Page 30 of Rescued

The men sat in silence until Jaxson finally stood, looking at his watch before adding. "She called. She needs help. She asked for Chase and me, but it's you who sheneeds."

"Bullshit. She doesn't want to ever see meagain."

"Don't bullshit me. I was there. I saw the chemistry between youtwo."

"It died when I walked out of theclub."

Davidson changed tactics. "So why are you even here? And why aren't you playing with someoneelse?"

"I'm not in the mood for one thing, but more importantly, you don't have any available singles here to playtonight."

"Sure we do." Davidson waved over a scantily clad server girl who'd been flirting with other patrons. "This is Ling. She'savailable."

Jaxson was calling his bluff and he knew it. "Fuck off. Stop trying to stick your nose in where it doesn'tbelong."

Jaxson waved off Ling before answering. "Fine, Chase and I will take care of her while you stay here and get shitfaced like a loser." Before the taller man left, he pulled a business card from his wallet and threw it down on the bar in front of Ryder. "If you get your head out of your ass, give me a call. You're trained in what needs to be done to keep her safe. You can deny it all you want, but I know you have feelings for her. I just hope you call before it's toolate."

Ryder didn't answer him. He didn't have anything to say. Instead, his mind raced with the possibilities of her being in danger. Jaxson left him to wallow in his self-doubt on if Khloe'd even want his help or not and then getting angry with himself for even considering what she wanted. He was the fucking Dominant. She was thesub.

Only he knew it wasn't that simple. Not with KhloeMonroe.

He waited long enough to make sure he wouldn't run into Davidson on his way out before pushing to his feet, not bothering to say goodbye toSpencer.

He made it back to his depressing apartment despite having a blood alcohol level that could have thrown him in jail if he'd been pulled over on the drive. Weary, he plopped in front of the TV again, flipping through news programs looking for new reports on Khloe. Instead, he found an update on the miraculous return of the Marshall family to the United States. Chip Marshall's grateful speech about the unnamed agent who'd gone undercover to extract his family filled him withpride.

He was about to nod off when one of the leadoff stories onE!was about the growing rumors of Khloe Monroe's problems. They reported they had no confirmation, but inside sources had disclosed she had a stalker. Ryder watched footage from earlier that day of Khloe leaving a downtown high-rise, the same bodyguard from earlier reports snuggled close to her as he hustled her to a waitingSUV.

Ryder grabbed the remote control, stopping the screen on a close-up of Khloe. He hated the worry lines on her brow and the sad terror in her eyes. Those eyes were too beautiful to be clouded with panic. When he resumed the feed, he watched the guard scoop her up and place her into the back seat of the waiting SUV before sliding in next to her. A pang of something impossible to ignore constricted his heart, finally forcing him face it head-on.

Fuck me. Some asshole wants to hurt her, but I'm the only one who gets to hurt KhloeMonroe.

Chapter 9

Khloe watchedas tourists walked along looking down at the sidewalk, reading the names of the A-list celebrities who were forever memorialized with stars on the famous Walk of Fame. One day, those pedestrians would be taking their photo next toherstar, but tonight, the smoky glass of the slow moving limo protected her from their pryingeyes.

They weren't far from the Chinese Theater, the destination of her dreams. She'd been in the historical movie house many times, dreaming of the day she'd get to watch her own film on the mammothscreen.

Tonight would be thatnight.

She tried not to feel bitter that her stalker had put a damper on what should be one of the best days of herlife.

Khloe jumped when a hand caressed her arm gently. She'd been lost in thought and almost forgotten she wasn'talone.

Dean moved to weave their fingers together intimately, but she snapped her hand away from his defensively. She may not have the option of pulling away when they were in public, but in the privacy of her own limo, he could keep his fucking hands tohimself.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," hesaid.

He was conceited enough to attribute her reclusiveness as fear, when disgust was a closerdescription.

He babbled on, unaware of her feelings. "I've wanted to tell you how impressed I was with how you handled yourself in the boardroom with Richardyesterday."

Okay, so maybe he was sincerely trying to get back in her goodgraces.

Dean added, "It gave me aboner."

Or, maybenot.

Khloe glanced at her assistant, Ricky, and found a scowl on his face she wished she couldclone.

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