“Curt wait,” Gray said, standing as well.
Curt turned. “She needs me. She needs help. Protection. Whether this guy is a threat or not, there’s still going to be a backlash from her father’s arrest that could come back to her.” There would be a lot of angry people looking for someone to blame.
His heart hammered in his chest. He had to get to her. Now. Nothing else mattered. Not the fact she’d probably rather spit on him than let her help him. Not his job or the people in this room. Nothing was as important as getting to her.
And wasn’t that fucking ironic since he’d done all he could to push her away. But that had been for her own safety. Being with him wasn’t in her best interest.
But just because he’d pushed her away didn’t mean he would stand by while she was in danger.
“We need to think about this,” Gray cautioned. “About what our next steps are.”
His next step was to get to Jenna and stick so close to her she’d think he was her shadow. Impatience bit at him. “Look, I don’t care what jobs I have coming up. Give them to Tiny or Josh. I’ll quit if I have to, but I’m going to Jenna.”
“Nobody said anything about quitting,” Hunter told him. “But the fact is, no one has hired us. You might want to protect her, doesn’t mean she’s going to accept it.”
Who cared if she accepted it or not, he’d just . . . what? Barge his way into her life? The man who’d basically crushed her to keep her away from him.
She’d as likely take a pitchfork to him as she would welcome him into her life.
“I know you probably can’t spare many people at such short notice and, seeing as I’m already here, I’d be happy to speak to Jenna and convince her that she should accept Curt’s protection. Or offer my own.”
Curt glared at him, his hands clenching into fists. Travis just stared back at him calmly.
“Why? She didn’t see this guy. You don’t know it’s The Brit.”
“I know,” Travis replied calmly. “But if it is and he comes after her you’re going to need help.”
“That’s a small possibility,” Hunter said. “People angry over the Embassy bombing and other attacks on Americans overseas, they might turn their anger against her. The shareholders in her father’s company are going to be furious. Employees who might lose their jobs, too. They’re likely to be more of a threat than this guy.”
“I know. But it’s my time. I can waste it as I see fit.”
Curt?” Hunter asked. “Okay if Travis comes?”
“So long as your mind is focused on what’s important,” Curt told him. “Keeping Jenna safe. She comes first.”
Travis nodded. “Of course. I’m certain you’ll make certain nothing happens to her. I’ll just be back-up.”
Damn straight he was, because Curt was running the op this time. Curt started to breathe a little easier as a plan formed. And if she didn’t accept their help? What then?
Then he was perfectly okay with force. Because he wasn’t allowing anyone to hurt her. Never again.
Chapter Four
Jenna smiled as she walked down the streets of Haven. It was a pretty town. The buildings were quaint and old, but well-kept. Flowers bloomed in planter boxes along the street. The place was clean, comforting, and friendly.
“Hey Doctor J, how are you today?”
She smiled, waving over at Mrs. Childs as she shuffled along with Daisy walking beside her on a leash. Daisy was part Great Dane, and her head reached up to Mrs. Childs’s waist. She could have toppled the frail, elderly woman with one push, instead she walked patiently alongside her, stopping when Mrs. Childs had to rest, even letting the old woman lean on her. Jenna worried about what might happen to Daisy if Mrs. Childs had to go into a home.
“I’m good, thanks, Mrs. Childs. How are you?” She stopped to pat Daisy’s head.
“Oh, I’m fine, dear. Nothing for me to complain about.”
Jenna gave Daisy another pat and kept moving on. In a rush this morning, she’d skipped breakfast. She’d also walked out the door without her lunch, and her stomach was rumbling so she’d decided to pop into the diner. As she walked through the door, everyone turned to look, many of them smiling or waving hello before they turned back to what they’d been doing. It had taken a while for her to get used to that. She’d lived her whole life in Dallas, and small-town life was a totally different experience. Here, people didn’t mind their own business. If you were new to town, they wanted to know your life story. It wasn’t that they weren’t accepting of strangers, but they were treated differently. At least in the beginning, until they were tested and found to measure up.
It helped that she was working at the medical center. It meant she got to meet lots of locals and it had been the perfect way to escape Dallas, her parents, and Curt.
Not that she’d worried she’d bump into him; it wasn’t like they moved in the same circles. But she’d just needed some distance. Some time to regroup and get over her embarrassment.