Arden climbed into his truck and hit the gas pedal as soon as the engine was running. He needed to get to Keera, see her with his own eyes, and know she was okay. Then he was sure he’d feel foolish about taking the bait from some kid who’d managed to disguise his voice and scare his teacher. Hell, Arden had pulled many pranks on his teachers in his youth.
Of course, he’d never threatened any of them.
There were several cars in the school parking lot when Arden pulled up. He climbed from the truck, Max at his side, as he held the leash and moved forward. He had his keys pulled out and was heading toward the front door when Max looked over at the side of the building, his body tense.
Without a second thought, Arden changed direction, moving toward the employee entrance at the back of the school. Before he could turn the corner, he heard the sound of rising voices. Max let out a low growl that would, and should, scare anyone the sound was aimed at.
“Let’s find out what’s happening,” Arden whispered to Max, whose gaze was focused ahead of them.
“This isn’t funny and needs to stop now,” Keera said. There was determination in her tone, but he could hear the faint trace of fear underlining her words. The thought of whoever was scaring her, holding her hostage, truly pissed Arden off.
He quickly moved forward as a male voice spoke words that made Arden want to shoot the guy.
“Can’t we all just get along? We can have a nice chat and all be friends, can’t we?” The voice was anything other than friendly.
Keera was in trouble, but not nearly the trouble this punk was in. Arden was going to do some major damage to the guy if he so much as laid one finger on her. He stepped around the corner, determined to be this woman’s white knight.
There were three thugs, definitely not high school students. He had to adjust his approach, because dealing with kids was one thing, dealing with street thugs was another. He should’ve taken this a lot more seriously from the moment he’d gotten the call.
“You absolutely don’t want to do this,” Keera said. She was one hell of a strong woman. It was obvious she was nervous, but he was impressed, and somewhat irritated, to find her shoulders stiff as she took a step closer to the one who seemed to be the ringleader of this rough-looking group. “Now get off my property.”
Arden was in fight mode as soon as he noticed the knife the one confronting Keera was wielding. She might not realize the danger she was in, but Arden knew how quickly a situation like this could escalate.
“I don’t feel like going anywhere,” the guy said. Arden didn’t want to startle the punk and have him grab Keera. He had to be smart.
“I don’t care what you want,” Keera said. The guy’s eyes narrowed as he stepped closer to her. The foolish woman didn’t try to run, just squared her shoulders. Arden knew it was time to announce himself.
“You need to drop your weapon and step away from Ms. Thompson,” Arden said, his Glock in hand. He normally didn’t carry it at school, though he had his concealed carry license. He hadn’t felt the need to until yesterday. He was damn glad he had it on him now.
Max growled at his side, assuring the men they were serious. The two punks who’d been hanging back, leering at Keera, whipped their heads around, their eyes going wide—most likely from Max’s snarling mouth, versus the gun aimed their way.
They didn’t hesitate a moment longer before they turned and ran away. Max’s body trembled from his need to pursue them, but Arden was focused on the one with the knife and wanted Max by his side. The others would be found quickly enough.
“I said, back away from Ms. Thompson,” Arden told the guy. His tone assured the punk he wasn’t going to repeat his words again.
The man finally took a step back, but he didn’t release his blade. With Keera a little less in danger, Arden slowly moved forward. He didn’t want to shoot anyone, would much rather take the thug down and have his ass thrown in jail. Maybe Arden should’ve brought his brother. He should have called the cops the second he’d arrived. There was a lot he should’ve done.
“You aren’t that different from your brother, you know,” the guy said, and Keera’s head whipped back to him.
“What does that mean?” she demanded. “How do you know my brother? Is that why you’re here?” She stepped toward the thug, making Arden clench his teeth.
“Yeah, I knew him, just like I know you. He wasn’t a good guy, and you aren’t any better. You can put on airs all day long, but there are some of us who know the truth about you,” the punk said as he backed away a few more steps, keeping Arden and his very irritated dog in his line of sight.
“You need to drop the weapon and surrender,” Arden said as he drew closer to Keera.
“Kiss my ass,” the guy said. Arden wanted to teach him a few things about manners.
Keera stared at Arden with almost a death glare before facing the guy again, no longer looking frightened. She seemed more determined than ever before.
“Are you the one who was in my office?” Keera demanded. “What do you want with me? And what does it have to do with my brother?”
“Some of it you’ll find out,” the guy sneered. “The rest doesn’t matter ’cause your brother’s dead.”
“If there’s anything you know, you damn well better tell me.” Keera took another step toward the punk, and Arden was ready to strangle her. She definitely had no regard for her safety.
“Keera, back up,” Arden told her.
She ignored Arden as she had a stare-down with the knife-wielding punk.
