“Are you willing to risk that I’m not?” He glared at her and she slowly exhaled, then began flipping through the contract to the last page. She slowly put the pen down on the page and signed her name.

It was done. She had made her choice.

“Good girl. That wasn’t so hard, was—” Travis started to say as he picked up the contract and shoved it in his pocket, but his attention was quickly diverted as the apartment door jiggled with the sounds of someone putting a key in the lock.

Clare closed her eyes, her brows furrowed, and prayed that Casey wasn’t unexpectedly coming home early. Clare didn’t want anyone in harm’s way because of her.

“Clare?” Rory’s voice entered the apartment and Clare whipped her head up to see him standing in the doorway with Ace, looking shocked as he took in the scene before him. His eyes landed first on her, then focused on her bleeding arm, then finally settled on Travis, who was just as shocked.

“Well, looks like your ogre just saved me a trip,” Travis said, quickly recovering from the surprise as he stood poised to attack.

“Are you okay, Clare?” Rory spoke in a low, gravelly tone as he kept his eyes on Travis and stepped farther into the apartment.

“I’m okay,” she whimpered.

“The police are on their way, Creighton,” Rory told him as Ace began growling fiercely and lowered his head, staring Travis down.

“He knows my name? I’m flattered,” Travis goaded, “but there’s no need for your cop brother to come save the day.”

Rory narrowed his eyes at him, angry at the multiple points that statement implied. His fists were balled at his sides, and he still stood in front of the open doorway, his large frame almost entirely blocking it.

“I strongly suggest that you leave,” Rory continued, seemingly unfazed. Ace took a few steps forward, a low rumbling sound emitting from him, making him appear very menacing.

“We will, but you need to get control of your dog.” Travis nodded and motioned for Clare to stand up. Unsure what to do, she shakily rose to her feet, still clutching her arm.

Rory ignored his command. “She isn’t going anywhere with you.”

“Of course she is. She wants to go. Unless you’re planning on holding her hostage?” Travis leered maliciously at Rory, who looked back and forth between him and Clare in confusion.

“Go ahead, Clare. Tell him,” Travis continued.

“What is he talking about?” Rory asked her.

“I, uh, I want to go back to California,” she stuttered, feeling ashamed as she avoided eye contact.

She couldn’t bear to see Rory’s expression right now. She shuffled her feet and just kept reminding herself that it was better for him to hurt a little now than to hurt much worse when Travis took revenge on him and his entire family. She had to do this. She had no other choice.

The Kavanaghs had done so much for her; it was her turn to do something for them this time.

“Fuck that. You’re not going anywhere,” Rory said firmly.

Clare’s mouth fell open slightly in surprise.

“Too bad. She doesn’t belong with you.” Travis took a few steps toward Rory, dangerously holding the knife in front of him.

Rory kept his eyes focused on Travis. Ace was still snarling ferociously, hunched over, surveying the two men. It was clear that the moment Rory gave him the go signal, he would pounce. Clare was pretty sure she was going to pass out in a second from all the nerves racing through her.

“She may have come over here and played dress-up, tried out someone’s life for a while, but Clare will never fit in here. She is a criminal, nothing more. She sold drugs for me, she lied for me—it’s in her nature and you can’t change that.”

Clare felt her face flush in embarrassment as her secrets were publicly announced.

“If you say one more word about her—” Rory’s eyes flamed with rage.

He was warily watching the knife in Travis’s hand, and Clare hoped that he wasn’t thinking about rushing Travis. The last thing she wanted was for him to be hurt.

“I’m just telling you the truth, something she clearly never did. How do you think she even got here? She stole from me!” Travis was stepping closer to Rory now and the men were locked in some type of standoff.

“Creighton—” Rory’s voice was menacing.

“She always was, and always will be, nothing more than a common, lying, stealing, druggie street whore,” Travis hissed, inching closer.

That was the last thing he said before the entire scene changed.

Ace’s growling increased tenfold, turning into vicious snarling and barking as he launched forward at Travis. Clare gasped as the dog’s sudden attack caught Travis off guard, and he jumped back in fear. It was too late, though—Ace’s powerful jaw connected with Travis’s leg and he screamed in pain. The dog’s filed teeth did nothing to dull the ferocity of his attack.

Rory instantly moved to take advantage of the distraction, but the expression on his face went from fury to horror as Travis plunged the knife into Ace’s side. Screaming, Rory attacked swiftly, pummeling Travis with jabs and kicks, sending him soaring backward.

Clare shrieked and scurried away as Travis’s body flew back. She ran around the dueling men and dropped to her knees by the bleeding dog. Tears streamed down her face as she grabbed a throw blanket that had been on the couch and used it to press down on the dog’s wound. Ace whimpered softly, peering up at her, his eyes full of trust. Her own injured arm was in excruciating pain, but she didn’t care.

“I’m so sorry, boy,” Clare cried. “It’s going to be okay.”

Ace had been nothing but loving toward her from day one, and he had risked his own life to protect her. Just like Rory was doing now. She couldn’t believe that she had people, and now animals, like that in her life. She was touched and heartbroken all at the same time.

Shouting and cursing behind her grabbed her attention. She looked toward the source of the noise to see that Rory had knocked Travis down completely, only to jump on him and pin him to the ground. The knife had gone flying, skidding across the floor to the other side of the room. Rory’s fists weren’t stopping as he landed punch after punch across Travis’s face.

Clare’s entire body was shaking as she turned back to Ace.

“Break it up!” voices shouted as Clare saw Jimmy and several other police officers flying into the room with guns drawn.

“He’s trying to kill me!” Travis screamed from the floor as he tried to protect his face, his cowardice becoming evident to everyone.

“This fucker had a knife on her and he stabbed Ace!” Rory seethed as two police officers grabbed him by each arm and pulled him off Travis, dragging him out of the apartment as he cussed in protest.

“Rory!” Clare called after him, wishing they had let him stay with her.

“They just have to question him, miss,” another police officer assured her, but it didn’t make her feel any better.

“I was just defending myself!” Travis protested. “Didn’t you hear me? His attack dog and him tried to kill me!”

“Too bad we got here before they finished the job.” Jimmy proceeded to yank Travis up off the floor and handcuff him as he spoke to him.

“I didn’t do anything!” Travis protested.

“That’s not what the blood on her arm says, or the dog. Shit, Clare, are you okay?” Jimmy asked as he began dragging Travis out of the apartment.

“I don’t know—where’s Rory?” Clare sobbed, comforted that they were there, but devastated that the bleeding from Ace’s side was only growing more profuse. She wanted Rory there. This was his dog and he should be there.

“Fucking bitch” was the last thing Travis shouted before Jimmy successfully removed him from the apartment.

“Clare?!” Casey rushed into the apartment with several paramedics and tried to lead Clare back to the couch.

“No, don’t touch me—Ace needs help! Get Rory!” Clare shouted, not caring if she sounded rude. Her arm would be fine, she was sure of it. The wound on Ace seemed to tell a different story.