Page 97 of Her Rugged Guardian

“She said she had a remarkable hero. That was you.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You’re my hero.”

I pushed the coffee mug further away, a bitter taste forming in my mouth. “I definitely know better. Seriously. Can you remember anything else?”

“The bad thing was I was preparing a marketing campaign when she called and didn’t pay close enough attention to what she was telling me. I do remember her inviting me out. She said it was important. I pushed her off. How does a daughter do that to her own mother?”

“You had a life and she understood that.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t. If only I could go back a few months.”

“Stop beating yourself up. Try and remember. Maybe you’re right in that she was working with someone.” The someone was Bart. I felt it in my gut. Now I had to convince him to tell me what the hell he was looking into. He’d need help, which likely meant another law enforcement agency. There were too many moving parts.

“I will. Anyway, I’m not sure how I’m going to save this place. Even if I can sell my condo, I won’t have enough proceeds tomake a difference so I can buy it back. Two million dollars is a tough cookie.”

“You know what? I might know some people.”

She moved closer, rising onto her tiptoes. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Let’s go over everything one more time. After that, we’d going to put it away.”

Nodding, she glanced at me. “I’m very glad I came here.”

“Me too.” As soon as I heard my phone, I bristled. Who the hell could be calling me so late? I snagged it before the second ring, exhaling when I noticed the caller. Shane Biddle. “Shane. What’s up?”

“I need you, buddy,” he said. “I have a disaster on my hands and one of my guys was in a terrible car accident.”

Cassandra narrowed her eyes when I hissed.

“I can’t, bud,” I told him.

“We’re going to lose Breaker Ridge if you don’t.”

“Breaker Ridge?” Shit. The location Malcolm wanted to get his hands on. This wasn’t a coincidence. There would still be too much red tape involved with tearing the houses down, the bad press difficult for him. “How many are burning?”

“Two at this point,” Shane answered. “But the fire is burning fast. I have every available man on the job and I’ve called two counties to come help but I need manpower now.”

“A fire?” she asked.

I closed my eyes, nodding. What the hell was I supposed to do? When I felt her touch, a cold chill drifted down my spine.

“You need to go, Jake. Fight the demons. You’re needed.”

Her words drilled into me. I opened my eyes, finding hers imploring.

“I’ll be safe. Okay?” she added.

“Jake. Please. Families with children need you,” Shane continued, adding to the ache in my gut.

“Fine. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“Thank God.”

By the time I ended the call, my nerves were on edge. “I want you to listen to me, Cass. And don’t fuck with me on this.”

“Okay. What?”

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