“What the hell are you doin’ on your goddamned front porch?” James shouted, red-faced as he marched around the front of his car toward me. He wore a shoulder harness and had a revolver in his hand.

I couldn’t ignore the little flip-flop of my heart at the sight of him. Seeing him only made me realize how much I’d missed him. Nevertheless, I couldn’t let him show up and start bossing me around. I dropped my shotgun to the wooden porch floor, then stood on the top step, holding my ground. “What are you doin’ here?”

“What am I doin’ here? Jed told you to barricade yourself in the goddamned basement!” he shouted, pointing to my open front door.

Muffy hunkered down and growled.

“You’re scarin’ my dog,” I said.

“Scarin’ your dog? You scared the ever-lovin’ shit out of me!”

I lifted my chin. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

He gave me a lingering look, emotions shifting like storm clouds behind his eyes, and then shifted his gaze to the road. “I swear to God you’re nothin’ but trouble,” he growled.

“I said I’m sorry!”

He holstered his weapon and bounded up the steps toward me. The anger emanating from him gave me a moment of pause, but I realized it wasn’t directed at me. As soon as he reached me, he pulled me into his arms and gave me a punishing kiss.

Without thinking, I linked my hands around his neck and sank into his chest, desperate to be close to him.

He pulled back and cupped my face with both hands, holding on tight as he searched my face. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t lie to me, Rose.” His voice was deep and raspy with emotion.

“I’m fine. I swear. They never touched me. They never even stepped foot on my porch. I’m fine.”

“They? Who was it? What did they want?”

So Jed had only told him I was in trouble, not the nature of my predicament. How much was I willing to tell James?

Before either of us could say anything else, another car turned onto my drive. I registered it as Jed’s sedan, but only after James had placed himself in front of me and pulled out his handgun and pointed it at the car.

When he realized it was Jed, he reholstered his weapon. Jed and Neely Kate hopped out and Neely Kate ran for me, pushing James aside so she could pull me into a hug.

“Are you okay?” she asked, crying. “Did they hurt you?”

“No,” I said, giving her a squeeze. “I’m okay.”

“What happened?” she asked.

I cast a glance up at James, weighing my options. How much did I want him to know? If he knew about the file, would he want to go up and question Marshall? My feelings for him aside, I wouldn’t have let Dermot up there to question the teen, so that meant I couldn’t let James or Jed do so either.

“It was a misunderstanding that’s been resolved.” I glanced at James and then Jed. “Thank you for your concern, but everything’s fine now.”

James’ faced reddened. “If you think that I’m gonna drive away without an explanation after hearin’ you were taking gunfire from two truckloads of men, then you’ve lost your damn mind. Start talkin’.”

“Was it Kip Wagner?” Jed asked in a stern voice.

“Kip Wagner?” James demanded. “What the hell was he doin’ here?” Then his eyes narrowed. “Does this have anything to do with the robbery at his pawn shop?”

“Why would I have anything to do with that?” I asked. “I didn’t rob it!”

He continued to stare at me, but then Jed asked, “Who were you talkin’ to while I was on the phone?”

I tried to look innocent. “What?”

“Who were you talkin’ to?”

I put a hand on my hip and said with plenty of attitude, “Maybe I had company.”

“Who was it?” Jed asked.

“And where the hell are they now?” James demanded.

I stared up at him in defiance. “We aren’t in a relationship, James Malcolm. You don’t have the right to ask me about the minute details of my life.” But even as I said the words, I wished I could take them back. Not only were they untrue, they were unfair. James was going to want an answer in a matter of days, and our kiss aside, I had no idea what to tell him. I couldn’t bear to say no, and I couldn’t accept the cost of saying yes.

Something flickered in his eyes, and his jaw looked like it was chiseled in granite. “I’m gonna ask you one more time who was at your house when Wagner showed up.”

I cast a quick glance at Neely Kate, but it was long enough to catch Jed’s attention.

“Neely Kate,” Jed said. “What do you know about this?”

Her eyes flew open in a panic.

“You can tell him,” I said gently. “I swore to you that I wouldn’t let this get in the way of you and Jed.”

Still, she glanced up at Jed with indecision.

Jed’s expression softened. “Whatever it is, Neely Kate, you can tell me.”

She cast another look at me before turning back to Jed. “There’s a kid up there.”

“A kid?” Jed asked in confusion, then concern. “Rose’s niece or nephew?”

She shook her head, still looking uncertain. “No. Not a kid kid, more like a teenager.”

“Why do you have a teenager upstairs?” James demanded, but a look of understanding washed over his face as he finished his question. “That kid robbed the pawn shop. That’s why Wagner was here.”

I crossed my arms and kept my mouth shut.

James blew up. “Why are you harboring a kid who ripped off Kip Wagner? What the hell were you thinkin’?”

