“You’re not the only one who can’t do this anymore,” he finally said, turning to look at me.

I swallowed, ignoring the knot of nausea in my stomach his statement had produced. “What do you want from me, Kade?” I asked.

He shrugged and gave a long sigh, his gaze returning to the windshield. “I don’t know. I want you to be happy. I don’t want you to worry about money anymore. I want you to be safe. I want your dreams to come true.”

It took me a moment before I could speak. “I want the same for you.”

Kade reached over and took my hand, threading our fingers together and giving it a squeeze. He didn’t say anything more, just pulled out into traffic.

I cleared my throat. “Can you run me by my apartment, please?” I asked. “I need to get my mail and work uniform.” And pay some overdue bills so they wouldn’t shut off my water.

A short while later, Kade was parking in the lot. I got out and so did he.

“You can wait here if you want,” I said. “I won’t be long.”

Kade shook his head. “I’ll come with.”

He followed me up the stairs and I tried not to think about his presence behind me as I unlocked my door. I twisted the knob.

Kade’s hand suddenly caught my wrist in a painful grasp. “No—!”

But it was too late.

I was jerked hard to my right and shoved to the ground. Kade fell on top of me a split second before the explosion.

A wave of heat washed over me as terror licked my veins. My hearing was muffled, the explosion still ringing in my head, and Kade was a dead weight holding me down.

Oh God.

“Kade!” I struggled to move, the concrete biting into my hands and bare legs. “Kade!” He didn’t move and didn’t respond in any way. I started to panic. He’d been protecting me. What if he was hurt? Or worse?

“Oh my God!”

It was Alisha.

“Help us,” I said, thrusting an arm out from beneath Kade.

“Kathleen?” Alisha grabbed my hand. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Please, just help Kade.”

I felt Kade’s body move as she rolled him carefully off me. I sat up in a rush. His eyes were shut, but he was breathing.

“Call nine-one-one,” I ordered. Alisha ran to make the call.

The fire was still burning inside my apartment. I could feel the heat and smell the smoke.

“Kade,” I said, pushing his hair back from his face. “Kade, wake up.” It didn’t look like he was hurt. Splinters of wood and plaster covered him, but I couldn’t see any blood. “Please, Kade. Please wake up!” I was close to hysterical, crying and shaking his shoulder to try and wake him.

Kade shifted and his eyes fluttered open.

“What the fuck?” he groaned.

A small laugh escaped through my tears and I bent my head to his chest, wrapping my arms up over his shoulders and hugging him tightly.

“You’re okay,” I said. “Thank God, you’re okay.”

His hand cupped the back of my head and I felt his chest rumble as he spoke. “I’m fine,” he said. “You?”

I couldn’t speak and just nodded, my cheek scrunching his shirt.

Sirens wailed in the distance and Kade got to his feet, wincing as he did so. My hands and knees were scraped from hitting the concrete. We rounded up Alisha and her dog, Bacon Bits, and scurried down to the parking lot. Lucky for them, the people in the apartment below mine weren’t home.

It was only as we were watching the firemen climb the stairs with the hose that I saw Kade’s back. His shirt had been burned away in spots, some as big as my palm, the skin underneath an angry red. His hair was singed, too.

“Kade, you’re hurt,” I said stupidly, staring at him.

He glanced at me, then looked over his shoulder. “It’s not bad. Could’ve been worse. Glad I had the jeans on. I know my ass is hot, but I don’t need it to be literal.” He waggled his eyebrows at me, but I didn’t think it was funny. I was angry, and scared, and I took it out on Kade.

“Why did you do that? You could’ve been killed!”

“Better me than you, princess.”

“Stop saying that!” I cried, getting in his face. “It’s not true! I hate it when you do that!” I was crying and yelling and I didn’t care what kind of scene I was making. I fisted his shirt in my hands, trying to make him listen to me.

The mischief faded from Kade’s face, a look of concern replacing it as his brows drew together and his lips twisted in a frown. “Calm down. It’s okay. Everything’s okay,” he said. He tried to wrap his arms around me, but I jerked away.

“Everything is not okay! Everything I own is up there burning. I was nearly killed. You were nearly killed. And I’m sick of it!”

I ran to where I’d dropped my purse and dug my keys out. This had to stop. I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Kathleen, wait—!”

I heard Kade calling after me, but I ignored him, running to my car and getting in. I slammed my hand down on the door lock just as Kade got there.

“Kathleen, where are you going?” he asked, trying fruitlessly to open the door.

“I’m going to make him stop,” I said, jamming my key in the ignition.

It only took a second for Kade to catch on.

“No,” he said, his face hard. “You are not going over there, Kathleen. Don’t be stupid.”

I really didn’t like being called stupid. I glared at him through the window. “Watch me,” I said, and tore out of the lot.

I drove fast—traffic rules optional. My whole body still shook, though whether it was from shock or fear or fury, I didn’t know. But I was mad. Maybe madder than I’d ever been in my life. And I knew just the person who I wanted to see.

William Gage lived in a two-story brick mansion just north of downtown, off Meridian. I wouldn’t even know where he lived if I hadn’t had to go by his house occasionally to pick up a few things when I’d first started at the firm. My memory supplied the address and soon I was squealing to a stop in the big semicircle driveway.

I jumped out of the car, not even bothering to close my door, just as Kade’s Mercedes skidded up next to me. He vaulted out, but I was already heading to the front door. He caught me around the waist at the foot of the stairs.

“Let me go!” I pulled at his arm, but it was like an iron band around my middle.

“You’re not doing this,” he said, his voice implacable.

“You can’t stop me,” I fumed, twisting in his arms as I tried to break free.

Kade lifted me off my feet. “Actually, I can,” he said.

That just sent me to a whole new level of pissed off. I kicked and fought him with everything I had, which only resulted in his other arm crossing over my chest to hold my arms down.

“Let me go! I swear to God, Kade!” I knew I was making contact with some of my hits because he grunted a couple of times, but still he wouldn’t let go. I channeled my anger and twisted around, getting my arms in between us so I could push against him. “I said, let me go.”

“Stop it, Kathleen,” he barked, pressing me tightly against him so my arms were immobilized. “I said stop!”

His words finally penetrated my haze of rage and I went limp, sagging against him. I couldn’t hold back the sobs that now engulfed me. I hid my face against Kade’s chest, my shoulders shaking.

“Shhh, you’re okay, I’m okay,” he said softly, cradling me. His lips brushed the top of my head. “Everything’s going to be okay. I promise.”

His hand slipped under my hair to the back of my neck when I pulled back slightly. “But it’s not okay, Kade,” I choked out. “Look at your back. What if—”

“No,” he interrupted. “No what-ifs. I’ll take care of it. Right now.” He stepped away, but took my hand and started for the stairs.

I followed him. When we reached the door, he turned to me. “Let me do the talking,” he said. Reluctantly, I nodded.

Kade rang the doorbell. I nervously shifted my weight from foot to foot as we waited.