Turn On A Dime - Kade's Turn (6 page)

“That makes two of us,” she said.

Her wry wit, even in the face of what had happened tonight, amused Kade.

“He said he’d come by the bar tonight and that I’m to tell you to ‘play along,’” he said.

“Play along? What does that mean?”

Kade shrugged. “I have an idea but I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”

Kathleen chewed her lip, seemingly lost in thought, and it occurred to Kade that it would be just like her to keep things from Blane—information that could be beneficial to keeping her alive.

“Is there anything else that’s happened?” he asked. “Anything that you haven’t told Blane?”

Kade could tell immediately that he’d guessed right. Everything she was thinking showed on her face. She didn’t have a deceitful bone in her body and he had a brief flash of regret for ever believing she’d been in on a plot against Blane.

“Tell me,” he ordered, before she could gather her wits.

She hesitated, then spoke. “It was yesterday in the morning. I went out to my car to go to work.”

“And?” Kade prompted.

“And there was a dead possum,” she blurted. “Someone had slit its little throat and they’d used its blood to write in the snow on my car.”

Kade inhaled sharply, his jaw clenching. Mutilation of animals was never a good sign.

“And it said?” he asked.

“It said
Kirk’s whore
.” She raised an eyebrow. “Maybe a friend of yours?”

Ouch.

She ducked past him, but Kade reached and snagged her arm, jerking her back.

“You didn’t think that was something you should’ve told Blane?” he asked.
Who would’ve gone apeshit
, he thought but didn’t say. God knows how close this guy had been to her while she’d been looking at the dead animal. He could’ve been watching, just waiting for the right moment. The thought chilled Kade, which just pissed him off.

“Since you haven’t been around to notice, Blane’s been a little busy. The last thing he needs is for me to be laying more crap at his doorstep.” Her sneering said she wasn’t backing down no matter how hard he was gripping her arm.

And it wasn’t like he could tell her that he’d have the image of her with
her
throat cut in his head to add to the nightmares he already fought on a nightly basis, so he lashed out.

“Usually, I would agree,” he snarled. “But he’s been shot at twice now, and I’m not willing to let him get hurt if you’re the target.”

“Gee, thanks for the support,” she said, her sarcasm thick. “With a bodyguard like you, I might as well just slit my wrists.” With that, she snatched her arm away and stalked to the door, angrily jerking on her coat.

Kade had stifle a full out grin at that, Kathleen again taking him by surprise. It was rare that someone made him laugh, so he had a great appreciation for it when it happened.

He was by her side by the time she’d opened the door, gun in hand and shielding her from direct line of sight. He scanned the lot while she locked the door, then didn’t bother asking before wrapping an arm around her and tucking her against his side. She stiffened immediately.

“Is this really necessary?” she asked, trying fruitlessly to push away from him.

Her squirming only served to press her breasts and hips more closely to his side. As if he needed reminding.

“Shut up and walk.”

Silence again reigned in the car on the way to the bar and Kade took her inside the same way he’d gotten her to the car—by using his body as a shield and keeping every sense on high alert for a possible ambush. The irony that he was putting himself in harm’s way for this chick was not lost on him.

And he didn’t like it.

“I have to leave for a while,” he told her once they were inside. “Meet my friend and give him the package. What time do you get off?”

“I work until close tonight.”

Good. “I’ll be back before then.”

“That’s just great. I’ll be counting the minutes.” Her snide comment coupled with a fake smile ignited his temper. Here he was ready to take a fucking bullet for her and she was being a little snot. Somehow he bet Blane had never seen
this
particular side of Kathleen.

“Try to lose the bitchy before I get back,” he retorted, then he was out the door before she could come up with some other wiseass remark to piss him off, which would be bad—or make him laugh, which would be worse.

He was already attracted to her. He didn’t want to
like
her, too.

It took over an hour to drive to the FBI forensic lab and drop off the sample. Kade called Donovan again on his way back to the bar.

“It’s in,” he said. “Have them run handwriting analysis, too, along with prints. The girl’s prints and mine will be on there, but maybe he left behind some of his own.”

Donovan confirmed the orders, then said. “I opened a case on this. I’m having an agent go through missing persons now to see if we can find a possible match for the eye. I can’t put any agents on the girl right now, though. Local PD might help.”

