The safety classes and hours logged at the shooting range helped. But now, sitting in a car with men she didn’t know, all those old insecurities rushed over her. She fought off waves of debilitating self-bashing and reached for that inner balance she’d vowed never to lose again.
Jeremy’s eyes narrowed. “What does that cryptic comment mean?”
“I don’t need a man to take care of me.”
“This isn’t a liberation issue or some sort of battle of the sexes.”
“Really? Feels like it.”
“No one appreciates a strong woman more than I do. I saw you kick and fight and go after that intruder. You’re a survivor and there’s nothing more attractive to me than that.”
Joel cleared his throat. “Uh, Jeremy? Maybe we should focus.”
Jeremy talked over him. The rise in his voice’s volume was the only nod to the fact that Joel had made any noise. “But, like it or not, we have to be realistic about men’s physical advantages. Weight and strength all matter. I’m not saying you can’t win, but it’s not easy.”
She didn’t want size to play a role, but she was smart enough to know it did. Her self-defense instructor made that clear. He also gave some hints on how to even the battle.
“I’m quite familiar with men who lead with fists,” she said.
Jeremy’s gaze wandered over her face. It felt as if an hour passed before he spoke again, though it was probably more like seconds. “I don’t want the guy hunting for Garrett to target you. He’ll have a gun—”
“I can shoot.”
Jeremy’s head snapped back as if he hadn’t expected that answer. He glanced at Joel in the mirror then back to her. “Practicing on a target or cans of whatever and actually aiming at a person are different things.”
She knew that all too well, but she had no intention of sharing that information. “And?”
“I’ll shoot without blinking.”
“People will look for me. I have friends and neighbors. People are going to ask questions.”
At least, she hoped that was true. She hadn’t lived in Coronado long. She spent her time reading in the park and dreaded any invitation to hang out in a bar with coworkers looking for men. The whole “get drunk and find some random guy to sleep with” thing left her feeling hollow. She wasn’t a prude but the bar scene, complete with all the stupid games and fake attraction stunts, had never appealed to her.
Joel stretched his arm along the back of the seat. “She’s right. Her absence will cause questions.”
“I’m only asking for a few hours.” Jeremy’s jaw tightened to the point of cracking with each word. “You can trust me that long.”
“Not if you’re running around shooting at people.”
“Last time I pulled a weapon I stopped a guy from touching you.”
The memories of the horrible morning bombarded her. The headache kicked in a second later. “True.”
“Sorry.” He exhaled as he put his hand on her knee. “Look, someone tried to kill my brother, to kill you. I need to know who and why so I can protect you both. And time is slipping away. The guy has a huge head start. It may already be too late to find a trail.”
“Good.” The answer worked for both his comment and for the warmth spiraling through her body at the touch of his palm against her bare skin.
“I’ll be careful, but I do need to do this.” He gave her leg a quick squeeze then tapped on the back of Joel’s seat. “Stay here.”
She was no longer panicked about her safety. Now she was ticked off. Being dragged around without any explanation did that to a woman.
“Absolutely not,” she said in her best teacher voice.
The locks clicked right before Joel turned around. “For the record, I agree with the lady.”
“My name is Meredith.”
“Meredith.” He smiled at her before his mouth flat-lined and his attention returned to Jeremy. “How does this play out? There are cops everywhere. We have a civilian in the car.”
Civilian?
“Unlock the door.” Jeremy’s deep voice rattled with a deadly echo.
A second click bounced around the silent car. Then he was gone.
The whole rescuer thing should impress her. In some ways it did. In others it filled her with flaming frustration. If Jeremy intended to save her, she needed him to be alive to do it.
“Let’s go.” She opened the door before Joel could lock her in. That would teach him to hesitate.
“Whoa.” He jumped out of the car and raced around to meet her at the hood.
“That’s the fastest I’ve seen you move since you drove up.”
“I’ll be running pretty damn fast when Jeremy tries to kill me for letting you out of this car.”
“I’m not rushing in to help. You are.”
“Wait, what?”
The plan seemed simple enough in her head, but Joel’s scowl suggested otherwise. “I know you won’t leave me alone. I also know Jeremy should have backup. So, you move and I hang back and then maybe, just maybe, we’ll live through the next ten minutes.”
“I can’t guarantee that.”
“Or I can scream for the police and end this now.”
His entire demeanor changed. His hand went to his gun and he rolled his shoulders back as every inch of him vibrated with a new alertness. “You don’t fight fair.”
She doubted he even knew how. With the mention of a battle he automatically prepared to step in. That instinct appeared to be ingrained. “I have a feeling it might be the only way to win an argument with you or Jeremy.”
JEREMY TRIED TO concentrate on tracking but Meredith’s comments ran through his head. He’d seen her survival instinct in action. He’d expected her to shake and cry after being pawed and nearly blown up. Any sane person would. Instead, she’d soldiered through.
Now she talked about guns and protection like a woman who had done battle and knew there were rarely any real winners when it came to violence. Made him wonder what she’d seen in her life and who had taught her those tough lessons.
The idea of her being on the receiving end made him want to hit someone. He still wanted to kick his own butt for not being able to disarm the device at the back door and get to her faster when that animal touched her in Garrett’s family room.
In a little over an hour she’d managed to worm her way into his thoughts. Instead of focusing on the task in front of him, he was thinking about her past.
It wasn’t the first time that worrying about a woman had thrown him off stride. He had the knife wound in his side as a constant reminder.
He stopped along the side of a house. Without moving, he drew on his powers of concentration, trying to bring his focus back to the hunt. He shoved out the sirens and talking, the roar of the fire and chatter from all the people gathered to watch Garrett’s house melt into ash.
Centered again, Jeremy slipped into the backyard of the beige bungalow at the end of the block. He took in the small patch of grass and the fenced-in vegetable garden in the far left corner. Two steps led up to an entrance and an open screen door. No one lingered, but the attacker could have dragged a new victim into the house as his shield.
The tingle at the base of his neck had Jeremy glancing behind