Jardin's Gamble (Haven, Texas 9)

“Thea! Are you all right?” he asked pushing past Jenny and crouching down by Thea, who was sitting there, looking shocked.

“I . . . I think so.”

“Don’t

worry, I’m sure your slut will be fine to service you tonight.”

He stood, staring down at Jenny. She flinched, fear entering her gaze. Good, she should fear him. “I was willing to let you leave and that be the end of it. But you’ve pissed me off now. Don’t expect to get a job in this town, hell, the whole state. I’ll have you blackballed, and you’ll find my reach is far and wide. If I were you, I’d go home now, pack up your pathetic excuse for a life and find some Podunk town in the middle of nowhere where you might be able to pick up some waitressing work because your life here is over.”

“You sure told her, cousin. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer bitch,” Maddox said in a friendly voice, but his eyes were cold as he looked Jenny up and down.

She brushed past them all with a fake cry.

Jardin turned as Thea attempted to push herself up. She winced and he frowned.

“What’s wrong? Did she hurt you? I’ll fucking kill her.”

He was all too aware of his cousin watching in interest, but he didn’t care.

“Oh, no, it’s not from her. It’s just my hand.”

“What’s wrong with your hand?” he snapped.

“Uh, cuz, not that I want to tell you how to handle your personal or private affairs—”

Yeah, right. When didn’t one of his nosy cousins like to butt into his business?

“But maybe you’d want to help her up before you start interrogating her?”

Damn it, he had a point.

Jardin held out his hands for her to take. Thea gave him a surprised look and only reached up with her left hand. He guessed she’d hurt her right hand. He helped her up, moving his hands to her waist to hold her steady.

“This is becoming a habit, huh?” she tried to joke.

He scowled down at her.

“What? You often get trapped by crazy psycho bitches then get rescued by a hot cowboy and his uptight cousin?” Maddox joked.

Jardin turned to scowl at him. “Watch your language.”

Maddox held up his hands. “Just saying.”

“You two really are cousins?” she asked, looking at them.

“Unfortunately,” he growled. “What’s wrong with your hand?”

Jardin laid out his hand, expecting her to immediately put hers in his. What he was not expecting was blatant disobedience. She put her hands behind her back and shook her head.

Maddox whistled. “Not something you experience every day, cuz. Good on you, darlin’. Make sure he doesn’t wear his hand out too much on your ass later.”

He whirled to his cousin, who had moved to the small kitchen and was looking through the cupboards for who knew what. With his cousins, you could never be certain of what the hell they were up to.

“Maddox!”

“Yeah?”

“She’s my secretary, not my sub.”