I flung my arms down and balled my hands. “Excuse me?”

His eyes narrowed. “Don’t play dumb with me, Lady. You know exactly what I’m askin’.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Oh, I heard what you were askin’. What I’m wantin’ to know is what makes you think I owe you an explanation?”

“You’ve got to be shittin’ me! How about the fact I had to drive out here to save your ass!”

“News flash!” I shouted, stomping in front of him and glaring up at his furious face. “You didn’t save me! I saved my own daggum self!”

“Why is that kid hidin’ in your house?” he asked, his voice low and deadly.

“He got shot,” Neely Kate said in a rush. “Rose found him in her barn. He was lookin’ for sanctuary.”

“You have a wounded kid in your house?” James asked, his voice rising. “What the hell makes you think you’re qualified to help him?”

“Dermot,” Jed said. “They called Dermot.” Neely Kate gasped, and he added, “This is why you were talkin’ to him earlier, isn’t it?”

She didn’t answer.

If Neely Kate had shared that piece of information in the hopes of getting James to cool down, she was about to be sorely disappointed.

“Let me get this straight,” James said, his voice a low rumble of fury. “Instead of calling me for help, you called Tim Dermot.”

When he put it that way, I could see why he was upset. “Are you capable of diggin’ a bullet out of someone’s leg?”

His jaw twitched. “Is that what Dermot did? Dug a bullet out of the kid’s leg? And then Wagner showed up to collect him? Is the kid still up there?”

Neely Kate stiffened. “Oh, my stars and garters! Did Wagner take him?”

I turned to face her. “No. Wagner left with exactly what he came with: nothing.”

“And how’d that happen?” James asked. Then he glanced down at the shotgun I’d laid down on the porch. His gaze jerked back up to me. “Are you shittin’ me?”

“You held off two truckloads of gun-totin’ men on your own?” Jed asked, his voice tight.

“What else was I supposed to do?”

“Hide in the goddamned basement!” James shouted, his voice booming in the night air. “That’s what Jed told you to do!”

“Keep your voice down!” I shouted. “Or Joe’s gonna hear you all the way over at his property and come over and investigate!”

He started to say something, then swallowed hard and turned away from me, staring out toward the road. “Who’s in your house, Rose?” he asked in a deadly calm voice.

His tone scared me. He’d sooner die than physically hurt me, but if he thought someone else had brought harm to my door, he wouldn’t hesitate to protect me. This type of calm always came before a storm.

I held my tongue.

He spun around to face me. “If you don’t tell me, I’m goin’ in there to find out.”

I moved to stand in front of the door. “The hell you are.”

His face was devoid of expression, but the set of his jaw told me how furious he was.

I stood my ground. “You either respect and trust me or you don’t, James Malcolm.”

“That has nothing to do with it!”

“It has everything to do with it!”

He stared me down for several seconds before taking a step backward. “Do you even know this kid?” he asked in a quieter voice.

Only then did I realize how much I’d scared him. “No.”

“I don’t understand,” he said, “why you would risk your life for someone you don’t even know.” Then he shook his head, pushing out a long breath. “That’s not true. I do know.” But he didn’t look happy about it.

“How’d you get Wagner to leave?” Jed asked.

I was probably about to set James off again, but he deserved to know the truth. And so did Jed and Neely Kate. “I met them on the porch with my shotgun and told them to leave.”

“He knows the kid is here?” Jed asked.

“He guessed it, but I didn’t confirm it.”

“How?” James asked. “What would make him guess the kid is here?”

“The teenager shot and killed a couple of miles from here,” Jed said. “I bet he was part of it.”

“So why didn’t Wagner show up last night?” James asked. “Why wait twenty-four hours?”

None of us had an answer.

“I still don’t understand how you got Wagner to leave,” Jed said. “You told me there were a dozen guys with guns. Did the kid help you?”

“No . . . he can’t walk on his own. It was just me—no shots fired. I had my gun trained on Wagner and told his men if they made a wrong move, they’d have to face his wrath since they’d be responsible for him losing his manhood.”

“That’s my girl,” Neely Kate said, beaming with pride.

The tips of Jed’s mouth turned up into a reluctant grin, but James kept his expression neutral. “You’re holding something back.”

I held his gaze, uncertain of whether I wanted to tell him about the file. What if he used me to get it? It wouldn’t be the first time. He’d tried to manipulate me into handing over an expensive necklace that rightfully belonged to Buck Reynolds, though part of that had been an attempt to push me away emotionally.

“I think that’s enough questions for tonight,” Neely Kate said. “It’s time for both y’all to go.”

Jed stared down at her as though she’d declared he should run off and become a nun. “If you think I’m leaving you here with some criminal in your house, knowing that Kip Wagner and his men could come back at any time, you’ve lost your mind.”

