“Fight camp. It’s where a bunch of us train at the same gym. We’re as much like brothers as friends. Several of the guys married recently and the ladies are all tight too.” He gave her a sideways glance. “For some reason they’re extra close to Leese. Cannon and Armie don’t mind much, but it makes Stack and Denver a little nuts. Stack’s wife, especially, is cozy with him, like he’s a confidant or something. She was pretty broke up when he left fighting to be a bodyguard. But he usually gets back to town every other week or so, and we all get together then.”
Cat blinked at that outpouring of unique names and detailed information. She hadn’t even needed to coerce him to spill his guts. She appreciated how easy he’d made it, but... Leese was friends with the ladies? Close friends? The thought of that made her neck hot.
To cover her reaction, she asked, “What about you? Not married?”
“No.” Appalled, he leaned back in the seat as if distancing himself from the very idea. “Not interested, thank you very much.”
Tone dry, she said, “I wasn’t personally asking.”
“Still, it’s never good when hot ladies bring up marriage.”
Oh, nice. “You think I’m hot?”
He gave her a mocking don’t-be-coy glance. “Yeah, I do.”
She damn near preened. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He went back to drinking his coffee.
Deciding to go with her gut, Cat stopped worrying and instead came around to join him on the other bar stool. “Tell me more about Leese.”
Eyes warming, he asked, “What do you want to know?”
*
THROUGH THE OFFICE WINDOW, Leese barely lifted a curtain and peered out. He could just see the driveway, the front yard and a part of the stoop where two men, gazes shifty, looked up and down the street, then went to work on the door.
Only two. Good.
They’d parked a noticeable black sedan at the curb. Idiots. The slick, polished car stood out against the minivans, hatchbacks and compact vehicles.
One man was dark, his hair cropped short. The other had brown hair. Both wore suit pants and long black coats.
Way to announce yourselves, assholes.
Two he could handle—piece of cake. No need to sneak out the back, Leese decided. He wanted to know who they were and why they were here.
No sooner did he have that thought than he overheard the men muttering to each other.
“She’s turning into a major pain in my ass.”
“We’ll have her soon.”
“Won’t be soon enough for me. I hope she’s made to pay before she’s taken out. Bitch deserves it.”
A gruff laugh. “Yeah, this hasn’t been the cakewalk I expected.”
Fuckers. Every muscle in Leese’s body tensed before he forced himself to relax again. Invested rage, he knew, wasn’t a benefit. He needed a cool head. He needed to be detached.
Damn near impossible, but he’d manage.
Being less efficient than him, it took the goons a full minute longer to pick the lock, and by then Leese was in the living room, behind the door. More than ready.
They continued to rumble to each other, voices low and testy. Yes, it was bitter cold outside. Yes, the wind howled.
No reason to cry about it.
When the door quietly opened, Leese released a breath, and both men stepped inside. Being obtuse as well as assholes, they started to close the door before finally noticing him.
Surprise had them fumbling, and by then it was too late.
He didn’t want to destroy Cat’s house, so he didn’t play around. The closest guy got a kick in the temple that stiffened his entire body. Eyes rolling back unevenly, he collapsed into his darker, bulkier friend.
Before the muscle man could draw his gun, Leese lifted his own. “I’d really hate to cause a ruckus,” he said. “In a neighborhood like this, the cops will come swarming in.”
“That’d be a problem for you too,” the man said, his gaze calculating, seeking an escape.
“Not so much.” He was legit, so he’d deal with the cops just fine if it came to that. Using his foot, Leese nudged the door shut. No reason to advertise this conflict to the neighbors.
“Make this easy on yourself.” Shifting in a way that his coat moved away from his hip and exposed a holster, the thug said, “Give up the girl and we can go our separate ways.”
“Yeah? And what do you plan to do with her?”
“Not your concern.”
Leese stared into his black eyes. “There’s where you’re wrong. She is very much my concern.”
The man laughed. “Bullshit. She isn’t involved with anyone. She hasn’t even dated for a year. Cut your losses before it’s too late.”
Leese ignored most of that. “Are you the one who planted the bug?”
The near infinitesimal flaring of his eyes showed his surprise.
While he gauged the situation, Leese asked, “Who do you work for?”
“You’re in over your head, man. Back off.”
That brief conversation took only seconds, yet it felt so momentous it should have been an hour-long interrogation.
“With two fingers,” Leese instructed calmly, “take out your gun and set it on the table. Do it slowly.” When he started to move, Leese added, “Understand, I won’t hesitate to end you.”
One palm up in the universal sign of surrender, the intruder carefully removed his weapon and gingerly placed it on the table.
“Back up.” Maintaining his aim, Leese waited for him to move, then took the relinquished weapon, stuck it in his own pocket and withdrew nylon cuffs. “Fasten your friend’s hands.” The downed man wouldn’t stay out much longer. “Now.”
Going to one knee, he did as told. “You are making a big mistake.”
“Not over his coat,” Leese said with impatience. “His bare wrists.” Once they were nice and tight, Leese said, “Good. Now lie on your stomach, hands locked behind your neck.” Without taking the gun off the intruders, Leese flipped the lock on the door.
Thinking he was distracted, the darker man rolled fast to his back and grabbed for his friend’s gun.
He wasn’t fast enough.
Leese kicked out, sending the gun to skitter across the floor and probably breaking the man’s hand in the process. Dropping a knee to his chest, Leese used his left hand to slug the man in the jaw twice. He wanted to hit him more. He wanted to annihilate him.
But the asshole had already blacked out.
Damn. Hard to question unconscious men, but how was he to know they both had glass jaws?
“Shit.” Tucking his own gun away, Leese flipped the man back to his stomach and bound his hands behind him, drawing the nylon cuffs tight enough to stifle circulation. For good measure, he went ahead and bound their feet as well, then searched them for any additional weapons.
In total they’d had three guns, a big blade and a Taser.
When Leese imagined men of their ilk ever getting within speaking distance of Catalina, icy rage slid through his veins. He took a few seconds to think about what to do, then made up his mind.
Minutes later, as both men came around, Leese lifted the razor-sharp blade and smiled in evil anticipation.
*
DRESSED IN COMFY flannel pants and a sweatshirt, seated on the sofa with a big bowl of popcorn and a Coke—something Leese would have frowned over, if he’d been there—Cat watched the screen. Every couple of seconds she had a question, and each time Miles patiently answered.
Who knew MMA was so exciting?
As one sweaty man twisted another man’s arm to the breaking point in some complex, pretzel-like move, she lifted the bowl to hide her eyes. “What is he doing?”