at him, unflinching as she searched his eyes.“Are you?”

No, but that wasn’t the point.Because he could have been.

In his gut, he knew he should do or say something right now to drive the point home and scare her off for good.But he just couldn’t do it.Staring into those eyes, reading the determination and sincerity there, scaring her away like that was impossible.It would be like kicking a sweet, friendly puppy.

“You have no idea what I’m capable of,” he said instead.Zero idea of who he was, or what he’d done to wind up here.

She held her ground and didn’t back down, didn’t look the slightest bit uncertain or contrite.That surprised him even more.“I think that when it comes down to it, you would do whatever was necessary to survive.But no.I don’t think you’re a threat to me.Am I wrong?”

No.But goddamn it, she shouldn’t trust him so blindly just because he’d served with Eric.“Come on,” he muttered in irritation, taking hold of her elbow.Albeit gentler this time.

“How’ve you been, anyway?”she asked as they started up the sidewalk.It was past twilight, the top of the sky already turning different shades of purple and the edge of the moon appearing between some tall buildings ahead.

He shot her a dark look.“Living the dream.”

She winced a little.“Have you thought at all about the potential job I mentioned?I spoke to the owner today.He—”

“Jesus, you are relentless.”He shook his head and looked up at the heavens.Eric, you seeing this?Your sister’s insane.What the hell do I do with her?

“Yep.I had to be, to get Eric off the streets.”

“He was your brother.I’m nothing to you.”It made no sense that she would risk her personal safety to try to “help” him.

“You were his friend.His good friend and brother-in-arms.He cared about you a lot, and so, believe it or not, that means you mean something to me too.”

She didn’t know what the hell she was saying.“Are you religious?Come to lead me to the light and save my soul or something?”

“No.Why, would that help?”

He clamped his teeth together, prayed for patience and kept his mouth shut, suspecting she would shoot down any argument he made.“Which way now?”he asked impatiently when they reached the next intersection.

“Straight.”

Of all the dangers out here, of all ways his night could have gone sideways, this hadn’t even occurred to him as a possibility.The sooner he got rid of her, the better, for both of them.He had an upcoming appointment he couldn’t miss, and she needed to be in her car driving her sweet, curvy little ass back to the coast long before then.“Now where?”

“Across this way.”

He waited for the traffic to pass, then hustled her across the street.The seedier bars, strip clubs, and massage parlors along the street were all coming to life.Music pumped from the doorways they passed.Bouncers and patrons standing outside stared at them as they walked by.

TJ tugged her closer and stared them all down.Warning them all to keep their distance and their fucking mouths shut.

In darkened doorways and corners, dealers and sex workers plied their trades.A few people were shooting up on the sidewalk.Others were passed out down alleys that reeked of garbage and urine and stale beer.

Just a regular Saturday night in this part of town.He should have hated it, but it felt normal to him now.

“Right at the next light,” she murmured, giving no indication that she was scared or alarmed by what she was seeing.Though she’d probably seen it all before and worse when she’d been looking for her brother.TJ didn’t like thinking about that one bit.

He stayed vigilant as they turned the corner and continued down the next street, still disturbed that she’d come here to find him.“Now where?”

“Left at the next street.”They turned the corner.“I’m parked just up there on the right.”She dug in her pocket for her keys and amber lights flashed on a vehicle parked twenty feet from another strip club.

He walked her right up to the driver’s side and opened her door for her.She stopped to face him.Opened her mouth to say something, but he held up a hand.“Don’t.Just get in.”He didn’t want to talk.He just wanted her to go.

And not come back.

“Will you please at least give serious consideration to contacting the owner of the company I mentioned?”Framed by those glasses that somehow made her even sexier, her eyes pleaded with him.“For Eric’s sake.”

That look in her eyes was killing him.Awakening parts of him that should have died long ago.He would have looked away, but he couldn’t.She had a strange sort of power over him, and it made him twice as anxious to see her gone.“And if I don’t?”

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