“Take her with you,” I said to Jed, knowing that everything he’d said was true. I’d gotten us into this mess. She didn’t deserve to be stuck in it.

“If you think I’m goin’ anywhere, you’ve both plum lost your minds,” Neely Kate said in a huff. “If Wagner and his band of merry fools comes back, I’m gonna be standin’ there next to you.”

“Neither one of you will be facin’ Wagner and his men,” Jed said. “I’ll be here to deal with it.”

I started to protest, but stopped. Neely Kate and I had discussed him staying earlier today. Still, I had to verify a few things first. “If you stay, you go nowhere near that kid.”

He didn’t answer, but I’d push him on it later.

“Also, I need to know that you’re good and done with James. You bein’ here won’t do me much good if everyone thinks you’re tied at the hip to him.”

James looked furious, but Jed gave a sharp nod. “I’m no longer working for him, but we’ve worked together for long enough that most people will go on considerin’ us allies no matter what.” He paused. “But I know someone else who can come stay with you two and look after the kid.” His brows lifted. “Just to be clear. If you two are here, then I’m not going anywhere, but this guy might be a good addition. He’s the perfect face of neutrality.”

“Witt.” Neely Kate said her cousin’s name in a breathy voice, then shook her head. “No. I’m not putting him in that position again.”

“I agree,” I said. We’d asked Witt to help us a couple of weeks ago when we were working for Reynolds to find Scooter Malcolm, but Neely Kate’s cousin was on parole. “We’ve already put Witt in enough danger. I won’t put him in any more.”

Jed already had his phone out. “How about we let him decide for himself?” He walked down the porch steps toward his car as he placed the call.

Jed had Witt’s number programmed into his phone?

Neely Kate looked nervous, and I hated that I was once again putting her and her cousin in danger. I was sure this would be one more strike against me with Witt. Though he’d willingly helped us last time, he’d made a point of telling me how much he hated seeing his cousin in danger. He’d made it clear that he wasn’t about to put up with it for much longer.

I knew he’d try something, but it didn’t take a fool to see that Neely Kate wouldn’t take orders from anyone, which meant there would be an epic showdown.

“Neely Kate,” I said as I moved closer to her, “maybe you should just go with Jed.”

Her eyes flashed with outrage. “Are you kiddin’ me?”

“I don’t want to get between you and Witt.”

“How would you get between us?”

I hesitated. I wasn’t about to tell Neely Kate about Witt’s promise to protect her from me if the need arose. “I got us into this mess. Me and the Lady in Black. I refuse to drag you in any deeper.”

Her face hardened with determination. “I’m not leavin’ you, Rose.”

“Rose is right,” James said. “Go with Jed, Neely Kate. I’ll stay with her.”

Neely Kate started to protest, but I beat her to it. “You are not staying with me, James Malcolm.”

“Why the hell not?” he demanded.

“For the exact reason Jed’s calling Witt—which I still don’t approve of—because if I’m going to look neutral, then only neutral people can help me guard the boy.”

“Let me make this perfectly clear,” James said in a cold voice. “I’m not protecting that kid. I’m protecting you.”

“You’re only proving my point.”

“Witt’s on his way,” Jed called out as he turned to face us, pocketing his phone.

I shook my head. “This is a bad idea. Witt will need a gun to stand his ground against anyone who shows up at the house, which would be a direct violation of his parole.”

“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” Jed said, sounding more lighthearted than I would have expected.

James held my gaze. “Why did Wagner leave, his threatened manhood aside?”

And here we were again. I needed to decide if I trusted James not to use me again. I made a split-second decision to take the risk, although I wondered if it was my risk to take. “He wanted a file. He said it had been stolen from his safe in the robbery.”

“What was in this file?”

“I have no earthly idea, but he wants it back. He says he’ll be back in twenty-four hours to get it.”

“Does the kid have it?” James asked.

“I have no idea. I didn’t even know the file existed until Kip Wagner asked for it, and I haven’t asked him yet.”

“Then I will.” He started to move around me, but I grabbed his arm.

“If you walk through that door, you and I are officially done, you understand me?”

James’ entire body tensed. “You would choose that kid over me?”

“No, you would be choosing to disrespect me and my attempt to be neutral.”

“You are deluded and naïve,” he snarled. “My world doesn’t work that way.”

“Deluded and naïve?” I said in a hard tone. “You think I don’t have firsthand experience with the way your world works? Have you forgotten that I’ve spent months in it? That I was so good at gettin’ close to your suspected traitors and findin’ out their secrets with my visions that you offered me a partnership? Was I deluded and naïve then?”

Holding my gaze, he hesitated before he said, “You’re deluded and naïve if you think I’m going to drive off and let you get killed over some two-bit kid who stole a file from Wagner’s safe. So I’m going to grill that boy until he tells me what’s in the file and where it is.”

