“No.” He chuckled. “But I do have calls to make. If I step outside, is there an alarm?”
“Yeah.” She replied, then covered a yawn. “The code’s 555444.”
“Goodnight, Monica.”
She gave a small smile and started toward the hall, but turned back.
Monica gave him a brief smile as she started out of the room, but then stopped. “What you did tonight when my father almost...” She shook her head as she looked at him. “Thank you, Kane.”
“You’re welcome,” Kane said, then watched as she disappeared into the darkness. A slow smile curved his lips as he realized she was no longer calling him Warrior, but by his name. He liked the way it sounded coming from her lips.
Heading outside, he punched in a number then put the phone to his ear.
“Hey,” Kane said, voice dropping into the lethal tone he reserved for work. “I need eyes out for a black Honda Civic. Tinted windows. Blue under glow. If you find it, take the occupants to the special interrogation room. Full undercover mode. Hold them until I get there.”
Whoever thought it was a good idea to run Monica off the road had no idea what kind of hell they’d just signed up for. Scare tactic or not, they’d threatened her. And that was something Kane would not let slide.
CHAPTER 12
As fast as the heavy rain came, it stopped by the time they reached the car. Doug stood waiting, his worried eyes glued to Monica.
“Why don’t you guys come on back to my place?” Doug said as he pulled her in, giving her a tight hug, kissing the top of her head. “Ken is a mess, and Dena is quiet… too quiet. I think seeing her dad break is messing with her.”
“I have to get Knox,” Monica sniffed, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Then get Knox and do what you need to do there, then head back over.” Doug glanced at Kane, who only gave a single nod. “And bring Knox, because he’ll keep Dena busy.”
Monica nodded, and Kane guided her to the passenger side, opening the door and helping her slide in. The moment she was settled, he shut it gently and came back around to where Doug stood waiting at the driver’s door.
“Find who did this and kill them,” Doug said, voice cracking, a raw sob right behind the words. “Fuck the justice system. I don’t want to sit in a courtroom reliving any of this.”
“I will find them,” Was Kane’s only response. How he dealt with the son of a bitch would be between him and the bastard after he got all the information he needed. Unfortunately, this family wasn’t the only family affected.
Doug clapped a trembling hand on Kane’s shoulder before turning away, heading back to his car, where Ken and little Dena waited. The pain Kane saw in all of their faces hit him somewhere deep in the dark places he usually kept locked up. He wasn’t a sentimental man by any stretch, but watching a grown man crumble at losing his wife made something ugly twist inside him.
It also made him wonder—really wonder—how he would feel if he ever had a mate and lost her.
The wave of anger, grief, and a cold, brutal kind of fear hit him so hard his knees nearly buckled, sending him bumping back against the car.
“Jesus,” Kane muttered, eyes closing for a beat as he forced himself to get it together. He steadied his breathing, yanked the door open, and slid behind the wheel.
Starting the car, he glanced over at Monica, who sat staring at him. “I seem to keep having to thank you.” Monica’s voice was raspy with tears.
“You have nothing to thank me for.” Kane never liked being thanked, never knowing what to do with it. He did things because he wanted to. If he didn’t want to, he sure as hell wouldn’t. Simple as that.
But this woman… she had slid under his skin so damn fast it should’ve pissed him off. Instead, he found himself liking it, liking her. The spunk, the sass, that sharp tongue she used like a weapon, and the fierce, fearless way she loved her family. If he was being honest, he was missing her sass and sharp tongue right now. He grinned at that thought.
She’d driven him crazy at first, and she would probably do it again, but he couldn’t deny the respect he had for her loyalty to her family. If there was one thing Kane understood, it was loyalty. He had no family other than his brother and sisters in the Guardians, and that was where his loyalty lay.
Monica sniffed and looked away. “You’re really a nice guy, aren’t you?”
Kane actually chuckled at that as he started the car and pulled out. “I’m an asshole, Monica.” He shot her a quick grin. “And do me a favor—don’t repeat the nice guy stuff to any Warrior or Guardian. I’ll never hear the end of it.”
He glanced over again and caught the small smile tugging at her full lips. Good, that’s what he was going for. And it didn’t change the fact: he really was an asshole. When he turned toward the expressway, she straightened in her seat.
“Where are you going?” she asked, a frown forming.
“To your place.” He slowed a little, confused. “I thought you wanted to get your dog before going back to your brother’s.”