“That’s fine. I’m on protective detail for the foreseeable future.”

“All right then. I’ll be in touch.”

“Thanks, man.” Kade ended the call as he pulled into the lot for The Drop. When he walked in, he saw that once again, Kathleen had a talent for being a shitload of trouble.

She was standing by a table of guys, one of them with his arm locked around her waist. As Kade watched, he pulled at the neckline of her top to peer down inside. Kathleen grabbed a mug of beer and tossed it in his face. Kade’s lips twisted in admiration as the man let her go, but she didn’t get away quick enough. In the next moment, he’d jerked her back by her hair and had his hand squeezing the back of her neck.

And Kade went from amused to enraged in the span of a split second.

People took one look at him and scurried out of his way as he stalked toward the table. Kade didn’t notice, his eyes locked on the asshole who was going to regret laying a finger on Kathleen.

“—already got a beer dumped on me, I should at least get to cop a feel, right, sugar?” the guy was saying.

“Let her go and I might consider not breaking your arm,” Kade said. Which was a lie. He’d be lucky if that was all Kade did to him.

The guy glanced at Kade, assessing him. Deciding he wasn’t a threat—big mistake—he dismiss him with a “Fuck off.”

Perfect.

Kade had a hand on the guy’s arm and another on the back of his neck. A twist of the wrist and Kathleen was free, a hard kick to the guy’s chair dislodged him enough for Kade to slam his face into the wooden table. He missed a mug by a hair. Damn. That would’ve left a nice mark.

The mugs toppled to the floor and shattered as the other men jumped to their feet, their eyes wide at Kade’s assault. A hard jerk and Kade heard the satisfying crack of a broken bone and a dislocated shoulder.

The asshole was grimacing in pain, his face white, and Kade leaned down to whisper in his ear.

“Apologize to the girl, fucktard.”

“I…I’m sorry,” he babbled.

“Tell her you’re a fucking asshole and that you won’t bother her anymore.”

“I’m a…”

“Fucking asshole,” Kade repeated.

“I’m a fucking asshole and…”

“And you won’t bother her anymore,” Kade prompted.

“…and I won’t bother you anymore. I swear.”

Kade jerked his injured arm up higher, satisfied when the guy howled in pain. He whispered again. “I see you in here again, your friends will have to carry you out because I’ll break both your fucking legs.”

He let him go and the group of them hustled fucktard out the door. Just then, another waitress and a guy—probably the cook, judging from his stained apron—appeared.

“What happened?” the girl asked. Her nametag read
Jill
. “Are they gone?”

“Yeah,” Kathleen answered. “They’re gone. Thanks anyway, though.” Her voice wasn’t all that steady. She redid her ponytail in what seemed more of a nervous reaction than an actual attempt to fix her hair. Looked like that had shaken her more than she was letting on.

Kathleen dropped to her knees and began cleaning up the mess while the other waitress went to get a mop. Kade watched for a moment as she picked up glass. Her knees were in a puddle of beer, but she didn’t seem to notice. He crouched down.

“You all right?” he asked.

She glanced at him. “I’m fine.” Her lips stretched in a fake smile that was more of a grimace.

Kade raised an eyebrow, but Kathleen just cleared her throat and dropped her gaze, resuming her task with shaking fingers. It would seem pretty asshole-ish if he didn’t help, so Kade picked up some glass, too, standing back when Jill returned with a mop.

Finding an empty seat at the far end of the bar, Kade settled in. After a while, Kathleen asked him if he wanted anything to drink. She returned with a mug of fresh, black coffee and slid it in front of him, which was the extent of their interaction for a couple of hours.

It was busy at first, then slowed down, and Kade kept a close eye on her, which wasn’t a hardship. She was graceful in her movements, efficient as she worked. Occasionally, she’d laugh at something one of the waitresses or customers said, and soon Kade was watching for when those moments occurred.

Her whole face would light up, her lips spreading wide in a smile as she laughed, a feminine sound that didn’t grate on his nerves, but made Kade want to smile, too. It was a carefree sound, evoking feelings and memories he could only recall having at a very young age. It simultaneously made him want to hear more…and made his chest ache with a feeling too close to loneliness.