“Jed, Neely Kate. Go inside,” I said, keeping my focus on James.

“Rose . . . ,” Neely Kate said softly.

“Go inside and take Muffy with you. This needs to be a private conversation.”

James’ eyebrow lifted slightly. “You don’t want your dog overhearin’ our conversation?”

“Muffy’s an excellent judge of character, and I’d hate for her opinion of you to be marred by the discussion we’re about to have.”

Neely Kate gave me one last look, then said, “Come on, Muffy.”

Muffy gave a soft whine as she followed my best friend and Jed inside.

As soon as the door clicked shut, James’ face softened. “I’m goin’ to take it as a good sign that you’re worried about preservin’ my character with your dog.”

I didn’t crack a smile. “I know you don’t understand why I insist on remaining neutral, but you have to admit that it’s actually helped you a few times. We were able to broker a truce with Buck Reynolds, and it helped me find Scooter.”

His scowl was back. “Merv made sure I found my brother.”

“But he planned to kill you and me, and it was my cooperation with Reynolds and Dermot that saved me.”

His certainty wavered.

I took two steps toward him and rested my palms on his chest. Feeling his hard muscles under his shirt sent a shiver of desire down my back, but I reminded myself this wasn’t the time or place. “I know you’re scared for me. But I need to do this, James.”

“It’s a fool’s errand, Rose, and you know it.”

“Trust me.”

“And let you get yourself killed?” he asked in a low tone. “You have to know you were lucky tonight. Damn lucky.”

“I know.”

“I don’t know if I can continue to watch you do this. I’m not sure I can be part of it.”

Something in my chest tightened, and I took a step back. “Then you’re no better than Mason. He wanted the fruits of me bein’ the Lady in Black without the stench that came with it.”

His anger was back. “I am nothin’ like that man.”

“No,” I said, “but the comparison stands all the same.”

He turned away from me and walked to the end of my porch, staring out into the hayfield that bordered Joe’s property. “This is all my fault,” he said in a broken voice. “This is like a damned runaway freight train, and I don’t know how to stop it.”

“What are you talkin’ about?”

He slowly turned to face me. “You.” He flung his hand toward the house. “This. I forced you to go to that goddamned auction last November to help save my sorry ass. I didn’t give two shits about how it would affect you. Hell, I thought it was funny I had that arrogant son-of-a-bitch’s girlfriend in my pocket.”

His words stung, but I wasn’t surprised. Why wouldn’t he have felt that way at the time? That auction, which had earned him his position as king of the underworld, marked the first time I’d used my visions to help him. I’d brought information to James, hoping he could do me a favor in return, but I’d had a vision of him dying at the auction. None of the details had come through, however—like who would do the deed or when—so he’d insisted I go to the auction with him. And so, with a hat and a dress and a veil, the Lady in Black had been born.

I held his gaze, unflinching.

He continued. “And now you’re stuck in a disaster of my creation. You wanted to stop being Lady, and I wouldn’t let you.”

My irritation softened. “Sure, you coerced me in the beginning, but I chose to continue. To help you.”

He shook his head with a bitter laugh. “So you could save that sorry bastard who left you as soon as he was safe.”

“Even so, it was by choice. You didn’t coerce me.”

He kept his gaze on the tree line for a moment before turning to face me. By then, his melancholy had been replaced with determination. “I can’t change my previous selfishness, but I’m damned by it now.” He strode toward me and cupped both sides of my face with his hands. “Let me claim you. Then I can give you my full protection.”

“You and I both know that will make me more of a target, not less. This is the safest way—to appear neutral.”

He dropped his hands and took a step back. “I will not let you pay with your life for my own greed.”

I gave him a soft smile. “I’m too stubborn to let someone kill me.”

He released a laugh, but it sounded forlorn. “I almost believe that.”

“Good.” I took a breath, steeling myself, then said, “Now you need to go.”

He gave me a look of pained surprise.

“I’ve missed you more than you can possibly know,” I said, “but the longer you stay here, the more danger I’m in. What if Wagner finds out you’re here and thinks I’ve given this mysterious file to you? I assured him that if I found it, I’d give it to him, but we both know he doesn’t trust my word.”

His brow lowered. “You shouldn’t have told him that.”

“If it’s his file, then of course I will. Just like I gave Buck Reynolds back his necklace.”

He moved next to me, close enough for his chest to touch mine. His voice was a low growl. “And what if whatever’s in that file is harmful? What if it’s a hit list? What if it’s dirt on me? Worse yet, what if it’s something that could hurt Neely Kate? Would you be so willing to give it back then?”

I stared up at him in horror, but the look on his face wasn’t gloating. It was sympathetic.

“Livin’ in the gray area’s not so easy, is it?” When I didn’t respond, he wrapped me in his arms, placed a gentle kiss on my forehead, then got into his car and drove away.