looked over where Eddie had been sitting. She was gone. At first, he was relieved, thinking she’d slipped away with the other women who’d been at the table. But then he caught a movement under the table and realized she was trapped inside the ring of fighting men.
He moved toward her, putting himself between her hiding spot and the circle of angry gangbangers kicking and thrashing their way into the line the team was holding around the table. As soon as he saw an opening in the crush, he drew her from under the table.
“Go. Get out of here. Find the other women you were with and go home.”
She looked at him for what seemed several heartbeats. He wondered if he’d ever see her again. He touched his hand to her cheek, unable to live out the night without knowing the feel of her skin. “Stay safe, Eddie.”
“It’s Eden. My name’s Eden.”
Ty smiled.
The fight seemed to last for hours but probably was only minutes. Ty’s knuckles were torn and bleeding. He had a split lip and one rib felt as if it might be broken. His thigh was protesting its extended strain. He noticed a ring of downed WKBers was clogging up the fight zone just as a shotgun went off.
“It’s over. Get out,” Hal shouted, his shotgun poised for another blast into the ceiling. “And if you ever want to come back, you’ll pay for tonight’s damages.”
“We didn’t start it,” Pete said.
“Of course. I have no doubt who threw the first punch. But don’t worry-you’ll be splitting the bill-half to the Feds, half to you. Now get out.”
Ty and the others watched as the WKBers helped their friends up. They had to carry a few of them. He looked around the room for Eden but didn’t see her. Val clapped Kelan on the back. Being slightly behind him, he didn’t see the wince that tightened the man’s face.
“Thanks for the quick save earlier. Was expecting a pair of soft lips, not a hard fist,” Val said.
“Happy to help. And thank you for getting us all fucked tonight,” Kelan groused. “Next time keep your hands to yourself.”
Val sighed. “Yeah, sorry about that, too. She was just so damned sweet.”
“We didn’t all strike out.” Greer held up a torn napkin. “I got Trudy’s phone number.” He leaned over and spoke to Ty in a lower voice. “Might come in handy if we want an in with the WKBers. She lives in their compound.”
“Great. Maybe you and Val can double date,” Ty growled. He had a reason to get in to the compound too, but he doubted he’d get a warm welcome.
Kit handed Hal, Winchester’s owner, a business card. “Send our bill to Mandy’s house. Sorry things got out of hand.”
“Next time, don’t come here on WKB night, got it?”
“Loud and clear.”
At breakfast the next morning, Mandy thought the guys were unusually quiet but she was too busy cooking breakfast to notice why until she sat at the table. She sat next to Rocco. As he poured coffee for her, she looked around the table.
“Good heavens! What happened?” Every man, except the three who had stayed home last night, looked as if he’d been run over by a herd of horses. They had swollen, split lips, red, bruised cheeks, swollen noses, black eyes. Kit sported a butterfly bandage on his eyebrow. “Were we attacked? How could I sleep through such an event?”
“No attack,” Kit told her. He filled his plate as if nothing extraordinary had happened. “We went to Winchester’s last night.”
“I go there all the time. I never come home looking like you do now. I’ve never even seen a bar fight there. Really, Kit, you should have outgrown that long ago.”
“I’m guessing you don’t go there on WKB night.”
“Oh. Oh, no!” Mandy’s eyes widened as she processed what must have happened.
“And lucky for us,” Kelan explained, “Val hit on the lead guy’s hoochie mama.”
“She voluntarily sat on my lap. How was I supposed to know she was spoken for?” Val said in his own defense.
“Tell me the other guys look worse,” Mandy commented.
“We have owies, Mandy. We need massages.” Val gave her a soulful look.
“No massages,” Rocco growled. “Mandy is not here for your amusement.”
“And don’t even look at Fee. She’s under our protection,” Kelan warned.
Val grunted. “So that’s how this team’s gonna roll, is it?”
“I’d be happy to put you out of your misery,” Rocco offered.
Mandy laughed and set her hand on Rocco’s forearm to calm him. “I have a friend I can introduce you to, Val. I’m sure she’d be quite taken with your injuries.”
Kit glared at her. “Not Ivy.”
Mandy frowned. “I do have more than one friend, Kit.”
“Wow. No one’s sharing. What happened to the team that fights together has fun together?” Val shook his head and glared at Owen. “If I’d known women were so scarce here in Wyoming, I would never have taken this assignment.”
As evening cast long shadows across the ranch, Rocco stood with Blade at the high fence of Kitano’s corral watching Mandy work the Paint. He loved how she handled the gelding, eased his fears, respected him, asserted herself. It seemed to Rocco that the Paint looked forward to his twice-daily workouts with her. Soon she’d be able to ride him.
Blade’s phone rang. He had a short conversation with the person on the other end, then hung up. Rocco looked at him. “Problems?”
“No. I asked my foreman to take an extended leave for a while until we get the situation here cleared up. He said he was ready to go, but had a few things to discuss with me. I’m going to head over there. I’ll be glad when they’re safe.”
“Want company?” Rocco offered.
“No need. I shouldn’t be long.”
Ty walked into the foyer of his house a few minutes later, calling for Dennis.
“In here, sir.”
“Glad you could make arrangements so quickly,” Ty said as he walked into his father’s office. A sound caught his attention over by the private bathroom off the study. He caught a quick glimpse of Kathy, Dennis’s wife, gagged and bound. Hearing someone behind him, he spun around as a tranquilizer nailed his shoulder.
His world began to wobble, his vision narrowing, closing. He looked at his caretaker, who rushed forward to catch him. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I had no choice-”
The rest of his words were lost to Ty.
Dennis looked up as Amir led his whimpering wife out of the bathroom. “It’s done. I shot him, now let her go.”
“Take him out to your car and put him in the trunk.”
Dennis looked at his wife, then at Amir. “He’s too heavy for me to move by myself.”
Amir cocked his gun and pointed it at Kathy. “I suggest you figure it out, Mr. Jackson, or you’ll have two bodies to move.”
Dennis lifted Ty under his arms, but before he could pull him out of the office, Amir told him to stop. “Give me his cell phone.” Dennis handed it over. Amir dropped it on the floor and crushed its case beneath his heel. “Get moving,” he ordered.
