He knocked the bottle out of my hand and punched me in the stomach. I doubled over in gut-wrenching pain, retching.

But then James spun around and I heard the crunch of bone against bone. He dropped to the floor, out cold.

I straightened, ignoring the pained ache in my stomach, and turned to see who’d entered the storeroom.

Blane.

But he wasn’t looking at me, he was looking at James—and the expression on his face sent a jolt of terror through me.

Blane crouched next to James and grabbed the knife he’d used on me. He flipped the blade up with a practiced hand. Without a word, he took a fistful of James’s hair and jerked his head back, exposing his throat.

“No!” I cried, tackling Blane.

I had enough momentum and motivation that I knocked him to the side, toppling both of us. I scrambled on top of him, holding on even as he sat back up and tried to push me off his lap.

“Are you out of your mind? You can’t kill him!”

Blane was shaking with rage, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure he was going to listen to me. But then he closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath. When he opened his eyes again and focused on me, the Blane I knew was there, not the murderous stranger from before. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tight against him.

“God, Kat,” he breathed into my hair. “When I came in here and saw him hit you, I just… lost it.”

“I’m fine,” I said, squeezing him tight. Leftover fear and adrenaline were making me shaky, but I couldn’t think about that right now.

After a moment, I got off Blane, grabbed my shirt, and put it on, tying a makeshift knot to keep it closed. I didn’t want to imagine how ridiculous I must have looked fighting James with my boobs hanging out. I kept my back to Blane, embarrassed at being nearly naked and hoping I could hide the cuts James had made. I didn’t think Blane had seen them.

My bra was useless, so I picked it up and knelt next to James. Blood seeped from the gash on his chest. I used my bra to mop up some of James’s blood before folding it carefully into the pocket of my shorts.

DNA? Check.

“What are you doing here anyway?” I asked Blane while I worked. “Not that I’m not glad you were.” He’d stood watching me as I got dressed.

“This place closed thirty minutes ago,” he said. “I was waiting outside for you. When you didn’t come out, I came in.”

“How did you—” I began, then cut myself off at the look on his face.

“Do I look like an idiot?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “I knew you would try to run off and help Kade.”

Couldn’t deny that one. I changed the subject. “Help me get James out of here.”

Blane reached down and hauled James up and over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. “Where do you want him?” he asked. “Trash goes in the dumpster, right?”

I shook my head. As much as I’d love for Blane to dump James’s ass in the dumpster, I didn’t want to antagonize him further. Like it or not, James was the one who’d be trying the case against Blane, if it came to that.

I grabbed my purse from under the bar, hit the lights, and locked the door on the way out. James’s car was parked in the front.

“Let me get his keys,” I said, going to Blane and digging a hand in James’s jeans pocket.

Blane deposited him none too gently in the backseat and tossed the keys onto his chest before shutting the door on James’s unconscious body. He took my elbow and walked me to his car.

We weren’t driving thirty seconds before the interrogation began.

“How long was he there?”

“Just a few minutes.”

“Were you alone?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”

I hesitated. “He offered a deal. Involuntary manslaughter instead of murder one.”

“In exchange for what?”

I looked at Blane, then out the window. He was a smart guy. He’d figure it out.

I jumped when Blane suddenly slammed his hand on the dash.

“Goddammit!” he yelled.

I laid my hand on his arm and the muscles were like iron bands underneath my fingers. I could feel his rage like it was a living thing.

“I didn’t do it,” I said. “Surely you know me better than that.”

“I don’t want James anywhere near you,” Blane ground out. “You know what he’s done. You’ve seen the pictures. I want to kill him for even breathing the same air you do.”

Blane was driving fast and we were back at his house before I could think of what to say, so I tried to change the subject.

“Is Kade back yet?”

“No, but he will be. And if you think he’s going to have any other reaction to what happened tonight than I did, you’re wrong.”

“It’s done,” I said. “I’m fine and I have the DNA.” I dug in my pocket, handing the folded bra to Blane. “Here. Give this to your guy and have them compare it to the semen.”

I hopped out of the car and walked fast to the door, hoping I could make it inside before Blane got a closer look at me. No such luck.

“Kathleen!” he called, the car door slamming behind him.

I pretended not to hear, rushing inside the house and heading for the stairs.

“Stop!” Blane commanded, his voice thundering in the hallway.

My body locked in place on the second stair, the tone of his voice not one to be disobeyed. I heard his footsteps on the hardwood floor as he walked toward me.

“Turn around.”

I crossed my arms over my chest before I did so, raising an eyebrow at Blane. We were eye to eye now. “Anything else?” I asked. “Should I roll over? Fetch?”

He ignored me, reaching over to flick on the overhead light. Shit.

Blane reached out, tugging my arms down. I tried to resist, but he was too strong.

I could have sworn his face paled under his tan.

I’d already gotten a look at what James had done, so didn’t need to look down.

“He… carved a J into your skin?” Blane choked out, his eyes glued to my chest.

“It’s not deep,” I said. “Just a scratch. It’ll heal.”

Blane swallowed so hard, I saw his Adam’s apple move up and down.

“So let me ask you this,” he said. “Was he planning to rape you? Or did you agree to the deal?”

I looked at Blane, refusing to answer.

“Answer me,” he demanded, his voice loud in the empty foyer.

My fists clenched at my sides as I stared at Blane. “Yes,” I bit out. “I agreed to the deal, because I thought, maybe, just maybe, he would do it. That he’d go with a lesser charge and not murder one.” My face was burning, but I didn’t look away from Blane. “But it doesn’t matter, because I couldn’t go through with it. When it came down to it, I didn’t have the guts.”

Blane looked as shell-shocked as I’d ever seen him. “Why?” he asked. “Why would you even consider—”

“Because you don’t deserve this,” I interrupted, exasperated. “He’s framing you, and you’re too good a man to let something like this take you down.”

“He won’t win,” Blane said. “We’ll get him. I promise.”

“And what’ll you lose until then?” I asked. “If they arrest you, it’s over. Your political career is over. Even if they let you go. Those photos of you in handcuffs, your mug shot—all that will be used every time your name comes up.”

“Maybe I don’t care anymore,” Blane said quietly.

I frowned, sure I’d heard him wrong. “What?”

“I don’t know if I care anymore,” Blane repeated. “I feel like I’ve been so focused, for years, on achieving in my career that I’ve let it affect how I want to live my life. I’ve let it affect you. Us.” He paused. “If I hadn’t been so single-minded, maybe I would have seen how much my uncle wanted you out of my life—and I wouldn’t have bought in to his lies. I just wish it hadn’t taken losing you for me to realize that.”

I stared at Blane, unable to believe what I was hearing.

He leaned forward, his arms sliding around my back to hold me close. My breath caught in my throat when his tongue traced the cut James had made. Blane gently licked the blood from my skin, the warm heat of his mouth soothing the burning slice. My fingernails dug into his sides as I held on to him.