“We’ll be in touch,” the guy said before he sent one more worried glance in Arden’s direction. Then he turned and sprinted away. Max tugged against his leash again, and Arden thought about releasing him. But the guy had a knife, and Arden didn’t want to take a chance on Max getting injured. Keera took a step in the kid’s direction as if she was planning on chasing him down. Arden stepped into her path.
“Don’t even think about it,” he said, his voice a low growl. Max looked up and let out a warning sound, as if echoing Arden. He was liking the mutt a little bit more by the moment.
“But . . .” Keera stopped trying to explain herself as she looked into Arden’s eyes. It was more than obvious he wasn’t going to allow this to happen. “You don’t understand,” she said, her shoulders sagging.
He stepped closer to her. This woman was drawing him in; she was in danger, and everything within him wanted to protect her, keep the rest of the world away from her. It was an odd feeling for him. She was practically vibrating with raw emotion.
“He might have been able to tell us something,” she said, her composure barely in place.
“I have no doubt this isn’t finished. Right now, I just want you safe,” he said, stepping closer to her, feeling comforted by the heat emanating from her body, letting him know she was uninjured.
“What does it have to do with my brother? How is this all connected?” she asked, looking at him with such vulnerability he couldn’t help but reach up and brush her hair away from her face.
She was either lost in emotion, or maybe trusting him a little more, but either way, she didn’t push him away. And he didn’t press his luck. He wanted to pull her into his arms, but he knew it would take time.
“I don’t want you to get yourself killed,” he told her, his voice quiet.
“But if he knows something, it’s worth the risk,” she said.
“Hold that thought.” Arden pulled out his phone and dialed the police, letting them know what was happening. He hung up, then focused on Keera again. “What do you think he could give you?”
“You heard as much as I did,” she said in frustration.
“How did you end up out here with them?” Arden asked.
He reached out to touch her again, and she scooted back. There was something in her eyes telling him she wanted to accept his touch, but something was holding her back. They were at a standstill.
“I was just taking a walk, getting some air, and they appeared. I don’t know why they’re after me,” she said. Arden knew she wasn’t telling him the entire truth. There was a hint of guilt in her eyes.
“What are you hiding from me?” he asked.
Her eyes connected with his and, for just a moment, time stood still. She looked vulnerable, and it took everything in him not to pull her close. He’d been right about her from the moment he’d met her. She was trouble. But it appeared as if it was a trouble he didn’t want to back away from.
She shook her head, and just that quickly, her eyes narrowed. “Why are you interrogating me? I’m your boss,” she pointed out.
“Really, Keera?” he challenged, looking down at the dog, who appeared quite amused by their interaction. Max was looking at Keera as if she could do no wrong. Just as soon as he thought he might like the dog, the mutt pissed him off again. “You don’t have to treat me like the enemy. I’m here, and I’m trying to help.”
“Because you’re protecting the school, not me,” she said.
“I can protect both you and the school,” he told her.
She was quiet for a moment, then gave him a slight smile. “That is, if I’m worthy of protecting?” she finally asked. “That’s what you aren’t adding.”
“That’s not true,” he insisted.
“It doesn’t matter,” she told him with a wave of her hand. “We all have things in our past we want to keep buried.”
“Is your past that bad?” he asked. He felt tense.
She took a deep breath. When she spoke, he wasn’t expecting what she had to say. “My brother was killed a few years ago, and the case was never solved, and now thugs are after me who apparently know him. I’m just wondering what the connection is.”
Arden felt a deep tug inside him. He couldn’t imagine what would happen to him if one of his brothers, or his baby sister, was taken from this world.
“I’m sorry, Keera.”
“I’m sick of people being sorry,” she snapped, her eyes shining with tears. “I want someone to do something about it.”
Arden nearly smiled. He could understand how she felt. Of course, he hadn’t ever experienced that type of loss before, but he knew beyond a doubt that if he had, there would be nothing stopping him from seeking revenge, from finding out what had happened, and from doing whatever it took to obtain justice.
“And you think what’s happening at the school has to do with your brother?” he asked. “How could it?”
“I don’t know,” she said, her voice rising again. “But sitting around thinking I’m doing something to harm this school isn’t solving anything.”
Arden felt like an ass as he gazed at the hurt and frustration in her eyes. Obviously, she was used to people letting her down. Maybe it was time someone didn’t disappoint her. He smiled at her.
“You’re absolutely right. Let’s do something about it,” Arden told her.
Her head snapped up as she looked at him with watery eyes and a shaking mouth. Finally she nodded, respect and maybe a hint of trust showing in her eyes.
He hadn’t wanted to get involved with this woman, had known from the beginning she was too complicated. But it didn’t matter what he wanted, because he was now involved, whether he wanted to be or not. Maybe it was time he learned exactly what complicated was like.