She was singing softly to herself—some ridiculous Christmas carol—when Blane walked in. The blonde on his arm made Kade’s eyebrows climb, but it damn near made Kathleen gasp, judging by her reaction. The glass she’d been washing slid back into the water as she watched them walk to a booth and sit down. And Kade abruptly realized what Blane’s ploy was.

Dick. He could’ve at least warned her.

“Excuse me, bartender, can I get a refill?”

Kathleen turned, her face blank, then seemed to realize it had been Kade who’d spoken. She grabbed the coffee pot and walked to his end of the bar, stiffly pouring more coffee in his mug.

“Play along, remember?” he said in an undertone.

She blanched and Kade tipped his head ever so slightly toward Blane. Understanding dawned in her eyes and her entire body relaxed. Interesting. So she felt enough for Blane to be upset that he’d bring another woman here.

Kade nipped that thought in the bud. It wasn’t like she was in love with him. Any woman would be pissed. Their pride demanded it. It had nothing to do with what feelings she may or may not have for him.

“Oh my God!”

They both turned to see another waitress standing by the bar, her eyes glued to Blane and the blonde.

“Isn’t that your boyfriend?” she asked Kathleen, appalled.

Kade winced at the designation. If some woman called him her “boyfriend,” he’d slit his fucking throat. Or hers.

Kathleen and the waitress started talking, their heads together, and Kade watched as the waitress approached Blane’s table a few moments later, then hurried back to report to Kathleen. Throwing her shoulders back, she walked to the table.

The three of them talked for a minute and Kade couldn’t hear them, but he could see perfectly well when Kathleen dumped an entire glass of ice water right in Blane’s lap. Kade had just taken a sip of coffee and damn near spit the whole thing out.

Kathleen was making tracks back to the bar, high-fiving the waitress when she got there, and sent a quick glance Kade’s way. What else could he do but raise his mug in silent toast to the size of the balls she had to possess to pull off a stunt like that. Blane was never going to hear the end of it, courtesy of Kade.

Kade watched in silent amusement as Blane hustled the blonde and his soaked slacks out the door. Yeah, it was below freezing out there. Have fun with that.

By the time closing rolled around, Kade’d had enough coffee to keep him awake half the night. Kathleen hadn’t said a word beyond refilling his cup and she headed to the back for what he assumed were more supplies. But after several minutes, she hadn’t returned. Uneasy, Kade was just getting ready to head back there when she reappeared carrying several bottles.

Her face and neck were flushed and she wouldn’t look at him. Her lips were pink and swollen and he could read the signs of arousal on her as though she held a flashing neon sign.

“Christ,” he groused. “Blane couldn’t stay away, could he.” Not that Kade could blame him. Knowing Kathleen had just been making out with Blane in the back room was enough to give him an uncomfortable niggle of jealousy. “Blane doesn’t usually do something so stupid,” he continued, irritated at her, at Blane, and now at himself.

“He made sure he wasn’t seen,” she said.

Her defense of Blane only pissed him off more. “You don’t know that. And neither does he. It was a dumb move.”

She didn’t reply, just grabbed a rag and started wiping down the bar.

“We’re going to have to fix it,” he continued, an idea forming in his head. An idea she wasn’t going to like and one Blane would hate, but hey, what he didn’t know…

“How?” she asked.

Kade’s lips twisted. “Ever pick up a customer, princess?” Of course she hadn’t. Little Miss Innocent would be shocked at the idea of a one night stand. But she got the message, judging by the appalled look on her face.

Yeah, that wasn’t a blow to his pride or anything.

He held her coat for her and she obediently slid her arms into the sleeves, hurrying to retrieve her purse from under the bar. The waitress caught up with her and they started talking in an undertone, both of them shooting glances his way. Kade’s lips lifted in a one-sided smile.

The waitress headed out the front and Kade herded Kathleen toward the back. Just before she reached for the door, he grabbed her arm.

“Try to make it look good,” he said, “or at least, believable.”

Confusion was written in her eyes as she looked at him, but she nodded, heading outside and locking the door behind her. And maybe Kade could be honest enough with himself that his pulse was racing in anticipation of what was coming.