“Hey, man!” Harley’s brows rose, and a flash of hope had his lips curving. “Since I told you, does that mean you’ll let me go?”
“No, it means you’ll be heading to jail. You’re under arrest for assaulting a federal officer.”
Kenton was bone tired when he pulled up in front of Lora’s house that night. After he’d gotten a black-and-white cruiser to take Harley into the station, he’d interviewed the other neighbors. No one remembered any visitors at the Randall house. Most folks hadn’t seemed to care enough to ever bother glancing over that way. All the memories were of cop cars, nothing else.
After leaving the neighborhood, he’d verified Garrison’s story about the school and his whereabouts at the time of the Randall fire. A teacher remembered Garrison cutting out right after he’d gotten a page.
After he’d checked out Garrison, Kenton spent a few hours interviewing the pyros that Peter hauled into the station. He’d watched as Peter tossed the fire photos in front of them. No one’s reaction had raised his suspicions. Then, while Monica and Jon had checked out more firefighters in the area, Kenton had talked to the families of the victims and seen their grief. He and Monica had suspects. Oh, yeah, they had a whole shitload of them. But they didn’t have Phoenix.
All in all, it had been one real bitch of a day.
Sighing, Kenton shoved his SUV’s door open. He wanted to see Lora. His hand stretched back into the passenger seat and grabbed the roses that he’d picked up.
Because he didn’t just want hot sex with her. Well, he did. But tonight, he wanted more.
A date. It would be a new experience for him. Usually, he didn’t exactly stick around for date time.
As he turned his head and caught sight of the front porch, he saw her.
But Lora didn’t see him. She was too busy throwing her arms around some other ass**le. Some tall, blond-headed ass who had his hands on her, his body pressed against hers.
The sound of her laughter reached his ears, light and warm.
She leaned up and kissed the man’s cheek.
What the f**k.
She turned, and the guy slipped past her, heading right into her house.
“She’s using you, man. She’s done it before. You’re not him. She won’t—”
Seth’s words rang in his head. He’d wanted to punch the ass**le at the time. Now he wanted to slam his fist into the face of the ass**le who’d just gone into Lora’s house.
She’d kissed him.
Kenton slammed his car door.
Lora turned at the sound. “Kent?” She glanced back at the house and then at him. She hurried forward, coming to stand at the end of the porch. “Wh-what are you doing here?”
His fingers clenched around the flowers. Idiot. “I told you I’d be by tonight.” Because he’d wanted to check on her. He knew Wade had pulled through those first life-or-death hours, but he’d wanted to check on her.
No, he’d wanted her.
“You did?” She eased down the top step. “Sorry, I, um, don’t remember you telling me that.”
Probably because she’d been unconscious. His eyes locked on her face and then slowly slid to the open front door. “Looks like you’ve already got company.”
She caught her lower lip between her teeth, and her eyes darted back to the open door. “Um, yeah, this isn’t a really good time for me.”
His jaw clenched. “I don’t share, Lora.”
Her brows scrunched. “Share what?”
The wooden porch creaked. “Lora?” The ass**le’s voice. The guy stood in the doorway, his face half-hidden in shadows. “Lora, there a problem out here?”
Kenton bounded up the steps. “Yeah, there’s a problem. You.”
“Kenton!” Lora’s strangled voice. “Don’t—”
Fuck that. No way was he about to step aside while Lora got all nice and cozy with this prick. “Lora happen to tell you what she did last night? I mean, who?”
“Oh, my God.” Lora really sounded like she was choking. Tough. He’d deal with her later, and he’d make it pretty f**king clear that while they were together, it would just be them.
Not that jackass standing there, clenching his fists, and not either of the other two tall linebacker types who were suddenly crowding in behind him.
Two other—
Well, shit.
“You got a problem with him,” one of the guys snapped, “then you got a problem with all of us!”
Lora’s nails dug into the skin of Kenton’s back, hard and deep. “My brothers…”
They all eased out of the door and surrounded him. And that guy—the one who’d kissed Lora—Kenton got a good look at him then.
The right side of his face had been in the light. A much more masculine version of Lora, especially with that thick blond hair.
But the left side of his face…
Jesus.
The flesh was raised, red and dark in spots as it criss-crossed his cheek and ran down his jaw.
Her brother—the fire had caught him, burned him, over 60 percent of his body. The doctors didn’t think he’d make it.
But he had made it, and the guy was looking at him like he’d love nothing more than to rip Kenton’s head clear off.
Not that he particularly blamed him right then. Damn. Jealousy could make him act like such a f**king idiot.
“I’m having dinner with my brothers tonight.”
“Who the hell is he?” came a snarl from the redhead in the back.
Lora jumped in front of Kenton. “A friend. He’s a friend. Guys, just go back inside and finish making the spaghetti. I’ll be there in a minute, okay?”
“No friend talks to my sister like that.” The guy who’d walked through hell took a step forward. “And if this jerk had his hands on you last night…”
Kenton knew he was about to get an ass-kicking. He set his shoulders, realizing that it would be hard for a man to be more stupid than he’d just been, and got ready to take his licks. From the looks of things, there’d be a lot of them.
“Ryan, ease up, okay?”
Ryan didn’t look like he really understood that concept.
Lora’s hand shoved against Ryan’s chest. “My angel hair is gonna burn, and when it does, you’ll be the one going hungry.”
The guy wasn’t moving.
She gave a long, really long sigh. “This is Kenton Lake, all right? Special Agent Kenton Lake.”
“Oooh… special agent.” From the redhead. He was about two inches shorter than Ryan, but he was wider. “Like I give a rat’s ass about that.” And he obviously had his sister’s tact.