Page 16 of Protected By The Ranger
“And if I don’t?”
Zane steps forward. “One-way ticket to an unmarked grave.”
CHAPTER 8
IZZY
There’s a knock at the door, and Hayden raises his shotgun.
“It’s me. Jake.”
Oh, thank God.
I rush across the room, fumbling with the locks. The door swings open to reveal Jake standing on the porch, and the sight of him sends a rollercoaster of emotions crashing through me.
Relief. Terror. Confusion. Hope.
His knuckles are bloody, split across both hands like he’s been hitting something much harder than skin.His black t-shirt is torn at the shoulder, andthere’s a darkness in his green eyes that gives me pause. But he’s alive and he’s here.
Without thinking, Iwrap my arms around him and pull him into a fierce bear hug. Jake’s breath is hot and rapid against my neck.
“It’s over,” he tells me, his voice roughwith exhaustion.
“Jake,” Hayden’s voice cuts through the moment. “You alright, man? Is it handled?”
Jake steps away from me and turns to face my brother. “It’s handled. Waverly won’t be a problem anymore.”
“Good.” Hayden’s voice carries satisfaction and relief. “What do you need from me?”
“Just give us a few minutes?”
Hayden nods and settles back into his chair, but I can feel him watching as Jake steps away from me.
“Are you hurt?” I pull back to search his face, my hands running over his chest, his arms,then gently taking his hands in mine.
“Nothing that won’t heal.”
But Ican see the way he favors his right hand, the careful way he moves his shoulders. My mind races with possibilities, each one worse than the last.Whathappened? Do I even want to know?
“Come on,” I whisper,leading him into the kitchen. “Let me take care of you.”
He follows me to the kitchen sink without protest, settling against the counter while I gather supplies. His knuckles are worse than they appeared from a distance—split and swollen, with traces of blood that make my stomach clench.
“Tell me what happened,” Hayden calls out as I dampen a clean cloth with warm water and start gently cleaning his hand.
“Waverly was staying at the Comfort Inn.Blaketracked him down, and Zane and I went to have a conversation with him.” Jake’s voice is matter-of-fact, but I can see something darkerflickering behind his eyes. “He understood my point of view, and he’ll never bother you again. I was very motivational.”
The clinical way he describes what he did makes my heart twist with tension. This is what protection looks like when it comes from someone like Jake—thorough, ruthless, and completely without compromise.
“Is he...” I can’t finish the question, but Jake understands.
“Alive. Scared, but alive. I have his electronic devices. I’ll have Ghost’s tech guy delete everything permanently and make sure there aren’t any cloud copies of anything. We’ll keep monitoring him, and you, to make sure he got the message and stays away.”
The relief that floods through me is so intense that it makes me dizzy.For months, I’ve been living in a constant state of fear. Looking over my shoulder, checking locks twice, jumping at every unexpected sound. I haven’t felt safe in my own skin for so long that I’d forgotten what normal felt like.
“I was so scared when you left. I thought I might lose you.”
“You’ll never lose me. I’m not going anywhere.”
